Volume 1.40: Not That Simple

Type: Series
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: M

Characters:  April, Cadence,Carmella, Ethan, Eugénie, Luca, Rachel, Romulus, Rudi, Sonja, Stella, Willow
Word Count: 2946

Glossary: 

Warning: coarse language

It's been a long week

And all the lines come down heavy on me

It's been a long week

I'm finally feeling like it's okay to break

into a thousand pieces

Been A Long Day-Rosi Golan

The mood in the basement was euphoric, bordering on hysteria. Everyone was thrilled to have Cadence back. Willow and Rachel smothered her with hugs and kisses.

Even April, the ice maiden, seemed happy to see her. 

“For a pesky cat, you’re full of surprises,” April joked as she gave her a hug.

“And for a Vampire you’re not as scary as you pretend to be,” Cadence returned her embrace.

Once the excitement had died down, Cadence wanted to get to work. But Sonja insisted she should get cleaned up first and have a small nap.

“But mom-” She was about to argue when Warrick’s voice stopped her.

“We’ve waited twenty years baby girl, what’s a few more hours?”

Hearing her father address her for the first time filled her with an overwhelming love she’d never felt before. It wasn’t like the profound adoration she had for Luca, or the protective fondness she felt for Sonja. This was…Different. New. But equally intense.

“But I want to stay and talk to you,” Cadence took a step toward the door.

“We’ll have plenty of time to talk,” Warrick assured her. And Cadence smiled at the promise in his voice…

_______

Luca’s bed was hard and uncomfortable, and Cadence figured one had to be a vampire to enjoy its full benefits.

She was exhausted but she couldn’t get her mind to shut down, and hard as she tried to force her eyes to close she couldn’t. So she resorted to counting sheep. She was on ninety-nine when she heard footsteps on the stairs. She turned her head around just in time to see Luca reach the landing.

“Why are you still awake?” He asked.

“How can I sleep when there’s so much to do?” Cadence answered his question with her own as she got up from the bed.

He held out his arms, and Cadence snuggled closer to him.

Knowing that in a few hours she’d no longer have the luxury of being in his arms like this made her want to cry. They were running out of time. As soon as they opened the door, Luca would be gone.

“So this is it?” She asked after a long silence.

“It doesn’t have to be,” Luca dropped a quick kiss in her hair.

“I don’t see any other way,” Cadence shook her head. She pulled away from him, preparing to escape from his arms, but his grip tightened around her.

“You can come with me to Hidden Springs.”

“And what would I do there?”

“Dance, paint, study. You can do anything you want,” Luca suggested.

“I’m going to Bridgeport.” She announced. It was a snap decision, one she didn't know she’d made till that moment.

Luca pulled away. He crossed the room and sat on the bed.

Cadence took a step forward to join him, but she stopped when she saw the smoldering anger in his eyes. He was mad at her, and she didn’t understand why.

“When did you decide?” He asked.

“I don’t know, right now I guess.”

“Is the idea of you and me so repulsive you have to make impulsive decisions?” He demanded. His voice was low, but Cadence couldn’t miss the anger in his words.

“The idea of you and me? You told me you don’t want me, remember? You told me you can’t give me what I want!” Cadence bunched up her hands and closed her eyes quickly as she tried to hide her pain as she remembered their time at the beach when he’d crushed her heart by refusing to give her what she wanted.

“You know that’s not true!” In a flash he’d crossed the room again and he had her in his arms. Cadence struggled for a while, trying to break free of him. The harder she tried though, the more determined he was to hold on to her. With a tearful sob she gently banged her forehead on his chest.

“I want you,” Luca gently grazed the side of her cheek with his mouth. The sensation of his lips, so cold on her feverish skin, made her yearn for things she knew he could never give her. She wanted more, so much than just his empty words. 

“But it’s not that simple-"

She cut him off before he could finish,“when is anything ever simple with you, Luca?”

From there their argument escalated. One minute they were talking about their living arrangements, and the next, accusations of selfishness were flying around. Cadence wanted Luca to come to Bridgeport and start a new life with her. Luca couldn’t. He couldn’t leave his clan, not right now, especially so soon after their freedom.

“I can’t,” Luca insisted.

“You can’t or you won’t?” Cadence demanded.

“Don’t do this, please. Don’t make it harder than it has to be.”

Cadence kept quiet after this.  His words stung. They made her feel like she was being selfish, demanding more of him. Maybe she was. But was she wrong for wanting him to want her as much as she wanted him?

She walked to the window, trying to put a little bit of distance between them. It hurt to be in the same room with him. It hurt to be so close to him and not have his heart.

“Why can’t you come with me? To Hidden Springs. Your parents will be there.”

