The day of the meteor shower dawned sunny and bright. Cadence wanted to stay indoors and laze around in her pyjamas, but Rachel wouldn't have any of it. And since Cadence was living under Rachel's roof, she had to follow her friend's rules."Come on Cade, it will be fun. I bet Luca will be there," Rachel bounced up and down the bed, yanking at the covers.Cadence closed her eyes tightly, wishing she could block out her friend's whining with as much ease. Luca was exactly why she didn't want to go to the beach. She and Rachel had spent the whole night talking about his pissing contest with Mitchell.Her bestie was torn. She liked Mitchell. But she loved Luca for her. She thought they'd make a cute couple, and was convinced Luca was her soul mate. Of course, Cadence had scoffed at the idea of soulmates, since she didn't believe in them. That shit only happened in movies and romance novels. Never in real life. And definitely not in Shadowbrooke."If you don't get up in the next five minut
The whole time she ran to Pirates Cove, Cadence kept hoping Luca was there and she wasn't going crazy. She almost broke down and cried from sheer relief when she saw him, waiting, his dark clothes making him one with the night."You came." He sounded gentle, relieved almost. The menace she'd heard in his voice earlier was gone."You didn't give me much choice," Cadence retorted.Luca didn't say anything for some time, and an unsettling silence wove its way between them as they stood appraising the other.His eyes glowed blue in the dark, giving away nothing and making it hard for her to figure out what he was thinking."I'm thinking about how beautiful you are," Luca answered her thoughts as he slowly approached her.Cadence suddenly felt overwhelmed by his sheer presence when he stopped in front of her, but she couldn't move away."Why don't you ever listen?" he growled as he cradled her face in his big hands and kissed her eyelids. His touch, cold as it was, set her ablaze as he dip
The days following the meteor shower were unbearable for everyone in the Delacroix manor. Luca's mood changed from gloomy to enraged very quickly. When he wasn't staring mournfully outside his window, he was constantly on everyone's throats. Little things, like when they innocently mentioned Cadence in passing, sent him flying in a rage.He ventured less and less to the cellar, too, choosing to spend his days in the crypt. On more than one occasion, April had to lie to Julian and the others when they asked after him, assuring them Luca was fine and they were on track with their plan.But truth be told, their plan was going pear-shaped, fast. And if nothing was done soon, if Luca was left to self-destruct, they were afraid he'd take everyone down with him."We have to talk to him, get him to open up somehow. If you were all not so obsessed with hating Cadence, he'd take a chance with her, risk her coven's wrath. But he's worried about the clan too. Worried about everyone's feelings, an
As Cadence packed her bags and prepared to leave, her heart was as heavy as it was when she first arrived at Rachel's house. She thought some time apart from her mom would put things into perspective, but it hadn't. Instead, being away from home had left her feeling more confused and even more vulnerable.She'd hoped her mom would initiate the first contact and ask her to come home. But so far, she'd listened to her parting words and stayed away, giving her all the space and time in the world to work through her anger.Another person who'd stayed away from her was Luca. Cadence had seen him around town a few times. But apart from a courteous nod and a brief smile, he'd said nothing to her. She didn't blame him. After all, she asked him to stay away from her."Guess this is it?" Rachel asked when she walked into her bedroom and found her gazing listlessly out of the window. She'd just come back from her morning jog with Rudi."Yeah, my vacation is over," Cadence replied as she crossed
It had been years since Cadence visited the library, and she had no clue where to start. The long aisles stacked with ancient books looked scary, and Mrs Ludwig, the now-retired kindergarten teacher, sitting at the front desk was just as terrifying. There was no way she'd go up to her and ask for help."It's Cadence, right?" A squeaky voice broke through her haze.Cadence whipped around and blinked at the guy in front of her. There was nothing remotely interesting about him. He looked like the typical geek one always saw in movies, with glasses and braces."Yes?" Cadence frowned, racking her brain, trying to figure out where she knew him from, if at all."I'm Dustin. We were in the same class in Grade 11. I don't think you remember me. But that's okay." The smile in his brown eyes made him a little more interesting."Hi, Dustin," Cadence returned his smile."So, are you working on a term paper?" Her old classmate nodded at the heavy volume in her hands. It was an encyclopaedia on Asia
After her classes the next day, Cadence decided to head to the Delacroix manor. She ran into Ava on her way there. Their meeting wasn't a coincidence, though. If she hadn't had a lot on her mind, she would have noticed the hunter had been tracking her movements for days now.The wild, crazy look in Ava's eyes as they strolled to the bayou made Cadence a little uneasy, and her gut screamed at her to make up some excuse and ditch her. But she couldn't exactly run off without raising suspicion, so she forced herself to remain calm as she made small talk with the hunter, asking her about the rest of her gang even though she had no interest in their wellbeing.Ava happily confirmed everyone was fine, and all was well again in Shadowbrooke now that they'd destroyed the star."He won't win, Cadence. He's wasting his time. And if I were you, I'd stay away from him. You don't want to find yourself on the wrong side when we go after his clan." The whole time she nodded at her, Ava's mouth was c
Cadence's humourless laugh echoed through the sparsely furnished room, bouncing off the ancient stone walls. She waited for Luca's punch line and for him to tell her he was joking, or at least confirm her ears had deceived her, and he never said he would take her to meet her father.But his denials never came. The deadpan look never left his eyes either."You're not kidding, right?" she asked, shaking her head, unable to come to grips with his announcement."Warwick is alive and well. Maybe not so well, but he's hanging in there," Luca replied.Cadence didn't resist when he pulled her close to him and massaged her temples to drive away the start of a migraine. She didn't even question how he knew a raging headache wasn't too far off, the same way she hadn't asked him how she could hear his voice in her head at Pirates Cove."How's that even possible? I don't understand? It's been twenty-one years. He's human. It's impossible he's survived this long. Are you sure he's alive? How do you
For the first time in twenty-one years, the witches, vampires and wolves of Shadowbrooke were fighting on the same side. They had a common enemy now, as they all rallied in Luca's living room, waiting for Cadence to break her spectral trance.She was resting comfortably on a satin pillow in front of the fireplace. Everyone was worried about her, and they kept stealing glances at her. But as soon as one of them tried to approach her to check if she was still okay, Luca immediately went on the defensive. The only people he allowed close to her were Sonja and Rachel, only because they tended to her wound.He couldn't describe his relief when Sonja confirmed Cadence's wound was superficial. The bullet had just grazed her arm. She was lucky she took on her spectral form when she did. A second delay could have had devastating consequences. Consequences Luca didn't dare think about, because the very thought of how close to losing everything in an instant chilled him to his core.From his pla