Shades of Blood (Warriors of Ankh #3)

by Samantha Young

  “Yeah.” Noah nodded ruefully. “Well, Eden and I… we’re so different and I thought that we could make it work but this… I don’t even know what she’s thinking now and… we come from such different backgrounds, Cyrus. You should see her with Jack,” he tried not to spit the word. “She feels comfortable around him because he has a crappy history too, with a deranged father just like hers. I can’t give her that kind of connection. As much as my father likes to piss me off, he happens to be one of the best men I’ve ever known.”

  Cyrus was quiet a moment and Noah squirmed under his regard, wondering if he’d revealed too much to Cyrus. He was Eden’s adopted father after all. Finally, he shook his head. “You are looking at it wrong. You are overthinking it. I see you together and it reminds me of me and Merrit.” He smiled sadly. “You really do. Like you, I was more of a black and white kind of man, whereas Merrit saw every shade of grey… sometimes she even created a shade or two here and there. But she changed me. For the better. And I her. It is the same for you and Eden. You are dawn and she is midnight. And despite the mist of the half-light, together you see more clearly in the dusk.”

  After a moment’s deep silence, of letting those extremely comforting words settle in, Noah shook his head wearily. “I’ve been feeling like crap for days and a five minute conversation with you and I’m OK.”

  Cyrus shrugged, a small, smug smile playing on his lips. “That is because I am awesome.”

  Noah grunted. “Eden has way too much influence over you.”

  “Says the boy moping over her.”

  “Nice, thank you.”

  “You are very welcome.”

  They grinned in companionable silence, a silence that was broken by a loud banging on Cyrus’ office door. Cyrus frowned. “Come in.”

  When Jack stepped in he looked controlled but worried. A flicker of guilt passed over his face when he noted Noah’s presence. Noah felt every muscle in his body tense. “We have a problem.”

  Cyrus stood up from the desk, the lines of his face suddenly severe. “What has happened?”

  Was it just Noah’s imagination or was Jack sweating? And did he just gulp? “Eden… left the mansion.”

  “What?!” Noah and Cyrus sprang forward, Noah’s heart doing a triple axel in his chest.

  “Princeps, I take full responsibility.” Jack held up his hands, his eyes dark with an unnamed emotion. “She begged me to let her go after Noah.”

  Noah frowned. “What? When?”

  “When you left. She was right at the back of you in the SUV. She said she wouldn’t get out the car unless she found you. She begged me,” Jack tried to explain. “She was really upset… she told me if she didn’t go after you, you’d think she didn’t care. I… I don’t know what to say. When I saw the mustang was back but not the SUV… I tried calling her but her phone is switched off. Princeps, I take full responsibility for my actions-”

  “Why would she think that?” Noah blazed, turning to Cyrus wide-eyed. “We had an argument. We said things we didn’t mean. But I wouldn’t…”

  But Cyrus wasn’t listening. His dark eyes were blazing black fury at Jack. Noah’s instincts kicked in and he jumped between the two men, blocking Jack from Cyrus’ wrath. “Cyrus, calm down,” Noah said quietly. “This is Eden we’re talking about, OK. If anything has happened she can take care of herself. You know how capable she is. I’m not worried.” OK, that was a lie, he was horribly, painfully worried, but he was also right. Eden was one of the best fighters he knew.

  “She’s weaponless,” Jack whispered.

  Noah squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stay calm. “OK. Jack… I’m sure Cyrus will deal with you later. For now can you ask Darius, Valeria and my parents to come to Cyrus’ office?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Noah almost raised an eyebrow at that. Jack had never called him ‘sir’ before. He must really feel bad.

  “Where would she go?” Cyrus asked in a low growl as soon as Jack had left. “Where would she think you would go?”

  Think, Noah, think. Eden was out there, alone and weaponless in a city possibly crawling with The Tribunal, rebel Neith and Cosmina Arcos’ people.

  “Noah,” Cyrus snapped. “Where would she think you would go?”

  “There are a couple of places.” He blinked rapidly, trying to control his nerves. “There are the gardens… a pizza place I like…”

  “Think,” Cyrus breathed. “You just had an argument… where would you go for some peace and quiet. To gather your thoughts? Where would Eden think you would go to do that?”

