For years, the witches and vampires of Shadowbrooke co-existed secretly, without much incident. Until one winter evening in 2002. Luca Delacroix was on a hunting trip when the monthly court hosted by his clan turned disastrous. What began as a normal night for the residents of the sleepy town ended horribly when fledgelings in blood-lust took Shadowbrooke under siege. It took a small coven of witches, a powerful spell, the Chaos Star and a virgin's blood to end the terror. But in the aftermath, Julian Delacroix, Luca's brother, along with several of their clan members, were eternally bound to the manor's cellar, forsaken to wither and perish from thirst. It's 2022, and Luca's returned to Shadowbrooke after two decades. His sudden reappearance threatens to destabilise the peaceful town again. He'll stop at nothing to get his brother out, and the Youngblood Coven will not hesitate to destroy him. While the witches scramble to get the missing piece of the Star of Chaos, the rune they once used against Luca's clan, he has to fight hard to stay one step ahead of them. But, his plans go awry when he meets and falls in love with Cadence Youngblood, the same woman responsible for his brother's infernal prison. Cadence is everything he shouldn't want, but for her, Luca is willing to take the backlash from his clan and risk her coven's wrath. © 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.
View MoreLuca reached up and caressed her cheek.Cadence closed her eyes, wishing he wouldn't, but at the same time, she didn't want him to stop. He was her own little pill, her addiction, one she knew was bad for her, but couldn't give up or refuse all the same."Luca," she whispered as he pressed her body close to his.They didn't say anything for some time as they stood there, revelling in their heated embrace.Soon, though, just having Cadence in his arms was no longer enough for Luca. He had to have to her. So he picked her up and placed her on the altar bed.It was cold and hard, but Cadence didn't notice. All she was aware of was the heat between them as he covered her body with his.Their kissing was tentative at first, but grew more heated and urgent as he greedily pried her mouth open, demanding more of her while removing their clothes, stripping them of everything standing between their desires.Cadence was stunned by how easy it was to put aside all her uncertainties and give in to
Long after she'd called Sonja and asked to hitch a ride with them to Bridgetown, Cadence was still in her room, sobbing in her hands, crying over the Origami swan Luca had left for her on her desk at some point during the day.Like that first time, his message was short and to the point. 'We need to talk'."Oh, Luca!" Cadence thought sadly. He'd picked a hell of a time to want to talk. She honestly didn't see how talking would change anything. Her father was right. She had to go to Bridgetown for Emme, if not for herself. She had to honour her mentor's memory. And she knew in her heart that Luca would never leave his brother, especially when he missed twenty years with him."It wouldn't have worked out anyway. Long-distance relationships hardly ever work out," Cadence consoled herself as she got up from the bed and wiped away her tears. She stuffed her music box in her backpack and took one final wistful look at her room before she headed out. She was going to miss her home and Shado
Warwick took small sips from his mug as he stared at Sonja. He knew his unwavering gaze was unsettling for her. But for the life of him, he couldn't look away."You are staring," Sonja admonished quietly, unable to take his scrutiny any longer."I'm sorry." Warwick smiled, showing his fangs briefly as he crossed the room and took her hands. He turned them over and kissed her palms like he used to back then, before that night all those years ago. His simple gesture reminded Sonja of how much she'd missed out on. All the little things she'd forced herself not to think about until now made her want to cry."How is it possible? You haven't aged a day," he murmured as he brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "It's like time stopped the day I left, and now it's picking up right where we left off."Sonja wept harder at his words. They were absurd. As much as she loved her daughter and didn't regret a single moment with her, Cadence's existence was a painful reminder of how much time
Luca hated to break up the reunion party, but the newly freed vampires had to feed and get ready to clear out of Shadowbrooke. So while everyone prepared for their departure, Cadence and her father went to the crypt to talk.Cadence sat on the altar bed, and he joined her and took her hand."You did nothing wrong, Cadence.""I locked you away." Cadence shook her head. She knew he was trying to make her feel better. But nothing would change the fact that her blood had sealed him in and robbed him of twenty years of his life he would never get back."And your blood has freed me now," Warwick reminded her.Cadence gave him an incredulous look. "You read my thoughts?""I can, but I didn't have to. I can see it in your eyes, the guilt you feel. It's time you forgave yourself."Cadence didn't say anything after this. There was so much she wanted to say to him, though, but she barely knew him, barely knew what he liked and didn't like."There'll be plenty of time for that," Warwick smiled and
