Luca

Luca excused himself after getting Van settled in her bedroom. Paula, the Helsing's former housekeeper and resident Healer waited by the bed, along with a human doctor whose name Luca couldn't remember. Xandra eyed his wet shirt- amusement and parental disapproval warring in her bright green eyes that looked so much like Van's used to.

Over the last three weeks he found excuses to avoid the woman, slipping out whenever she came to visit her daughter. All so he could avoid looking into a face that looked so much like the sleeping girl's. On some level, he understood how hard it must have been on Abe to see Van everyday and be reminded of Xandra.

When Van gasped- the first noise that had passed her lips besides the occasional whimper of pain- Luca raced to her side, his heart lifting when she sat up. He was so ready to see those beautiful eyes, but she turned away from him almost immediately. Discovering she was upset about the color had been a relief from the dark thoughts swirling about in his subconscious, and he told himself if that was all that changed, then they were lucky.

Van didn't seem to be in agreement, but after no one made a big deal about it, she settled down, though Luca knew her well enough to know there was something else bothering her. Behind the strange glow, she bore a haunted expression. Hers had not been a slumber without its torment, and he restrained himself from pressing her for answers.

"Is she really okay?" Hailey asked as he passed her on the stairs.

"She's awake," he replied, because he didn't know if she was okay. If any of them would ever be okay again.

Hailey didn't miss the evasion. The Slayer missed nothing, a fact that increasingly annoyed him the more time they spent together. If he didn't know that the Slayers kept impeccable breeding records of their families, he might suspect the girl possessed a bit of clairvoyance.

Thankfully, she didn't push the subject, but he would have preferred that over the question she asked instead. "Why aren't you with her?"

"Because-"

He groaned, a lie hot on his tongue. Because after weeks of being torn into a million different directions and choosing Van, he'd almost lost his damn mind when she suggested it would be better if she'd died. His panther almost snatched control so Luca doused Van in water and scrambled as far as he could get from her in case he shifted. It wouldn't be the first time he'd lost control like that since the night in the crypt. Only Bane knew the truth, and for some reason, the boy was keeping his secret.

"It's fine, Luca. I'm sorry for pressing," Hailey said, saving him from himself. "It's a bad habit of mine. I don't always know when enough is enough."

The girl wasn't talking about this conversation, but Luca wasn't curious enough to press for answers. He needed to get out of this house before he exposed his control issues to everyone.

"I'll be back after a perimeter run," he said, bursting into a jog before Hailey could protest.

Outside, winter held the land in a firm grip, but the cold suited him just fine. Stripping quickly, he tossed his clothes on stone steps leading up to the front door and shifted, landing on paws instead of feet between one step and the next.

Ever since taking over, the Chateau Lumiere was a hive of activity day and night. He could hear the thudding steps of booted soldiers as they marched around the house, and from the sharp, burning scent in the air, someone was eating onion rings for a midnight snack. He paused in front of the brightly lit dining-room windows and studied the people sitting at an ostentatious wooden table.

Nancy pointed at a stack of papers, her plump lips nearly flat as she waited for an answer to a question Luca hadn't heard. From the way the line dipped further down her chin, she didn't like whatever the answer was, but at last, she sighed and moved onto another stack of reports.

It had surprised him to discover how many Slayers fought with the Deltas. Enough that it explained their willingness to allow one in such a prominent position of leadership, but the bulk of their army comprised people like Luca: supernaturals. In more varieties than he knew existed. All working toward a common goal of bringing down the Holy Asylum of Light so that they could live freely in the world.

Slipping through the trees, Luca's long, smooth stride took him to his favorite spot on the grounds. It was a cliff ledge overlooking the Grand River as it snaked between Briarwood and Thornton. Though the hour was late, a few lights twinkled in the darkness like grounded stars, making the snow glimmer despite the cloudy sky. He'd discovered it only a few days after the battle, and it had become his refuge in the chaos. It was more of the world than he'd ever seen before, and if Van hadn't come into his life, he might never have seen this view or dreamed of seeing beyond it.