  Noah’s head jerked up. He snapped his fingers. “The bookshop. In Cambridge. I’ve talked about taking her there a couple of times.”

  The energy that signaled his arrival hit the room before he did. “Then we’ll try there.”

  Noah spun around to face Darius of Mesopotamia. He was an intimidating figure of a man. It wasn’t that he was tall - in fact he was an inch or two shorter than Noah. He was broad and muscled, his features sharp, austere even. His eyes were so black, so deep and hypnotic it was like getting stuck in tar when one looked into them. Most intimidating of all though was the unbelievable energy Darius omitted when he was nearby. His rooms were on the fourth floor, private, away from everyone else, so Noah hadn’t felt it when he’d first returned home.

  Now he did.

  The energy washed over him, prodding him, pressing him back. The hair on his arms stood on end. “Darius.” He nodded in greeting. “It’s good to see you.”

  “You too, Noah.” Darius gave him a small smile. “I wish it were under better circumstances. Eden has gone missing?”

  Noah gulped, fear starting to eat away at his insides despite his assurances to himself that Eden could take of herself. “Yes.”

  “Well… if you have an idea of what street she might be on, I can take it from there.”

  OK, so Darius could be terrifying. But it was in moments like these when Darius’ particular gifts – and Noah had no clue the extent of those gifts – really came in handy. If they could find the last location Eden was at, Darius might able to follow the energy she left behind.

  “We better move quickly.” Alain stepped into the room, his worried eyes falling on Noah. “Who knows who may have gotten to her.”

  And that was exactly why he couldn’t stay pissed off at his old man.

  Chapter Sixteen

  My Enemy is your Enemy

  They stood facing one another in the empty apartment with its sparse furniture. Dust gathered along the top of the baseboards, across the fireplace mantel, itching the nose in the air. When Cosmina has said the apartment was empty, she literally meant empty.

  As soon as Eden had scrambled to her feet and into the sitting room, trying to put some distance between her and the mega powerful Neith intent on killing her, she’d groped for her katana only to pull her hand back cursing. She’d left the estate without her katana. Without even a dagger. As if she knew how vulnerable Eden was, Cosmina smiled smugly at her as she strolled into the room, her flat boots barely making a sound on the floorboards. She was dressed in a slim-fit grey suit, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She too had no sword. As if she’d seen the surprise on Eden’s face, Cosmina shrugged. “I followed you from outside the estate. When you got out of the car without a weapon, I thought it only fair to leave mine behind too.”

  “That’s not strictly true,” Eden replied, checking the room surreptitiously for something that could be used as a makeshift weapon. “Your greatest weapon is a part of you.”

  “The telekinesis.” Cosmina nodded thoughtfully.

  “Not a fair fight then.”

  “Well, I am merely Neith. You are some strange hybrid between a soul eater and an Ankh. I do not have your physical strength, no Neith does. Which you have proven time and again against the men and women I have sent out to kill you. So… I will be using my telekinesis if that is alright with you?”

  Before Eden could even reply she felt the air sw
im around her, her feet lifting from the ground. The force of being thrown backwards would have been sickening if Eden had had a chance to process it. She didn’t. Her body was slammed up against the brick wall of the sitting room, the air rushing out of her lungs, her head throbbing with the crushing impact. As soon as her breath returned she shrieked in outrage, trying to move against Cosmina’s telekinesis that held her spread-eagled against the wall.

  “What are you going to do?” Eden snapped. “Keep me pinned here until I starve to death?”

  “No.” Cosmina shook her head. “Earlier… you felt my telekinesis squeeze around you, yes?”

  Yes, she had. It had been a terrible sensation. Wait…

  Oh hell.

  Trying not to show her fear, Eden stared blankly at the Neith.

  “Yes.” Cosmina nodded. “I am going to suffocate you, Ms. Winslow. I have heard it is not the most pleasant way to die. But then a half-breed’s comfort does not really matter to me.”

