Volume 1.3: Good Neighbors

Type: Series

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: M

Characters: Cadence, Sonja, Luca, April

Word Count: 2453

Glossary: 

Warning: coarse language, some violence

I'm on the side of the moon that always shines on you

I can see the whole world from here

But all I ever do is stare at you

I'm on the side, I'm on the side

I'm on the side of the moon

Side of the Moon-The Parlotones

Her dull grey eyes lit up as she watched the unusually tall man jump out of the battered pickup truck and swiftly run up the front steps, the steady wind blowing through his short black hair.

Just as he was about to reach the door, as if he sensed he was being watched, he stopped, turned and stared straight at her.

Cadence gasped and jumped out of view.

She crawled on the floor as she snapped the curtains in place to block out his frosty glare.

She waited, and counted to ten before she slowly rose from the floor and yanked the curtains open again, and just in time too to see him retrieve a large, blue cooler box from the back of the truck.

His movements were measured and precise as he bent down to place it on the ground. The muscles on his broad shoulders flexed beneath the white t-shirt, his jeans molded his firm butt to perfection.

Cadence wondered what was in the cooler box. It was way too chilly to be stocking up on beers.  On second thought, she didn’t care; surely whatever was in there could not be as interesting as the vision of perfection in front of her.

Suddenly she wanted to scream “Hallelujah” at the top of her lungs and sing for joy. God had heard her prayers.

For years she’d daydreamed about a gorgeous stranger (note: who later becomes her boyfriend) moving into the abandoned manor across the creek. The dark-haired stranger looked just like the guy from her daydreams! If this wasn’t fate she didn’t know what else was! The universe had listened and sent him to her doorstep…well, close enough, Cadence thought to herself.

“YOWZA!” She broke into a happy dance to celebrate her great find.

The stranger had brought the WIN back to TWINBROOK! And she couldn’t wait to share her discovery with her best friend, Rachel.

“Not bad at all!” Cadence drooled some more as she refocused her attention and her eyes traveled up and down his length.

“What’s not bad, dear?” Her mom walked in to her room then and intruded on her unruly thoughts.

“Our new neighbor,” Cadence replied. Her eyes refused to look away from the window. The view was way too gorgeous!

Sonja joined her in front of the window and they watched the scene across the creek play out as a petite redhead sprang out of the crumbling house and glided down the steps.

Cadence felt sorry for the guy as she watched the short but intense exchange between the two.

The girl, Cadence guessed was her age, twenty going on twenty one (she could have been older though), kept screaming and stomping her feet, and the guy with the perfect ass kept kicking the cooler box with his heel, his arms crossed over his chest defensively. His bulging biceps kept calling out to Cadence to come and touch them. And she was ready, eager and willing.

“Do you think we should go over and welcome them to the bayou?” She smiled innocently at Sonja. 

“No!” Sonja retorted sharply.

Cadence frowned, startled by the sudden harshness in her mom's voice.

“Let’s give them time to settle in,” Sonja added softly. Cadence nodded, but she was still confused; it wasn’t like her mom to be so sharp and edgy.

“Is everything okay with the coven? I thought we were meeting in a fortnight?” She asked over Sonja’s shoulder as she gave her a hug.

She held on to her too tightly, unable to shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Not just with her mom, but everything around her. A shift had occurred, a slight disturbance in the atmosphere, unseen, but definitely felt. And it worried her. Badly.

“Something came up and it can’t wait,” Sonja's reply was evasive as she gently pulled away from their embrace. She left the bedroom with Cadence trailing behind her.

In the living room, she grabbed her Witch’s hat from the coat rack and placed it on her head, careful not to disturb the luscious auburn curls Cadence had worked so hard to get to the perfect state they were in.

“How do I look?” Sonja asked.

“Just like a Witch,” the grey in Cadence's eyes sparkled mischievously and they both laughed at their secret joke, releasing some of the tension between them.

They went into the altar room and held hands as they chanted their family’s protection spell.

