“Unless someone with magic restrained him,” Luz points out.
“Those wankers!” Finn curses, at the same time Dominic lets loose a few string curses in Romanian. Not that I speak the language, but his tone is unmistakable.
“What else?” he asks.
I think back to the dream – or interaction, whatever it was. Lucas’ hands on me, his mouth on mine, all of it makes my body hum. But that’s not what I need right now. My wolf craves the real thing, but first we have to help him escape.
“You still want to pretend you’re not mated?” Finn points out again.
When I glare at him, I notice I now have the attention of everyone else in the car. “What do you want me to say? That I miss him? Because dammit, I do! With every inch of my soul.”
“Good,” Dominic says coolly. “Then you should be able to take that and focus it. Turn it into a weapon. Tell us everything that can help us, otherwise we’re going in there blind. That’s the only way you can help out Lucas right now, Monica.”
“Okay, okay.” With a sigh, I push aside the memories of our urgent fumbling and instead focus on the words. “Lucas seemed really drained. I don’t think it was from the beating. He was just... I’ve never seen him like that. His dad brought back his brother from the dead. I think... I think he’s going to use it as leverage on Lucas, and that he’s going to willingly do what they want him to.”
“Which is?” Finn asks softly.
“We didn’t have time to get into it. There were footsteps and Lucas was adamant I had to get out before whoever it was returned.”
“Can you guess what they’d want of him?” Luz asks.
With what I know of Alessandro, only one possibility comes to mind. “They probably want him to open the gate to the Underworld.”
Dominic mutters some more Romanian curses under his breath, and I feel the car speed even more. We must be way over the limit, but I’m not about to tell him to slow down. Instead, my thoughts go back to Lucas, to the utter helplessness I’d seen in him.
How I wish I could’ve taken it away...
I’ve tried so hard not to care for this guy, when in reality I’ve been hooked since the moment I walked into his office. If I'd ever dared to hope for a match, a mate, he would’ve fit Lucas to a T. And now that I risk losing him...
My chest hurts and I inhale deeply. Finn reaches over the seat and holds my hand, squeezing it. “I know that feeling. Elle was taken from me, too, and I got her back. We all owe Lucas something, and there’s no way we’re letting him go without a fight.”
“I appreciate your words, but there may be more going on here than even I realize. Especially with Lucas’ brother back... I can’t even fathom how Alessandro made that happen.”
“Whatever it is, we can fix it,” Luz says.
“You say it like it’s easy... Lucas himself seemed so resigned, he begged me to tell everyone to turn away. And you don’t know Alessandro.”
“No,” Luz agrees. “But I know Lucas. And nothing – no one – stands in his way. Least of all his father.”
Lucas
Seconds after Monica disappears, my father and brother step in, as does Ana. Footsteps echo in the distance, like a security group coming together. Even if my estimations of their numbers are off, it’s clear I’m not going anywhere.
I only hope Monica brings back my message to Dominic, and he makes the right choice for the pack. It was obviously a rather stupid move on my end kicking him out again. Not that it hadn’t come to a boiling point, but the fact is his loyalty was always to me. Something I was irreversibly blind to.
When Matteo skulks inside the cell too, something inside me cringes. Accusation lingers in his eyes, and I can only imagine what Alessandro told him about the bruises and cuts on his face. Sighing, I hold out my hand.
“Matty, come here, ti prego.”
He shakes his head at my pleading and steps closer to our father. The stubborn jut to his chin is one I recognize all too clearly. Alessandro grins wickedly, something that goes completely missed by my younger brother. Another wave of helplessness threatens to descend on me, but I refuse to show it. Not to them.
They think they can control me.
They think I give a shit.
I don’t. But Matteo is an innocent, and I won’t let their perverse greediness have him pay the price for something that’s not his doing. If there’s even a small chance I can give him back the life he was robbed from, then I will do it.
A sigh escapes me, and I try again. “Matteo, our papà has asked me to go with you someplace. A darker place. To get you something that will... It will ensure you’ll be back, for good, with us. You asked me to help you before, remember? So, will you come with me, fratello?”
