Page 238 of Caelum

A roof.

A common enemy.

Our woman.

I had to admit that London in the daylight rocked. Last night, driving half asleep to our new place after coming across the Ghouls in the middle of their meat feast, I knew I wasn’t the only one who’d failed to see the city sights as we’d driven by. Now? It was crazy how close the mews cottage was to the center.

The driver gave us a running commentary because he'd heard Frazer's voice and knew he was a Yank, as the driver had called him. Because of him, I knew when we were driving through Belgravia and on our way to Buckingham Palace itself. The crowds astonished me more than the palace if I were being honest, and even though I'd like to see how tough those Beefeaters were, I was even more eager to see Big Ben and the London Eye. According to the cabbie, Big Ben was closed for repairs, but we still saw it and pointed at it.

Eve gasped when we came across the London Eye, and from the glint in Frazer's gaze, I figured we'd be on that ride before we left. Money was good for one thing—making our mate happy.

Next came Covent Garden, or theater district as the driver called it, before we headed past St Paul's Cathedral. Next came Whitechapel, the stalking ground of Jack the Ripper. Had we been alone, I knew Eve would have asked if the bastard was a Ghoul, and though I wasn't sure, I knew enough about the prick's MO to figure that the perverted SOB was a Ghoul.

After that, we hit Canary Wharf and the old docks. When we passed something called the Isle of Dogs, all of us got a laugh when Eve innocently asked if the place was inhabited by dogs. If she wasn't clever as fuck, I swear, I'd think she was a cookie short of a jar. That was pretty much the end of the road for us, and we had to leave the car and head down into a foot tunnel that took us under the River Thames itself or grab a ferry.

As we waited for a ferry, Eve explored the Island Gardens, which were a neatly tended small park. On the opposite side of the bank, Google informed us, was our destination.

The University of Greenwich was a shit ton grander than I’d anticipated, and I slung my arm across the back of the bench as I stared at it. It was ancient. At least, I figured it was. Two twin domes peered over the Thames, with a derogatory sneer at the ugliness of modernity in the form of ferries that sputtered pollution into the air, as well as the cars that drove past it, horns beeping and tires squealing.

The short ride didn’t take long, and even though I felt sure Eve would get a kick out of it, she definitely had lost her sea legs in the short time we’d been back on land. As she was turning green, Frazer’s phone buzzed.

“Yeah?”

I cocked a brow at Frazer and, spying that he was on the phone, waited for him to speak. After a few nods and a couple of ‘sures,’ he murmured, “Professor Anheim will be waiting for us at the terminal.”

“Talk about door-to-door service,” Samuel mocked, looking more po-faced than usual. Maybe that was from the river crossing or the fact that he was just feeling edgy from the answers we were hoping to gain today. Truth was, the bastard didn’t talk much unless he was talking Eve’s ear off and making her giggle over inane shit that—even though I was kind of jealous—also made me happy because when she smiled, it mademesmile.

This mate stuff was fucking complicated.

Still, this was his stomping grounds, his town, and I knew the memories had to hurt. Especially since his family was still living and, if he wanted, he could head in for a visit.

I understood why he couldn’t, why he’d made the choice he had. Most kids did. It didn’t matter if we had a loving family or not, when we went to Caelum, when we learned the truth, we learned we were freaks and accepted that our families just couldn’t love us.

Maybe that was something we were too quick to believe, but going from a regular world where you were considered insane to Caelum, a haven, was a welcome breath of fresh air. Plus, being entangled with a family who also believed you were crazy was just too much for many of us.

Of course, I hadn’t had that problem, and while that sucked for me, I had to admit that it sucked harder for Samuel. To know you were loved? To know it and have the people still love and mourn you? I’d seen him watching them on his computer. Thought it was creepy as fuck, knew Reed and Frazer thought it was too, but they accepted him, and that was what we did.

Not just Pack, but creatures.

We accepted one another’s flaws because there was no one else who’d have our backs, and to be frank, I was pretty ashamed of how the brats in our year had treated Eve. We were outsiders in this world, and if we didn’t look out for one another, it made us real monsters. Not just the ones humans thought we were.

The brisk wind stopped Eve from puking, I reckoned, but her legs were wobbly as she staggered off the ferry and onto the terminal. It was hard to credit the kickass fighter from last night with this one, and my lips curved as she shuddered in my arms, clinging to me because it was either that or tumble to the ground when I caught her and helped keep her upright.

When I knew she was better, I went to pull back, but she snuggled harder into me. I wasn’t about to complain so I let her embrace me—fuck, I embraced her back. She nuzzled her face against my chest and whispered, “Stefan?”

Frowning at the fear in her voice, I asked, “What is it, love?”

“I’m not sure.” A few weeks ago, I knew that answer would have been the truth. And while there was still so much uncertainty around what she could do, I had a feeling her words were a lie.

“Talk to me,” I murmured back.

“It’s hard. I just… I’m scared.” I knew it took a lot for her to admit that. I wasn’t even sure what could scare Eve, considering last night she’d walked up to those Ghouls as though they were just gangbangers waving guns around, not monsters with their hands gut-deep in human flesh.

This woman was a world of contrasts. To be fair, I figured that was what was needed in a Pack of seven men. There was always someone she’dconfuse and always a mate who would be turned on by whatever had caused that confusion in a Pack brother.

I rubbed a hand down her spine, loving how she cuddled into me. “We’re here for you. No matter what.”

Her swallow was almost audible, and it had me pulling back, even when she tugged me harder into her arms as though trying to escape my searching her features for answers she wasn’t willing to verbally give me.

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