She was afraid he would be able to read what she'd wanted, even though it wasn't possible because he didn't know what she was, or that creatures like her even existed.

OK. So rationality wasn't high in her list of priorities these days. Stil , she'd ignored his texts over the weekend and had somehow managed to avoid him al day Monday (and nearly got a black eye for her trouble when she ducked behind an open locker to hide from him, and the corner edge of it missed her eye by a mil imetre). Eden's nerves felt frayed at the edges.

Tuesday. She'd gotten through a whole day again without b.u.mping into Noah.

She'd eaten lunch in her car and she had shot out of her cla.s.ses like a bul et when the bel rang.

Now it was French, last cla.s.s of the day. She eyed the doorway and then the clock.

One minute and she was out of there. French cla.s.s was pretty close to the entrance. She'd get out before Noah showed up.

The minute hand on the clock took forever.

By the time the bel rang, Eden had already slipped her books into her bag. She blew past the kids in the front row, not stopping, even when she toppled one of their books off the desk. It was rude. But this was an emergency. Eden dared to sigh with relief as she shot out of the main entrance.

Al that hurrying was in vain.

Noah was lounging against the driver side door of Eden's Dodge Avenger. Yeah, she didn't get to choose her car... that would be Celine. If it was up to Eden she'd be driving a 1969 black Chevy Impala as driven by the s.e.xy Dean and Sam in the tv show Supernatural. Al of which was beside the point when Noah had her cornered.

He raised his eyebrows at her as she approached slowly, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked relaxed but Eden saw something flicker in his eyes.

"Hey," she mumbled, jingling her keys pointedly.

Noah didn't take the hint.

"What's up?" She sighed, trying to edge him away from the car.

He shrugged. "I don't know. You tel me. You're the one treating me like a leper." Panic tightened Eden's chest. She didn't want to push Noah away, she just needed a few days to get herself together, to be able to look him in the eye again. She smirked at him deliberately. "Dude. Come on. I've just been dealing with some family stuff. It's nothing." She must have sounded rea.s.suring enough because Noah's eyes lightened a little and he stood up away from the car. "OK. Good. Great. Um..." He looked around, suddenly appearing a little self-conscious. "You want to grab a coffee with me?" d.a.m.n, Eden winced. Quickly she unlocked her car door and threw in her bag, not meeting Noah's probing gaze.

"Uh you know I can't tonight. Family thing. Another night, OK?" She didn't even give him time to reply before she slammed the door and pul ed out of her parking spot. She left tyre marks at the school gate.

By Wednesday afternoon Eden's nerves had gone from frayed to frazzled. Earlier that day she'd seen Noah heading down the hal towards her and had freaked out, turned on her heel, and practical y ran in the opposite direction. How was she supposed to explain that next time they talked? She was in history when she got the text.

OK. You're weirding me out. Just tell me what I did?

N.

Eden didn't think it was possible to feel any worse.

Suffice to say she was in an awful mood, radiating 'don't talk to me or I'l eat you'

vibes even in cla.s.s. The teachers were smart enough to ignore her and most of the students were too.

Avoiding Noah at lunch, Eden had opted for the library this time. By now her skin was flush with angry heat and her patience? Non-existent. She did the unthinkable and headed towards the cla.s.sics aisle, hoping a little Jane Austen would civilise her.

Mr Darcy was just in the middle of insulting Elizabeth (tolerable indeed!) when Eden heard the human snarl.

Someone cried out, as if in pain. Frowning, Eden laid down the book and walked quietly to the end of the aisle. She peered around the corner into the dark cove of bookshelves at the back of library, the one that every library seemed to have. Her heart started to race a little at the scene in front of her. Lucy Stevens, hot senior and head cheerleader, had a grip of a soph.o.m.ore's shirt, holding her up so tight the girl's feet nearly dangled off the floor. Eden had seen the soph.o.m.ore around before. She was this pet.i.te, gorgeous red head with big sad green eyes. Eden was sure she was the youngest girl on the cheerleading squad. Right now her pretty face was screwed up in horror, rivulets of mascara staining her cheeks.

"This is me being merciful, Amber," Lucy hissed into her face. "This is you're last warning."

"B-but I didn't d-d-do anything," Amber cried.

Eden winced at the crack of Lucy's hand against Amber's cheek, and the m.u.f.fled sob from the victim. "You cal ing my boyfriend a liar, Amber?" Amber shook her head, holding her right cheekbone.

"I didn't think so. He's mine, you little s.l.u.t, you come onto him again and I'l make your life here a living hel . Wouldn't want everyone finding out that secret you told me right?

How stepdaddy likes to touch you inappropriately?"

Amber's eyes flared with terror and she broke into hysterical sobs, her head shaking frantical y.

Lucy patted her cheek patronisingly. "Good girl."

Sliding back out of sight, Eden struggled to draw breath, the scene playing over and over again in her head. She'd seen bul ying going on at South Salton her entire time there; she'd even been a victim of that bul ying, and probably the bul y herself sometimes when she was in a bad mood. But what she had witnessed was worse than Maria Roth and herself.

It had been s.a.d.i.s.tic and vicious, and born of petty jealousy. Eden knew Lucy's boyfriend.

Doug Brown. A senior. A jock. A sleaze bag. Although he'd rather die than admit it, he'd even come on to Eden once when she and Noah had stupidly crashed his birthday party.

Eden could read between the lines. Doug had hit on Amber. Amber had turned him down.

Doug had told Lucy that Amber was flirting with him. Lucy, who was apparently a psychotic b.i.t.c.h, had now found a new toy to play with; a toy that was clearly already broken by an abusive home life.

