Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: M
Characters: Emme, Sonja, Rachel, Rudi
Word Count: 1847
Word Count: 1847
Glossary:
Warning: coarse language, violence and nudity
“We know what you’re planning to do,” Luann was the first to break the silence. Sonja didn’t have to ask how they’d figured it out; Carmella, the coven’s resident’s seer, had obviously had a vision.
By now you'd know that I'd come for you
No one but you, yes I'd come for you
But only if you told me to
And I'd fight for you
I'd lie, it's true
Give my life for you
You know I'd always come for you.
I'd come for You-Nickelback
They’d just entered the woods, on their way to see Ethan, when Luca, Andrew and Rudi suddenly stopped in their tracks. All three were instantly on alert, and Sonja gave them a quizzical frown. Before they could fill her in though, Luann, followed by the rest of the coven, emerged from one side of the woods. Romulus and his pack appeared from the other.
“Why am I not surprised?” Sonja smiled bitterly when she realized they were surrounded; there’d be no avoiding this confrontation.
“We know what you’re planning to do,” Luann was the first to break the silence. Sonja didn’t have to ask how they’d figured it out; Carmella, the coven’s resident’s seer, had obviously had a vision.
“Then you already know there’s no point in trying to stop us!” Sonja replied.She took a step forward and tried to move past her sister, but Carmella and Dana blocked her path. Stella though, stood off on one side; she didn’t seem comfortable with the confrontation.
“This is unforgivable, Sonja!” Romulus barked harshly.
“You mean as unforgivable as what you did to Emme?” Sonja rounded on him with a fierce glint in her eyes.
A tense hush washed over the small group. Luann looked like a deer caught in headlights, while Romulus hung his head in shame.
“What does she mean?” Rudi addressed his father. His voice sounded shrill, bewildered even.
“Nothing,” Both Luann and Romulus spoke at once, while everyone else looked on, wandering who’d break first and tell the truth, something had to give.
“Nothing,” Both Luann and Romulus spoke at once, while everyone else looked on, wandering who’d break first and tell the truth, something had to give.
“Sonja, what did you mean?” Rudi demanded when it became clear to him that his father and stepmother wouldn’t give him any answers.
“I’m sorry, Rudi. It’s not my place to say.” Sonja tried to ease away from the looming battle, but since she’d started it, the young wolf wouldn’t let her.
“Tell me!” He demanded."
This time it was Stella who spoke, “your father had a child with Emme!”
They all heard the proverbial pin drop. And then chaos ensued as Luann dived for Stella, screaming at her and calling her all sorts of names.
Sonja and the rest of her coven tried to pull them apart, but their claws were out, their battle had been a long time coming. It was a lot of things, years of resentment; years of simmering tensions had finally come to a head.
Rudolf and his father were engaged in a heated debate of their own. Their pack tried to calm them down, but neither was in the right frame of mind to listen to reason.
“I had a sister and you didn’t tell me?” Rudolf barked at his father.
Romulus tried to explain, but his explanations had come twenty years too late.
As much as Luca and Andrew would have loved to stick around and watch the two groups tear each other up, the clock was ticking, they were cutting it very close with Ethan. They inched away from the conflict.
The coven and the pack were not done, but they were forced to retreat when Sonja and Rudolf walked away to join Luca and Andrew.
“This isn’t over! I won’t let you do this, Sonja!” Luann screamed at Sonja’s retreating back.
And Sonja did her best to ignore the menace in her sister’s voice. But she knew Luann didn’t make threats lightly. A rematch was guaranteed…
________
The clearing was empty when they got there.
Luca checked at the time on his phone. He almost cursed when he saw they were ten minutes late. A part of him knew he had no reason to panic, Ethan wouldn't leave just because they were a few minutes late. But Ethan wasn't exactly predictable, and anything could set him off.
"I don't think this is a coincidence," Sonja cried in a hushed tone as she looked around them.
Luca knew she was referring to the clearing. He also knew Ethan had picked it for a reason. He wanted one last run down memory lane.
A sound in the brush caught his attention, Rudolf and Andrew immediately rallied around Sonja protectively.
A second or two passed before two female vampires made their presence known. From the bloodlust in their eyes Luca could tell they were fledglings, no older than three weeks. He wondered just how many of them there were.
"Where's Ethan?" He demanded.
The blond took a step toward him and placed a finger on his lips condescendingly, silently telling him to shut up. He fumed inwardly at the blatant sign of disrespect.
Before he could react, she was already patting him down and feeling him up, making sure he’s not armed.
Her hands lingered on his groin, gently kneading and caressing him. Luca saw Sonja look away, embarrassed by what was going on.
"Get your hands off me," Luca warned the blond in a low tone. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't affected by her. But still, he didn't appreciate her advances.
The girl circled him, laughing the whole time; her fangs glistened in the sunlight.
