That was how being a Chosen worked.
And whether Dre liked it or not, whether he liked Eve or not, he was her Chosen.
❖
Frazer
Six days later
As I stepped off the King Air 350 and onto the private airfield, I stretched, letting my muscles as well as my soul recuperate from being stuck in a metal box for hours on end. Of course, the King Air was luxurious, it was my family’s go-to private jet, but that didn’t make it any bigger or more comfortable for eight creatures roaming around its confines.
Creatures never did well in confined spaces, and when you thought about the reasons why, it made perfect sense. For twenty-one years, we were kept locked up tight, forced to endure medical examinations and tests to treat us, and only allowed some freedom when we managed to make it to Caelum. Though Eve’s presence in our lives had enabled our creatures to have free reign—well, most of us—we weren’t exactly used to it.
We’d traveled via the yacht to Gibraltar, after crossing the strait to switch between Africa and the Mediterranean, then had grabbed the jet to London.
It had been a long fifteen days at sea—we were stuck there if we were to remain incognito—and even using the jet had come with a risk that had me eager for Eve to finally disembark so we could be on our way to the University of Greenwich.
According to Samuel, Caelum was under red alert thanks to the infiltration we’d prevented, and the faculty was in disarray. But just because that was the case, didn’t mean they didn’t have soldiers out there looking for us. Especially, as we’d feared, we were under suspicion thanks to the unfortunate timing of our leaving.
Though our numbers were smaller than the Ghouls, there were still hundreds of thousands of us. We had a well-established army, but it wasn’t enough to overcome our enemies, just to control them. And even then, that wasn’t always possible—the infiltration being proof of that.
Grimly absorbing that fact, I peered up at the dark sky that showed not a single star thanks to the heavy light pollution in the vicinity. The private airfield was a ninety-minute journey from the capital, but with the runway’s illumination, it made the stars impossible to behold. That was something I instantly missed. The long sail around the African coastline, and then years at Caelum, had spoiled me.
City living would no longer cut it.
When her scent drifted on the breeze, stronger even than the harsh scents of an airport, I turned and held out my hand for her.
My mate.
My body grew taut when our palms drifted across the other’s, and her rose-tinged cheeks showed me that she was just as affected by our touch.
Reaching over, I tilted up her chin with my hand, and as I stared into her eyes, I asked, “You okay?”
“I don’t like planes,” she answered, her tone wary as she peered back at the private jet.
“I know. They’re a mercy, though. Sometimes.” When she winced, I had to hide a smile.
A limo was waiting for us beside the jet, and I guided her over to it then helped her in. The rest of my Pack pounded their way down the airstairs and hustled into the limo behind her. Before I joined them, I caught the pilot’s eye and nodded my thanks. He waved at me politely in response before beginning the sequence that would prepare him for takeoff.
Leaving the jet for the limo wasn’t exactly a reprieve, not with another long journey ahead of us, but at least we could open the window and let some fresh air into the passenger compartment.
“I’m fucking beat,” Dre grumbled around a yawn as, like a dog, he leaned his arm against the window and stuck his face in the wind. Dude was a bear, not a wolf. He shouldn’t need reminding of that.
“Me too,” Stefan admitted. “I always hated flying, but that was the worst journey I’ve ever had.”
I knew what they meant. The one Caelum used was about fifteen times the size, almost a passenger airplane. By contrast, the jet was as large as this damn car. No matter how much luxury there was, it was still too small for our souls.
“Not long until we’re at the cottage,” I assured Eve, who had leaned her head against Eren’s shoulder while tucking her hand in Samuel’s. The former didn’t surprise me—Eve found great comfort in Eren’s presence. I was kind of jealous, but equally grateful that she found that kind of succor in one of us—but the latter did. Samuel was the last to get her mark, after all, but they’d quickly grown close over the trip.
