Folding my hands, I glared at him. “She can live in secret and still be in my life.”
“No, she can’t. It’s for your safety that she’s staying away. She doesn’t want you to mourn her death every day or feel guilty. Micheline never intended for you to see her again.”
Turning away from him, I fought back another wave of tears. This wasn’t just a sibling losing a sister.
We are identical twins and the bond between us is unbreakable. I can still feel her.
“If she can’t come back into my world then I’ll go into hers. I’ll be with Tobias if I have to if it means I get my sister back.”
Swoosh.
A man landed in front of me. Stumbling back, I felt my body sliding downward, but his strong arms caught me around the waist. I was pulled up against his hard abdomen.
“Who are you?” I tugged at his arms to release me, but they just tightened around me like a steel band.
“I mean you no harm. My name is Nicenzio and I know your sister.”
It was very vague. I was born at night but not last night. There’s no telling how long he had been perched up there. He might have been there when the Cullens came.
“Does your knowing my sister include you lurking and hiding on the recess beams in her room? Let me go.”
He hesitated, then stepped back. “Domenico is one of my best friends.”
Quin stood. “Why didn’t you leave with the others?”
He looked at me. “I wanted to make sure she was safe. Micheline is safe with Domenico, but she isn’t safe with you.”
Quin’s nostrils flared and his eyes turned cold. “Excuse me, I’ve been protecting them since they were in the womb.”
“You did a mighty fine job. I mean no disrespect, but a human isn’t equipped to go to war with any immortal.”
“Look, Quin is family, and I don’t know or trust you. If you want me to trust you, tell me how to reach you and get out of my house.”
He lifted one eyebrow but pulled a black and gold card from his silk shirt pocket. When he took his phone out, I expected him to ask for my number, yet he handed me the phone.
He started walking to the door.
“Wait. You’re leaving me your phone?”
He smiled. “Yes, and the car. You have my phone. I’ll call you so you have my number, and you have the car, so you can come see me when you’re ready to listen.”
I watched him leave. Frowning, I looked around for the car keys, and I saw the fancy spare car key on the dresser. Grabbing the key, I headed down the steps. Opening the garage door, I inhaled. This was definitely a car for the rich and famous.
Heading back upstairs, I leaned over the banister looking for Quinn. The lights downstairs were off. I went inside my room. I had been sleeping in her room, but I now know that she’s not lost to me and that I’ll see her again.
Closing my room door, I sank on the bed, and pulled out mom’s journal.
January 01, 2010
Today Piero caught Giovanni Legrand (fae) secretly meeting Michail Morozov (werewolf) trying to double cross Antonio Bouchard (vampire).
January 11, 2015
Last night, Antonio Bouchard was murdered. Piero doesn’t believe that the Russian Bravat, aka Michail Morozov and Giovanni Legrand had anything to do with it, because Thalia saw both of them there at The Roosevelt Hotel.
January 12, 2015
Thalia Esposito was found murdered in her rose petal bathwater with her throat slit. No witnesses and no convictions. I know there will never be any. Today the IMC was formed (Immortal Mafia Council) to ride herd over the immortals and the mafia. Eighteen members to decide our fate. Our name has changed, but I’m a Ricci, so we can’t abandon the mafia.
This Immortal Mafia Council sounded like they had too much power. It’s just like in the government, from time to time, you have corrupt government officials. What do you do when the people that are supposed to protect you are against you? Rubbing my temples, I flipped to the end of the book.
May 17,2020
Today at the council meeting, Pierre hinted that he knew we were vampires, and that fact violated the human-immortal treaty they had in place. They are coming for us, and for our children. Rian Cullen told me his visions of the future have always come to pass. How do I tell my children that our time is near? No, I will tell Micheline so that our baby Madeleine’s childhood won’t be snatched from her like Micheline’s will. God help me if my children see this, and I know they will. Babies, I’m so sorry.
You were created from blood of my blood and flesh of my flesh. Through the canal of life, you bathed in my sin. I’m sorry, I have failed to be here to protect you. Your father and I have become what we needed to be for you. There are monsters in this world; vampires, werewolves, demons, and faes; it’s true but sometimes you must become what you thought you hated to save who you love. Follow your heart, for inside yourself, your father and I reside, and we’ll guide you home. Everything you need is on Palace Cove Drive.
With all my heart, Mom
7
Torin
“I know that I smelled Micheline’s scent up there.” I looked at my brother who was characteristically silent. Jumping high, I landed on the roof. There was more going on than they wanted to admit but that’s alright. I will get to the bottom of this situation and find out the truth.
Tobias frowned at me. “Are we going to wait up here forever?”
“They’re hiding something. There was no reason to cremate her body.”
Tobias covered his mouth and shook his head. “I can’t believe you demanded her body. You’re an insensitive asshole sometimes.”
Waving my hand, I rolled my eyes. “Just listen and watch closely. Micheline was there, and that can only mean one thing. Before she died, she was touched.”
Tobias stroked his chin. “None of us would have done that. That would only mean the werewolves or vamps did it.”
