Luca

Luca stared at his phone. He was an idiot. Why did he add the part about the date? She'd made it very clear it wasn't a date, but waking up with his arms wrapped around her warm, soft curves had made him forget that little detail.

Ten minutes passed, and she didn't respond. His ego suggested she might be sick again, but that bothered him more than the thought of her ghosting him. He should've known something was wrong when he watched her sneak into her house that morning, still swaying while she walked. But he figured she'd be fine once she got a few hours of sleep.

A grimace pulled at his mouth. He hadn't been as attentive for a few reasons. His father had called several times over the course of the night, and then he resorted to text messages. Luca's father hated text messages- would spend hours describing how texting was ruining their society- but he wasn't above using it if it meant he could get his point across to his son.

"Luca?" His door swung open after a tentative knock. Livy stuck her head through the crack.

"What, Livs?"

She came into the room and shut the door. Red pillow lines marred her tan cheeks and mascara was smudged beneath her lashes. But when her hands went to her hips and her thick brows drew down, all signs of sleepiness fled and were replaced by rage.

"What Livs? What Livs!" Her chest heaved. "You left me last night."

Luca lifted his hands to keep her at bay. Her pupils had nearly swallowed her irises. The sight made the hairs on his arms stand up, and the beast within shifted in warning. "Livy, calm down. You knew we weren't staying. I asked if you were cool with me dropping you off."

"I was cool with you dropping me off because it implied you'd be picking me up. But that's not the only reason I'm pissed."

"Oh, well, that's good," he growled. He couldn't stop himself, and Livy responded to the sound with a hiss of her own.

"When I get home late last night, I discovered that not only had you not come home yet, but Bane and his jerk wad friends were talking about a fight they got in with you. And then, no one can get in touch with you! Do you know how out of our minds with worry we were?"

"I was fine. I won the fight."

"There shouldn't have been a fight."

"Livy, they jumped me. I didn't instigate it."

"I understand that, but they have chosen you to lead our people. You can't do that if you're dead."

Luca surged to his feet, his hands gripping his hair. He prowled around the room, Livy watching him without speaking. When he finally spoke, his words clipped. "What would you have me do? Stay in this room until Falcon steps down or dies?"

"If it would keep you safe, yes. Do you not understand the position our family is in because of this? People are angry. Never has the position of leader not passed from father to son. Bane will kill you to take what he thinks is yours."

He studied his cousin. Gone was the girl who'd urged him to chase his desires, to go after Van. Gone was the girl overcome by her wild, wanton side. Before him stood a girl on a precipice: one who trembled with childlike terror but only because her eyes saw the world as a woman. She knew the dangers ahead of them.

"Why did you push me after Van if you were so concerned about my safety? Her father is Abraham Van Helsing- slayer of the supernatural."

"We're safe from the Slayers because of the contract."

Luca snorted. "I don't think any man who goes after Abe's little girl is safe. If that man is also a member of our community, well you might as well tie my hands behind my back and let Bane at me."

His cousin deflated and took his place on the bed. She twisted the fabric of her leggings between her fingers while she stared out the window. "I've never seen you look at a girl before. Like, I was beginning to think you were just, you know, not interested in the opposite sex. Hell, I mean, even anyone. You didn't look at guys either.

This conversation had just taken a 180. Luca felt like he had whiplash.

"Van is harmless fun, if you're smart. The Slayers support our family over the Forests. They want to see this power exchange."

"Livy, when did you get so wise to all of this? You've never really shown an interest in politics before."

"I've always been interested, but you know it's frowned upon for girls to get involved like that. Especially, unmated. If my other half says it's okay... But after what happened to my dad-" her voice broke, "I decided it was important to stay informed. I can't lose you too."

She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. Without hesitation, Luca wrapped her in a hug and dropped a kiss on her dark head. His nose wrinkled. She smelled like an ashtray and stale booze. On any other day, he would've teased her mercilessly, but not today. Today, he knew she hadn't showered because she'd stayed up to the point of exhaustion waiting to make sure he was okay.

Sniffling, Livy pulled away, but not before punching him in the chest. "What the heck?"

She wiped at her cheeks, smearing the mascara that had run with her tears. "Next time, shoot of a text. Better yet, don't let there be a next time."