“That’s not my dream, Luca. Dancing is.”

“I can’t stand in the way of your dreams then,” Luca whispered.

Nothing was said after that. They’d reached the end of the road. It hurt. So much. It made her wish she could rewrite their ending…

________

Across the marsh another relationship was coming to an end. Rudi had come home to grab a change of clothing, but just as he was about to leave, Romulus cornered him.

His father tried to explain and justify why he didn’t tell him about Fae. But Rudi didn’t want to hear any of it, not right now at least.

“We’ll talk about this later. Right now Cadence needs me. I have to help her,” Rudolf tried to walk away.

But Romulus wouldn’t let him leave. “I forbid you from helping those filthy vampires, and that harlot Sonja!”

His father’s statement left him dumbfounded; he didn’t know what to say. And then he laughed because there was really nothing else to do. “What am I? Five years old? You can’t forbid me to do anything, father!” With that he picked up his backpack and walked away.

Just as he was about to slip out of the the camp, Romulus’ words stopped him in tracks.

“If you leave now you’re no longer welcome here.”

“What do you mean?” Rudi stammered.

“It’s this pack or those bloody vampires. What’s it going to be?”

Rudi kept quiet for a while, weighing his options, trying to come up with the right words to say. “I have a chance to correct your past mistakes, make things right again in this town.  I thought you’d be proud of me, proud that I’m finally the man you’ve raised me to be.”

“I have nothing to be ashamed of. We did what he had to. We saved the town. Those Vampires got what they deserved!” Romulus refused to see his past mistakes.

“It wasn’t Luca’s clan. The man responsible for this whole mess is Ethan. Those were his fledglings!” Rudi tried to keep his voice calm, but he was losing his temper very fast.

Romulus looked like he was considering his statement, and just when Rudi thought he would give in he crushed him with his words, “they are all vampires, son. They don’t deserve to live.”

Rudi shook his head, amazed at his father’s lack of remorse. “You imprisoned innocent men. You robbed a little girl of a chance to get to know her father. Don’t you see how wrong that is?”

“Warrick was an unfortunate casualty. Sadly that’s a reality of any war, there are always casualties.”

“You are despicable!” Rudi lost it then. He’d always had deep, mad respect for his father, and in the past he would never have to dared to speak to him in that manner, but his self-righteousness, his lack of remorse for his past actions was too much, he couldn’t stomach being in his presence any longer.

He turned to leave, but Romulus didn’t let him get far. He was enraged. He saw his departure as a clear sign of disobedience, and defiance, and being the leader of the pack he had to assert his authority, especially with his own kin.

In a blink of an eye, he transformed, and Rudi followed suit, preparing to defend himself in their feral combat.

Rudi tried to field off his father’s blows, but Romulus’ rage was too potent to be contained.

In a matter of seconds he was finished. He lay flat on the ground, battered and bruised, battling to breathe.

“Don’t ever set foot in my camp again!” Romulus spat at him before he walked away.

Minutes passed, and Rudi just lay there, hoping the pack would come to his aide. But no one came, no one bothered to check on him.

Somehow, as broken as he was, he managed to pick himself up from the ground and crawl to the manor.

Sonja was horrified at what Romulus had done to his own son. But she couldn’t say she was surprised. She’d tried to warn Rudi earlier, she’d tried to tell him his pack was as dangerous as her coven, they valued loyalty above anything else.

_________

Long 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 in all honesty, the thought had never crossed his mind. 

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, his plan was 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 though 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.

“We’ll get him,” she purred as she got up from her seat and draped her arms over his shoulders.

Ethan just grunted his displeasure, and she saw it as her cue to comfort him the only way she knew how.

She knelt in front of him, and just as she was about to unzip his pants the doorbell rang.

Ethan brushed her aside unceremoniously and fixed his clothes. “Get the door.” He spat at her.

Eugénie hissed under her breath as she scurried out of the room, she hated it when he treated her like one of his meaningless pets.

She was back a minute later, followed by Mahomed Khan, the Egyptian curator, and a tall, striking woman of African descent.

“Mr. Mackenzie, it’s good to see you again,” the curator held out his hand for a handshake.

Ethan didn’t take it, “Is it?”

“Yes, yes, of course. It’s always a pleasure to do business with you. The board is very thrilled with your generous donation.” He drawled in his thick accent.

“I’m sure they are,” Ethan grunted.

Khan wasn’t in the least put off by Ethan’s hostility. He quickly made the introductions, and explained his companion, Asala, was there to verify the Star. He didn’t say it, but Ethan knew she’s a witch; she had to be since only witches could verify the authenticity of the Star.

