Shades of Blood(Warriors of Ankh 3)

Consciousness was beginning to settle in and Eden groaned, squeezing her eyes shut as she pressed against a dark hollow in the couch. Since she’d left Noah in her room Eden had found a sitting room on the first floor that no one ever used. Curling up on the couch there, she’d tried to come to terms with what she’d said to Noah. Had she really meant that? She didn’t know. Sometimes – before Romany came back into the picture – Eden had thought Noah was the only person who really understood her. It was clear that right now the two of them were on completely different wavelengths. And over something so huge. Giving into her weariness, Eden had cried herself to sleep, missing him when he was only a few floors above her.

As the light from the window pressed against her closed eyelids signaling late afternoon, Eden let her body awaken. And with it came the tingle of awareness.

She wasn’t alone.

In one fluid movement she spun up and onto her feet.

Romany stood at the door, her back pressed against it. Her wide eyes were trained on Eden. “That was impressive.”

Wildness spilled into Eden’s blood and she fought its instincts to hunt and kill the girl in front of her. They were alone in a room and Romany was just there. For the taking. Eden could end it now.

But something stopped her.

She found her hands curling into fists and she reined the wildness in. “What do you want?” her voice was unrecognizable. Like a tiger who was learning to talk.

Romany shifted a little and Eden saw the wariness the Neith was trying very hard to hide from her. Bravely she pressed up from the door and took a few careful steps towards her. It suddenly occurred to Eden that when she looked at this young woman her features were blurred by the atrocity she’d committed. Now, there, with them so alone together, Eden’s focus sharpened. Romany was pretty. Pretty enough to have drawn Noah’s attention. Large chocolate eyes, long dark blonde hair, cute button nose and full lips. She looked like a pop princess rather than a warrior. She didn’t look like a killer at all.

But she was.

To give her, her due, Romany didn’t seem afraid of her. Just…cautious. “I wanted to apologize.”

Eden flinched, stumbling back a little, not quite awake enough to be dealing with this. “You don’t get to apologize.”

“Just hear me out.” Romany held up her hands in supplication. “I know you’ll never forgive me. I know that because in a twisted way I am you.”

Eden curled her lip. “Oh really?”

“Yeah. Really.” Her eyes hardened and she looked off over Eden’s shoulder as if she were somewhere else entirely. “Noah might have told you that he helped kill the soul eater who murdered my dad but… he probably didn’t tell you that I’ve been hunting the soul eater who killed my mom and little sister.”

I don’t want to hear this! Eden screamed inside, feeling her body shrink in on itself in an attempt to run from Romany. She didn’t want to know this. But she couldn’t speak, the words choking her, grating against her vocal chords and turning her throat to sandpaper.

“They were killed when I was five. My dad hunted the soul eater but she got away from him. I picked up the trail when my dad died, every turn leading me to a dead end. But I couldn’t stop, Eden. I can’t stop. The need to avenge my family is what gets me up in the morning.” She blinked now and focused on Eden’s frozen face. “I finally tracked her down a few weeks ago but Cyrus called me in to help with this and my duty to the Ankh comes first. I’m still keeping tabs on her and as soon as I’m done here, I’m going to get my vengeance.”

Eden shuddered, her body warring with rage, resentment and fear. Fear of… understanding.

“So I understand,” Romany finished on a whisper. “I just wanted you to know that. And I wanted you to know that… if I could take back what I did to you, to your brother, I would in a heartbeat. I never, ever wanted to cause someone else the kind of pain that I go through every day.”

Silence nudged its way into the room. A brittle, slice of quiet that prodded Eden’s hurt.

“Get out,” Eden choked out. “Get out now.”

With a hesitant nod, Romany backed up and turned on her heel. At the sound of the door clicking shut the fury blasted from Eden and she kicked out at the glass coffee table in front of her, watching it spin through the air and shatter against the wall. She hissed as a tiny shard ricocheted back from the force of impact, slicing across her cheek. The cut healed instantly but Eden was still left trembling. A few seconds later the door burst open and a Neith security guard came in, his narrowed eyes searching the room for the cause of disturbance. He stared at the shattered furniture, the million shards of glass littering the carpet. With a frown of annoyance he glanced back up at Eden.