Matteo shrugs and finally moves towards me, reluctance in his every heavy step, his head bowed and hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Fine, but don’t expect me to talk to you after the way you beat him up.”
Over his head, I glare at our father, but say nothing. Instead, I focus on Ana. “Do your worst, witch.”
Ana steps forward and heads to the far wall of the cell. She places her palms on it and moves them in a crisscrossing pattern, muttering something under her breath. I can see a pentagram bracelet dangling from her wrist, the symbol similar to the one Monica wears.
Despite being here, surrounded by all this shit, the little reminder brings me back to having her in my arms. It had felt good – too good. The way she read me, cradled me, I haven’t known that in a while. Great sex, sure. But bone-deep caring? I’d never let my emotions progress past the physical stage. But with Monica...
I shake my head. Gotta focus on what’s important right now, not get airheaded.
Ana is muttering some more things, and for a second it feels like the entire room has a heartbeat. There’s elation coming off her in waves, which I can sense thanks to Finn’s gift. I’m so very tempted to use the vârcolac strength from Dominic and Tristan’s abilities to grab Matteo and get out of here...
One look at my father reminds me of his words. He will carry them through, even if it means killing his own freshly bedded bride.
Scowling, I can only wait and bide my time. The scent of blood hits me hard, and I notice one of Ana’s hands is dripping. The wall she’s been holding on to is now pulsating black, undulating and rolling like a live mass.
Every hair on my body rises in protest. I may not know how to use Daniela’s magic, but even I can sense when something is so utterly wrong, it should not exist right now.
Ana turns and heads closer to me, again twirling that coin in her hand. “It is done,” she says. “All it needs is the blood of the chimera to open.” As she passes by me, she tosses me a knife.
I wish to hell I could slice her throat with it, but not yet. For now, I will bide my time, and get Matteo his innocence back. After, once he’s safe, I’ll finish this up.
So I move away from her and my father, and cut my palm. Blood trickles down, coating the blade and I thrust it into the darkness of the wall. It gets swallowed up and no clatter of noise echoes back.
For the first time, it sinks in what I’m doing. Mamma’s stories of the Underworld, and what awaits there. I’d had nightmares as a growing young man of its fiery depths and everything they hide. Of becoming enslaved to it, like Cerberus was to forever guard the gate.
And now, in spite of everything I’ve done to steer clear, I’m about to head right in.
“You ready?” I ask Matteo, forcing my tone to be light.
He nods, and though he appears brave I know he’s afraid. I hold my hand out to him, and this time he takes it despite still being annoyed at me. His palm is clammy, and I bite back any further words of reassurance.
Over my shoulder, I add, “Isn’t there a payment for Charon?”
Alessandro grins and tosses me a coin. It’s lighter than Ana’s, but with the same type of design – a man’s face, pointing in two separate directions.
“That should do it,” m
y father says. “Now, off you go.” As if he’s sending us to fucking school.
I hide my rage and turn back to the portal. My blood has made it shimmer silver now, as if that would make it more inviting to cross. It doesn’t. But then a tendril of that portal sneaks on the ground and wraps around my ankle. Iciness spreads through me, followed by an emptiness as swift as death itself.
Monica
It’s easy to recognize when we enter Alessandro’s territory, because we go from the wild of the land to something completely put together. After a few kilometers, we get closer to the mansion’s grounds.
In the distance, I see the house cradled at the bottom of a valley. Old-school Victorian style, all white and ivory, it’s meant to impress, and it does. As we get closer, I know we’ll see the Roman-style columns at the front, luscious gardens, and luxurious opulence inside. A forest runs alongside the road leading there, providing ample coverage.
Dominic pulls the car over before we go any further, and Tristan does the same behind us. We all pile out, and Dani draws a rune in the air that makes the vehicles shimmer, then disappear.
“It won’t last long,” she says, “but it should be enough to get us in unnoticed.”