After a shaky start, Eve had begun feeding Samuel, with one of the Pack supplementing what she couldn’t manage. The feedings were imperative. Created an intimacy that I was, in truth, relieved Samuel had with Eve. Their origin story was pretty dicey, and one that had only gone down in the first place because Sam had wanted to protect the Pack from the faculty. It wasn’t fair that he should pay the price for that.
I’d admit, though, that it was weird not to have to feed from him in turn, but I was glad my time for that was over. I was a Sin Eater through and through now, and even though that soul wasn’t the most pleasant of the creatures, I was grateful that blood was something that ran in my veins and no longer down my throat.
“Good,” she mumbled, her eyes drifting closed. I empathized. We’d been on the go all day, and Eve, totally unaccustomed to travel after a lifetime of being in two places, was finding the constant motion of these past weeks hard on her system.
Today, we’d started off the morning anchoring the yacht, then had flown, and now we were driving. I wasn’t sure if there could be any worse way to spend a full twelve hours where Eve was concerned.
Though she was dozing, the rest of us were silent as we took in London. It had been a long time since any of us had been anywhere this metropolitan. The most we’d traveled at Caelum was to Africa, and not to any of the major cities in the nations there either. Just out of the way places, where the local witch doctor was the nearest healthcare provider. Aboh was pretty much as cosmopolitan as it had been for a long time.
London was alive, even though it was late. It was not like how I remembered the one time I’d gone to New York when I was seven, but close, especially as we approached the center.
As we did, though, traveling down the M11 toward the house Samuel had purchased for us in Chelsea years back, I appreciated the lushness of the scenery. Even though we were on the road, because it was late at night, I could smell the grass verges framing the asphalt. After years at Caelum and being so close to Africa, the rich verdant area was a pleasure to the senses.
About forty-five minutes into our trip, a scent wandered into the limo. It had me frowning because I recognized it but hadn’t scented it this strongly before. My nostrils flared as I tilted my head to the side to process what it meant.
Where Ghouls were concerned, a Sin Eaters’ senses were preternatural. But because this was the first time I’d truly scented one since Eve had turned me, it took way too long to register what I was actually smelling. Beside me, though, Samuel jerked upright, jolting Eve, as tension swarmed through him.
“What is it?” Reed demanded, as surprised as everyone at Samuel’s sudden move.
“Blood. A lot of it.”
“Stop the car,” Stefan stated, his finger on the intercom that patched us through to the driver. The vehicle came to an abrupt halt on the side of the road, and within seconds we were all out, standing near something called Dave’s Chippy and Enders’ Greasy Spoon. I had no idea what either establishment actually served, nor did I care. Eve made to climb out of the car, but I shoved her back inside.
“What’s going on?” she asked warily, the drowsiness having slipped from her eyes in the panic of the moment, but we didn’t have time to chat. That amount of blood in the air meant it might already be too late for whoever was being feasted upon as we dawdled around.
“Nothing. Stay in the car where it’s safe.”
I saw her scowl, registered it, but rushed off anyway.
I felt like I had a pair of antennae on my head that were trying to guide me, except I hadn’t been given a user man
ual on how to control them. I was ashamed to rely on Samuel’s desire for blood as we hunted down the Ghouls who were evidently feeding in the area—I wasn’t as hot shit as I’d thought I’d be in a situation like this, and knew I’d have to grow into my abilities.
Still, that would take time we didn’t have.
The sidewalk was slick beneath my feet, telling me it had rained recently, and that was probably why we were picking up on the scents. The rain had effectively cleaned up the area, dampening other odors and enhancing the metallic tang of blood—good for the human snack as their rescue had just begun, bad for the Ghoul because it meant we were on our way.
When Eve’s scent drifted toward me, I wanted to rage at her for not staying where I’d left her, but equally, my Sin Eater was in full control and he, even if I couldn’t, accepted Eve’s strengths.
Somehow, Eve had turned us into true creatures. She’d matured us like fine wine years ahead of schedule, had induced tiny shifts like Samuel’s fangs dropping as well as the ability for the Shifter souls to transform, and had the power to stop a full-blown infiltration in its tracks when the seven of us made a wish… If everything went to shit, we could always wish her out of danger, and I had to figure that would work as well as it had back at Caelum.