He laid down as close to the edge as he dared, his dark fur disappearing into the snowbank. This was the first night the peace he'd been searching for was missing. A growl rattled his chest. Now, more than any other time, he should be euphoric; instead, he was pissed.

"What's eating you?"

Snarling, he scrambled to his feet and looked into the trees. A snow leopard lounged on one branch, her tail flicking as she studied him from above.

"You could have announced your presence, Livy," he snapped, returning to his resting position. "Is it too much to ask for a moment alone?"

"I thought big, bad future Alphas were always aware of their surroundings," she replied, dropping soundlessly to the earth and joining him on the ledge. "You should be more careful."

Livy wasn't wrong. The dangers they faced hadn't lessened just because Abe had been captured. It was obvious many thought they'd won the war by defeating the Supreme, but the Holy Asylum of Light wasted no time in retaliating. They made it clear they were an organization that would carry out their mission: Supreme or no Supreme. Two shifters in Luca's pack had already been killed for being caught outside of the twenty-five-mile radius, and the pack lands were now surrounded by Slayer guards twenty-four/seven. As one of the faces of the rebellion, Luca couldn't return home to help his people- which was another failure to add to his growing list.

"Heard Price and Uncle Edmond found proof that Brantley is still alive."

"The pictures were dated four days ago. Anything could happen in four days."

Livy nuzzled his shoulder and chuffed at him. "They won't hurt him. He's a baby, Luca, and even then, he's worth more alive than dead. You and I both know, they'll play their hand, eventually. They'll use him to lure you out."

"Why haven't they done that already? They've had plenty of opportunities." During the long hours at Van's side, he'd dreamed of that happening. He knew it would be a trap. They all knew it would be, but it never came.

"Someone has to be feeding them information from the inside. It's probably the same person who took the two Slayer bodies from the crypt after the fight- Isaiah and whoever that other guy was. I think they were waiting for Van to either die or wake up, and now that she's awake, they'll make their move. It won't take long."

Luca flexed his paws, watching his claws rake through the snow. Livy was right, but that also meant they had a spy in their midst. Even among allies, they couldn't let their guards down.

"Your sisters and I are working on figuring out who the spy is, and don't you dare get all over protective about that."

His mouth fell open, and his tongue lolled out. It was the closest he could come to smiling in his panther form. "I wouldn't dare. Nora reminds me daily that I can't spout off about bringing down the old ways while treating them like fragile glass. Besides, I trust you to take care of them."

Livy snorted- an odd sound coming from such a fierce-looking creature. "You know how to take all the fun out of things. I expected a fun fight out of you. You look like you could use a fight, which is funny considering your girlfriend just woke up out of a coma."

Luca stood, eager to get away from this line of conversation. No one would understand what it was like to live in such darkness for weeks, only to realize upon her waking, that he wasn't getting the same Van back. On a subconscious level, he knew she wouldn't be the same. Hell, he wasn't the same, but knowing was different from experiencing it.

He shook the snow from his fur. It was time to head back and hear what Paula and the doctor had to say. Van had a long journey ahead of her, but the hardest part- the waiting- at least was over.

Sirens wailed, shattering the surrounding silence. Three short bursts of sound followed by one long note. It was the signal the compound was under attack.  Livy and Luca took off. She pulled ahead, her white and gray fur disappearing against the icy landscape while he cut to the right, looping around to the back of the house.

Lying low, he kept to trees and bushes, hoping his black fur would appear like a shadow against the snow. Ears forward, he paused and listened. Someone was nearby- their steps clumsy and loud, but it was what he couldn't hear that frightened him more. This close, he should have been able to hear the heartbeat of whoever approached, but there was nothing.

A twig snapped, and Luca turned his head slowly. Three feet away stood a figure he vaguely recognized, his Slayer leathers torn and stained. His skin was pallid and sagging, and there was a half-healed bullet wound in his throat.

"Here kitty, kitty," the man said, dragging a dry tongue over his brittle lips. Fangs descended slowly, dripping with venom as he stepped toward Luca. "I'm starving."