Shades of Blood (12 page)

“Don
’
t.” Her eyes blazed. “I need you. I really need you and-”

“Ssh, ssh,” he soothed, brushing her hair off her face, catching the sparkling tear that glittered on her lashes. “We don
’
t need to do anything to prove how we feel about each other. We
’
re going to get through this. I promise.”

“I know.” She leaned forward and kissed him again, her teeth nibbling playfully, deliberately. “I
’
m not trying to prove anything.” It was partly a lie. But not all. “I want you. And I
’
m ready.”

She felt his reaction at her words and gasped, thrilling, delicious heat radiating out from where they touched. She pressed against him harder and he groaned deep. “Gods, Eden…”

Excited, Eden began to kiss him everywhere. Maybe she did want distraction. But her need for Noah wasn
’
t a lie.

“Not here, not here.” He pulled her back, his face flushed and eyes bright, dazed. “There
’
s a nice hotel nearby.”

A nervous flutter in her gut almost gave her pause, but Eden nodded through it. “Let
’
s go.”

Remember Us

They lay together
on the hotel bed, each trying to catch their breath. Eden shifted onto her side, wincing a little at the throbbing pain between her legs that marked the loss of her virginity. Luckily for her Ankh healing meant she wouldn
’
t feel a thing the next morning. Noah lifted his arm, holding her close as she snuggled into him. “Wow,” he said.

Eden laughed, a sound that surprised them both. It had been painful at first but, she thought wryly, Noah
’
s experience had proved its worth. The pain had dissipated and turned into… well… a
‘
wow
’
. “Yeah.”

“I only ever want to make you happy, you know that right?” Noah asked softly, staring up at the ceiling in the dark, his fingers stroking her naked shoulder, sending pleasurable shivers through all her good-for-nothing places. Shadows flickered across the unlit room from the traffic outside and Eden thought of them as little monsters trying to pry their way in and destroy the peace and pretend she and Noah had so carefully constructed around themselves.

“I know,” she told him quietly.

“You promise me that whatever happens, you
’
ll remember that?”

She was silent a moment, her anxious heart wondering what on earth was about to happen that Noah would need that promise. Instead of questioning it, she remembered the look in his eyes as he slid into her, the absolute purity of his need and love for her. She
’
d known in that moment that no one else would ever feel that way about her… as if she was everything that made his world go around. “OK. I promise.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Dude.”

Monsters Within

“You know I can totally relate to this kid,” Eden mused, snuggling back into his chest as she stuffed another handful of warm popcorn into her mouth.

Noah grinned, tightening the arm he had wrapped around her waist. The movie
I am Number Four
danced across the large flat screen television that was attached to the wall of the Valois
’
rec room on the third floor. It was the first time Eden had dared to enter his father
’
s territory. “I
’
d have thought you had more in common with Six, the cool chick on the motorcycle.”

He felt her grunt more than heard it and she turned to look up at him with an eyebrow raised. “Cool? In other words you think she
’
s hot?”

Crap. This was one of these entrapment situations set up by wily girlfriends. There was no right answer here was there? If he lied she
’
d know and if he told her the truth, would she be pissed? “Uh… well…”

“It
’
s just if you do think she
’
s hot… then I guess I can say I think Four is hot.” She shrugged playfully and relaxed back against him.

Noah ignored the stupid pang of jealousy he experienced… over a Hollywood pretty boy. He scoffed inwardly at himself, determined never to admit he had such feelings. “OK, she
’
s hot.”

“She is hot.”

“Oh man now that
’
s hot.”

“What?”

“You thinking a girl is hot.”

“Seventy years on this planet and you still have the soul of a teenage frat boy.”

“No, I have the soul of a man. We are filthy, perverted, sex-craved animals. Or didn
’
t you know that?”

Eden grinned up at him. “I know
you
are.” Her eyes glittered at him and he felt that look right down deep inside. They had been inseparable these last few days since the night they
’
d spent together in the hotel. There had been many more moments since. Noah couldn
’
t get enough of her.

Part of it was the constant need and want he had for the girl he loved.

The other part was the constant need to drown out reality.

They were so careful never to mention any of the bad stuff that was going on. Instead they joked, and kissed, made love, trained, joked, kissed, made love, watched movies… Noah pressed his mouth to hers. Kissed. He deepened the kiss. Made love?

“Again?” she mumbled, not nearly as scandalized as she was pretending.

Noah smiled against her lips.
Again.
Gods if someone had told him a year ago that he would refer to sex as making love he would have asked them what the hell they
’
d been smoking.

