Blood Past - By Samantha Young Page 0,67

is a brand of Mp3 player. If you’ve got someone like Noah Valois sniffing around your heels, then I say kick them up and let him have his wicked way with you.”

At the thought of her friend Eden’s chest seemed to rip itself open.

“Stop,” Cyrus said from behind her and she turned around to see him cut down an empty side street. They gathered around them and Eden glanced warily back out onto the main street. If anyone saw them they’d know they were up to no good. “The club is around the corner. Red door, Eden.” They all looked at her expectantly. Eden exhaled, trying to meet all their gazes, trying to tell them silently that she could do this.

You can do this.

She’d totally given Teagan a couple of beatdowns before.

Cyrus placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Remember the plan. And we are right here.” Nodding militantly Eden blurred away from them, using her preternatural speed to confuse any witnesses who might see her. A few seconds later she stood on an isolated back street before a red door covered in graffiti. Taking one more deep breath, Eden stood back and thrust her leg out, her foot connecting with the door and blasting it off its hinges.

She winced, glancing around. That had been loud.

Ducking inside, hurriedly, Eden’s eyes sought through the darkness and she stumbled up a couple of stairs.

“Way to go, stealth girl,” she whispered, catching the wall to keep her balance. Her heart pounded in her chest as she pricked her ears, trying to make out any sound of Tobe or Cameron… or God forbid Teagan. There was nothing. Once she could make out shadows, Eden followed the narrow corridor and rounded a corner, light suddenly flooding out before her as she took in the huge open dance hall.

It was eerily quiet.

Too quiet.

As her footsteps echoed off the walls, Eden’s heartbeat began to echo the sound. A terrifying thought was beginning to crawl its way to the forefront of her mind, despite her fear trying to kick it back to where it had come from.

There was no one here.

She spun around, furious tears pricking her eyes. “Noah,” she whispered.

***

Noah froze at the clatter that came from the kitchen. Mhairi and the McLeish boys were sitting in tense silence and they turned to Noah with narrowed eyes. Before they could say a word he put a finger to his lips to shush them.

Heartbeat steady, muscles relaxed and ready for anything, Noah grabbed his Kaskara, a broadsword, and new weapon of choice. Christopher favoured it and when Noah had trained with him he’d come to see why. When he saw how easily it strapped horizontally across the back and could be hidden under his jacket, Noah had decided to trade in the Lakonian he’d been using. It had taken him three hours to learn the nuance of using it and by the end of their first training session he had bested Christopher with it. The weight of the sword in his hand was as always a comfort to Noah as he moved on silent feet towards the kitchen, checking the hallway right and left before he moved out into it. The light was on in the kitchen and Noah couldn’t remember whether the family had left it on or not, but the closer he grew to the room the more Noah sensed something in the air.

They weren’t alone.

The kitchen was empty but Noah strode to the opposite end of the room to stare out of the glass double doors that led into the yard. In the dim light cast across the lawn Noah saw Teagan standing facing him triumphantly, two soul eater bodyguards on either side of him.

October and Cameron were on their knees before him, tape across their mouths, their wrists and ankles bound tight. Fury poured over Noah as he stepped quietly out into the cool night air and smelled the coppery scent of blood from Tobe and Cameron’s wounds. They had been beaten badly.

Trying to curtail his fury, Noah glanced out and around them, his sharp eyes making sure there were no neighbours peering out of their windows at them. And then he looked back at them and winced at the open gash across Tobe’s face. Teagan must have had her beaten recently; Neith didn’t heal as quickly as Ankh but they still healed faster than humans. The Scots’ wounds were too fresh.

“You son-of-a-bitch,” Noah snarled at Teagan, dragging the point of his sword across