Page 78 of Caelum

“I-I’d never seen—” She bit her bottom lip. “There was a lot of blood.”

I frowned. “You thought Dre had hurt Stefan?”

“At first,” she admitted. “Then, when he drank it, it was like something from a nightmare. My brain just processed it oddly.”

She’d been in the human world too long. Even though I knew what it was like to feel apart, to feel different until you knew, point-blank, what you were, you still clung to the normal aspects of your nature.

Eve would still feel human for a long time to come even though she most definitely wasn’t.

With that in mind, it made sense that she’d freak out. It did look like one of the stupid Z-list zombie movies Nestor binge-watched when he was studying.

“How are you feeling now?”

“A little on edge.”

“Why?”

“Gouilleday.”

I nodded, understanding her reticence.Gouillesweren’t like Weres or Hell Hounds. “It sucks you slept the night through.”

“Yeah. I don’t think I could even nap,” she said with a sigh.

“Shame.” And it was. Ongouilledays, you found yourself sleepy through the day, on edge around your friends as you watched out for constant threats—finding them even in the most ridiculous of places—and with the strange ability of needing very little food, rarely using the bathroom, and then when night struck, being wide awake.

Gouilleswere nocturnal. They made perfect sentinels and could watch over Ghoul nests like no other, while also allowing their Pack to rest at night as they stood guard. Their skin was impenetrable to Ghoul teeth, and although they were slow, when their Pack was in danger, they could spread wings that let them fly toward an active threat.

In our band of brothers, Nestor was headed down that route. I could think of no better guardian than him.

Unable to help myself, I reached down and began to stroke my fingers through her hair. “You sure you can’t get some more sleep?” I asked, trying not to let it affect me when she closed her eyes with a shaky sigh and moved into my touch.

I cut a look at Stefan and saw he was still fast asleep. Not that it would have mattered. I wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Packs shared their females, after all. But I knew Stefan would likely be on edge because she still hadn’t Claimed him and Dre was being a jackass.

“I could try,” she murmured, making me smile. There was no try about it. Thegouilletemperament would help her stay asleep if she could just drift off.

After ten minutes of gently stroking her hair, I felt her slip away into a slumber that wouldn’t be broken.

I tilted my head back again, enjoying the soft cushion behind my neck, while I checked in.

It was a habit now, one that we all picked up a few months after turning eleven when we tried to discern which soul would have us in their grasp for the rest of the day.

When I sensed the Sin Eater, I was grateful, because while we weren’t out on patrol, it meant it was pretty much a lazy day for me, which meant I could hang out and chill with Eve for most of it.

And considering tomorrow we were shipping out? I figured I deserved the damn break.

TWENTY-TWO

EVE

I don’t want you to go.

I thought the words but didn’t say them aloud.

How could I?

How selfish would that make me if I asked them not to go because I didn’t want to be left alone at Caelum?

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