and broken thoughts spinning out of control. Of course, Eden knew little of the feeling, a rare perk of whatever was messed up with her. Not that she’d gotten completely off the hook.
Eden checked her watch. Despite their late start, they were still right on time, coming closer to the corner where they would run into her gift to James.
And then there he was.
Brighton Daniels. Twenty-four years old. No children. Single. Some kind of corporate something or other. Eden shifted their course, following as Brighton took a left, his briefcase swinging by his side.
She’d found the details out easily enough, following him on his commute from work the past three days, listening in on his phone conversations. It was amazing what one could overhear if they only paid attention.
James hadn’t noticed they were shadowing anyone yet.
“See him,” she said, giving her chin a jerk in the man’s direction. Ahead of them, Brighton paused at a crosswalk, idly glancing at his watch, waiting for the stick figure to grant him permission to move. Sheep, Eden thought, knowing he couldn’t be blamed.
Even as he nodded, James was tucking his hands into his pockets.
“He’s your mark.” She pulled her gloves tighter, straining her fingertips against the fabric. “He got promoted yesterday. Big raise. He’s happy about it, James. Ecstatic.”
Slightly ahead of them, the crosswalk sign cycled from orange to white and Brighton Daniels strode on with confidence. James, on the other hand, didn’t look so good.
“What?” Eden groaned. “I did all the work for you. He’ll probably just go on some kind of celebratory bender. Sure, he’ll be out of control for a bit, but he’ll live through it. Even with a dose your size.”
“You don’t know that,” he said.
“Trust me.” She started walking again, determined not to let Brighton get away. Another gust of winter air rushed past. She’d given James enough time to make the right choice. “Do it,” she said.
He frowned and she knew he’d gotten the message, the shift from request to order. James swore under his breath. He jogged a few steps, tapped Brighton’s wrist with his fingertip.
“Time?” he asked innocently.
Eden watched the bare skin James had swiped. In the daylight it was hard to make out, but there was no denying the brief glow. Oblivious as he yanked his arm up, Brighton smiled. It was a good sign, though it would be a few hours before the Touch took hold. Before they knew for sure. “Almost noon.”
“Thanks.” James stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, thrusting his hands back into his pockets, ignoring the glares of the other pedestrians. Brighton Daniels, whose future held either a blissed-out night without fear of consequences, or a spiral into his darkest thoughts, turned the corner and vanished from sight.
“Happy?” James mumbled as he pivoted, heading back in the direction of the apartment.
“Nope.” Eden stepped in front of him to block his path. “You need to get rid of more.” James rolled his eyes.
“I’ll deal with the buildup.”
“Because that’s gone so great for you, right?” she said. The sooner they got this over with, the better. It was freezing out. Winters in New York weren’t pleasant. Her leggings weren’t enough to keep her warm under her skirt.
“You don’t have to do this. You take it from the Siders, and then instead of spreading yourself, you get to dose Adam and Jarrod!”
She couldn’t help her bitter smile. “I have to dose Adam and Jarrod. With all the Touch I take in, they have better odds than the mortals of making it through. Would you rather I spread it myself? Kill them?” She yanked her hands into her sleeves. “And I’m genociding our kind. I deal with enough death.”
He fell silent as a group of teenagers burst out of a corner drugstore, ripping open a pack of Oreos while they laughed. James watched them as they stumbled off down the street, one girl yanking the cookies above her head, taunting the others.
“I miss that,” James said, staring after them.
Eden snorted. “Oreos?”
“No. Fun. Normalcy. None of this bullshit.”
“You killed yourself, James.” Eden shivered, giving up and leading the way back to the apartment. “Doesn’t seem like you were exactly striving for fun. Now all you do is bitch about having a second chance.”
She’d only gone a half a block before she realized he wasn’t following, stopped so he could catch up. He hesitated, before slowly making his way to her. As he drew closer, she could make out a deep hurt radiating from his