"Don't worry. If there is one, it'll be awhile yet. Father threatened to ground me. I believe he said something about me being his son first and I wasn't Alpha yet. Of course, he may have just been saying all of that to get on Mother's good side."

"Oh, no," Livy said, flopping back onto the bed, her body language relaxed now. "What did Uncle Edwin do to piss off Aunt Maria?"

He shrugged and pushed his hands in his pockets. The cold metal of his phone brushed his fingers, dragging his thoughts back to Van. Pulling it out, he frowned. Still no text message.

"He's excited about my future; she's furious. Guess he figures if he comes down hard on me, she'll think he's not abandoning her baby to the wolves."

Livy's tongue rolled out of her mouth and her eyes sparkled. "Sometimes, literally."

A snappy retort sizzled on his tongue but his door burst open, causing it to fizzle out. Sophia grabbed his hand, her brown eyes wide and her breathing labored. "Luca. Come quickly."

"Wait, Soph- what's going on?" he asked, letting her pull him into the hallway. His mother's wails echoed around the house and only his need for information kept him from running ahead. "Sophia!"

She choked back a sob. "It's Brantley. Oh, Luca. What will we do?"

His baby brother. His beautiful, innocent baby brother with his big blue eyes and cute voice. His love and laughter. What had happened to him? There were only two things that could cause this response: death and... Please don't let it be the worst. Please.

He leaped over Sophia and cleared the stairs in one jump. There was no need to look over his shoulder. Both girls would be close behind, and he didn't need his sister to lead the way. He could hear the chaos in the parlor- the cries, the growls, the heartbreak.

"Mama," Luca shouted, spying her first when he entered the room.

She stood with her back against the wall, her hands over her mouth, and tears flooding her face. Father's arms were over her shoulders, his face grave. He jerked his chin towards the center of the room, and Luca followed it.

"No," he breathed, dropping to his knees. "He's too little. It's not supposed to happen so soon."

"They'll take him," Sophia said. Livy's gasp punctuated her words. "If this happens before thirteen, they always take them."

Luca didn't need to be told. Every person in this community knew this, and they watched their children with fear, only breathing a sigh of relief when they reached the dawn of the thirteenth year without incident.

A growl fell from Brantley's snarled lips, his long, black tail twitching with agitation. Feline, amber eyes watched Luca, no hint of the little boy's humanity present. Another hiss and roar- the sound making Luca cry. Even in the body of a panther, a fierce predator, Brantley sounded like a child.

Pounding on the front door brought Luca to his feet, and he walked across the room, never lifting his eyes off of Brantley.

"Don't open it, Luca," his mother begged. Her nostrils flared, and he smelled what she did: human. Somehow, they already knew.

"We will be forced to break the door in," the person on the other side shouted. A Slayer. Come for Brantley.

Luca's knuckles turned white around the doorknob. He wanted to do what his mother suggested- defy the people who ruled their lives, but it would end as it always did: shifter blood spilled. He yanked open the door and eyed the man and woman standing on the front porch.

They wore the standard uniform: red leather and combat boots. The woman's hair was pulled back from her face in a severe braid, and the man's face looked like someone had chiseled it from granite. Cold, unfeeling people. Or so he thought. Some of the ice in the woman's eyes thawed when she saw Brantley spitting and hissing in the corner.

The man pushed forward, a metal cage in his hands. He dropped it in front of Luca's little brother. "Someone can either assist me with loading him, or I can tranq him."

"Richard, he's barely a half-grown kitten," the woman protested, circling behind Brantley. Mother buried her head in Father's shoulder, and Sophia joined their tight hug. Livy was openly crying, and fine, dark hairs were sprouting on her arms.

"I'll help," Luca said, utilizing his supernatural speed and scooping up Brantley before anyone could speak. Richard's jaw tightened, and Luca narrowed his eyes at the man. Let him understand what would happen if he had to deal with someone his own size.

"Where are they taking my baby?" Mother said, lunging after them as they walked out the front door.

The woman stopped while the man kept walking. She hesitated, looking at her partner before turning back to them. "I promise, he'll be fine. We're only going to process him into the system, and if we can get him to shift back, he'll returned to you with a monitoring system. He'll be in good hands at The Holy Asylum of Light. I promise."