Blood Past

sure it was McLeish since he still treated her like crap, but Cyrus wouldn’t say anything. He just told her not to worry, that he had everything under control.

Eden slid Val her coffee thinking about her non-question. The truth was, despite how much was going on right now, she was happier than she’d ever been before. Other than some nightmares every now and then, her transition from Unforeseen to Ankh had gone amazingly, almost seamlessly. She loved the training, the fighting; her first kill had been this unbelievable moment of terror and awesomeness. Once she’d come down off the high and the whole Noah thing, Eden couldn’t believe how amazing it felt to have saved that girl’s life. And that’s what she got to do now. Six months ago she had been so scared of the future, of what the future meant for her — the fear that she would one day give into her hunger and hurt someone, or worse. That was not only over but she was facing a lifetime of the opposite. She had this mega-cool purpose, like one of the characters from her favourite manga. It was utterly cheesy… but she was like… a superhero.

“What? What is that ridiculous grin for?” Val asked smiling.

Eden shrugged. “I’m happy.” And with the happy came the guilt.

Stellan.

She pushed him away.

“Despite McLeish and the traitor?”

Yeah, despite McLeish and a lot of other things. The last week she’d suddenly realised that her time in Scotland was coming to an end, so she’d ambushed Tobe and Cameron whenever she could.

And they had fun. Like always. But Tobe was right. Cameron was still acting weird and he was a typical guy who didn’t want to talk about his feelings or whatever. Tobe was worried. Eden was worried. She really didn’t want to leave Edinburgh without knowing Tobe and Cameron were going to be alright. They were really great people and they had welcomed her, no questions asked. They had come to mean a lot to her.

Eden sighed. They had come to mean a lot to her.

OK. There was no way she was leaving Scotland without fixing things between those two. Eden snorted into her coffee. She was learning something new about herself every day. Apparently she really was a meddler. Immediately Eden thought about Mhairi; she was beginning to the see the resemblance between herself and Tobe’s Nana more and more every day.

“Things between you and Noah seem to be going well.”

Eden glanced up at Val and shot her a look for the mischievous twinkle in the Ankh’s eye. “Yes, they are.”

“That’s all? Come on. As Tobe would say… dish.”

Leaning against the counter in the kitchen, hugging the coffee mug to her chest, Eden tried desperately not to get all dreamy-eyed and gooey like those girls who swooned at their boyfriend’s feet back home. She hated those girls. She was so not turning into one of those girls. Yet… Noah made it pretty hard to resist the gooey, dreamy-eyed swooning. It hadn’t mattered where they were, over the last week if Noah could sneak in a kiss or two (or a full on makeout session) he would, pulling her into broom closets, taking advantage of an empty training room and slamming her to a mat (she still couldn’t get the better of him at hand to hand combat and he was definitely using that to his advantage) and kissing her breathless. It was exciting with Noah, and new, and something she never thought she would ever have in her life. It was her first big romance, and for once she actually felt like a normal — no, not normal — ‘human’ girl.

“It’s nice.” She smiled softly at Val.

Val frowned. “Nice? How… bland.”

“Hey, nice is HUGE considering where my life was six weeks ago, OK.” Val laughed. “I stand corrected then. I’m glad it’s nice. It has been nice here. I’ll be sad to go.”

“Me too. I’m going to miss the Douglas’ and Cameron. I became a brand new person here.

Someone I actually like. The kind of person I always wanted to be.” Eden worried her lip, suddenly anxious if things would change once they returned to the States.

“Eden.” Val reached for her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, her exotic eyes full of more understanding than anyone else would ever be able to give her. “Leaving here won’t change who you’ve become. Look at me… it’s thousands of years later and I like to think I’m still a decent person.”

That warmth she got in her chest when Cyrus made some fatherly comment lit up inside her as Val tried to comfort her. “Val, you’re a great person. I could never have gotten through this without you.”

“Yes you could have. But I’m glad I could help.”

Although it was true Eden was more content than she’d ever been, and true that she had gotten good at pushing her grief over Stellan into the background (although she could never escape him in her dreams), Eden was still holding onto him. She felt guilty for feeling happy with Noah and guilty for still feeling Stellan’s loss even though he had been a soul eater. Sometimes she felt like Val would be the only one who understood that… so she took a chance. “I miss him, Val.” Hearing the quiet heartbreak in Eden’s voice, Val froze. “Your brother?”

“I keep trying to tell myself that I shouldn’t. That he was hurting people. But all I can remember is that he never hurt me; that he loved me.”

Val nodded. “You don’t have to hate him, Eden. Grieve for him. That’s nobody’s business but yours.”

“You don’t think it’s wrong?”

“From all that you’ve told me, I think Stellan was a rare soul eater. He loved you even more than the hunger; he loved you enough to try to be something better. And he did protect you.” A huge sigh rushed through her body and Eden relaxed back against the counter, taking another comforting sip of her coffee. It was incredible how much better she felt knowing that Val knew she was still grieving for Stellan. As if admitting it out loud somehow let him know that she hadn’t forgotten. God… she didn’t know what she’d do without Val in her life.

A horrible thought struck her. She’d never questioned where Val lived or what would happen to her when they got back to the States. “You’re coming back with us right? To Weston?” The Ankh’s eyes lit up before she could bank the spark and conceal her feelings. “I could do that if you wanted me to.” She shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

Eden’s heart thudded unhappily. “Why… where do you normally live?”

“Maui. But I’ve been taking a lot of assignments recently… so all over really.” Eden looked at her feet. Weston couldn’t really compete with Maui. “I wouldn’t want to… you know… make you feel… obligated.”

Val huffed, “Eden, I’d be happy to come live in Weston. Cyrus’ house is certainly big enough for one more Ankh.”

The choking lump she’d felt rising in her throat began to dislodge. “So you don’t think Cyrus would mind another Ankh in the house? It wouldn’t make us targets or anything?” Val snorted. “It would take one of the gods to find a way past Cyrus’ security, Eden. Don’t worry about the Princeps. If you want me in Weston, in Weston I shall be.”

“You’re sure? I’m not like taking you away from anything or…?” She snorted again and dumped her mug in the sink. “Only boredom.” She turned and they shared a warm look that drew the tension out of Eden. She wouldn’t be alone.

And then an unsettling thought occurred to her. “Uh oh.”

“What?”

Eden grimaced, throwing Val a beseeching look. “Are you up for being the buffer between me and Noah’s dad?”

“Ahh.” Val’s eyes lit with comprehension. “Alain has some way to go when it comes to you and Noah.”

“Yeah and that was just when we were friends.”

“Wow,” Val chuckled. “Usually it’s the girl’s father that has a problem with the boy, not the other way around. And for it to be Noah Valois’ father worrying considering how many…” Eden glowered at her. “Oh yeah, chuck up it. My automatic failure with my in-laws and my boyfriend’s whorish past is just a hoot and a half.”

Val laughed. “Going home is sounding fun all of sudden isn’t it?”

Even though she could chuckle about it with Val, Eden really was worried about facing Alain when they got back to Massachusetts. It was clear Alain didn’t trust her — which was so effed up considering he trusted Val — and that Noah really looked up to his father. She didn’t even want to know how that would affect things when they got back. Plus… their two families living under the same, albeit massive, roof was going to be… interesting.