Blood Past

chapter Twenty

Forever is a Long Time

Despite her threat, Val didn’t tell Cyrus about the kiss when they met him back at the Douglas’ home.

The walk back to the house had been fraught with a tension that had Noah clenching and unclenching his fists. He’d known Val had enjoyed herself, these humorous little snorts had bubbled up from the back of her throat every ten minutes or so.

Eden on the other hand… Noah hadn’t been able to get a read on.

She hadn’t touched him since the kiss and had walked with a foot of space beside them so there had been no chance of touching. The fact that she had initiated the most surprising and hottest kiss of his entire seventy years (and he’d had a lot of kisses) didn’t mean a thing if she wouldn’t look at him.

He stood back with his arms crossed over his chest as Cyrus proudly grilled her for a detailed description of her kill. He tried to shake himself, he really did. It had just been Eden’s first kill after all. But it had also been his and Eden’s first kiss.

And oh gods, he hoped it wasn’t their last.

“I’m really jealous,” Tobe said stepping towards Eden with a sly smile. “But I’m really proud too.”

Eden grinned at her and let Tobe hug her, which only made Noah think about how it had felt to have Eden pressed up against him. He swallowed, shifting uncomfortably as he flushed red hot at the memory. That kiss wasn’t nothing. And it wasn’t their last. You didn’t kiss someone the way Eden had kissed him and not mean it.

Right?

He groaned. This was so payback. Kharma working her magic again.

“Are you alright, Noah?” Cyrus asked, hearing his groan.

“Oh, uh yeah, yeah. Just hungry,” he covered.

Cyrus nodded. “I say we celebrate. Is there not a late night pub still open around here, Christopher?”

“There is indeed.” Christopher grinned.

Everyone was so happy for Eden.

And so they should be. Before she’d effed him up with that kiss, he’d watched her take down that soul eater with finesse and power. They’d just armed themselves with another amazing warrior to help aid the cause.

And me? Noah winced, watching everyone file out the house, watching Eden file out the house without so much as glancing back at him. His eyes narrowed in determination. I got something I’m not letting go of without a fight.



***

Sitting across from Noah with all their warrior friends around them was excruciating for Eden.

Inside she was a jumble of confusion. Noah was acting weird. Maybe I shouldn’t have kissed him.

Maybe he totally regrets kissing me back. According to rumour, Noah wasn’t a settling down kind of guy and she wasn’t a casual kissing random people kind of girl so where did that leave them?

Uh nowhere, Eden, she snapped irritably at herself.

As Noah laughed at something Tobe said, Eden pushed back from the table and asked if anyone wanted anything from the bar. Only non-alcoholic drinks were shouted at her as she headed up. She had just ordered the drinks when heat flooded the space next to her and his yummy Noah smell enveloped her like a warm, sexy hug. Bracing herself, Eden looked up at him as he leaned casually near her.

“We gonna talk about it?” he asked her softly and just the mention of it had her eyes falling to his mouth.

She flushed and shifted her weight anxiously. “Not if it didn’t mean anything to you.” Her heart jumped at the touch of his hand against her lower back, drawing her closer to him, a move she allowed without even questioning it. “It meant everything to me,” his reply was low and rumbly and did all kinds of things to her insides.

Relaxing, Eden couldn’t help smile as she moved nearer. “Good. Me too.” Those pale eyes of his darkened and fell to her lips and she had only a moment to catch her breath in surprise as he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to them right there in front of everyone. It was a sweet kiss that promised so much more.

Heart pounding at what this meant for them, it took Eden a moment to register the arm that slid past them as they drew apart. It thunked a glass down on the counter, and recognising the silver ring on the strong hand, Eden tensed.

Cyrus stood before them, his face completely expressionless as he stared at her. “I suspect this means you forgive him, then?”

She bit her lip, not sure how Cyrus was going to react to the news: overprotective father figure which was bad news for Noah? Or a Princeps who was happy for two of his Ankh?

When his eyes flashed Eden suddenly guessed that it was going to be a bit of both.

Staring Noah down, Cyrus warned in a low voice, “Make one wrong move…”

“Got it,” Noah quickly agreed, not stupid enough to piss Cyrus off. Eden liked that although he was wary and respectful of her guardian, he still hadn’t removed his hand from her waist.

Eden was given a careful nod from her Princeps before he turned back to join Val and the Douglas’. She exhaled and slid Noah a questioning look. “So we’re really doing this?” The thought had her whole body humming with excitement but she also felt the weight of their decision upon her chest. She’d been hurt badly before by this guy. And if it was possible she thought maybe she cared about him even more than she did back then. What was that phrase? ‘Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me’. Not to mention there was Romany in their past.

Desperate for nothing to come between this momentous development between them, Eden threw the memory of the Neith back into the farthest corners of her brain. Hopefully Romany would never be a problem again. She just had to hope she never crossed paths with the murderous witch because she could see that being a potential setback in her and Noah’s… relationship?

“Stop,” Noah said, cupping her cheek with his rough palm. Eden hated that he could read her so well. What was that?! “We’re really doing this. And there will be no doubts, no backing out of it, and no worrying that it will fall apart.”

“You sound awfully sure for a guy who’s never done this before.” He grinned. “I have faith.”

Eden grimaced. “We’re Ankh, Noah. A relationship between us… isn’t that kind of major?” He laughed, a deep happy laugh that took her by surprise. Drawing her closer, Noah kissed her, still smiling, and she couldn’t help but smile between each soft, lush kiss. Eventually he pulled back just enough to whisper across her lips, “I can do forever if you can.”