A throat clearing shoved his libido back in its cave. Groaning, Noah pulled away from Eden, his eyes still glued to hers. She had amazing eyes. So deep, so blue, but with streaks of green and gold. Dark lashes. Eden gave everything to him in her eyes. He could read her so easily. They were his favorite thing about her because even when she was being snarky and flippant (when was she not?) he could always tell what was really going on with her just by looking into those gorgeous eyes.

Right now she was embarrassed and annoyed to have been caught making out with him in front of his dad.

He looked over at Alain as he strolled into the room, his laptop under his arm.

Alain cocked a disapproving eyebrow at them. “Don
’
t you two have something better to do than sit here watching movies and locking lips?”

“Not really,” Noah replied flatly, sick of his dad
’
s attitude towards Eden.

Eden pulled away from him, unfolding her legs from under her and straightening up primly. Noah frowned and reached for her, sliding his hand around her waist under her shirt, her warm skin so soft under his palm. He pulled her back to him and she went
‘
kind of
’
willingly. She threw him a look and he glowered at her for letting his dad get to her.

She stared at him a moment as if trying to decide something. Finally she smirked at him and leaned back into him, turning to address his father. “How are you today, Mr. Valois?”

“Well, if you weren
’
t so busy doing
rien
you would realize it
’
s no longer day, Eden, and it is in fact nearly time for Noah to go on patrol.” Alain glared at her and then shot a withering look at Noah. “You should have been training.”

Honestly, he hadn
’
t realized they
’
d been up here so long. That
’
s what came with hiding away from the world, terrified that participating in it was going to destroy the most important relationship in his life.

“Instead of wasting your time,” Alain added.

Noah tensed with anger and was just about to respond with a blistering set-down at the insinuation that Eden was a waste of his time when Noah felt her shift beneath his hand. He knew what that coiled tension in her body meant, that straightening of her spine.

Eden had had enough.

“I
’
m a waste of time, Mr. Valois?” the question was asked softly but any fool could detect the danger in the undertone.

Alain had the grace to look somewhat chagrined. “I did not that say that, Eden. Do not twist my words. I just think Noah has been slacking from his duties since your arrival here.”

She shot up off the couch and Noah sighed, deciding to let her loose. This had been coming for a long time. “Noah is the best goddamn warrior I know.” She defended him and he felt a warm, fuzzy glow spread through his chest at the pride in her voice. He smiled goofily but then smothered it with a hand when his father rolled his eyes at him. Noah grunted. Like the old man was one to talk. His mom, Emma, had Alain wrapped tight around her little pinky finger. He was putty in her hands. A puppet on her strings. All the frickin
’
clichés of a man in love with a woman.

“You may not have to like me, fine,” she snapped. “Because, you know what? I don
’
t like you very much either. But at least I
’
m polite to you. It
’
s called showing some respect, Mr. Valois.”

“You call this respectful? Admonishing your superior?”

Eden flicked a look over her shoulder at Noah, a sarcastic tilt to her mouth. Noah nodded at her. He had to let Eden be herself and Eden being herself meant… telling everyone what she thought, damn the consequences.  With a triumphant jut of her chin, she turned back to his father. “Maybe I wouldn
’
t have to admonish you if you started acting your age… what is that again? 1300 years old, give or take?”

Noah choked down a laugh, a laugh he would pay for later he knew by the death look his father was giving him.

“Your point being, Eden?” Alain asked in a deliberately bored voice.

“How about checking the
‘
asshole within
’
at the door from now on?”

Oh
, Noah made a face, watching his father
’
s features tighten with anger. “Do not speak to me with such disrespect again, young lady. I am a member of The Circle and as such your superior.”

“Hmmph,” she huffed, turning her back on him as she shoved her feet into her Converse. “Whatever you say.”

Oh crap, Noah sighed. He
’
d hoped them having it out would mean some kind of resolution… not even more animosity. Noah reached for Eden
’
s hand and she squeezed his fingers before letting go. She wouldn
’
t look at him. Great.  Reality intrudes again. He stood up and brushed her hair back from her face, forcing her to look up at him. He ignored Alain who was still standing watching them, his body bristling with tempered annoyance. “I
’
ve got to go on patrol, anyway. Maybe you could look for Tobe?” he suggested. He knew Eden had been worrying about her cousin since her arrival but with their tense last conversation still hanging over them both, they had been studiously avoiding one another. Noah had run into Tobe in the training room yesterday. According to Cyrus that
’
s where she
’
d been spending most of her time as Cyrus tried to locate her family. His meeting with Tobe hadn
’
t been too bad. He
’
d told her how brave Mhairi had been, how he owed her his life, and she
’
d seem to appreciate it. Why she blamed Eden and not him baffled him. But she was a woman and the only one of them he
’
d ever understood was Eden so…