With the Sin Eater engaged, we slipped down a few dark alleys. They weren’t as clean as the outer streets. Here, it stank of piss and trash, and underfoot, it was slippery from only God knew what. It wasn’t like in the U.S. where there were fire stairs down the side streets. Here, there were just trash cans and old bits of junk that had been dumped a long while ago.
As we ran down two alleys back to back, then headed left, using Samuel like a veritable bloodhound, I finally heard the sound. It was unlike anything I could begin to describe. Even explaining it wasn’t enough to convey the horror of hearing the mushy, moist sounds of a human being chomped on.
And the smell was even more overpowering the closer we moved.
When we saw them, a small forage of fledglings by the look of it, surrounding a handful of human females, Eve released a low groan at the sight before us.
There were limbs everywhere… even if we’d been in time, I wasn’t sure there was a living human left in the vicinity. Not from the devastation the bastards had wrought on their fragile bodies. It was like a child who’d pulled off their doll’s legs and arms, then thrown them around the room in a tantrum. Except blood and gore seeped from these amputated limbs, and I knew Eve would have this memory at the forefront of her mind for a long time to come.
The forage wasn’t interested in us. Too sated, and too overcome with a full meal to notice us at first. That was how I knew they were inexperienced.
A fledging was newly turned, a Ghoul who hadn’t feasted upon a lot of human flesh. The more flesh they managed to hunt, the more control they had, and the less the cerebral war the seven souls engaged in could affect them.
With no haste in saving the humans, who were staring sightlessly up at the night sky, we just watched, allowed ourselves to absorb the sight for Eve’s sake. She had to know what we were up against. And by not allowing us to keep her safe, by not staying in the limo, she’d made her choice. Not only were we hiding from Caelum, but we had to deal with this scum too.
A fledgling moved away from a carcass; his body coated liberally in blood, so he looked like he’d bathed in it. His hair was greasy, lank. A rat’s nest that had my stomach turning, thanks to the viscera that covered that dank mop. He wiped his hand over his mouth, and did the impossible—seemed to smear even more blood over his face. This time, it wasn't just red, but the kind that appeared almost black in nature. The stuff that came from deep in the organs.
The second he did that, Eve released a soundless whimper. Her horror and disgust were evident, and I knew in my marrow that we should never have allowed Eve to stay here. One of us should have returned her to the car.
It didn't matter how strong she was, it was our duty to protect her from the horrors of life in our society.
The sound, however quiet, caught the Ghoul's attention. He slowly turned on his heel, his body behaving and acting in line with his brain's orders now that he’d fed. Sometimes, it was like they had palsy. Their limbs directly countermanding whatever they wanted to do so that simply walking forward was difficult to not only undertake, but to watch.
With his focus on my woman, the Sin Eater surged forth, and with it, the Ghoul's attention drew my way.
Now, the three of them all stilled. Each of them was aware that there was a predator in the vicinity, a predator that wanted to tear them into shreds.
One was crouched over a still body, her legs in a squat as her hands delved into the belly of a woman wearing a mock bridal gown. She wore a kind of tiara on her head and a veil of some sort, and languishing at her side in a pool of ruby red blood, there was a white square, around seven by seven inches, with a huge letter 'L' on it. It was red, but not as bright as the blood that spattered it.
The Ghoul's hands remained tucked inside the dead woman's stomach, even as she peered over at me and stared up at the Pack who was about to kill her, about to take her from this realm and into the next.
Another's face had literally been in a woman's chest, and the stark sight of broken ribs, the edges like glass shards as they pierced the night sky, were enough to have me taking a step forward and breaking the silent status quo that had overtaken us.
My movement was the catalyst that had the others surging behind me too. We were in a loose formation that we'd learned over our many years of fighting at Caelum, and while our training was now inherent, it was unusual to be a part of a larger Pack. Not so unusual that I felt unsure, however.