"When you get bored of your little kitty, call me sometime; I wouldn't mind exploring all of you." She blew him a kiss before she pranced off to Rudi. Her nest mate was still busy with Andrew; he looked as uncomfortable as Luca had felt just moments before.
Rudi, never one to hide his hatred for vampires, threw the blond across the clearing just as she was about to touch him. A deafening sound echoed throughout the silent brush when she hit one of the nearby trees.
In a blink of an eye she was back on her feet, heading straight for Rudi at blinding speed.
"That’s enough!" Ethan stopped the blood bath before it could begin.
Luca turned away from Rudi and regarded his foe; he looked as sleek and as devious as ever.
"Where's my daughter?" Sonja cut through the bullshit.
Ethan ignored her and approached Luca, moving in slow measured steps. His message was loud and clear, he was in no hurry, no rush to speed things along. And if they wanted Cadence they'd better be prepared to put up with his charade.
"So here we are,” He whistled softly when he finally stopped in front of Luca. “Where it all began."
"We have your Star, where's Cadence?" Luca ignored him. He wasn't in the mood for reminiscence. But Ethan wouldn't drop it. Not until he'd had his fun.
He turned around and walked to the post at the center of the veld. He just stood there for a while, gently running his fingers on the wood.
"This is where you hung him," Ethan spoke at last. His voice was low, but it carried clearly.
"As if emasculating him wasn't enough, you had to leave him exposed for the whole fucking town to see!" This time Ethan couldn't keep the rage from his voice.
"He was a rapist, and a murderer. He deserved it!" Luca barked right back at him.
"He was my father!" In a flash Ethan had crossed the clearing and he had Luca's throat in his hand.
Andrew and Rudolf ran forward, ready to rip off Ethan's head, but they stopped in their tracks when five or so vampires appeared from the woods.
One of them held a basket with Cadence inside.
Sonja lost it then; she threw out her hands, ready to send them all to hell with her magic.
But the same blond who'd felt Luca up earlier, gave her a warning look, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
"I can kill your fucking bitch right now, Luca and hang her up on that tree for the whole town to see," Ethan taunted.
"Watch your mouth, you filth!" This time Sonja couldn't hold back her rage; all hell broke loose as she sent a fire blast in Ethan's direction, he and Luca jumped out of the way just in time, it missed them by mere inches.
In a heartbeat, all seven vampires were all over her like a bad rash, biting and clawing at her, the basket housing Cadence was forgotten.
Andrew and Rudi came to her aide, while Luca dealt with Ethan.
The smell of blood permeated the air, and for a long time, only the chilling, feverish howls could be heard as everyone lost themselves in the frenzied blood bath.
Sonja, even with her magic, was no match for the vampires.
Andrew and Rudi tried to draw the fledglings' frenzied attacks away from her long enough to give her room to get away, but every time she thought she'd made it to safety, one of the vampires would pull her back into the brawl.
A loud, high pitched sound pierced the air and everyone stopped mid action, they clamped their hands tightly over their ears, trying to block out the noise. It sounded like a wounded animal, broken and in pain. It was horrible, and it took them a while to figure out it came from Cadence.
"She's coming back," Sonja screamed.
Luca scrambled away from Ethan's hold and took off his shirt. He threw it at Sonja. She caught it swiftly, and ran towards Cadence. She reached her side just as she shed off her spectral form.
"Cade, you're back!" Sonja cried as she took Cadence in her arms and held her.
"He's alive, mom. We have to help him. We have to get him out of there!" Cadence cried over Sonja's shoulder.
"I know, darling. And we will, but first we have to get you home, you must be exhausted and starving," Sonja told her as she helped her throw on Luca's shirt.
"No one is going anywhere!" Ethan bellowed, shattering the temporary calm.
"Give it up Ethan, it's over," Luca drawled softly as he held out the Star.
Ethan took it, grudgingly though.
"This isn't over," he warned Luca before he turned and walked away, his clan scurrying behind him.
"I know," Luca whispered. This was just the beginning.
Sonja looked at Cadence, and then at Luca, before she shook her head and followed Andrew and Rudolf down the path leading to the woods.
Alone, Cadence and Luca didn't know what to say considering the last time they were together they didn’t part on a good note. So they just stood there, staring at each other. Both feeling unsure.
But they couldn’t fight the pull between them for too long; it was too strong to be ignored. In a few short strides they were in each other's arms.
Their reunion kiss was intense, and Cadence clung to him and let him guide her through the storm of emotions surging through both of them.
"Don't ever do that to me again!" Luca growled against her lips.
"So you did miss me," Cadence smiled impishly at him.
"No, not really." Luca shook his head.
"Okay then, I guess I'll just change back to my spectral form," she closed eyes, preparing to change back.
But before she could follow through with her threat, Luca picked her up…
And kissed her senseless once more…
______
Note: As always, special thanks to the usual suspects whose poses and CC 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.
