^^The gorgeous Eden^^

So courtesy to the competition, the official ship name for this wonderful ship is now officially Maden! Thanks to @Swan_Nixie for being the first the comment and come up with it and for that you've earned yourself the first dedication in this book, whoop whoop! xD And also thanks to @dimmahheart for thinking of an explanation. I swear we freakin' share the same brain or something! I'm not going to say which half of the coin their romance is going to be from your explanation but let's just say you're on point (; 

"Not all those who wander are lost."

Word count: 2650 words

Chapter 1

Frost and Found

Eden's POV

My feet moved aimlessly, snow crunching softly from below as glass-like snowflakes fell from above. My head faced upwards, watching as the tiny flakes shed from clouds of white. The movements were slow, careful. My pupils dilated, soaking my surroundings in. The leaves of a nearby pine tree rustled as mounds of snow fell, the weight becoming unbearable for the lanky tree. My breath came out shallow, clouds of smoke whisking from my chapped lips and becoming one with the frosty air.

A high pitched shriek startled me backward. My feet entangled, knocking me backward onto the ground, though instead of hard rock, I was met in the soft padding of fallen snow. A chilling wetness soaked into my thin cloak, freezing me to the bone. A frigid shiver ran down my spine and shook my very body. My fingers dug into the fresh snow, elbows shaking in an attempt to lift myself from the ground.

I was running low on blood and quickly. I eyed my surroundings for any creature to quench my thirst though the only animal in range was a small bird perched on the pine a good foot from me. My pulse quickened and teeth elongated as hunger consumed me. My legs outstretched, arms wide by my side and I jumped upward, barely reaching the branch where the bird laid perched, eyeing me with a high-pitched tweet as if mocking me.

A hiss bubbled in my throat as my nails dug into the bark of the tree.

"Come here birdy, birdy," I chanted through locked teeth.

My arms shook, body shivering as only a thin layer of fabric protected my skin from the harsh winds of this cold December night. I was beginning to grow impatient, the cold biting at my ankles slowly growing me more agitated by the minute.

My nails dug deeper into the hard bark, holding me stable enough to swing my legs upwards and steadily begin climbing the tree. I felt like some strange, gigantic squirrel as I slowly mounted up the tree. My eyes locked on the small bird, watching me through its small, black eyes. Its head tilted though it made no move to fly away.

What a foolish, little thing.

Finally, I reached its branch. My hand outstretched, the other still holding tight to the bark as I reached for the small bird. It moved slightly to the side, farther from the stem of the tree and myself. I clicked my tongue in annoyance and swung my legs up over the branch, steadying myself as I carefully let go of the bark and reached once again for the bird.

To that its wings extended and as a sharp 'no' escaped my throat, it lifted itself off the branch and flew away.

My hands fell to my side, legs dangling off the edge of the branch as my head tilted upward, watching my only source of blood grow farther and farther away.

"Well, shit."

And it was as those two words escaped my throat that a resounding crack sounded behind me. My head whipped back, only allowing me the time to watch the branch break off as I dropped down a good forty feet to the chilling, deep snow.

Wetness was all I felt as I landed hard into the snow. Pain could be felt in my lower back and I remained still, nervous by the sudden thought of having broken my spinal cord. I'd seen it enough times in my life to know what it does to a person, how it degrades them to a talking wheelchair for the rest of their lives. Though as a vampire I knew, with a condition like that, I would merely be disposed of.

I waited, hoping that if I remained still, it would only take a few hours to heal on its own. That's as long as I don't make it any worse than it already is.

Snow began to gradually cover me. The cold flakes held me down, caging me in heaps and heaps of snow until all that remained uncovered was my upper torso. My fingers skimmed lightly over the icy flakes, my mouth pulling into a small smile as I scoffed lightly to myself.

So this was to be my fate. To become one with the ice and snow.

My eyes were drawn upwards, watching as the clouds above me wept. The darkness, cracking along with the icy spears falling from nearby pine trees.

Perhaps I should have been sad, but nothing could be more frightening to me at the moment than returning to where I came. Not even death itself could compete. Rather, I welcomed the slow frost that bit up my ankles.

My conscious slowly tipped as a howling wind brushed past my cheek.

Black spots painted my vision until all I could see was a mixture of frost and night. And it was then that chippings of speech plagued my mind.

"Holy shit, Jeff," a man's voice gasped.

