Luca left the cellar and retreated to the crypt. But hard as he tried, he couldn't close his eyes and silence his mind. He gave up after numerous attempts and settled on staring at the ceiling instead. He thought back to the last twenty years, conversations that took place in this very room resurfaced, and memories and feelings he'd struggled to keep locked away over the last two decades rushed forth.
He'd run through that evening a million times in his head, wondering if he could have done things differently. Maybe if he'd delayed his hunting trip, postponed it for another week, and stayed, none of the misery that followed since would exist.He remembered that fateful night so clearly, as though it were just yesterday. He had awakened from a troubled sleep, and the deep sense of foreboding from his dream had haunted him throughout the day. To distract himself and shake off the ominous feeling of doom gripping his heart, he'd thrown himself at the piano, convinced music would do the trick and help shake it off. But nothing could. Not even reading Othello from start to finish.When Julian stirred from his slumber sometime before dusk, Luca had told him about his premonition, insisting the monthly court should be cancelled because something terrible was on the way. Something dark and evil, and would change their lives forever. But his older brother had stubbornly refused, insisting the court would go ahead as planned. And so they'd argued for a large part of the afternoon, with Luca accusing Julian of using their family tradition to promote nights of indulgent blood-drinking and promiscuity.Julian had vehemently denied the accusations, explaining it was what their father would have wanted. He'd assured him the gathering would go on without a hitch, encouraging him to go on the trip and take April with him, since she was in bloodlust. The last thing he wanted was to worry about her.Luca didn't want to, but eventually agreed to go hunting. He found the gatherings tedious and bothersome anyway. But he never voiced his opinion, because he knew how important the evenings were to Julian, and it was the only reason he had never missed any in the past. Until that night.As the sun dipped low on the horizon, he and April had set off to River Sands, a small fishing village two towns over. The pact with the Youngblood coven prevented them from hunting at home.Their trips were usually overnight stays, but still unsettled by his premonition, Luca had rushed through his meal and urged April to do the same, because he wanted to return home and wait out the approaching storm with Julian.On their way back to Shadowbrooke, April had talked about Julian and how much she loved him and regretted missing court. Paralysed by the feeling of dread deep in his gut, Luca had said nothing. Not a word.He knew something was wrong when they cut through the creek and saw numerous bodies, all drained of blood, strewn all over the bayou. But it was the terrible silence that alerted him of the nightmare they were in.There was no music drifting across the marsh, and no drunken voices high on blood one would expect from a rowdy court. The night was so still, so silent Luca could almost hear himself think.While he was still grappling with the scene before him, the Midnight Star pack had come out from the shadows, baying for their blood. The moment they caught their scents, they were unforgiving in their well-orchestrated attack.In the past, their clan was neither friend nor foe of the pack. They had a 'live and let live' relationship, and for decades they'd tolerated each other because neither side had broken the rules or crossed lines they shouldn't.But with the mutts baring their canines and viciously growling at them, Luca knew then that things had changed. A shift had occurred in their absence, and their clan was now the town's biggest enemy.A part of him wanted to see the fight through. But outnumbered and unprepared, it wasn't a battle they'd win. Instinct had taken over, and they'd miraculously outran the wolves, making it to the manor with just a few battle scars.Nothing could have prepared them for the chaos waiting for them, though. The fifteen or so vampires they'd found in various rooms in the house were all lifeless, with wooden stakes still protruding from their chests. But Luca didn't feel the full devastation of that night until they wandered to the cellar where the court was held, and found it sealed with his brother and the rest of their clan locked inside.For days, he and April had stayed and talked with Julian and the others through the door, learning all they could about the massacre, cooking up plans to break them out.Luca didn't want to leave Shadowbrooke, but Julian had insisted he should. After all, he and April were their only hope of ever getting out.They'd left town soon after and met up with his cousin, Andrew, and his girlfriend, Rosalie, a fifth-generation witch from Briardale——A loud thud directly above him pulled Luca from his troubled past.He was instantly on his feet and out of the door. He ran up the stairs and crashed into Nelson on the landing, just as the other man was about to come and find him. The butler was so distraught it took Luca a few minutes to calm him down and tell him what had gotten him so spooked."The girl, sir, she's having convulsions—I tried—"Luca didn't stick around to hear the rest of his explanation. He bolted to the basement, where they kept their medical supplies. The leather duffel bag was still where he'd left it over a month ago, inside the steel cabinet.He took it back to the guest room and emptied its contents on the bed beside the girl, his deft fingers rummaging through the dozens of containers and tubes. An earth-shattering sigh shot through his lips when he found the syringe and pumped it with adrenaline.Nelson was beside himself with worry as he frantically paced the length of the room. "Get a grip!" Luca growle
Cadence Youngblood's steel-grey eyes lit up as she watched the unusually tall man jump out of the red pickup truck and swiftly run up the front steps, the steady wind blowing through his jet-black hair.Just as he was about to reach the door, as if he could sense her watching him, he paused, turned and stared straight at her.Cadence gasped and ducked out of view, crawling on all fours as she drew the curtains to block out his sharp gaze.She waited and slowly counted to ten, before she rose from the floor and opened the curtains again, just in time to see him retrieve a large, blue cooler box from the truck's bed. His movements were smooth and fluid as he crouched down to place it on the ground. The muscles on his broad shoulders flexed underneath the white T-shirt, and his black jeans moulded his firm butt to perfection.Cadence wondered about the contents of the cooler box. It was way too chilly to stock up on beers. But on second thought, she didn't care. Surely, whatever was in th
