She raised her head slowly and their eyes locked. His shone with tears and love… for her. Like always. How many times had he hugged her close when Ryan had been especially cruel? How many times had he blown off something with his friends just so she wouldn’t be alone on a Saturday night? How many times had he told her he loved her, and protected her from Teagan, from their parents finding out the truth about her? She was the one that wasn’t normal here, not Stellan. And still he loved her.

When he put his arms around her, she fell into them, the fear and guilt over what had just happened churned in her chest like too much oxygen.

“I love you, Paradise.” He kissed her head affectionately. “And I won’t let you starve,” his voice had turned to steel. “I know you wanted it. I felt your need. Your hunger. You can’t deny that.”

Eden stared blankly over his shoulder at the doorway where Lana had walked out a different, worse kind of person than she had been when she’d walked through it. A wave of nausea washed over her as she tightened her hold on her brother. “No. I can’t deny that.”

Chapter Six

On the Edge

It would have been awkward anyway, talking to Noah after what occurred between them at the lake. But then Stellan had knocked her off her feet with her own need, her own hunger. Somehow, that felt like a betrayal of Noah. Like if he ever saw that in her he would never talk to her again. He’d hate her. Noah was the best person she knew. Obviously, since everyone else was one of the Blessed. So it made perfect sense that after watching Stellan steal the most precious thing he could from Lana and having wanted to do the same thing to her, that Eden would avoid Noah. She was afraid he would be able to read what she’d wanted, even though it wasn’t possible because he didn’t know what she was, or that creatures like her even existed. OK. So rationality wasn’t high in her list of priorities these days. Still, she’d ignored his texts over the weekend and had somehow managed to avoid him all day Monday (and nearly gotten a black eye for her trouble when she ducked behind an open locker to hide from him, and the corner edge of it missed her eye by a millimeter). Eden’s nerves felt frayed at the edges.

Tuesday. She’d gotten through a whole day again without bumping into Noah. She’d eaten lunch in her car and she had shot out of her classes like a bullet when the bell rang. Now it was French, last class of the day. She eyed the doorway and then the clock. One more minute and she was out of there. French class was pretty close to the entrance. She’d get out before Noah showed up.

The minute hand on the clock took forever.

By the time the bell rang Eden had already slipped her books into her bag. She blew past the kids in the front row, not stopping, even when she toppled one of their books off the desk. It was rude. But this was an emergency. Eden dared to sigh with relief as she shot out of the main entrance.

All that hurrying was in vain.

Noah was lounging against the driver side door of Eden’s Dodge Avenger. Yeah, she didn’t get to choose her car… that would be Celine. If it was up to Eden she’d be driving a 1969 black Chevy Impala as driven by the sexy Dean and Sam in the TV show Supernatural. All of which was beside the point when Noah had her cornered.

He raised his eyebrows at her as she approached slowly, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked relaxed but Eden saw something dark flicker in his eyes.

“Hey,” she mumbled, jingling her keys pointedly.

Noah didn’t take the hint.

“What’s up?” She sighed, trying to edge him away from the car.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. You tell me. You’re the one treating me like a leper.”

Panic tightened Eden’s chest. She didn’t want to push Noah away; she just needed a few days to get it together, to be able to look him in the eye again. She smirked at him deliberately. “Dude. Come on. I’ve just been dealing with some family stuff. It’s nothing.”

She must have sounded reassuring enough because Noah’s eyes lightened a little and he stood up away from the car. “OK. Good. Great. Um…” He looked around, suddenly appearing a little self-conscious. “You want to grab a coffee with me?”

Damn, Eden winced. Quickly she unlocked her car door and threw in her bag, not meeting Noah’s probing gaze. “Uh you know I can’t tonight. Family thing. Another night, OK?”

She didn’t even give him time to reply before she slammed the door and pulled out of her parking spot. She left tire marks at the school gate.

By Wednesday afternoon Eden’s nerves had gone from frayed to frazzled. Earlier that day she’d seen Noah heading down the hall towards her and had freaked out - she’d turned on her heel and bolted in the opposite direction. How was she supposed to explain that next time they talked?

She was in history when she got the text.

OK. You’re avoiding me. Just tell me what I did? N.

Eden didn’t think it was possible to feel any worse. Suffice to say she was in an awful mood, radiating ‘don’t talk to me or I’ll eat you’ vibes even in class. The teachers were smart enough to ignore her and most of the students were too.

