1|Blast From The Past

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 could see beyond was an impenetrable darkness. And at that moment, her pulse roaring fiercely in her ears and her heart threatening to break out of her chest, she knew she'd made a terrible mistake by coming over.

She reached for the stone railing behind her, ready to hightail it to the safety of her fisherman's cabin. But a voice as smooth as honey stopped her in her tracks.

"Leaving already?" Luca Delacroix asked as he pushed the door wide open. With a quick flip of the switch, the lights inside the house came on. 

Cobwebs floated from the crystal chandeliers, dirt and grime covered the cracked walls, and drab pieces of furniture stood tall and proud behind his colossal frame.

With his porcelain complexion and ethereal aura, Luca cut a stark contrast against the ruins. He reminded her of 'One of These Things Doesn't Belong', a game she played with Cadence when she was still a child. By birthright, though, Luca belonged there. The house had been in his family for years. But his beautiful looks suggested he should have been somewhere else, perhaps in a sprawling castle, drinking blood from fine crystal goblets with a harem of blood-dolls fawning all over him.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He opened his arms in a mock hug, intruding on her thoughts. Sonja ignored him and tried to force her way inside. But at lightning speed, Luca blocked her path and glared at her.

"I'd rather do this inside if you don't mind," Sonja said, glancing over her shoulder, making sure her daughter hadn't followed her. A relieved smile danced on her face when she saw the light in the altar room of her fisherman's cabin across the marsh. Cadence was still hard at work, practising her enchantment spells. It would take her a while to realise she was gone. 

"Ah, your delectable daughter. Cadence, isn't it?" Luca spat at her. Sonja flinched, surprised and a little worried he knew about her only child.

"How?" she asked, wondering why she even came. It was stupid to think she could reason with Luca, silly to imagine they could reach a compromise. They were on opposing sides, enemies for life. Her coven had made sure of that.

"As the cliche goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Luca stepped aside to let her in. The wind yanked at the door and slammed it shut with such force that Sonja almost jumped out of her skin.

"Relax; you'll get your just desserts." Luca flashed his fangs and motioned for her to follow him. "Not right away, though."

As she reluctantly trailed behind him to the formal dining room, Sonja did her best to ignore the stairs leading to the torture chamber in the basement where Luca's brother, Cadence's father, and several other vampires remained eternally locked away.

As much as he loathed her, Luca hadn't forgotten his manners. He offered her a seat. She declined, shuddering as she gawked at the chair. Like everything else in the room, it was covered with years of dust, and she wondered how long it would take him to clean it all up, if ever.

"Suit yourself," Luca drawled, perching himself in the same spot he'd just offered. He placed both his long legs on the table, his hands resting behind his dark head as he stared at her from under his long lashes.

"You should have stayed away." Sonja got to the heart of her visit, brushing her hands vigorously on her arms. It was colder than a morgue in here. She needed the warmth of her fireplace as much as she yearned for peace and the light. She didn't want all this gloom and darkness surrounding Luca.

She closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, she was startled to find him now lounging in the corner. She'd forgotten about his quick reflexes, how predator like he was.

"We never really left. We just did a brilliant job staying off the grid," Luca informed her coolly. He crossed his arms over his expansive chest and glared at her, the perpetual frown creasing his eyebrows, never leaving his incredible face, not even for a second.

"You know damn well what I mean! This is going to end badly for a lot of people, Luca. Your clan crossed a line, and we had to put them away. You are lucky you weren't in that room. Your presence here will make a lot of people unhappy!" she said. The jewel hanging on her neck flashed a multitude of colours, giving away her mood. She was agitated and scared. But more than anything, she was worried. Luca's return signalled a power shift, something they all knew would happen someday.

His glacial gaze roamed over her necklace and lingered there for some time. Sonja touched the ring on her middle finger—a family heirloom— trying to divert his attention. But he was on to her.

"By a lot of people, I'm assuming you mean your cronies, the same ones who drank from the fountain of youth with you?" he asked, a hint of amusement flashing in his sky blue eyes.

"I mean, except for you and your little coven, all the other old-timers are gone," Luca continued as he began circling her like a vulture swooping in on its prey. "What truly amazes me, though, Sonja, is how you all still look like you did twenty-odd years ago. Don't you find it strange?"

Sonja stood dead still, holding herself away from him. She came in with a plan, but she couldn't remember it now. All she could think of now was the rage she'd felt when she realised Luca was back, threatening to upset the sleepy town of Shadowbrooke once again.

"Gotcha!" Luca smirked as he swiftly yanked the pendant from her neck. 

His booming laugh resonated through the room, vibrating on the walls as she collapsed and transformed into an old hag. Her hair turned as white as ash, and deep wrinkles appeared all over her face like spiderwebs as the skin on her body drooped and sagged.

"Tell me, Sonja, does Cadence know the real you? Does she know what you really look like?" Luca dropped in front of her with a snarl and placed a chilling kiss on her temple. "I wonder how she'd feel if she ever found out what you did?"

Sonja shrunk back from him, hating the feel of his ice-cold lips on her skin.

"Stop it!" She croaked, reaching up for her necklace.

Luca held it out to her, and just as she was about to snatch it from him, he pulled his hand away, smiling wickedly.

"How do you feel?" he asked as he got up from the floor and toyed with the necklace, watching it swing back and forth like a pendulum, before stuffing it in his pocket.

Sonja lay almost lifeless on the ground, taking shallow breaths as her pulse crawled to a dangerously slow pace. If Luca kept up with his game, she wouldn't last long. She needed the life source in her necklace to keep her going.

"HOW DO YOU FEEL?" Luca looked even more menacing, with his fangs glistening in the dim light as he scowled down at her, his voice rumbling through the room like the thunder rolling in the distance.

"Powerless," Sonja squawked out the first thing that came to her mind, and it seemed it was the answer he was looking for.

"Good. Then you'll appreciate where I'm coming from, because that's exactly how I felt when I returned home that night and found everyone locked up in that basement. I only want my brother back. Nothing more," Luca explained his sudden reappearance in Shadowbrooke. "Just like you'll do anything to protect your little town, I'll do everything to break Julian out."

His warning to her coven delivered, he threw the necklace back at her. 

Sonja hastily put it back on, sobbing her relief when it reversed the effects of ageing instantly.

"You were always a beautiful woman, Sonja." Luca smiled his approval. "But Cadence, my God, isn't she a sight to behold? I wonder what she tastes like."

"Stay away from her!" Sonja warned him weakly.

"Are you going to stop me?" He mocked her as he grasped her hand.

"This has nothing to do with her. Leave her out of this!" Sonja tried to shake off his vice-like grip, but Luca was stronger than her. 

He dragged her out of the house and threw her roughly on the wet ground. The storm had broken at some point while she was inside the manor. "I'll tell you what; I'll leave her alone if you promise to stay out of my fucking business! Stick to your side of the bayou, and I'll stay on mine!"

Sonja nodded her promise, even though they both knew she had no intention of keeping it.

"You will never succeed!" She screeched at Luca's retreating back, her voice merging with the howling wind.

He turned from the door and grinned at her. "Would I have come back if I didn't think I could break him out?"

His words chilled her to the bone, and as she sat there, crying and shaking, oblivious to the rain drenching her, a million thoughts raced through her mind. She wondered what he'd done. More importantly, what her coven would do when Luca left them with no choice.