Eden knew what that was like.

The thought sent this crazy red haze sparkling across Eden's eyes; her chest tight, her hunger howling at her as if she were insane to pa.s.s this up.

Yeah. Today she felt insane. And no Jane Austen was going to help.

She knew she was acting like a stalker.

Uh correction, like a serial killer.

But Eden couldn't get Lucy and Amber out of her mind.

So here she was, standing outside Lucy's cla.s.s instead of sitting in her own.

Watching and waiting... for what, she wasn't quite sure.

When the cla.s.sroom door opened and Lucy ducked out with a bathroom pa.s.s in her hand, Eden's eyes widened.

See, her hunger whispered, it's like the universe wants you to do it.

Stealthily she fol owed Lucy along the hal , keeping a distance, watching her disappear into the girls' bathroom.

She waited a beat and then swung open the door, shutting it quietly behind her.

Eden ducked her head under the four stal s. They were alone.

She strode back to the door and turned the lock.

"Who the hel is there?" Lucy snapped from inside her stal .

Eden dropped her backpack, leaning against the sinks casual y although her heart pounded so hard she swore her shirt was vibrating. "Why don't you come out and see?" She wasn't afraid of Lucy Stevens.

She wouldn't have been even if she wasn't one of the Blessed.

"What the f.u.c.k is this?" Lucy huffed. Eden's smile was one of twisted mockery at the sound of clothes rustling, and Lucy's harried breath. She couldn't have planned on catching the girl in a more undignified situation. The toilet catching the girl in a more undignified situation. The toilet flushed and the stal door banged open to reveal a p.i.s.sed off Lucy Stevens in her cheerleading outfit. She grimaced.

"You?" She rol ed her eyes as if Eden were inconsequential and glided over to the sinks to wash her hands.

"Me." Eden grinned at her and enjoyed the way Lucy flinched at the expression, like she could see there was something not quite right about her.

"What do you want, freak?"

Eden shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. "I heard an interesting conversation today. No, sorry." She shook her head. "Attack. An interesting attack." Lucy heaved a sigh and grabbed at paper towels.

"Whatever, freak." She made to leave and Eden stuck her leg out to block her path.

The cheerleader narrowed her eyes on her. "You better move that s.k.a.n.k."

"Or what?" Eden taunted.

Lucy took two leggy steps towards her. She fluffed her golden hair over her shoulder and bit a couple of French manicured fingernails into Eden's shoulder. "Or I'l make your life a living hel , you goth b.i.t.c.h."

"You're kind of an ignoramus, you know that."

"You're making a mistake, Winslow," Lucy promised with a cruel smirk on her pouty lips.

The hand that had been dangling innocently by Eden's side shot out faster than a human could compute, and wrapped itself around Lucy's throat, shoving her back into one of the stal s. The senior tripped, col apsing over a toilet seat as she clawed at Eden's hand, her face growing redder before turning horribly purple.

"Sorry, princess, my life already is a living hel ." Eden squeezed tighter, getting a sick enjoyment out of terrifying this girl. "I saw you torturing Amber today, Luce. Not cool,"

she whispered, breathing in the scent of Lucy's soul, tainted as it may be. This was a girl who wouldn't miss it... or if Eden went too far, wouldn't be missed at al . "You make me sick, you know. You s.a.d.i.s.tic b.i.t.c.h." She jerked Lucy's head back and her eyes rol ed.

For a moment Eden frowned as she drew blood with her fingernails on Eden's hand in an attempt to fight back. Releasing her hold on Lucy's throat, she barely gave time for the girl to draw breath before she was holding her head in her hands and pushing her wil onto her.

Lucy stopped struggling, her lips parting.

The hunger licked its lips.

Eden froze. Like a statue. Her heart seemed to have stopped but the nausea hadn't.

What are you waiting for? She deserves it.

She shifted her stance, trying to make herself more comfortable. She tilted Lucy's head to angle it just right, almost like an awkward teenager going in for her first kiss.

Her legs began to tremble.

No. Don't stop. Think about Amber. You'll be helping her.

The bathroom door handle rattled. Eden's head jerked up, breaking her gaze with Lucy's.

"Hey! Why's the door locked?!" A bel igerent student yel ed, banging on the door.

"Open up or I'm tel ing somebody!"

Lucy gasped for air, coming back to herself, her hands clawing into Eden's wrist.

"You freak!" she hissed.

Panic suffused Eden as sense slowly began to return.

What have I done? Eden swal owed the bile that rose in her throat, her hands gripping Lucy's head tighter.

Lucy would report Eden. Oh G.o.d.

Her pale eyes secured their hold on Lucy's chocolate brown ones. The girl grew limp again. "Lucy, this never happened."

"This never happened," she replied blankly.

"I was never here."

"You were never here."

"Open it!" The student screeched.

Eden gulped but refused to break eye contact. Amber's broken eyes flashed before her.

"You're not going to torture, hurt and gossip about Amber anymore."

"I'm not going to torture, hurt and gossip about Amber anymore."

"You're going to protect her. Even from Doug."

"I'm going to protect her. Even from Doug."

Feeling drained Eden got to her feet, drawing Lucy up careful y. The girl didn't even look at her. She walked out of the stal and headed towards the door. Eden shut the stal door and locked it, listening to the impatient student outside gulp back her berating when she discovered it was Lucy Stevens.

She waited as the student peed and then washed her hands, slamming out of the bathroom.

Then reality sunk in.

She had set out to take a soul.

I set out to kill.