A few minutes later, two men disappeared into the night.
Bats. I knew it had to be the vampires.
“Tobias, I need to get back. We’ve been gone too long, and I need to show my face.”
He shifted from one foot to the other. “Uhm, I didn’t want to say anything until we were out of the Lambert’s, but have you seen your face recently?”
Sighing, I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Your eyes have turned a yellow color and they’re glowing. Whatever that thing did to you, has changed the color of your eyes.”
Grabbing my forehead, I tried to calm myself. “Why would you let me go to the Lambert’s with my eyes looking crazy?”
Tobias shrugged. “It’s not like you could wear sunglasses in a house. Nevertheless, you were hell-bent on going so I figured we’d address it when they brought it up, but they acted like they hadn’t noticed.”
“I’ll see what I can do about my weird eyes. You need to go to the council meeting, and I will see what the vampires are up to. It could be that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time or it was strategically planned on their part. Either way, I need to know why this happened to Micheline, and how I can reverse it.”
Tobias paced back and forth. He gripped a handful of his hair. “You need to figure out what the Shadow Spirit did to you so we can reverse it. He did something to you. You might not be in control of your abilities.”
“Don’t worry about me. Tell the council that I’m away checking on a girl whose lineage is in question.”
“If I say that, the council will be breathing down our necks to find out who. Besides, what lead on a royal do you have?”
“Are you serious? It’s true that I thought my feelings and desires for Micheline had nothing to do with her dying, but evidently, I was wrong. She must be the royal the council is seeking.”
“You asked father once about them and what did he say?”
“He told me to look out for them always. You know dad and his ever-cryptic self. If he planned on enlightening me, he was killed bef
ore he could.”
Silently, I knelt inside the air duct in the great room. Beads of sweat trickled down my face and I clutched at my stomach. I was weak, like a newborn baby taking its first breath. Whatever Valen had done to me, I wasn’t the same. I was probably dying. Opening the palm of my hand, I saw the onyx color flowing in my veins, and my insides felt like they were quivering.
It wouldn’t be long before Tobias would need to take his place as ruler upon my death. I need to eliminate the outside threat and destroy the Shadow King.
The door slammed shut, and Domenico walked inside behind Micheline.
She tossed her hair behind her. “You saved me, but I didn’t want to be saved. Turning me into one of you might have caused my sister issues with the warlocks. Let’s be clear, they do things a lot different from you.”
Domenico narrowed his eyes. “You know, beautiful, for someone who is as exquisite as you, the brains must have past you and went to your sister.”
“Now, lovers, we need to work together not tear each other’s throats out,” said Genziano.
“I came here to hear what you have to say, and you promised to keep my sister safe, but know this. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“I hear you, but it wasn’t the vampires that took your life. It was the warlocks. If you had married Torin Cullen, your sister would probably be dead. Don’t deny it, I saw the warlock. He was working with the werewolves to kill you.”
My nostrils flared and I balled my fist.
I would never harm her. This only confirms that a fae was involved. I just need to find out who has an alliance with the werewolves. My gut tells me it is Matias.
She scrubbed her hand down her face. “It wasn’t the Cullens. Torin wouldn’t hurt me. I never saw this warlock before, but he was working with the werewolves. The werewolves cornered me and then the warlock finished me off.”
“Can you tell us what the warlock looked like?” asked Genziano.
She nodded. “He was tall, muscular, and handsome in a rugged sort of way. His aquamarine blue eyes changed to a cobalt blue when he delivered the final blow. He had two ears inside his ear, and short brown wavy hair on top of his head with the sides shaved off.”
Genziano sat down in a chair at the table. “There are three hundred and ninety thousand people living in New Orleans, and that doesn’t include the immortals.”
Bartolome` strolled to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of blood. “Did he have any distinguishable marks?”
“He had red and blue tattoos from shoulder to wrist on his left arm and all black tattoos from shoulder to wrist on his right arm. There was a huge cross on his right arm that had a skull with fire coming from it.
Genziano pulled out his phone. “This is the man we saw with the werewolf when we discovered you. Is this the man that attacked you?”
He played a video and handed it to her.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “That’s him, and the werewolf. He came in after I had killed the werewolf that jumped through the window. Do you know who he is?”
Domenico took the phone and set it on the counter. “We need to get to the council meeting. We need to show them this footage, and they can tell us who the warlock and werewolf are.”
Bartolome` sighed. “I have a feeling that the council might not care. They seemed to only be concerned about the Shadow Spirits and the royals.”
Frowning, Micheline scratched her head. “What is a Shadow Spirit?”
“They are beings from a different realm that summon spirits from the dead.”
“I didn’t think that necromancers existed,” said Micheline.
“Genziano, tell me the moment Nicenzio gets back. We have to fill him in on everything we know,” said Domenico.
“Am I going to the council meeting with you? I need to tell them what happened to me in my own words.”
“I don’t trust them. Their focus was on them, and if they thought you might be a threat, you would be eliminated on the spot,” said Domenico.
“Why would they think I was a threat?” asked Micheline.
