Blood Will Tell

Chapter Sixteen. A Winslow Massacre

The drug was taking it’s time to leave his system. Noah yanked at the chains cuffed around his wrists and clamped into the floor of the dining room. The marble flooring was destroyed. Guess they didn’t care anymore.

Noah growled and yanked again, frustrated by the weakness in his limbs. An Ankh, when injected with what would be a lethal poison to a human, was rendered weak and pretty much useless until the drug had left his system.

He felt his skin crawl at the feel of the soul eaters’ greedy eyes on him. There was about twenty of them, all huddled around the edges of the dining room, drinking champagne and grinning at the thought of his coming demise. He knew enough about these repulsive creatures’ habits to know that Ryan had decided on poetic justice this evening. Noah was to be Eden’s victim. His soul was to be the one that would awaken her fully and make her one of the ‘Blessed’. If that happened, there would be no going back.

Clearly for either of them, he sighed, slumping. At least his vision had cleared. Not that that would do him any use. Even his ankles had been bound, with a springy metal wire that cut into him whenever he moved. He’d be lucky if it didn’t slice his skin right through. It was painful, even if he did keep healing after every cut.

Ryan Winslow entered the room, followed by his wife Celine. Noah smirked, watching them, refusing to show fear. He could only hope the Ankh and Neith’s plans went off without a hitch and they rescued both himself and Eden… for he was no use at present.

The Winslow’s looked like a normal, attractive wealthy couple; if you didn’t look too closely at their blank eyes, or the cruel quirk of their upper lips. Noah couldn’t see anything of Eden in Ryan’s face. Except for those cool, pale eyes. And yet he never once could remember Eden’s being blank. Even when she’d obviously hungered for his soul there had been something in them that screamed she was still in there, still knew what she wanted was wrong and was fighting it.

Would she fight it tonight?

Does she know I’m here?

Part of Noah was unsure. Eden had always balanced upon the precipice and he was afraid his apparent betrayal may have thrown her clear over the edge.

Come on, Cyrus, Noah shuddered now. Cyrus had to make it in time, in case she was gone; in case someone needed to drag her back from the soul eater half of her nature.

“Ladies and Gentleman, members of the Blessed,” Ryan suddenly called out into the room, his voice deep and clear and cold. “I want to thank you all for coming here tonight. For taking time out of your busy schedules to join me and my family in the celebration of our youngest’s awakening. Eden is a special girl and tonight will be the beginning of all my hopes for her. I predict that after tonight my daughter will become extraordinary.”

Noah sneered at him as the gatherers raised their glasses to Ryan with murmurs of agreement and approval.

“Let us begin.” Ryan turned towards the door. “Eden?”

The door slowly opened and all Noah saw at first was Eden’s brother, Stellan, dressed dapper in a black tuxedo suit. He glanced behind him, his arm reaching back for someone. As Stellan drew inside, he shifted, and Eden came into view, her hand gripping her brother’s so hard her knuckles were white.

Noah felt sick.

She was extremely pale; her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes blank. Everyone else would assume she was just like one of them, but Noah knew she was probably numb with fear. Her mother had carefully dressed her for the occasion. She stood stiff in an elegant, body forming black dress that made her look mature and adult. In a weird, twisted way, she was lovely.

And then her eyes stopped surveying the room and fell upon him.

Noah felt the look like a bullet to his heart, and as her eyes widened with utter horror, he knew she hadn’t known he was to be her victim.

Her skin turned a pallid, sick colour as she turned to her brother. “Did you know?” Noah heard her whisper.

The floor seemed to fall away from her and she grasped tighter to Stellan’s hand as she awaited his answer.

This couldn’t be happening.

This couldn’t possibly be happening.

Stellan’s hand flexed in hers and his jaw clenched tightly as he replied, “Yes. He deserves it, Paradise. For what he did to you.”

There was no regret or remorse on his face. He truly believed this vengeance was right. Heart racing, Eden ripped her hand from his, suddenly feeling more alone than she’d ever felt in her life as the eyes of her family and these strangers bore into her.

Waiting.

Waiting for what? She clenched her fists, afraid to look at Noah again. What had they done to him?

He betrayed you, Eden. The hunger whispered in her ear. And his soul is so delicious.

A little hysterical laugh fell from her lips. Noah’s soul had been the one to awaken the hunger. She remembered his fingers brushing hers as he took the manga from her hands and swapped it for In Cold Blood. Her whole body had seemed to unfurl, like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. All this time she’d been one thing only to discover she was meant to be something else. But that something else wasn’t as beautiful as the butterfly wings, nor as freeing. Instead she was stuck inside the cocoon, suffocating under expectations she couldn’t possibly meet because she hadn’t decided yet; she hadn’t decided who she was going to be.

Noah had made her feel better about that.

He’d laughed with her. Talked with her. Teased her.

Sat in perfect, beautiful silence with her.

And it had all been a lie.

“Eden,” Ryan prompted, his voice harsh in her ear. “It’s time.”

She nodded, a brittle nod, and without really looking at him strode towards Noah, chained on the floor.

Silently, fluidly, she lowered to her knees, her eyes refusing to meet his. Determined not to tremble, Eden reached out, her hands taking hold of his head, ignoring the soft familiar feel of his hair. That strong citrusy, woody scent enveloped her and the hunger roared with approval. Her fingers curled tighter into his hair and she jerked his head back, ignoring the little gasp that escaped his mouth.

“Eden,” he whispered, his warm deep voice pushing the hunger back.

No! Traitor! The hunger screamed and Eden leaned forward, her lips falling open in frenzied anticipation. Her whole body shook with it.

“Eden, please. Look at me.”

She shook her head.