The light crunching of snow followed the statement, growing closer at speed.

"What? What's wrong?" Another man's voice filled into the dusky breeze, followed by a gruff of his own.

To this, a series of murmurs filled the night air as more and more voices poured in. My body stiffened as a pair of multiple arms wrapped around my body, pulling me with great strength from the snow wrapped around me. I attempted to open my mouth yet my mouth fell tight, locked and stiff by the frost of the night.

My senses were dulled, vision growing hazier by the minute yet the overwhelming scent of human blood filled my very pores. Humans, they all surrounded me, holding me in their arms as they carried me through the darkness. And then, as my conscious slowly gave out, I too fell into the abyss of the night.

❅

"Where did you find him?"

A deep, masculine voice filled the room as I was encircled by a group of humans. I remained still, feigning sleep as I listened in on their conversation.

"In the forest east of the covenant," one replied.

A stir resounded beside me, distracting me from the conversation as a hand was placed on my forehead. A gasp pulled from me and before I could I think I startled forward, pulling an equally surprised gasp from the person beside me.

My hand reached to my back, feeling down the planes with a relieved sigh, happy to know that the injury had already healed itself.

It was then that my surroundings hit me, my eyes widened and breath shook, mind spinning as multiple eyes set on me.

"I-I'm sorry," a girl's voice squeaked.

My head whipped to the side, locking on a startled girl beside me. She was young, appearing to be in her late teens. She brushed her hands anxiously through her hair, tucking a single orange strand behind her ear as she sucked in a breath.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she spoke with her hands, each whisking through the air and driving my senses mad. "I was trying to make sure you didn't have any fever, y'know?" She gave a cracked laugh to which I answered with knitted brows.

Fever? Was that a human illness? Our bones broke like humans but our illnesses remained separate.

The screeching of a chair interrupted the girl's rambling. My head turned to the side, eyeing a man across the room. His chair nearly tipped backward as his mouth opened.

"Now that he's up, we should take him to Malik."

Malik?

Those around him turned to one another, some nodding and others voicing their agreement. The red-headed girl by my side opened her mouth to speak but the man rose his hand, silencing her.

"No comments, Lydia. It's bad enough that he was brought here without Malik's permission," he eyed those around him as he spoke.

"But Jarett-" Lydia began only to be interrupted.

"I don't want to hear it!" The man's voice rose. The vein in his neck bulging as his fists tightened by his side. "What the hell were any of you thinking?!" His harsh words caused a wave of flinching across the room as men and women alike grew increasingly antsier. Their heart beats picked up, causing my hunger to grow increasingly more painful. My canines elongated in my mouth, cutting into my gums as I tightened my mouth shut.

"We're going now," he, Jarett, eyed the group again before his sharpened gaze landed on me. "And for God's sake, can someone please dress him."

My gaze dropped, only now acknowledging my own nudity. My hands tightened around the thin sheet barely covering my lower half. I may have been embarrassed had I not spent the majority of my adulthood breeding in front of many.

Two pieces of cloth were thrown onto my lap with a light thump. I eyed the worn, gray fabric. Happy upon seeing how thick the fabric was in comparison to my previous clothing, I quickly began dressing. Lydia's face painted red, nearly matching her hair. Her eyes widened considerably and head spun to the side almost immediately.

A light laugh bubbled in my chest.

She's quite innocent for a human.

Just as I pulled the shirt over my head, my hands were immediately shoved behind my back. A hiss built in my throat but I managed to contain it by biting roughly into my lip. Two men loomed above me, one holding me down as the other took to tying my hands harshly. I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes, waiting silently until they were done. Finally, when I felt their weight lift from me, I opened my eyes. A light tap on my shoulder turned my head forward as Jarett ushered the group out the door.

I lifted myself to my feet and stepped forward, a looming presence could be felt behind me to which I understood to be one of the men who had held me down nearly moments ago.

"Sorry," a voice whispered to my side. My head turned, locking on a familiar perky redhead. "It's part of the protective measures, y'know? In case, well..." she looked both ways before cupping her mouth to my ear, "you're a bloodsucker."

My eyes widened, breath lodging in my throat.

She eyed me, "don't worry, they're not gonna pick and prod you or nothing. They just gotta make sure." She tried to reassure me, clearly mistaking my fear for that of anxiety.

