Chapter 1
Liam
Eden
As many times, as I tried to pull Juno back from the edge he always seemed to find his way back to it. He said he was protecting Eden and as much as he was doing that he was also fuelling his addiction.
It hurt me to see him tear himself apart and it was all Lucy’s fault. She was evil. A demon. She had deprived Eden of her brother and me of…something.
When I met Juno, I knew he wanted the world for Eden and so did I. She was a bright, spunky, light that filled our lives but I could see the destruction Juno’s addiction had on her. I loved Eden like my own sister, in a way she replaced the one I had lost three years prior at the time.
I watched Juno’s addiction eat away at him and Eden until two years ago when I showed up at their house to find Juno dead and Eden wailing and covered in her brother’s blood, she remained silent for weeks, refusing to tell me both what happened and to even speak.
I sheltered her for about six months, two months in, she came to me and told me the truth.
She couldn’t watch Juno suffer any more so, she shot him, point-blank, in the heart. She regretted what she did afterward.
“He’s at peace,” I would tell her over and over.
But she never seemed to believe me.
She met Jess eventually and joined him on his hunts finding solace in him not knowing her past. Eventually, he found out about Juno but he hadn’t been there to watch him dig himself into his grave.
He called me to tell me he left Eden with his car in a motel to go on a hunting trip with an old friend.
“You should visit her, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I think she needs someone, I can’t understand her or always be there for her,” he told me. “She may not want it but she needs to talk about it.”
Eden had left to travel with Jess five months ago. I’d tried calling to check up on her but she never answered, normally I got my updates from Jess.
Jess told me the address of the motel, I hesitated at first, how would Eden react to me showing up after five months?
But I wanted to see her and I wanted her to have somebody she could depend on. She’d been on her own with no one to put her trust in for the past year and a half. I wanted her to trust me, Juno wouldn’t want her all alone.
Juno made some mistakes in his life, like becoming addicted to demon blood but he loved Eden. Eden was all that mattered to him, he didn’t care how much pain he was in, as long as Eden was okay his life went on. Then a ghost broke Eden’s arm and the demeanour he had that he could protect Eden himself changed, that was when he gave into Lucy.
Juno’s relationship with Eden and me fell apart. Eden was still his main concern but he was distracted, he started going through withdrawal when he didn’t drink it for a few days. He’d be shaky and dodgy and spaced-out. When Juno brought Eden on hunts, she wasn’t only scared of the monster they were hunting but also Juno.
This fear distracted Eden, making her unfocused on the hunt. The monster easily overpowered her and easily harmed her. Juno became frustrated that he still wasn’t able to protect Eden so he drank more demon blood and tried to learn how to use his powers, spending more time with Lucy.
Eden got sick of being alone so she started spending time with me. I don’t know if the demon blood affected Juno’s mood and made him jealous or if he really was concerned for Eden’s safety but I wanted to trust Juno.
Eden kept trying to seek solace in me, I comforted her and attempted to reason with Juno to make him see what he was doing, I saw him waver many times but he always said he was too weak to protect Eden by himself, reason never worked.
Eventually, Eden snapped, killing him to put him out of his misery. Leaving Eden with her guilt of being unable to help him and killing him.
I decided to take Jess’ advice and go to the motel he told me Eden was at.
It’s about two in the afternoon and Jess’ truck is in the parking lot so she should be in there. I knock.
Eden opens the door and peeks out.
“Liam?” she questions both meekly and defensively.
“Hey, Eden. I hadn’t seen you in a while and I thought I’d check up on you,” I tell her.
“Who told you I was here?” she questioned.
I didn’t want to give Jess away, if I told her that he’d sent me, she’d write us off. I cared about Eden but I also understand to give her space, unlike Jess who worried constantly.
I shrug.
“How are you doing?” I ask.
“Liam, I…I…” she stumbles.
I place a hand on her shoulder, she leans her head against my chest.
“It’s not your fault,” I remind her.
“If he wasn’t worried about me, he wouldn’t have become addicted to demon blood,” she replies.