Dominic nods, then surveys us all. “Alright, people. We stick to the plan, no improvisations. Luz, if anything happens, call this off, grab Dani and Elle, and get the hell out of here.”
Lucrezia’s stubborn expression tells me that order is wasted on her, but she says nothing. Dominic pulls her into his side, as if to draw strength from the swift embrace. “If everything goes well, we’ll be back here before the sun rises.”
“And if it doesn’t,” Finn says, “you girls do as he said. No exceptions.”
No one nods, or agrees. We’re all on edge. In the woods around us, I feel movement and turn – but it’s only the vrykolakas. Half of them hang back, and I know they’ll be around to help Luz. The other half dutifully line up behind Dominic.
He nods, as if that’s the signal he’d been waiting on. “Here it goes.” With a kiss to Luz that breaks my heart, he turns away and morphs. Tristan and Finn say their goodbyes too, and then it’s just me they’re waiting on.
I look at each of the girls and whisper, “I’ll make sure they get back to you safe.” It’s a promise I’ll do my best to fulfill, even if it costs me my life. I figure after all they did, and what they’ve shown me is possible, it’s the least I can do.
Then I turn to morph, but Elle calls out. “Monica?” When she has my attention, she smiles. “Go get your Lucas.”
I don’t bother correcting her. There’s no point, given everything else I’ve lived in the last days. So I let the transformation come over me, and join the guys. As we run, keeping to the shadows, I’m thankful for the dark night that coats us all.
And then something hits me – from the inside. Like an icy wind that knocks the breath out of me, and I drop to the ground, howling in pain. Within moments, the guys are surrounding me, but only Finn chances a prod with his muzzle.
Dimly, I hear him talk to Dom in my mind. It’s Lucas. She’s feeling something that’s happening to him.
How is that possible? Tristan asks.
The same way it happened to all of us. Dominic lays down by my side and drops his head on mine. I need you to get up, Monica. The more we linger, the more chance there is to lose him. Help me get to Lucas, and I will make sure he’s safe.
It takes all the strength I possess and a heavy dose of will to push myself to a standing position. My muscles tremble with the effort, and I’m chilled to my insides. What the hell is going on?
Dominic shakes his head. We’ll find out when we get there. Can you move?
Barely, but yeah. Don’t worry about me.
And then we’re running again, and I’m using that pain to fuel me, because I know I need to get to Lucas.
Vrykolakas flank us from every corner, and we storm the mansion like ninjas in the night. Grunts and muffled screams echo as the vrykolakas’ venom kills the guards, and then we’re still covering ground. Magic has hidden us this far, helping us get by the outer circles almost undetected, and I know the girls are doing their job. But now we’re in Alessandro’s territory.
It’s amazing seeing Dom’s brute strength and how Finn and Tristan work together without even checking. They have each other’s backs, and when outnumbered, I have theirs. We move with a synchronicity that surprises and leaves me in awe, all at the same time.
Once we’re deep inside the mansion, I take lead since I know the place like the back of my hand. The minute guards see my branded chest, they frown in confusion, hesitating. Alessandro must have not told them of my betrayal – a mistake that will cost his life.
It takes us much longer than I’d thought to get through to the last portion of the house. I lunge on one of the guards, while Finn finishes the other. Turning to my human form, I hold onto the wolf’s throat and ask, “Where is Lucas?”
His eyes shift to the cellar doors, and I get up. Daniela made sure we’d all be clothed when switching forms. And although I’m not sure it’s a good idea to go in human, Dominic, Finn and Tristan also shift.
“You lead,” Dom says. “We’ll be right behind you.”
I nod and step down the stairs. A murmur of voices drifts upwards.
“Do you really think he’ll do it?”
“For his brother, Luciano will do anything.”
I appear in the cellar just as they turn to leave. Alessandro and Ana. Behind them, Lucas’ body is sprawled on the floor, pale and near an incinerated wall.
“Well, well. The traitor returns.”
