He nodded. “But I can cancel.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Ryan snapped, shoving Teagan towards to the exit as he glared at his son and daughter, brushing his burnished gold hair back off his forehead. “Teagan not listening?” he guffawed at his wife. “What about her?!” He pointed at Eden now, his face a cruel mask. “It’s time for her goddamn Awakening Ceremony! It’s happening with or without your approval, Eden.” Now Ryan was walking towards her, aggression bristling in every movement.
Stellan shoved Eden behind him and faced his father. “Look, I’ll help Eden. Just give me a little time and I’ll have her ready for the Ceremony.”
Ryan stopped, his face still twisted with disapproval. “And how are you going to accomplish that?”
“I have an idea. I’ll let you know if it works.”
Seeming to relax at his son’s gall, Ryan nodded, threw one last glare at Eden and then shoved his wife and nephew out of the door.
Eden felt her whole body deflate with the tension. “Thanks Stel,” she whispered, dropping onto her bed.
“Sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” his voice sounded tight with anger. “He didn’t… do anything?”
“Nah.” She shook her head reassuringly. Then she looked up at him, remembering; confusion drawing her brows together. “Something weird did happen though.”
“What?” Stellan frowned.
“I totally threw Teagan across the room. Effortless. You see the wall.” She gestured to the cracks and peeling paint.
Stellan laughed and sat down beside her, picking up the discarded panda bear with no name. “Maybe it just means you’ll be kick-ass after you’ve fed and are one of us.”
Eden wasn’t so convinced. In all the stories, in all the times she’d met other people like them - some already full blown creatures of the Blessed and others still awaiting the awakening - she’d never heard of someone who hadn’t even fed on their first soul yet taking down one of the Blessed. Eden groaned and flopped back on her mattress. “I’m not ready, Stellan. I don’t care what you promised Ryan and Ceecee.”
Stellan snorted. “I told you not to let her hear you call her that.”
“Whatever.”
“Come on, Paradise.” He nudged her, his dopey smile making her grin back up at him. “Do this for me. Just let me try to change your mind, OK? Who knows… if you become one of the Blessed you’ll probably be strong enough to kick Teagan’s ass and change Ryan’s mind about the betrothal.”
Eden froze. “You think?”
Stellan’s grin widened. “Totally.”
She mused over this for a moment. That was tempting. Really tempting.
Stellan nudged her leg. “Well? Will you let me try?”
As his warm grey eyes washed over her face, she thought about how cool and kind her brother was to her. He always had been. And he didn’t kill people… he just did what his nature compelled him to. He wasn’t a bad guy right? And maybe if she did this, if she did the Awakening Ceremony, all her anxieties and worries and guilt would just… melt away.
“OK.”
That night someone opened the iron door, leaving it open a moment too long. The scream that wrenched through the mansion made Eden stiffen in her bed. She heard the horrified plea just as the iron door slammed shut, a frightening hush descending over the house. Try as she might, Eden couldn’t get the picture of the red-headed woman out of her head.
Worse. She wasn’t a little girl anymore. She had the power to do something. To help whatever poor soul was trapped down there at the mercy of Ryan and Teagan’s perversions.
But she was so scared.
Burrowing deeper into her duvet, Eden began to cry softly into her pillow to muffle the sound.
No matter what she promised Stellan, she didn’t know if she could do it.
I can’t do it.
Chapter Four
BFF