“After everything I’ve done for your people you still don’t trust me?” Ethan addressed Khan, but his glacial gaze was fixed on the witch, taking in everything about her, from the bright turban on her braided head, to the vibrant beads adorning her neck, the colorful ensemble she wore did little to enhance her slender frame. She wasn’t beautiful, not  in the traditional sense at least, but she had a strong presence. When she walked into a room, men and women paid attention to her. Like right now, Ethan wanted to look away, but something about her held him transfixed.

Asala returned his stare with a scornful look in her eyes, her upper lip curled in contempt, her feelings were plain for everyone to see; she didn’t like being in Ethan’s presence any more than he enjoyed hers.

“It’s nothing personal Mr. McKenzie, it’s just business,” Khan smiled wanly. 

Ethan dismissed him with a shrug of his shoulders and motioned for Eugénie to get the Star, the sooner the insufferable man was out of his hair, the sooner he could return to his plan to destroy Luca.

“Liar!” Asala scoffed at Ethan as soon as she held the satin pouch in her hands.

Ethan rounded on her with an angry glint in his eyes, as much as he found her attractive, he didn’t appreciate her accusatory tone.

Asala though, confident in the protection spell she’d no doubt cast on herself before their visit, was prepared to take him on.  “This is a fake! I don’t feel its power. Liar! You try to deceive us!” She spat, her words tumbled out thick and fast, Ethan could barely understand them, but from the way she dumped the Star on the table and promptly left the room, he could tell she was furious.

For a moment Ethan was rendered speechless, his mind reeling from the witch’s revelation. When he finally pulled himself together, his expression was comical, flitting from shock and disbelief to embarrassment, and finally controlled rage.

“The board will not be pleased Mr. Mackenzie when they learn you tried to trick us.” Khan bellowed his outrage, pulling Ethan out of his daze. 

He stared at the curator contemplatively, thinking of a plan of action. He could just deal with Khan right now. But he knew the museum's board was aware of their meeting. He’d be the first person of interest should anything happen to the Egyptian.

Backed into a corner, Ethan tried to smooth things over with the curator. But Khan was having none of it. He’d given him plenty of time to return the Star.

“The artifact belongs to my family,” he pointed out when it was obvious bargaining wouldn’t work. “I have every right to do as I please with it.”

“No. Out of respect for your father’s memory we allowed you to borrow the Star. But it belongs to the museum now; your father used it to pay off an old debt." Khan pulled out his cell phone, preparing to call the authorities in Egypt.

Ethan snatched the phone from him before he could though. “Please, give me time. I’ll get the original back.”

“So where is the original if I may ask?”

Ethan refused to say. But he assured Khan he’d get the Star in a few days.

“You have 24 hours, Mr. Mackenzie, after that I will have no choice but to get the authorities involved.” Khan warned him as he held out his hand for his cell phone. 

Wordlessly Ethan passed it to him. And Eugénie showed him out.

"Wake the newlings.” He ordered her when she came back into the room.

Eugénie hesitated. “Why?”

“We’re going to war!” he announced…

__________

Rachel was in her room, packing an overnight bag when she heard a knock on her front door followed by her mother's and Carmella's angry voices. It wasn’t clear what the heated exchange was about, and Rachel was determined to stay out of it and let them handle it on their own, so she zipped up her bag and headed for the door.

She turned back though and looked around her room one last time.

Instantly, she was filled with a sadness so profound she wanted to cry. She didn’t want to leave home, didn’t want to run away. But things had turned to shit in a matter of hours. Rudi’s fallout with his father, Cadence’s complicated relationship with Luca, it was all a mess, and as a result the three of them had decided they were going to Bridgeport right after they’d opened the door. 

She knew they were being impulsive, not thinking things clearly, but when it was all said and done, there was no point in staying in Twinbrook. It didn’t feel like home anymore.

She’d just reached the kitchen when she stopped in her tracks. Carmella was hysterical now. 

“We warned her this would happen! Why couldn’t she leave it alone? Why did she have to stir up shit?”

Stella tried to soothe her, but nothing she said seemed to get through to Carmella.

“Romulus wants to deal with Ethan. Of course, Luann supports him. But without the Star, there’s no way we can prevent this. And I’m not staying here. I can’t live through the nightmare again! I just can’t!” With that Carmella left Stella’s grasp and bolted out of the door.

Stella tried to run after her, but she tripped over the bottom step and fell face down.

Rachel ran to her aide and helped her up from the ground.

“You have to warn Sonja. Carmella had another vision. Ethan is planning an attack on the town.”

_______

Note: As always, special thanks to everyone whose poses I  abuse every chance I get. And to Karima, for putting up with me, reading and rereading and re-rereading all the horrible 1st drafts, and then still have to clean up some of my images.