Domenico sighed. “Do you know why the warlocks banded together with the werewolves to murder you?”
Micheline bit her lip. “I was a human trespassing on the werewolf’s’ turf. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“No. That explains why the werewolves would attack you, but not why your death was planned out with the warlocks. What did the warlocks and werewolves have to gain by your death?” asked Domenico.
“You must lay low. We’ll protect you while we figure this out. Trust us, taking you to the council meeting would be an execution. Stay here with us where you’ll be safe,” said Bartolome`.
When their footsteps had receded, I removed the vent and jumped down. Grabbing his phone, I played the video.
Matias had killed Micheline. I didn’t know the werewolf, but he looked like an elder. He was a Mexican wolf, and all the ancient werewolves were Mexicans. I emailed the video to my phone, then deleted the sent email.
Matias what are you up to?
Rushing through the house, I summoned Matias. I didn’t have all the answers, but I had what I needed. Once I killed Matias and stopped the Shadow King, he could rule from within without betrayal.
Donning my latest pair of black Prada shades, I called a meeting. There was chatter among everyone as they were shocked to see me. I had the video ready to play on the projector screen.
When they were all gathered in the great room, I held up my hands. “As you know, my fiancée was recently killed, and now I know who did it.”
I played the video footage on the screen. When it was over, a hush fell over the crowd.
Selena stepped forward. “Why would Matias go against you to kill your fiancée?”
“He wants what he’s always wanted, power. He thinks if I am gone, he will get my seat.”
“Tobias is next in line if you’re killed,” said Selena.
“If we’re both dead, there would be no one to challenge him.”
“Soon all will be revealed, and you will have to make a choice whether to follow Tobias or Matias.”
Heading toward my office, I sat and waited for Matias. Soon, he strolled inside, closing the door behind him.
“You’ve been gone for days. We were worried about you.” He stood near the door.
“I know what you’ve done. I know you and the wolves killed Micheline.” I lifted my hands, channeling all my power into a fuchsia orb, and shot it at him.
Everything levitated around me, and shades flew to the floor. All of my anger, rage, and resentment flowed through me and manifested into dark shadowed assassins. They opened their mouths and a silver mist fell over Matias.
The bay window glass shattered and Valen flew inside. He lifted his hands, and the glass reassembled behind him.
“Yes, kill him. I want to eat his black heart,” said Valen. He smiled and leaned against the wall.
The shadow assassin sliced through Matias’s arm and blew a silver mist on him. He fought as the mist turned into black rope-like binds that held him immobilized to the door.
Turning, I waved my hands, mentally chanting the spell of annihilation at Valen.
His lips curved. “You can’t kill me. You and I are bonded.”
Matias screamed as another blade sliced through his leg. There was a puddle of blood directly below him.
“You don’t want to admit it, but you’re just like me. Look at what you’ve done. You summoned the dark shadows because you were meant to walk the path of darkness.”
“I am a Cullen. You will never own me or my spirit.”
Closing my eyes, I lifted my hand freeing Matias and sent him flying through the window.
Valen laughed. “You should’ve killed him. It was either his death or yours.” He waved his hand and the shadow assassins disappeared like mist. He opened his mouth and a silvery snake sprung forth and latched on my neck.
I collapsed as its body co
iled around me, tightening until I was immobile.
“I will not allow you to die when I’m this close. You will help me whether you want to or not.”
8
Domenico
I sat at the table next to Nicenzio, Genziano and Bartolome`. Looking around, I noticed that most of the warlocks hadn’t showed. It was just Tobias and two others that I hadn’t seen before.
Where was Torin?
The council wouldn’t think anything was amidst if Torin wouldn’t show, but I knew better. Torin never had his brother at the council’s meeting. He kept him out of most of the council’s affairs on the surface. Everyone knew that Tobias would rule if and when something happened to Torin. His absence couldn’t be good.
I watched as Axel and his men sauntered toward the table. There was nothing in their body language that suggested that they were hiding anything. That was probably worse than if they had helped. Axel Lavache was a hard-ass who didn’t care for vampires, especially us, so convincing him to help us would be difficult.
The council came in and sat down. Pierre held up his hands. “We have found out some new information. The Shadow Spirits were seen in the city a few days ago. That means this situation has gone from urgent to critical.”
“Did you fight the Shadow Spirits? You saw them and didn’t fight them?” asked Axel.
“Are you daft? We are not asking you to fight the Shadow Spirits. That would be a death sentence. You’re to locate the key and bring it to us, and we will fight the Shadow Spirits,” said Hashaan.
“How will one royal’s blood empower the entire council to fight the Shadow Spirits? It seems like one human’s blood would only be enough for one person,” said Nicenzio.
“It would. That’s why when the royal is brought to the council, I will take the royal’s blood,” said Pierre.
Akida frowned. “We did not agree that you would take the royal’s blood. We agreed that the royal’s blood would be divided among all of the council members, so that the balance of power remained equal among us.”
Supernatural Syndicate: A Limited Edition Collection of Magical Mafia Stories Page 36