Samantha Young: Blood Past

“Cyrus, she didn’t do anything,” Valeria interceded casually, drawing her legs down off the leather sofa so Cyrus could take a seat.

“She’s baiting Noah.”

Eden bit her lip, her cheeks feeling a little warm. Jeez, she wasn’t going to be able to get away with anything around this dude.

“She’s not, I’m fine,” Noah insisted and Eden growled in his direction. He shrugged.

“Eden, do you need the drug?” Cyrus asked, sitting back casually. “We have been on the plane for hours.”

“Are we nearly there yet?”

“Another hour.”

Good. She couldn’t wait to get off the damn thing. It was her first time on a plane but truth be told the excited enjoyment she’d felt had quickly dissipated after the first two hours. The jet was spacious and she had been able to walk about, but it was still like being stuck in a fat, stylish tube for 6 hours.

Only another hour. And then she would be in Scotland where she would meet her Neith family and have the eldest of the line’s blood transfused into her. That would hopefully begin her transition from soul eater to Ankh. Before that, however, she had to get past all the human souls begging for her to take them.

“Eden?”

She bit her lip and nodded. “Yeah, I need the drug.”

They were inside the non-descript rented Volvo barely two minutes, pulling away from the Leuchars’ airfield in the tourist town of St. Andrews, when Cyrus’ cell rang. He flipped it open and answered immediately, pulling the car over to the side of the road. Eden absently took in the open country around them. She’d been instantly enamoured by the crisp, fresh air of Scotland, and already used to the sometimes cold springs in Michigan, wasn’t bothered by the cool, grey day, or the threat of showers in the gradually filling stomachs of the clouds above. Behind them, she heard the gravel shift as Valeria pulled the Volvo she was driving in behind them. Glancing in the wing mirror, Eden saw both Noah and Val frowning.

It was then she realised she’d never heard Cyrus sound so reverent before. Who was he talking to?

“I do appreciate you coming,” he said in a low voice and Eden pricked her sensitive ears, hoping to catch the other side of the conversation. As if he knew, Cyrus leaned away from her, throwing her a look out of the corner of his eye. “Yes.” He nodded. “Alright. Where? No, that is fine, I have a Tom Tom . Yes. Alright. Thirty minutes.” He snapped the cell shut and glanced at her with a thoughtful look.

“Who was that?”

“That… was Darius.”

“Darius? Who’s-” Eden’s mouth formed a little ‘o’. “Darius. As in the oldest of the Ankh, Darius?”

“Yes.”

“Is everything OK?”

Cyrus smiled a little. “Yes. My old friend just likes to surprise me. I told him where we were going and he has decided to drop in for a visit.”

“He’s going to be in Edinburgh when we get there?”

Her guardian’s eyes darkened. “Darius prefers a solitary existence. If other warriors were to know of his location he would be swamped with visitors. No. He is meeting us in a travel motel.” Cyrus leaned forward now and began punching in new coordinates on the annoying sat nav. “It will be a brief visit. He just wants to meet you.”

This Darius sounded like the ultimate enigma. He’d been through this situation with one of the Unforeseen before. Twice in fact. He was actually older than Cyrus. If Cyrus was intimidating she couldn’t imagine what this guy was like! Her heart began to thump a little harder and faster in her chest. “Why?”

“I should think that obvious.”

“Not really.”

“You are one of the Unforeseen and very important to me.” The warmth in his eyes felt like a cosy blanket tucking her in tight, safe and content. She fought the feeling, still doubting despite everything, the trustworthiness of the Ankh. “Whatever else he might be, Darius is a friend. He just wants to…”

Eden curled a lip as sudden realisation dawned. “Inspect me.”

“Well-”

“Yeah, yeah. He wants to check I’m not going to turn on you or whatever. I get it. What I don’t get is how he could possibly know better than you.”

Cyrus sighed. “Eden, some may say my judgement is impaired by my connection to you. I do not agree, but Darius would like to see for himself. He understands. He is very close to Valeria.

Moreover, Darius is old. Very old.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

He gave her no reply, just smiled a frustratingly mysterious smile and flipped open his cell again.

He pressed a speed dial button and the other person picked up immediately. “Valeria, change of plans. Put these coordinates into the Tom Tom .” He rhymed off the destination. “We are meeting Darius.”

They pulled into the travel inn about thirty minutes later. Eden already had this nervous riot going on in her stomach and her right leg seemed to be bouncing up and down of its own accord. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had cold sweats.

Valeria and Noah pulled up beside them, Val coming to her side as soon as she got out of the car.

“Everything will be fine, Eden. No need to look so worried.” Eden barely registered the bright excitement in Val’s eyes as she nodded at her mentor before turning to Noah. He locked Eden in with his calm violet gaze and his reassurance made her feel a little better. It was only as they turned to follow Cyrus, Eden realised what she’d done. These past few weeks she’d been pretty good at hating Noah, but clearly turning to him in time of need was an old, subconscious habit she’d have to break.

Cyrus drew them to the reception and over to the elevator. Inside, the four of them stood in a tense silence, only really made tense by Eden’s obvious uneasiness. She felt Cyrus squeeze her shoulder as they sidled out of the elevator. Calling herself all kinds of wuss, Eden threw her shoulders back and followed the Ankh determinedly down the hall. Feeling Noah’s knowing smile on her, she slowly turned to glare at him, which only made his grin grow wider. Huffing at him, Eden almost missed the charge of electricity that shot through her body. The further down the corridor they travelled, however, the hotter and deeper the vibration became, thrumming through her whole system. She knew it wasn’t normal.

“What’s going on?” She drew to an abrupt halt, staring at the three of them, trying to mask her sudden fear.

Cyrus nodded. “That would be Darius you are feeling.”

What the…?

With no more explanation (not that that had really been one) Cyrus finally came to a stop outside one of the rooms. He knocked on the door, two slow raps and then three short raps. The latch on the door popped but the door itself didn’t swing open. It was kind of creepy. And Eden knew a lot about creepy. Bracing herself against the abnormal amount of energy radiating from the room, Eden followed her companions into it. Cyrus shut the door behind him and Eden watched as he then crossed the room to shake hands with its sole occupant. He wasn’t what Eden had been expecting. He wasn’t as tall as Cyrus, nor Noah. At about 5“10 he should have appeared short next to them. But he didn’t. He was a compact man, muscular and powerful looking. What was most striking was the way he moved; his gestures were animalistic and controlled. He was the epitome of strength and grace, and the sheer force of the energy that emanated from him was un-freaking-believable.

As the man shook hands with Noah and then hugged Valeria close, Eden’s pulse pounded harder and harder as the monster within whined in irritation. From Darius there was no sense of soul.