At the sight of Lucas’ pale body, I lose it. I lunge at Ana, shoving her further into the cell. She trips over her heels and barely holds herself standing.
“What did you do to him!”
Behind me, Dominic and Tristan move on Alessandro, restraining him so he can’t help his witch lover. I’m unhinged though, the wolf in me boiling with fury. I grab a fistful of her hair and yank it back. Ana winces in pain, but I don’t hold back from punching her in the stomach.
As she doubles over and flops to the ground, I say, “What. Did. You. Do?”
She glares up at me, her makeup smudged. “Something you should’ve had no problem doing, cara. It’s not my fault you have scruples.”
With a howl, I fall atop her, straddling her and smacking her head on the floor. My hands go to her throat, and I want to squeeze every bit of life out of her. Then Finn’s there, pulling me back, and his gift calms me while his arms restrain me.
I glare at him. “She deserved it.”
“Not arguing there, love. But if you kill her, we’ll never know how to reverse it.”
Without answering, I yank myself out of his hold and crawl over to Lucas, touching his cold hand. The same one that held me mere hours before.
“There’s no pulse.” My eyes are filled with tears when they meet Dominic’s. “There’s no pulse!”
He grabs Alessandro by the neck and lifts him up. “Now, you have one chance. You’re going to let us follow Lucas wherever the fuck you sent him. And then I’m going to make sure to bring him back and let him have his revenge on you.”
He tosses my old alpha against the walls, rattling the entire building with the force of his attack. It feels good to see Alessandro scared. So, so good.
It’s then I notice Ana staring at something. It must’ve fallen during our struggle, and by the look on her face, she wants it. Desperately. As I pick it up, it’s a faded coin. I rub the dirt off it, and find the profile of a man facing two ways. My nonna’s old teachings come back to me and I recognize it – Janus. The god of doors and arches... Could she have used this to open the portal?
With a smirk her way, I pocket the coin. Might come in handy later.
“Get him and the witch, and let’s go up. Monica, help me with Lucas.”
I follow Dominic’s orders. We get out of the cellar, but the entire time I’m torn between keeping an eye
on Ana to make sure she doesn’t toss some magic at us, and Lucas, whose cold arm is now wrapped around my shoulders.
“We’ll get him back,” Dominic whispers as we walk through the mausoleum. “I promise.”
Thing is, I’ve had enough broken promises to know not to count on them.
∞ ∞ ∞
∞ Inferi ∞
“No one should brave the Underworld alone.”
-Edgar Allan Poe-
Lucas
“Luciano? Lucas!” Matteo’s voice snaps me out of my daze. I come to, realizing I’ve been on my feet and staring into space for a few moments. How long exactly, I can’t pinpoint, but it must’ve been bad enough to get my younger brother to talk to me.
We’re in some kind of dark forest. Behind us, there’s a path that grows increasingly more obscure. And ahead, a little past where Matteo is yelling at me from, the path goes downhill towards a cave.
I glance down at my body, noticing I’m shimmering just like Mamma. Matteo, on the other hand, is still as pale as ever, perhaps even more so. I frown at him. “Why do I look like a ghost?”
He shrugs, and continues walking. Apparently now that I’ve answered him, I also lost his attention. “Hey, do you even know where you’re going?” I call out.
That stops him in his tracks. Idiota. I love my brother, but his antics are getting on my nerves, as is his naivety. So I stride over and turn him around by the shoulders. I’m jarred by his stricken expression, and the tears falling down his cheeks.
“Matty, what is it?”
He sniffles and wipes at his face clumsily in an effort to appear less affected. “I just...You weren’t moving at first, and then you did but you weren’t, well, you, and I thought... I thought... that you died.” The last is said on a whisper.
Without a word, I pull him into my chest and hug him close. “I’m still here, fratello.” Father did a number on him, removing him from his peaceful slumber. But add on top of that our dysfunctional family, and I’m not surprised he’s even more on edge than of his living.
“Then why are you so...shiny?”
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