  Eden frowned. “Half-breed? I’m not an effing half-breed you insane bitch. I am Ankh. Full-blooded, would kick your ass up and down this apartment if you weren’t an effing cheat, Ankh!”

  Her head cocked and she glowered back at Eden. “Stop lying.”

  “If you know anything about me, you know I don’t lie. Someone has been feeding you the wrong info.”

  “It does not matter if you believe you have embraced your Ankh side, Ms. Winslow. You are an abomination, once a creature of darkness. The Circle allows you to live and worse to live among them. It is an affront to our legacy and to the memory of the people who have lost their lives to your kind.”

  Certain she understood, Eden’s eyes narrowed. “People you’ve lost?”

  Before Cosmina could answer, the sound of the apartment door opening surprised her. Eden felt a loosening on the telekinesis holding her up as Cosmina spun around and began backing towards Eden away from the doorway as loud footsteps, more than one pair, echoed ominously closer towards them.

  “Friends of yours?” Eden asked sarcastically.

  There was no need for the Neith to answer for at that moment three soul eaters strode into the room. Two of them were dressed in long leather coats, chains dangling from black jeans, black kohl around their eyes. The other was in a dark blue suit, so odds with his companions who looked as if they’d watched The Lost Boys one too many times.

  “Arcos?” Eden’s heart pounded as Cosmina drew up into a defensive position. “Why don’t you kill me later and let me help you kill these guys?”

  “I don’t need your help!” she spat and with a flick of her wrist one of the soul eaters whooshed back through the doorway and into the kitchen on the other side of the hallway. A loud crash told Eden his landing hadn’t been any better than hers, but at that moment she didn’t care. Her body was sliding down the wall.

  Arcos’ telekinesis wasn’t strong enough to hold more than one object… or person… or whatever.

  “I think you do need my help.”

  Cosmina shifted backwards as the two soul eaters began inching warily towards her, the surprise of seeing their companion blasted off his feet by invisible hands making them cautious.

  “No need for violence,” the girl in the goth gear placated Cosmina. “We’re just after the girl.” She jerked her head up at Eden.

  Boy, it was so nice to feel so wanted. Eden grunted. “Rice, I presume.”

  The girl smirked at her. “He said you or the Scottish bitch. I think he’ll be happy it’s you.”

  “Arcos,” Eden growled between clenched teeth. “Let me… oomph!” she hit the floor with large thud and a wince. “Thanks.” She sighed and jumped to her feet, ignoring the ache in her knee. She braced herself next to Cosmina. “You take the guy, I’ll take The Corpse Bride?”

  Cosmina threw her a guarded look and a tight nod.

  Then all hell broke loose.

  While Cosmina used her telekinesis to slam the male soul eater around the room as if she was a rolling pin and he a piece of dough, Eden wasted no time and moved towards the girl. The female soul eater was fast, dropping to the floor, sweeping her leg out at her.

  Eden was faster.

  She launched upwards to avoid the sweep and kicked out as she spun through the air at an angle, her foot making hard contact with the soul eater’s face. She landed back on her feet and eyed the soul eater who lay flat out, disorientated by Eden’s powerful butterfly kick. She felt smug and elated. In training she’d attempted the butterfly kick many times but the warriors were too fast and Noah had reprimanded her again and again for trying a move that had proven ineffectual in combat. Not so ineffectual against a sneak floor sweep.

  “Yeah, you like that?” Eden growled as the soul eater started to groggily rise. Eden had hit her good. With adrenaline and fear and hate and confusion all controlling her amidst the sounds of the woman who wanted to kill her annihilating the male soul eater, Eden knocked the girl out with a formidable axe kick down across the forehead. The blur of movement was the only warning she got before the goth soul eater from the kitchen dove on top of her, taking them both to the ground with a hit that was nowhere near as painful as Cosmina’s had been. His hands went for Eden’s throat and she thanked his stupidity. With arms he should have restrained, Eden struck him in the face with her elbow and his head whipped back. The heel of her palm followed it up with a bone-breaking smash to his nose and he howled in outrage, falling off her body. She punched him again, blood smearing her knuckle. With a hoarse sound of victory, Eden rolled to her feet before slamming her foot down onto his face to knock him out.