“Angels above wrap your guiding arms around me, keep all evil intent at bay and smite those who wish to harm me. Spirit of Isis, Goddess of Magic shine your light on me, I call upon you now to keep me safe at all times. So mote it be!”

“I love you mom,” Cadence told her at the front door.

“I love you most,” Sonja replied, tapping Cadence’s button nose with her index finger like she used to when she was still a little girl.

The memory brought smiles to their faces and their sighs were filled with yearning for things long gone.

“Don’t forget, the gathering may go on longer than usual, so don’t wait up for me,” Sonja reminded her as she quickly dashed for the small car parked in the driveway.

She waved from inside the car when she saw Cadence was still at the door. 

Cadence blew her a kiss. Sonja caught it and placed her hand over her heart.

“Always in my heart,” Cadence mouthed at her.

“Mine too,” Sonja smiled back and with a loud hoot, she drove off.

As soon as her mom was out of sight, Cadence rushed back inside the house, all thoughts of not going over to the neighbors’ house forgotten. She had to welcome them to the bayou and of course get a closer look at the new guy.

In the kitchen she took out a basket from the cupboard, along with the jar of cookies they’d baked that morning and carefully placed them inside the basket.

She added a few muffins too, and she wondered if the new neighbors liked carrot and pecan nut, or if they’d prefer bran.

“I’ll give them both.” She decided, dumping more muffins inside the basket.

With the goodies packed and ready to be delivered, Cadence was suddenly anxious. She wasn’t used to meeting new people, Twinbrook was a very small town; no one left or moved in. So having Mr. Hot and his lady friend move in so close to her house was an exciting adventure for her.

“Hi, I’m Cadence. I live across the creek. Pleased to meet you. These are for you.” She practiced her introduction in front of the mirror a few times. And when she was sure she had it down to perfection, she set out with the basket hanging loosely at her side.

Outside, Cadence was surprised to see the weather had changed, a sandstorm was brewing from the west and judging by the fierce winds blowing around her she knew it was going to be a bad one. She quickened her pace; she didn’t want to get caught in the torrid weather.

In the crumbling manor across the creek, Luca busied himself by starting the fire in the heath, trying his best to ignore April as she sat listlessly in one of the four arm chairs in the room.

April hated storms and the mournful sounds coming from the basement were not doing much to lift her spirits.

“How can we just sit here? They can sense something is different this time. You have to get the Witch on board ASAP!” She grabbed Luca’s half full glass of blood from the coffee table and sent it soaring in the air. It hit the opposite wall and dropped on the floor, breaking into perfect halves.

“Great job April, there’s plenty more where that came from so go right ahead and waste what we have!” Luca’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he glared her.

“I can’t take this, Luca! Doesn’t it bother you that he’s in there? He probably won’t last l-” April didn’t finish her rant.

In a flash Luca had her throat in his hand, his icy fingers wrapped tightly around her larynx. He held her up on the wall and watched the small red veins in her eyes pop out.

With a single twist, he could easily snap her neck and end her undead existence. But Julian loved her and he’d never forgive him if he harmed her in any way.

“Don’t you dare say it!” Luca warned her as he loosened his grip on her throat and let her go.

April collapsed to the floor in a clumsy heap and Luca walked right over her to the couch.

“He’s alive and holding on.  They are all doing okay!” He continued softly, more to himself. “And for fuck’s sake it bothers me. He’s my brother. I can’t say the same for you though. You’re probably wishing and praying he dies so he doesn’t find out what you’ve been up to. You couldn’t wait to sell yourself to the one person he hates, could you?”

“It wasn’t like that!” April shook her head.

“Really? Then what was it like?” Luca rubbed his chin sardonically.

April opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, instead she threw her face in her hands and wept.

Luca watched her cry, willing himself not to cave and fall for her tears. But her tearful sobs couldn’t be ignored, they brought to life memories he didn’t want or need, snapshots he’d struggled to ignore for the last two decades.

It had pained him to see April break down and fall apart when they came back from their hunting trip and found Julian locked in the cellar.