In the crumbling manor across the creek, Luca busied himself by starting the fire in the fireplace, and did his best to ignore April as she sat listlessly in one of the armchairs in the room. She hated storms, and the mournful sounds coming from the basement weren't doing much to lift her spirits."How can we just sit here? They can sense something is different this time. You have to get the witch onboard ASAP!" she screeched as she grabbed Luca's half-full goblet from the coffee table and sent it soaring. The glass hit the opposite wall, shattering into smithereens on the floor as the rich dark red liquid splashed everywhere."Great job April. There's plenty more where that came from, so waste what we have, why don't you?" Luca's voice dripped with sarcasm as he glared at her."I can't take this, Luca! Doesn't it bother you that he's in there? He probably won't last lo—" April didn't finish her rant. Luca had her throat in his hand in a flash, his icy fingers wrapped tightly around he
"Unbelievable!" Sonja glared at the members of her coven with pure disbelief written in her eyes. They'd all sensed Luca's arrival, hence their impromptu gathering. But for an hour, they'd talked about almost everything under the sun, and none of it was important."What is it, dear?" asked Luann, her older sister and the coven's high priestess."This is what he wants, to see us fight, squabble, and doubt each other."Before Sonja had even finished her piece, they were all at it again, screaming and waving their fists, threatening to do bodily harm to each other with their magic. The reason for their heated war of words was Carmella Long failing to produce her piece of the magical keystone the coven had used to eternally bind the members of Luca's clan to the Delacroix's cellar twenty years ago.The keystone in question had eight pieces, and when arranged and placed together, they took on the shape of an eight-point star, known as the Star of Chaos or The Divine Fire Wheel.There were m
Cadence was nodding off to sleep in her room when she felt the slight tremor, followed by a deafening bang in the living room. She leapt out of bed and grabbed her witch's broom just inside the door in case trouble was waiting for her on the other side, and reluctantly made her way to the source of the noise.It was pitch dark, since all the lights in the house were out, and she could barely see a thing. So she fumbled along the wall for a few anxiety-inducing seconds, as she frantically ran her hand along the wall, blindly searching for the light switch, cursing when she tripped and almost fell over something soft.After a few tries, Cadence finally flipped the switch, flooding the living room with brilliant light. She burst into tears when she saw her mom on the floor."Mom, what happened?" she asked as she picked her up from the floor and helped her onto the sofa. "I had to teleport from the hill. They were after me, Cade. They wanted my piece of the star!" Sonja rambled incoherent
In their cabin in the secluded part of the woods, Samuel and his small band of vampire hunters were still reeling over their failure. They all hurried to their little corners and busied themselves with cleaning their weapons, getting them ready for the impending war with anyone who dared stand in their way. "We'll get it next time," he told the other four. He was referring to the piece of the Chaos Star they'd tried to get from Sonja. But even as he said the words, he knew he wasn't convincing anyone. The Youngbloods' magic was far more powerful than they remembered. They'd heard rumours floating around town about Luca's return and his plans to free his brother, and they knew the vampire would need the Chaos Star to break the seal. Rather than tempt fate and leave the star in the hands of the witches, they'd decided to take matters into their own hands. They already had Carmella Long's piece. They just needed the rest. The idea was to destroy the star before Luca got his hands on it.
Cadence was surprised to find a note from her mom when she walked into the kitchen the next morning. 'Cade, I'm sorry for rushing off like this; there was an emergency with the coven. Have fun at school. See you later! Love, Mom!'She didn't need to be a witch to know that something was seriously wrong with the coven as she read the note. Two emergency meetings in twenty-four hours didn't look good, and she wondered how much of it had to do with last night's incident.Cadence had just sat down, ready to stuff her face with Froot Loops, when the doorbell rang."Can't I have some cereal in peace around here?" she grumbled as she went to get the door, her heart going berserk when she found Luca on her front porch. The mere sight of him made her all shaky and weak-kneed, and she had to lean on the door frame for support. "Hello," he said."Hi." Her greeting was surprisingly coherent and polite enough. But there was nothing coherent or polite about the sound of her heart pounding in her ch
The minute they were alone, Sonja dragged Luca out of her house the same way he had done to her at his place a few days ago."You lying, scheming, son of a bitch! How dare you invite yourself into my home! Did you trick my daughter into letting you in? Did you mess with her head? What lies did you tell her to worm your way inside?" She seethed at him as soon as they were out of earshot."I didn't have to trick her. She invited me in all on her own. And I haven't even begun messing with her head yet. That time is coming, though. Rest assured!" Luca smirked at her.Sonja was tempted to reach up, gouge his eyes out, and feed them to the crows. She loathed him for what he was about to do to her town. But she resented him even more for the games he planned to play with her only child."Careful, Sonja. You don't want me to take your necklace again, do you?" Luca taunted, subtly letting her know he knew what she was thinking, and he was ready for her and the show she wanted to put on."Stay a