Because I wasn't.
I'd never felt more confident in my ability to attack. Sure, I was learning what being a true Sin Eater entailed, but killing these bastards?
That was written into my genetic code.
"So young," one of the Ghouls rasped, the words were almost like sputters thanks to the blood on his lips, to the liquid on his face that vibrated as he spoke. "You're brave to approach us without your Masters around."
I narrowed my eyes at him, and spat, "We're not as young as you think."
"I can smell your years," the female on the ground countered, with a simple quiver around her lips that told me she thought they had the upper hand. "Lucas is right. You are young."
I should have appreciated that they thought they'd discerned a weakness, but I wasn't. My Sin Eater was irate. If they could sense how fucking old I was, why couldn't they scent that my one true soul was dominant? That I was a creature now and not just a child with too many souls in my body?
"Young I may be, but I'm still capable of biting your head off," Dre rasped, and a second before he shifted, I sensed his agitation, an agitation I shared, one that was formed from arrogance and annoyance at our enemies for not sensing our strengths.
The bear appeared out of nowhere, and when it roared and dove into the fray, we all took that as the moment to join in.
The only trouble?
Something stopped us.
Even as we rushed forward, each of us intent on tearing apart the three Ghouls, we couldn't. Our bodies were still, like we were encased in ice.
It wasn't us, but the souls who refused to move, and when Eve stepped forward, I realized why.
She'd done that.
She'd frozen us in place.
I wanted to scream at her, wanted to rage at her for putting herself in danger, and when the Ghouls gaped at us, at our utter stillness, from Nestor who appeared to be hovering in midair thanks to the way he'd taken off at a run, and the bear whose arms were outstretched to grab at the Ghouls, the smirks were quick to follow. When they laughed? My Sin Eater began to rage, and the rebellion began. Whatever hold Eve had on us, I wanted it gone. Now. I wanted to tear through the cage she'd imprisoned me in again.
She'd been the one to liberate me, to free me from the prison that was my body. My Sin Eater had su
rged to the fore because of her, and now she was taking that right from me?
I couldn't stand it, and I knew the others wouldn't be able to either.
Even as I squirmed and railed against her hold, she was too strong, too powerful.
I was left wriggling around like a baby on a changing mat as she stepped forward, maneuvering around us and heading toward the three Ghouls whose eyes promised her demise.
I couldn't see her, couldn't sense the array of her facial expression, but what the Ghouls saw? It scared them.
I'd never thought I’d see it before. Ghouls were too stupid to live at this age, and they'd been so cocksure, so certain that they held the upper hand thanks to Eve's meddling. But now? Whatever she was doing? They were scared.
Bone deep.
Was I surprised when she picked up one of the victim’s legs?
Yes.
I thought she'd be squeamish; thought she'd be reverent around the fallen's corpses. Instead, she used their broken forms as weapons, and even while I was kind of grossed out, I was also proud of her. Proud because these women had died unnecessarily, and she was giving them a purpose once more.
The way she tossed that leg forward was worthy of a javelin thrower at the Olympics. I'd never seen anything like it in my life, and I kind of hoped I never did again.
The sight of the broken femur piercing Lucas's gut was something I'd never forget. He stared down at his torso, at the leg that was literally halfway through his belly, and then he dropped to his knees.
He wouldn't die, but he'd hurt. For a good long while, and that took him out of the game until either myself or Stefan were allowed to reign free and could quit him of this mortal coil.
The others began to back up, heading deeper down the alley now that they realized Eve wasn't an easy target.
When she approached Lucas, he whimpered, and though I sensed he wanted to raise his hands in a fighting stance, he didn't. Instead, he focused on trying to wrench the leg from his stomach—except he couldn't, because Eve had somehow lodged it in so deep that it simply wasn't budging. What in the hell kind of strength had that taken, dammit?
Nine Lives: The Caelum Academy Trilogy: Part THREE Page 7