“Something about this is off,” I warned my father as I stepped into the control room, the doors locking behind me. “This attack, it is too forward and stupid, even for them.”
I couldn’t look at the cameras, not ready to see the chaos unfold until I knew we were winning.
“I don’t disagree.” My father ran a hand through his dark hair. “They aren’t just at the front gates, either. We have also received warnings about a possible threat to our air space. It was almost like they were waiting for us to make a move so they had an excuse.”
I froze and looked at him with wide eyes. “You think?”
“They are government supported.” He grunted and shook his head. “I have all the teams ready, even the aerial ones, but this could get really bad, really fast. I am hoping we can squash this quickly. They have only detonated one explosion, so if we can just scare them enough to leave…”
“If not?” I asked softly.
“Then blood will be shed, especially if they can compromise the gates.”
“Fuck.”
Turning towards the conference room, I went to go grab my tablet, closing the door and letting out a breath, pressing my head against the door as I tried to refocus. I needed to be on my complete A game. I had to be prepared for anything. I turned around slowly, ready to grab my stuff… and I found myself frozen by a pair of black eyes, tinted with silver, that matched Saint’s almost exactly. My mouth dropped open in surprise at the small girl that was staring at me.
Except… well, she wasn’t exactly the same girl as yesterday.
“You’re awake?” I tilted my head, trying to figure out what the difference was between her yesterday and now, besides the fact that she didn’t look nearly as dead. When I say she had looked rough before, that wasn’t a lie, but now she looked far more vibrant, so much so that I was doubting this was even the same girl. She nodded while pushing waves from her face, examining me with a gaze that seemed far too old for her age. I was tempted to call my father in, but I had a feeling that he wouldn’t know what to do any better than I did, and trust me… I was clueless.
“Where am I?” Her voice was soft but firm.
“ISS. It is a safe place for nightmares, I promise. My team extracted you from the humans’ facility,” I explained softly.
Her smile grew. “Thank you, Arabella.”
And she knew my name.
“How old are you?” I blinked, trying to wrap my head around this.
“Currently?” she asked, frowning and looking over her thin arms. “It would appear I am around five.”
“Appear?” I felt my brows raise.
“I am currently physically five.” She smiled and tilted her head. “I have to admit, this is probably one of the more peaceful reincarnations I’ve encountered. Poor girl went through far too much trauma for someone so young. I don’t blame her for giving up.”
“I don’t understand,” I admitted, noticing that the bracelet that had kept her power controlled in case she freaked out was sitting broken open on the bed next to her. Which either meant that she was strong enough that I didn’t need to worry, assuming she had control… or I was screwed.
“The body I currently inhabit is not my original form. In fact, until just a few minutes ago, this body belonged to someone else,” she explained easily. “The girl, the one tortured and held by humans, gave up and begged for death, so we took that burden from her, and I have clearly been reincarnated into her current form. Don’t worry, though—her soul is at far more peace than it was with everything she went through at the hands of those vile pigs.” The hatred I heard was very real, and I was wondering if she realized I was human.
“Who are you?” I choked out as her power filled the space, making me realize just how lethal this small nightmare was. It almost seemed impossible that she could contain this level of energy. This had to be a god terror, easily.
“My name is Eve,” she explained, “but that isn’t what you are asking for.”
I felt my brows rise as she patted the bed. I walked over, sitting on the edge almost immediately. Her head tilted as she examined my expression. “This form bothers you? It isn’t my preference, either. I tend to keep the form I am reborn into for a least a little bit, but I can change it.”
“It’s just a bit trippy,” I admitted.
Snapping her fingers, my eyes widened as the girl in front of me shimmered in a cloud of silver and appeared moments later as a woman in her mid-twenties. Her dark, raven hair hung to her waist, the same shade as the little girl’s. She was the same person but clearly an older version of herself, and her silver eyes streaked with black tracked my expression with interest. She was also wearing a pair of black leather pants with heels and a tank top, making me wonder what the hell was going on here.
I mean… could we also address the fact that she could literally be Saint’s twin? Maybe it was just the dark hair and overall aesthetic, but I felt like the more I looked at her, the more her facial features shifted. In fact, it was honestly a bit difficult to focus on her.
“Eve,” I breathed out, feeling unsteady, “Who the fuck are you?”
She flashed a pure white smile. “That’s easy—I am Life.”
“What?”
I was not processing her words, my head reeling. I had seen a lot. Been through a lot. But a little girl shifting into a grown woman and claiming she was the reincarnation of… life? Yeah, that was sort of making this day hit a brand new level on the ‘what the hell’-o-meter.
“I am a god terror,” she explained easily. “Specifically, Life. And just as there is Death, there is Life. Which reminds me, where is my brother?”
“Your brother?” I was just repeating shit now.
“Yes, I assume he was called here because of you. You have his mark all over you,” she rationalized, looking at her dark nails briefly. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect him to find a mate, ever.”
Oh sweet Christ.
“Saint?” she continued. “I think he still goes by Saint, because he’s a ridiculous bastard.” She waved her hand. Oh my sweet Christ. “Something about finding it funny because of humans and their religious practices and fear of death? I suppose he could have changed it, but he is a stubborn bastard, so highly unlikely.”
Yes, I was seeing the family resemblance here. I was also going to kill Saint.
“Outside. There is an attack on our institute—”
Eve stood and walked towards the door. I stumbled up to stop her, but considering she was 6’1”, if not taller, there wasn’t much chance of that happening.
When the door opened, my father looked over and arched a brow in surprise.
“You must be the Director of this place?” she asked as I ran a hand through my hair, offering my father a bewildered look. One I assumed he would echo.
“And you must be the god terror we saved,” my father mused.
“Guilty.” She flashed a smile. “Eve.”
My father offered her a real smile as I watched the fucking weirdness, their hands meeting in a firm grasp. I sunk down onto the couch and watched in momentary surprise as he began showing her the screens, clearly not taken aback as much as me.