After pressing send he shut the cell off. His parents would have to wait. They were the most important people in his life… but Eden had joined those ranks. And right now, even if she didn’t want him there, he was putting her first.
Noah dragged October’s computer chair over to the bedside and pressed his fingers to Eden’s cold, dead hand. A shudder of fear ran through him and he refused to look up at his superiors in case they saw the emotion the Ankh tried desperately to hide from one another.
“Noah, I will sit with her,” Valeria said, taking a few steps towards him.
He shook his head. “No, it’s fine.”
“I am not asking-” she was cut off as Cyrus wrapped a hand around her upper arm, drawing her back.
“Leave him,” he instructed softly.
Chancing discovery, Noah met his Princeps eyes.
Cyrus knew.
A deep sigh opened up inside him and he felt his cheeks flush even though he knew they remained the exact same colour on the outside. There may be no visible sign of embarrassment on his face but he
Cyrus didn’t look disapproving, however. He was calm. Understanding. He drew Valeria away and out of the room, closing the door softly behind them, leaving Noah and Eden alone.
Noah’s eyes wandered over her face. He cursed under his breath. He couldn’t wait for the change to happen. Seeing her like this…
That pang sliced through his chest again.
It occurred to him as he sat there watching and waiting for signs of life, that Cyrus had left Noah alone with the one thing the Princeps held most precious. And he knew how Noah felt about her.
He gave a huff of morbid laughter and sat back.
Cyrus of Persepolis liked and respected him.
If only he could get his adopted daughter to do the same once she was reborn.
Chapter Five. New Eyes
The pain was excruciating, as if someone had cut into her chest, ripped her rib cage open, and was having difficulty tearing her heart out. Her entire body was lit with the agony, each nerve ending burning and lighting her very flesh with the flame. Sounds — inhuman, animal sounds — echoed all around her, and she begged, begged for it to stop. And then she realised… the sounds were coming from her. Hollowed shrieking. An outlet for the unbearable hurt that had taken her body captive.
Eventually the burning began to throb into a manageable pain and she unclenched her hands and stopped writhing, drawing in huge gulps of air as slowly but surely a soothing balm spread through her, like a breeze blowing in from nowhere on an unbearably hot day. Her breathing slowed and she calmed, barely aware of the relieved tears that leaked out from her closed eyes and slid down her cheeks. She heard whispering but couldn’t make out the words.
Panic abruptly seized her.
She frowned into the dark of her mind, searching, searching; desperately seeking.
“Eden…” a soft voice whispered into the air around her.
And then it all came flooding back with the impact of a massive tidal wave, rushing over her and pulling her under. She lost her breath as she remembered Ryan and Celine and Teagan.
Grief gripped her nonetheless.
Noah. Beautiful Noah who had only pretended. More pain. Why did it feel like so much more. So much deeper.
“Eden?”
That voice. Cyrus. Cyrus! Her anchor. She had Cyrus. Her body calmed at the thought of him, at the thought of the man who would take care of everything. Hadn’t he already? What had he done?
She gasped. There was nothing. She searched deep inside herself, looking for the monster, for the hunger. It was gone.
The hunger was gone!
An intense, painful restlessness burst through her, like blood vessels popping one by one. The hunger was gone but in its place was something new.
Something unexplainable but true.
Something deep and knowing and unbreakable.
Something that felt like… destiny.
She had a destiny now. Her heart began to race as her mind grasped what her soul (her soul, her pure, pure soul that felt light and manageable) was telling her. She had a duty. To protect. To fight.
To hunt. Yes. She was a hunter. Her skin tingled.
With that knowledge, a kind of peace settled around her.
The war inside her was over.
Another tear escaped, and she felt the brush of a soft finger on her cheek.
“Eden? Can you open your eyes?”
“Noah?” She croaked, her throat feeling dry and unused.
“Yes. You’re safe. You’re OK. Try opening your eyes.”
Easier said than done. Her eyes felt as though they had been glued shut. Tentatively, Eden tried, forcing the lids to rise. The light slid inside, blinding her, hurting her, and she made a soft noise, slamming them shut again.
“Eden.”
“Cyrus?”
“Yes. I am here. So is Valeria. Open your eyes, Eden. Open.” At the sound of his voice Eden smiled inside. She remembered how much she had wanted to trust this man before her transition to Ankh, how her paranoia held her back. That was gone now. There was only the connection to her Princeps and the utmost belief in his sincerity and the promise of safety in his very existence. Relaxing the trembling muscles in her body, Eden cracked her eyes open, letting them water as they adjusted to the light. At last she could make out the room she was in.
Lemon yellow walls, posters and photographs. Robert Pattinson. Wait. What?
A face swung above her drawing her focus away from the many images of the actor on the walls.
Pale violet eyes gazed down at her from a strong face. Beautiful eyes, bewitching even. Strong jaw.
Olive skin. A full lower lip that begged to be kissed. Eden felt a shudder in her chest as her brain caught up with her vision.
Noah.
His eyes were wide on her, his smile tentative. “Eden… Eden your eyes…” She lifted a hand to her face, but it felt heavy and limp. She let it flop back down again. “My eyes…?”
