Page 228 of Caelum

“Nothing. Stay in the car where it’s safe.”

I saw her scowl, registered it, but rushed off anyway.

I felt like I had a pair of antennae on my head that were trying to guide me, except I hadn’t been given a user manual on how to control them. I was ashamed to rely on Samuel’s desire for blood as we hunted down the Ghouls who were evidently feeding in the area—I wasn’t as hot shit as I’d thought I’d be in a situation like this and knew I’d have to grow into my abilities.

Still, that would take time we didn’t have.

The sidewalk was slick beneath my feet, telling me it had rained recently, and that was probably why we were picking up on the scents. The rain had effectively cleaned up the area, dampening other odors and enhancing the metallic tang of blood—good for the human snack as their rescue had just begun, bad for the Ghoul because it meant we were on our way.

When Eve’s scent drifted toward me, I wanted to rage at her for not staying where I’d left her, but equally, my Sin Eater was in full control and he, even if I couldn’t, accepted Eve’s strengths.

Somehow, Eve had turned us into true creatures. She’d matured us like fine wine years ahead of schedule, had induced tiny shifts like Samuel’s fangs dropping as well as the ability for the Shifter souls to transform, and had the power to stop a full-blown infiltration in its tracks when the seven of us made a wish… If everything went to shit, we could always wish her out of danger, and I had to figure that would work as well as it had back at Caelum.

With the Sin Eater engaged, we slipped down a few dark alleys. They weren’t as clean as the outer streets. Here, it stank of piss and trash, and underfoot, it was slippery from only God knew what. It wasn’t like in the U.S. where there were fire stairs down the side streets. Here, there were just trash cans and old bits of junk that had been dumped a long while ago.

As we ran down two alleys back to back, then headed left, using Samuel like a veritable bloodhound, I finally heard the sound. It was unlike anything I could begin to describe. Even explaining it wasn’t enough to convey the horror of hearing the mushy,moistsounds of a human being chomped on.

And the smell was even more overpowering the closer we moved.

When we saw them, a small forage of fledglings by the look of it, surrounding a handful of human females, Eve released a low groan at the sight before us.

There were limbs everywhere… Even if we’d been in time, I wasn’t sure there was a living human left in the vicinity. Not from the devastation the bastards had wrought on their fragile bodies. It was like a child who’d pulled off their doll’s legs and arms then thrown them around the room in a tantrum. Except blood and gore seeped from these amputated limbs, and I knew Eve would have this memory at the forefront of her mind for a long time to come.

The forage wasn’t interested in us. Too sated and too overcome with a full meal to notice us at first. That was how I knew they were inexperienced.

A fledging was newly turned, a Ghoul who hadn’t feasted upon a lot of human flesh. The more flesh they managed to hunt, the more control they had, and the less the cerebral war the seven souls engaged in could affect them.

With no haste in saving the humans, who were staring sightlessly up at the night sky, we just watched, allowed ourselves to absorb the sight for Eve’s sake. She had to know what we were up against. And by not allowing us to keep her safe, by not staying in the limo, she’d made her choice. Not only were we hiding from Caelum, but we had to deal with this scum too.

A fledgling moved away from a carcass, his body coated liberally in blood, so he looked like he’d bathed in it. His hair was greasy, lank. A rat’snest that had my stomach turning, thanks to the viscera that covered that dank mop. He wiped his hand over his mouth and did the impossible—seemed to smear even more blood over his face. This time, it wasn't just red, but the kind that appeared almost black in nature. The stuff that came from deep in the organs.

The second he did that, Eve released a soundless whimper. Her horror and disgust were evident, and I knew in my marrow that we should never have allowed Eve to stay here. One of us should have returned her to the car.

It didn't matter how strong she was, it was our duty to protect her from the horrors of life in our society.

The sound, however quiet, caught the Ghoul's attention. He slowly turned on his heel, his body behaving and acting in line with his brain's orders now that he’d fed. Sometimes, it was like they had palsy, their limbs directly countermanding whatever they wanted to do so that simply walking forward was difficult to not only undertake, but to watch.

With his focus on my woman, the Sin Eater surged forth, and with it, the Ghoul's attention drew my way.

Now, the three of them all stilled. Each of them was aware that there was a predator in the vicinity, a predator that wanted to tear them into shreds.

One was crouched over a still body, her legs in a squat as her hands delved into the belly of a woman wearing a mock bridal gown. She wore a kind of tiara on her head and a veil of some sort, and languishing at her side in a pool of ruby red blood, there was a white square, around seven by seven inches, with a huge letter 'L' on it. It was red, but not as bright as the blood that spattered it.

The Ghoul's hands remained tucked inside the dead woman's stomach, even as she peered over at me and stared up at the Pack who was about to kill her, about to take her from this realm and into the next.

Another's face had literally been in a woman's chest, and the stark sight of broken ribs, the edges like glass shards as they pierced the night sky, were enough to have me taking a step forward and breaking the silent status quo that had overtaken us.

My movement was the catalyst that had the others surging behind me too. We were in a loose formation that we'd learned over our many years of fighting at Caelum, and while our training was now inherent, it was unusual to be a part of a larger Pack. Not so unusual that I felt unsure, however.

Because I wasn't.

I'd never felt more confident in my ability to attack. Sure, I was learning what being a true Sin Eater entailed, but killing these bastards?

That was written into my genetic code.

"So young," one of the Ghouls rasped, the words were almost like sputters thanks to the blood on his lips, to the liquid on his face that vibrated as he spoke. "You're brave to approach us without your Masters around."

I narrowed my eyes at him and spat, "We're not as young as you think."

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