“Please. Eden, I never meant to hurt you. I was never going to hurt you. I was trying to save you.”

She made a mistake. Her unfocused eyes blinked into focus. They gazed straight into Noah’s violet depths and saw his concern. Her fingers relaxed a little, and she fought to breathe, to fight back the hunger.

“You betrayed me,” she replied coldly, churning up the hurt again to help her escape the feelings she had for him.

“I didn’t. I lied. But I didn’t betray you.” There was no fear in his eyes. Only desperation and worry. For her?

“You betrayed me,” she maintained, but her fingers loosened even more.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “But don’t take what I did to you and use it as an excuse to become the person you’ve been fighting against your whole life.”

“Eden!” Ryan snapped at her back. “Do it!”

Her chest screamed with the agony as she fought back the hunger that so desperately craved Noah. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her head. She’d thought this would be so easy. That if she ever saw him again she would kill him for what he’d done.

But she couldn’t.

“I can’t,” she breathed wearily, her hands falling away from him. Eden turned and looked back at Stellan, begging him for forgiveness. “I can’t.”

Her brother looked tortured. “Para-”

Whatever he might have said was cut off by the sounds of wood splintering and glass shattering all around them. Men and women burst through the doors and windows, and jumped into the room with fluid grace, their hands clutching swords, and blades and other crude weapons, their eyes blazing with retribution and the light of war.

“Eden,” Noah yelled in her ear as fighting broke out among the warriors and the Blessed. “They’re here to help you. Let them!”

Hands gripped her arms tightly and hauled her to her feet. Eden struggled in them, the strongest hold she’d ever felt, and found herself facing a tall, handsome man with mocha skin and chocolate eyes. He was young, perhaps in his early thirties. His eyes were soft on her, amazed. “Eden?” He breathed.

She felt transfixed by him, the noise and violence around them blurring and dimming to a dull thudding as they gazed upon one another. Electricity shot through her body from where he touched and she felt… safe.

“Nooo!” They spun around as Ryan screamed at them, a warrior with a broken neck left in his wake. Eden saw Celine, Stellan and Teagan fighting hand to hand with the warriors. The tall man jerked her behind him and Noah was suddenly at her side, the chains broken but still dangling from his wrists, another man perhaps in his late twenties standing beside him, his sword out as he guarded over them.

Eden was aware of Noah yelling at her but the words were muffled as she watched the man with the safe eyes fight her father. Something treacherous inside her prayed her father would lose the fight. They fought on and on, match for match. Eden was transfixed by them.

“You’re going to pay for what you’ve done!” The man finally cried, a war cry, as he ducked a powerful blow from Ryan.

Her father was sweating, his eyes bright with hatred.

“Ryan!” They glanced over at Celine, who was tumbling back into the room. Eden hadn’t even seen her leave. She threw Ryan a gun.

“No!” Eden screamed.

As Ryan aimed and fired, a bullet shot through the man’s shoulder as he swung around in an arc, his sword hissing through the air with song. He jerked a little at the impact of the bullet, but his arc never changed, never faltered, and the lethal blade sliced through Ryan’s neck, decapitating him. His head rolled from his body, and the body slumped to the ground with a thud, accompanied by Celine’s shriek.

Numb with shock Eden watched the man who had rescued Noah gut Celine from behind before she could fire her own gun at the chocolate-eyed warrior. Blood spurted up out of her mouth in a thick fluid as she dropped to her knees, eyes wide and disbelieving. The man slid the sword out with sick finesse and swung it around with mastery, the blade cutting through Celine’s neck. Eden closed her eyes so she didn’t witness the full decapitation. Unreality made her dizzy and she snapped her eyes back open. What the hell was happening? This couldn’t be happening. Not happening.

“Eden.” Noah shook her, as she gazed around in bewilderment.

The warriors were winning.

The blood of the Blessed splattered walls and chairs and pooled on the floor like something from a fantastical graphic novel. It was a massacre.

Stellan?!

Eden pushed at Noah, who kept a tight grip, tugging her towards the doorway as the chocolate-eyed warrior and the man who had killed Celine, drew towards her, guarding her. They were joined by a pretty woman with auburn hair.

“No!” Eden tried to wrench away from them. “Stellan!” She shrieked.

She caught sight of her brother through the fight, his head swinging around to find her as he heard her cry out his name.

A female warrior with a swishing blonde ponytail took advantage of Stellan’s distraction.

“Eden!” He yelled, turning away from the warrior, to fight his way through the miniature war.

“Eden, no!” Noah tried to pull her back.

“Stellan!” She reached out for him, her eyes widening as the sword came towards the back of his head. “Stellan, noooo!” She screamed.

But it was too late.

The sword cut through him, a sweep of his blood swiping through the air along with the top half of his head.

Agony ripped through her chest and her knees buckled beneath her. She felt arms wrap around her, holding her up as the horrific sight of her brother’s body disappeared from view as she was dragged from the room.

“Eden.” Warm hands clasped her cheeks but she couldn’t see past her tears, or feel anything past the grief that wrecked her body. “Eden, we have to leave. Can you walk?” The voice asked.

“There’s a girl in the basement,” her voice said, detached from her body. “The code is twenty. Forty two. Eighty eight.”

“OK, Eden, we’ll get her.” The warm fingers brushed her cheek. “Can you walk, Eden?”

Stellan was gone. Her chest tightened and she couldn’t breathe; broken sobs, unearthly wailing erupted out of her. Hands slid under legs and arms, and her feet fell away from the floor. She bounced against a hard warm chest, a body holding her up; a body that moved faster than her tears fell.

Her own body listened to the agony she was in, understood the shock and pain was too much, and as the mind does when it tries to protect us from ourselves, it shut down, granting her blissful nothingness.