  Eden felt the rush of defeating an opponent, her chest heaving with the exertion. She made a rookie mistake of letting her guard down, not even aware of the hand that reached out and wrapped itself around her ankle. It yanked her hard, bringing her crashing down.

  She was on her back again, this time pinned by the goth girl she’d thought she’d knocked out. She grabbed at Eden’s hands with a strength Eden hadn’t expected.

  And snap!

  Eden screamed in pain as the bitch bent back both of her wrists hard enough to break them. Water streamed from her eyes as the girl glared down at her with a pale grey, depthless expression. Perhaps it was the fury of having been so badly incapacitated for the first time since she’d become an Ankh, perhaps it was the desperation of the situation, perhaps it was the girl’s long dark hair and slanted eyes that reminded her so much of a girl she used to see when she looked in the mirror, but Eden found herself lost in that gaze, wishing for another destiny for this girl, wishing she could take it all away. The girl would be free of the monster inside that screamed to be fed, a monster that haunted her every step. Eden knew that monster. She’d destroyed it… or Cyrus and Val had. If only she could destroy the girl’s monster. The need to do that, the want, was painful, chokingly, horrifyingly painful - as if an energy were reaching out from her chest and into the girl’s, tugging at all of Eden’s insides as it struggled to do what she wished.

  It took her a moment to realize the girl had stilled, her hold on Eden’s wrists – wrists that were trying to knit themselves back together in painful agony – loosening. And her eyes.

  Oh my god, her eyes.

  The grey was bleeding from them, a dark blue flooding out from around the pupil into the rest of the iris.

  No way.

  “What the hell did you do?”

  For a minute she thought Val might not answer, there was such pain and concern in her dark exotic eyes. Finally, she heaved a massive sigh. “I did what only the Unforeseen can do. What only you and I can do.”

  Afraid to ask, Eden’s eyes did it for her.

  The ancient warrior bent down to the girl, two fingers on her neck checking for a steady pulse. Satisfied, she looked up at Eden. “I turned a soul eater into a human.”

  With a gasp of fright, as if the girl was struggling to draw breath, she fell over, choking and crying. It was only then that Eden saw the shadow over her. She glanc
ed up and saw Cosmina staring down at her.

  “What did you just do?” she gaped at her and then looked at the girl. Before Eden could answer, Cosmina dropped to her knees and jerked the girl’s face up with a sharp tug. The girl was still crying but through the tears you could see the warm dark blue of her eyes. Cosmina gasped and turned slowly to Eden. “What did you do?”

  Eden shuddered, from the fear of Cosmina knowing or from the pain in her wrists as the bones reset themselves she didn’t know. Struggling up into a sitting position, she looked up from behind a curtain of messy dark hair, the panic probably visible in her eyes. “I saved her. I made her human.”

  They stood facing one another in the wrecked sitting room. The girl had passed out just as the girl Val had saved on the streets of Boston had. The two male soul eaters were unconscious, the one Cosmina had been battling was just a pulpy mess.

  Arcos was white with shock and she hadn’t made a move towards attacking Eden.

  Eden had no clue what that meant.

  Finally, the Neith shook her head. “How is that possible?”

  Well, it wasn’t like she could deny it happening. Cosmina had witnessed it, so she might as well tell her everything. Well… not about Val. Obviously. Eden sighed, touching her swollen wrists. They were healed but Eden still winced from the memory of the pain. “It’s my gift if you will. Everyone thinks what I am… that it means I’m stronger than the ordinary Ankh. But I’m not. Whatever you might think, I’m not a soul eater anymore. I am full-blooded Ankh. But I was once a soul eater, although for the record I never took a soul. Not once. The transition… the destruction of the monster that was inside me… it gave me the ability to do the same for other soul eaters. I can kill the soul eater in them. It makes them human.” She blinked, glancing back down at the unconscious girl, remembering the aching, almost fanatic source within her that had reached out and into the girl. It had been a cold, unforgiving ice that had frozen over the soul eater’s monster and then punched the ice into a million brilliant pieces, until those pieces melted away into nothingness, taking the monster with it.