Avoiding Noah at lunch, Eden had opted for the library this time. By now her skin was flush with angry heat, and her patience? Non-existent. She did the unthinkable and headed towards the classics aisle, hoping a little Jane Austen would civilize her.

Mr. Darcy was just in the middle of insulting Elizabeth (tolerable indeed!) when Eden heard the human snarl. Someone cried out, as if in pain. Frowning, Eden laid down the book and walked quietly to the end of the aisle. She peered around the corner into the dark cove of bookshelves at the back of the library, the one that every library seemed to have. Her heart started to race a little at the scene in front of her. Lucy Stevens, hot senior and head cheerleader, had a grip of a sophomore’s shirt, holding her up so tight the girl’s feet nearly dangled off the floor. Eden had seen the sophomore around before. She was this petite, gorgeous red-head with big sad green eyes. Eden couldn’t be sure but she thought the girl was maybe the youngest on the cheerleading squad. Right now her young, pretty face was screwed up in horror, rivulets of mascara staining her cheeks.

“This is me being merciful, Amber,” Lucy hissed into her face. “This is your last warning.”

“B-but I didn’t d-d-do anything,” Amber cried.

Eden winced at the crack of Lucy’s hand against Amber’s cheek and the muffled sob from the victim. “You calling my boyfriend a liar, Amber?”

Amber shook her head, holding her right cheekbone.

“I didn’t think so. He’s mine, you little slut, you come onto him again and I’ll make your life here a living hell. Wouldn’t want everyone finding out that secret you told me right? How step-daddy likes to touch you inappropriately?”

Amber’s eyes flared with terror and she broke into hysterical sobs, her head shaking frantically.

Lucy patted her cheek patronizingly. “Good girl.”

Sliding back out of sight, Eden struggled to draw breath, the scene playing over and over again in her head. She’d seen bullying going on at South Salton her entire time there; she’d even been a victim of that bullying, and probably the bully herself sometimes when she was in a bad mood. But what she had witnessed was worse than her and Maria Roth. It had been sadistic and vicious, and born of petty jealousy. Eden knew Lucy’s boyfriend. Doug Brown. A senior. A jock. A sleaze bag. Although he’d rather die than admit it, he’d even come on to Eden once when she and Noah had stupidly crashed his birthday party. Eden could read between the lines. Doug had hit on Amber. Amber had turned him down. Doug had told Lucy that Amber was flirting with him. Lucy, who was apparently a psychotic bitch, had now found a new toy to play with; a toy that was clearly already broken by an abusive home life.

Eden knew what that was like.

The thought sent this crazy red haze sparkling across Eden’s eyes; her chest tight, her hunger howling at her as if she were insane to pass this up.

Yeah. Today she felt insane. And no Jane Austen was going to help.

She knew she was acting like a stalker.

Uh correction, like a serial killer.

But Eden couldn’t get Lucy and Amber out of her mind.

So there she was, standing outside Lucy’s class instead of sitting in her own. Watching and waiting… for what, she wasn’t quite sure.

When the classroom door opened and Lucy ducked out with a bathroom pass in her hand, Eden’s eyes widened.

See, her hunger whispered, it’s like the universe wants you to do it.

Stealthily, she followed Lucy along the hall, keeping a distance, watching her disappear into the girls’ bathroom. She waited a beat and then swung open the door, shutting it quietly behind her. Eden ducked her head under the four stalls. They were alone.

She strode back to the door and turned the lock.

“Who the hell is there?” Lucy snapped from inside her stall.

Eden dropped her backpack, leaning against the sinks casually although her heart pounded so hard she swore her shirt was vibrating. “Why don’t you come out and see?”

She may be nervous about her own intentions but Eden wasn’t afraid of Lucy Stevens.

She wouldn’t have been even if she wasn’t one of the Blessed.

“What the fuck is this?” Lucy huffed. Eden’s smile was one of twisted mockery at the sound of clothes rustling and Lucy’s harried breath. She couldn’t have planned on catching the girl in a more undignified situation. The toilet flushed and the stall door banged open to reveal a pissed off Lucy Stevens in her cheerleading outfit. She grimaced. “You?” She rolled her eyes as if Eden were inconsequential, and glided over to the sinks to wash her hands.

“Me.” Eden grinned at her and enjoyed the way Lucy flinched at the expression, like she could see there was something not quite right about her.

“What do you want, freak?”

Eden shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. “I heard an interesting conversation today. No, sorry.” She shook her head. “Attack. An interesting attack.”