The anxiety in the cellar had mounted to an unbearable point. It was so intense that Luca could almost taste it in his throat. He swallowed hard, unable to believe that in just under an hour, it would all be over. All the years of tireless searching for the star and hoping for a miracle had finally come to this moment.April tugged at his arm and led him to the corner of the room, away from the ritual space.Rudolf, now awake, looked subdued as he sat on the cot with his back pressed against the wall and silently watched the excitement in the centre of the room."Do you think it will work?" April asked, her voice barely audible. But Luca had heard her. He gave her a sidelong look to reassure her. "Of course, it will!"April tried to smile. But her eyes clouded up with tears as she played with her hair.Luca pulled her close and asked, "what's wrong?""I am terrified." April bawled on his chest. Her sniffling drew the attention of the witches, and they stared at them for a bit before r
They all took Emme's death hard, but none of them had the luxury to grieve. They still had a lot more to do. And Sonja gave them just the distraction they needed. She got everyone to work as soon as they returned to the manor.While the three younger witches prepared the cellar for the ritual, she went to her house to pack a few things and close off the place.She was surprised to find her sister and Romulus waiting for her."What do you want now?" she asked impatiently."That was a hell of a risk you took." Luann rose and stretched her limbs. Romulus also stood up and moved aside to let Sonja through.Sonja knew her sister was referring to Ethan, and she didn't want to get into it with her. "It worked. That's all that matters.""And we are grateful."Sonja was about to turn the key on the door. She stopped and looked at Luann, surprised to see something close to sincerity, or maybe remorse, in her eyes."So, what's the plan? You're going to open the door?" Luann asked."Nothing will
"What took you so long?" Luca demanded as soon as Emme took on her human form again in the woods where she'd left them. "I got tied up," she replied. "Did you find them?" Sonja asked, sounding a little anxious. Emme nodded her head and filled them in, giving them as much detail as possible.When Luca heard about Ethan's small army, he wanted to abort the plan. It was too dangerous. They'd banked on the fact that Ethan's fledglings would be resting and at their weakest since it was daylight. But knowing they were awake and in bloodlust, he didn't want to take a chance and risk all their lives."He's locked them up in cages. If and when he realises what's happening, he won't have enough time to release them all!" Emme argued.But nothing anyone said would change Luca's mind. "No! It's too dangerous. We're dropping this whole thing and heading home. NOW!"April decided to settle the matter the old school way. She called for a vote. Cadence understood the urgency, but on the other han
By the time Rachel reached the manor, she was hysterical and almost breathless from running. It took some time for Sonja to calm her down and get the whole story from her."I told you it wouldn't work! Ethan's figured out the star we gave him is a fake." April was the first to fall apart. And it wasn't long before everyone had something to say, and the tension in the room reached an unbearable point.April wanted to open the door urgently, get the hell out of Shadowbrooke, and leave the pack and Sonja's coven to deal with Ethan's wrath.Luca and Andrew refused to entertain her. They couldn't sit back and watch the town go up in flames. They had an obligation to help. After all, Ethan's retaliation was solely on them this time around."Did they fucking help us twenty years ago?" April couldn't keep a lid on her emotions as she and Luca went head to head, exchanging heated words. The tension brewing between them for years now had finally bubbled over, and their verbal war was devastatin
Hours after he'd left Luca, Ethan was still fuming. He couldn't believe how Sonja's daughter had messed up his plan at the last minute. He should have accounted for the fact that she might change back, but the thought had never crossed his mind, in all honesty.He'd had no intention of returning Cadence. In fact, he would have killed her right there, while in her spectral form, and hung her on that same tree where Luca had hung his father. Yes, he had planned to make Luca watch him take away what was most precious to him."Damn that fucking cat!" He slammed his fist on the glass tabletop. The untouched goblet toppled over. Surprisingly, it didn't break, but the liquid inside made a mess all over the cracked surface.Eugénie was a picture of calmness. She'd been with him long enough to get used to his fits of rage. They no longer disturbed her."We'll get him soon enough." She purred as she got up from her seat and draped her arms over his shoulders. Ethan grunted his displeasure, an
Sonja Youngblood marched across the marsh with purpose and determination, punctuating each stride. The dead leaves scattered on the path leading up to the front steps billowed around her. A few hit her in the face, gently grazing her cheek, silently welcoming her to the haunted house, or perhaps warning her of the approaching storm.Sonja hated the place. She hated even more that she was there. She could still taste the fear and anger of that night so long ago, and the smell of incense that hung heavy in the air. Years later, every time she lit incense, she remembered the vampire's fateful monthly court, her coven's sacrifices, and all the things they lost. Now, they were back, threatening to tear the power from their hands once more.Never again, Sonja fumed as she clambered up the crumbling steps, the rotting tiles on the porch groaning under her weight. Before she could even hammer her fists on the heavy oak door, it slowly rattled to life with a long, dreadful squeak. But all Sonja
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