Page 100 of Caelum

He sighed. “It’s a saying, Eve.”

“Oh.”

If I could have smiled, I would have. She was so literal, and with zero cultural reference points, it was deliciously easy to confuse her. And I didn’t even feel guilty about that. Eve was smart. Ridiculously smart. I figured her knowing shit about the world was her leveler, and if she didn’t have that, then only God knew what she’d be like to live with.

As it was, she was humble and bumbling around trying to figure shit out. She fit into the world like a round peg in a square hole, but I could deal with that.

Mostly because I had a round peg I wanted to stick into her round hole.

Same as Eren and Stefan. Dre, too, if he’d pull his head out of his ass and see her for what she was—our glue.

Every Pack had one, and we’d found ours way ahead of schedule.

Of course, sex wasn’t the only reason I wanted Eve around. In a fight, she might not be able to kick ass, but that memory of hers was going to come in more than handy someday.

I felt some cold fabric being draped over my forehead, and although it felt like shit against my skin, the chill did add to my comfort. Enough for me to mutter, “Guys, you should get her into reading the N-Files.”

They fell silent at my words, at the mention of the registry Caelum had on every single Nest Leader in the world. I wasn’t sure whether they wanted to ignore me or just were bewildered by the suggestion.

Before I had to gather my energy to explain, Eve asked, “What are the N-Files?”

“You remember what we were talking about outside? The nests?” She hummed her understanding, and Stefan continued, “Each nest has a leader. We have files on that leader, as well as the Ghouls they consider their council.”

Eren clucked his tongue. “Council’s a strong word. It’s more like the people they trust not to stab them in the back.”

“Oh.” She fell silent, and I wished I could pry my eyes open to figure out what her response was.

From what they’d said so far, she knew about Ghouls and nests. I wondered how long I’d been out for the count if they’d already handled that particular conversation.

“What would you need me to read?”

“Each Nest Leader has certain ways of working, of leading the nest. The files contain as much intel as we have on the individuals. Anything from the souls that command them, to the way they like to fuck.”

“Intel?” she asked.

“Intelligence. It’s an abbreviation for the information we’ve gathered over the years on these people.”

“They’re that old?”

“Some are ancient,” Eren stated softly. “We’re outnumbered, Eve. There are more Ghouls than there are creatures.”

A sharp breath escaped her. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Without help, most people like us turn Ghoul. We need the training, the education, and the freedom to let the souls out, which is what we find at Caelum,” he explained.

Stefan added, “More than that, we need our Packs.”

“Packs?” She released a huff. “Like with wolves?”

“Almost,” Stefan began. “We call them Packs, but there’s no real hierarchy.”

Eren snorted. “If you’re going to explain at least tell her the full truth.”

Stefan grunted. “A Pack can only be formed so long as there’s a Sin Eater or an Incubus or Succubus on board.”

“Why?”

“Because they’re the two creatures that can kill a Ghoul. The rest work to help capture our enemies, but those two breeds are the only ones who can eradicate the scum from the face of the Earth.

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