For hours, she had lain outside the door, talking to Julian through the wall, refusing to leave him there. He, at Julian’s insistence, had had to use force to pry her from the room and take her to safety, away from Twinbrook, until the dust with the Witches had settled and a plan to rescue the clan was devised.

It had seemed so easy then, so straightforward, and neither had imagined it would take twenty odd years to bring their plan to fruition.

“How many times must I say I’m sorry,” April wailed, interrupting his vivid trip down memory lane.

She stared up at him but quickly hung her head shamefully when she saw the look of contempt in his eyes.

“You don’t owe me a fucking apology April. Save it for Julian,” Luca spat at her.

A gentle knock on the front door melted the ice between them. Luca sprung to his feet to get it, glad Andrew had arrived. Now he could get things in motion.  And if all went well, Julian and the others would be out in a month and they’d all get the hell out of dodge.

“You are fucking la-” He was about to rebuke his cousin for tardiness, but the rest of his words remained lodged in his throat.

It wasn’t his cousin. It was Cadence.

Up close her uncanny resemblance to Sonja and Luanne was frightening. She had the same high cheekbones, their family’s trademark it would seem, the same pale eyes and rich auburn hair, and how could he ignore the long aristocratic nose.

“Hello, I’m Cadence, I live across the creek,” she stuck out her hand for a handshake. He eHedidn’t take it.

Cadence flushed at his rudeness and dropped her hand limply at her side. Her gaze shot past him and met the same drab furniture and cobwebs her mother had encountered just days before.

Luca draped his full height on the door frame. He had no intention of letting her inside.

He turned on the porch light and closed the door behind him. The flame-colored glow from the light flickered on Cadence’s face, and not for the first time he found himself marveling at her beauty.

He toyed with the amulet on his neck as he studied her through hooded eyes, thinking about Sonja’s own necklace; it wasn’t a Youngblood talisman, he knew that much at least since all the members of the older generation in Sonja’s coven had it, and its magic source was unusual for Witches. If he were to guess, he’d say it was of Elvan origin. The necklace’s power, in the few minutes he’d held it, had disturbed him more than he’d let on and it had confirmed what he’d hoped were unfounded suspicions, the Youngbloods had an alliance. Apart from the wolves, Emme, the only remaining elf in town and the only person who’d never taken sides before, was now in the Witches’ corner. And that didn’t sit well with him…

“I brought you guys some muffins, to welcome you to the bayou,” Cadence broke through his erratic thoughts with her sheepish cry.

She held out the basket to him and Luca had a sudden urge to laugh. She had no clue what they were, Sonja obviously hadn’t filled her in, or her daughter wouldn’t be standing on his porch playing Stepford Wives.

“Thank you,” he smiled, but he was careful not to show his fangs, as he accepted the muffins.

Their hands brushed, Cadence pulled back, she had a startled look in her eyes.

“You are so cold,” she blurted out.

“I know,” Luca replied, “I’m cold blooded.”

She laughed, trying to convince herself he was joking. It sounded hollow, forced. He joined her but before long they had nothing to laugh about and she stared at her feet, kicking at the weeds in front of her with the toe of her cowboy boot.

“It was nice meeting you Cadence, thanks for the muffins. I’ll be sure to drop this off in the morning,” Luca waved the basket at her and ushered her away.

Andrew would be arriving any moment now. His hatred for the Youngbloods and their little coven of Witches was enough to drive away all thought and reason. Once he committed to a particular course of action, changing his mind would be impossible. If he found Cadence there, there’d be a war. And he couldn’t have that; he couldn’t have Andrew mess with his plans.

Cadence nodded and jammed her tiny hands in her pockets as she backed away slowly.

“You never told me your name,” she turned back.

“Luca. Luca Delacroix.” He watched her face closely for any hint of recognition. There was none. Her face remained an intriguing blank canvass, begging to be explored.

“See you around Luca,” she gave him a small wave before dashing down the steps.