I nodded, flashing a thankful smile but inside my stomach knotted. I momentarily thought of asking her how they checked but feared to cause suspicion. Perhaps it was common human knowledge and questioning it alone would hint to me not being human.

My eyes wandered upwards, soaking in the rock and stone that covered the walls and ceilings. Torches of bright fire lined the walls, illuminating the stone-surfaced hallways. The group spoke quietly amongst themselves, whispers of nerves and anxiety. Suddenly, a silence encased the crowd and they were met with a large, metal doorway.

It was as if the hall grew suddenly more narrow, the air thinner than earlier as the man from earlier, Jarett, took a step forward. He brought his hand forward, knuckles turning white as he pressed hard against the door. A screech pulled from the door as it was pushed forward, revealing a large, gray room. An eerie tone encompassed the room, from the grey-stoned flooring to the large, jagged throne planted in the center.

On top of the throne sat an intimidating figure, his body unseen, hidden beneath the darkness of the room but his electric blue eyes shone like a spark in the dead of night. His eyes locked on mine and wouldn't let go. I could barely breathe, barely think, all I could see was him.

"What's this, Jarett?" The figure spoke, his voice deep and ever so powerful as it rang through the room.

Jarett took a step forward, closer to the man as the group stayed in place, eyes agape and widened in awe.

"Group three found this man in the forest east covenant. He was nearly buried in the snow and out cold. They brought him back without thinking," Jarett sighed.

"Hm?" The looming man hummed low in his throat, "bring him forward."

To this Jarett turned his head to the group, finger signaling me forward. I was pushed lightly from behind to the front of the group. I nearly lost footing but managed to catch myself in time to get a full view of the man's face. My heart pumped harshly against my chest as I eyed his face. His eyes were narrowed, eyeing me as a tick jumped along his jawline. Light stubble lined his chin and jawline, casting a masculine air across his sculpted face.

"And was he checked before being brought back?" The man's eyes dropped to my mouth.

Jarett clicked his tongue and shook his head.

To this, the man's eyes hooded, "you brought this man back without checking whether you were bringing back a fucking bloodsucker?" His voice came out low yet equally as frightening as he spoke through his teeth.

To this Jarett remained silent yet his eyes spoke more of anger than fear.

"I see," the man gritted, "bring a checker forward. Begin the search this moment."

A man stood forward from the group. His hands immediately reached for my clothes, undressing me slowly. My eyes remained on the man throughout the entire ordeal. Unable to disconnect from him. I barely felt as my pants fell to the ground. His eyes darkened, lips pulling into a thin line as he eyed my naked form.

The man's pupils dilated, the sharp blue of his eyes darkening to an almost black. A shiver ran down my spine, my nerves once again returning as the potent scent of arousal filled my senses. Memories of forced breeding under the watchful eyes of sterol men in tight, cold rooms filtered through my mind and before I knew it, I was shaking.

My arms wrapped around me, holding me together as the checker's eyes roamed my body.

What was he looking for?

There was nothing to distinguish human from vampire. At least not physically. Appearance wise, we looked exactly the same. It was only our strength and diet that differentiated us.

The checker let out a relieved sigh and turned to back to the looming form, "he's clear, Malik."

The man nodded, eyeing me once again before I was helped back into my clothes. My shirt had gotten tangled in the rope around my wrists, causing the checker annoyance as he tugged at the cloth, nearly ripping it loose. Eventually, it freed itself and he pulled it back over my head with an exasperated breath.

Malik's bright blue eyes locked down on me from his throne as he leaned on his elbow.

"My apologies for the uncomfortable search. It's done to all visitors," he reassured me as his eyes searched mine, "what do you go by?"

Go by?

"Your name," a voice whispered from behind me. My head pivoted, eyes locking on a familiar cheeky girl. Lydia sent me a wink before waving her hand slightly forward.

I turned back to Malik, "Eden."

"Eden," he repeated in a silken, deep voice, "do tell me, Eden. Where is it that you came from?"

So what do you guys think of the first chapter? What are your feelings on Eden? I am so so SO excited for this book xD It's literally been overtaking me life lately. I think this may be the first book that I've written so many chapters beforehand for O.O This is like a monumental moment lol. I'm the worst procrastinator, last minute is like my middle name :') This book is going to be updated every Friday, taking CMR's old spot. I hope you guys are all having a fabulous Friday! Love you guys tunzzz!! *blows kisses* <3