Fury shot through him at the sound of a throaty chuckle from the other set of handcuffs. The old Neith woman smiled at him sinisterly. Teagan immediately moved to launch the dagger at Noah but at the last minute he checked himself. He needed to keep the s.o.b alive. “I’d watch it. I already hate you just for being you but the fact that your slimy little hands have been all over what’s mine makes me want to cut off certain things I know you’d miss.”
With satisfaction, Teagan looked on as Noah forced his head up, those strange violet eyes of his glittering at him darkly against the glaze of the toxin. “You might as well kill me because I’ll die before I let you anywhere near her.”
His anger soothed Teagan, making him laugh. “Have you met my cousin? Tall, dark hair, lush lips, death stare.” He chuckled. “She’s as stubborn as a mule and once she makes her mind up about something she pretty much sticks to it. She’s coming to trade her life for yours and there’s nothing that will stop her. It’s the only thing that’s keeping you alive right now.” Without a doubt Noah was laughing at him and Teagan had to slam the dagger down on the table next to him to stop himself from doing something he’d regret. “She hates you, you sick douchebag.
She might come for me, but she’ll kill you before she ever lets you lay a hand on her.” Shifting uncomfortably, Teagan bit back an uncool retort. He knew he was in for a fight with Eden, he wasn’t a complete idiot, but he had something they didn’t know about. A reverse cure. He wasn’t there to drag the new Eden into a relationship with him. No he was there to get her back, to watch her eyes turn grey. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t brought reinforcements to help make sure the job got done. He threw Noah an arrogant, snarly smirk. “She’ll do what she’s told or I bring hell down on all of you.”
***
Eden,
Glad to see you made it to Boston and so quickly. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you had feelings for this little jerk. It hurts, Eden. Can’t help myself. I’m the jealous type. Not to worry, I also know how to get what I want so I haven’t hurt your little warrior boy or the old lady… yet. Come home, Eden, before I decide to check out Noah — see what all the fuss is about. Oh… and bring Cyrus and Valeria. But just you three. You bring anyone else and pull a fast one on me and I’ll know. You trick me, babe, and I’m not going to just to kill your boy and the Neith. I’m going to do them over Ryan Winslow style, and I think we both know you don’t want that.
Come quickly. I’m getting hungry.
Teagan x
After she finished reading it out loud, Eden forced herself to meet Noah’s parents’ gaze. Emma was trying not to cry. Alain on the other hand looked as if he was trying to restrain himself from flying at her. With one last look of unadulterated fury and blame, he shot off the couch in one of Cyrus’ many sitting rooms and stormed out, slamming the door so hard they heard the panelling splinter.
Eden flinched and shot a look at Cyrus. Her guardian shook his head gently, telling her not to worry. But she was worried. Teagan had Noah and Mhairi at the Winslow mansion.
She was going to have to return to the one place she’d promised she never would.
***
Staring at Noah and Mhairi was getting boring, so Teagan had sauntered back upstairs, making sure everything was in place. He nodded at a soul eater as he passed him in the hallway and wandered through to the back sitting room where French doors opened out onto the balcony and the sprawling gardens beyond. At the very north of the property sat a helicopter and its pilot, waiting for Teagan’s plans to come to fruition.
Right at this moment Eden must be on her way to him. He brushed the bump on his inner arm where the tracking device had been shot into him and thought of the needles each of his men carried.
Enough to load up Cyrus and Valeria with the toxin and get them on a helicopter to the Tribunal. The Tribunal would have the leverage they needed to lure in Darius of Mesopotamia and Teagan would have Eden. The old Eden.
He was just sorry the little asshat downstairs would get to make it out of all of this alive.
Chapter Twenty Six. Biggest Fear
It seemed only fitting that the sky opened up to lash hard rain down on the car as they arrived in Salton. It pelted off the bonnet like gunfire, seeming to emphasise the tense silence among Eden and her two companions. She tried not to tremble as the gates to her parent’s mansion swung open allowing them entrance. Teagan would be watching her from inside. The gravel kicked under their wheels familiarly and Eden squeezed her eyes shut, drawing in her breath, preparing herself to return to the scene of her nightmares. Stepping out into the humid night air that stung the nose with a threatening metallic scent that warned of electricity, Eden shared one last questioning look with Cyrus. He nodded, telling her to trust him.
She was trying but this seemed crazy.
Cyrus was actually sticking to Teagan’s demands. They had no other warriors, no back-up, nothing. Just the three of them walking into what was clearly a trap. The fact that he wanted Eden, Cyrus and Val, had the Princeps’ alarm bells ringing. Cyrus was pretty sure the Tribunal were involved and Teagan was more than happy to use Eden to cast a net over the Princeps and Val. When he’d told her that, Eden had argued with him. Something she had never done before. It was bad enough that Noah and Mhairi’s lives were in danger because of her, she didn’t want to be the reason Cyrus and Val, two of the most important members of The Circle, ended up in the hands of their mortal enemy.
But Cyrus seemed coldly calm and wouldn’t budge on his decision to accompany her. Eden wondered what the hell he knew that she didn’t.
Exhaling loudly and feeling weirdly naked without her katana, Eden followed Cyrus and Val up the front steps of the house to where the door lay open. Beyond the double doors they could see into the foyer, where Teagan stood grinning at them.
It took every ounce of self-control she owned not to launch herself at him like a jaguar taking down a particularly annoying and wily prey. Cyrus strode through the doorway with Val, no hesitation, no fear, and Eden, desperate to be as controlled and strong as her guardian, hurried in after him. The bright white of the foyer was immediately dimmed by the thirty or so soul eaters who leeched out of the hallway and surrounding rooms to encircle them in a wall of black-suited evil. She curled a lip at them. They looked like extras from Men In Black.
Idiotic looking or not, Eden, she whispered to herself , you’re completely outnumbered. She cast her eyes over them, trying to decide what would be the best way to attack when she didn’t have a sword.
“Babe, you look good.” Teagan smiled at her and she found herself stepping towards him so he knew she wasn’t afraid of him. “Not so sure about the eye colour but in a little while we won’t need to worry about that.”
Pulling on every ounce of hatred she had for him, Eden let it shine out of the new eyes he spoke of, not even registering his comment. “You know I’m Ankh now, Teagan. Don’t you think the race issues between us are just a little too big to overcome?” He grinned. “Haven’t lost your bite. Good to know. And the whole Ankh thing is about to become a non-issue.” He shrugged.
Eden felt her whole body seize up. She felt an ear splintering rant form in her chest and edge its way up towards her tongue but a voice suddenly whispered in her brain, telling her to stop. Teagan was enjoying this, antagonising her, drawing it out. She wouldn’t give him the damn satisfaction.