The way he looked at her… it reminded her of the way the kids at Salton High used to stare at her.

Fine, she thought bitterly, you want old school? I’ll give you old school.

With a look of disdain Eden walked past him with all the arrogance and bitchiness of pre-Ankh Eden. “Clean it up,” she ordered and strode determinedly from the room.

For the next ten minutes she hunted for her outlet, finally finding him in the CCTV room.

“Eden.” Jack frowned up at her. He was sitting with his feet up, drinking a mug of coffee and looking totally relaxed. Unfortunately Eden had every intention of ruining that for him. “One of my guys says you wrecked a glass table on the first floor.”

“Your guy is right,” she answered in a monotone.

Jack sat up straight, putting the mug down. “What’s going on?”

“I need a training partner. Now.”

“Eden. Tell me what happened.”

“What happened is I need a training partner.” She sighed, feeling her fragile control slipping. “Now, Jack.”

His dark blue eyes studied her face for a moment and then seeming to come to some sort of conclusion he nodded and picked up a headset, speaking sharply into it. “Mullins, take over for me in the CCTV room.”

Eden didn’t hear what Mullins reply was. Instead she waited impatiently until the door opened two minutes later and a tall, older Neith strode into the room. He flicked her a wary look as he passed her.

“I’ll be back in an hour to take over.” Jack nodded at him militantly and then gestured for Eden to lead the way. Silently he followed her out and along the corridors, down into the basement level to the training rooms. Thankfully it was empty. Eden really didn’t want to face anyone right then. Especially not Noah.

“Sparring?” Jack asked, shrugging out of his jacket, kicking off his boots.

Eden nodded, kicking her Converse off. “Sparring.”

She knew Jack really wanted to know what was going on, that he was biting back the question, and Eden appreciated that. All she wanted right now was… this. She nodded at him and they began to circle one another. She faked a punch and as he pulled his right shoulder back to dodge

it, Eden followed it up with a roundhouse quick he would never have been quick enough to execute. It caught his left shoulder and he stumbled, wincing at the brutal force of it.

Eden bounced back on the balls of her feet, adrenaline shooting through her.

Come on. Come on, Jack. Hit me.

When his physical retort came it was in a side sweep that knocked her on her ass. The shock of the oxygen rushing out of her lungs as her back slammed against the floor was satisfying. She took a minute and then pulled up her knees before using the momentum of strength of her lower body to flip her back onto her feet. They circled a while, each dodging one another’s blows. Eden got in a punch here and there and waited for more satisfaction.

The first punch that connected stunned her and for those delicious few seconds there was nothing in her life but this.

The second punch caught her in the same place, her lower jaw on the right side of her face throbbing.

The kick that landed on her solar plexus and slammed her back on the mat roused Jack’s suspicions.

The second kick infuriated him.

“OK, I’m out of here,” Jack cursed in disgust and Eden scrambled up, ignoring the bruised hurt radiating heat from her stomach.

“Wait, why?!” she called, watching in despair as he stuffed his feet angrily back into his boots.

“Why?” he threw over his shoulder. “Because I’m not going to stand here while you let me pummel you into the ground.”

“I wasn’t,” she scoffed, although that wasn’t completely true.

Rolling his eyes, Jack turned back to her. “Right. I really believe you’re that slow. I’m not stupid, Eden. What the hell is going on?”

Without any warning, no frustrating build up, no tingling in the eyes, Eden burst into loud, heartbreaking sobs. She fell to her knees, curling in on herself. She didn’t even know what Jack’s response was and she didn’t care. She was too busy trying to control the shudders wracking her body. They were uncontrollable. Feeling a tentative touch on her shoulder, Eden glanced up through her blur of tears and saw Jack’s smeary face. He was kneeling in front of her, his eyes wide and unsure.