His face crumples in agony at the prospect and he turns back to look at her for a few moments. I see his head drop in defeat so I take his arm and lead him from this studio, sparing one last longing look back at her face and then lock that brief moment of having her in our lives away forever. I lead Luca straight out of the house and into the carriage nodding to the driver that we are ready to depart and then climb up behind him and settle into the seat across from him.
Luca stares out the window for the first thirty minutes that we travel before finally squaring his shoulders and meeting my gaze. His voice is raspy from disuse.
“Where are the wolves?”
I tip my head. “Where indeed. I will need your help extracting them, I’m afraid.”
He sighs but nods and then goes back to looking out the window until we arrive at our first destination. Luca follows me into one of the more exclusive houses of ill repute and follows along as I wave off the proprietor and climb the elegant staircase to the second level. It’s not hard to find them as the door to the chamber they’ve been occupying for years is wide open with half-dressed women lined up along the hall waiting for their turn. It does not escape my notice that every single one of them has red hair.
We step into the large room that reeks of spilled spirits and sex and I wave Luca toward Finn while I move on Cade. The two naked women pressed against him are easily plucked off and with one hard look from me scurry from the room. I stare down at my brother as he stares back, eyes cloudy from being so lost in the madness of misery that they try to drown every day with alcohol and sex. If they were mere men instead of supernatural beings, they would have been dead decades ago from the abuse they’ve put their bodies through since she died. I reach down and haul him up over my shoulder and carry him from the room with Luca bringing Cade in the same manner. When we reach the front doors, I toss a bag of gold coins to the Madame with a nod and carry my brother to the waiting carriage and dump him inside, naked as the day he was born.
Once we are all in again with the wolves passed out at our feet the carriage races to our final destination. By the time we reach it the wolves have come around and managed to pull some clothing on. Cade squints through the window and sees the forest of masts ahead. His only reaction is to raise one eyebrow before flopping back into his seat.
“Aye, and where would we be going, then?”
I eye all three of them until I have their full attention.
“It’s been eighty-one years since Eden died. Today will be the last time we speak of her. We will leave her and our memories of her in France and sail on the tide to the new world where we will forge a new life. It’s time for us to live again, brothers. It’s time for us to forget and move on. Fix her face in your minds for the last time and then let her go - for once we set sail we will never speak of her again.”
I see defiance and sorrow in their expressions but slowly it turns to acceptance and I receive the nods of their agreements as the carriage comes to a stop. I throw open the door and stride toward the ship that will take us to the next chapter of our lives.
Sebastian – 1775
The distant sound of a thunder crack has me glancing toward the door just as the barmaid drops four mugs of ale to the dirty table in front of us, causing some of the brew to spill and adding to the sticky mess that already coats the well-used rough planks. It’s the third round we’ve suffered through as we wait for our contact to show his face. We sit in silence, no words needed to be said as all the details of the transaction that’s about to take place have been in the works for weeks.
A prostitute sashays over and brushes up against Luca, reaching to smooth his hair with dirty fingers and her mouth opening to offer her services when his hand flashes up to grip her wrist, stopping her from touching him.
His eyes are like ice as he bites out, “Leave off! You’re not wanted here.”
He shoves her hand away and angles away from her in dismissal as he picks up his mug and takes a deep drink. I shift my gaze away from his face as Finn slips the rejected woman a coin.
“Must you be a right bastard ta all that comes near you?” Cade snaps.
Luca’s only response is to stare back at him with cold, lifeless eyes. Cade shakes his head and lifts a hand to rub at his chest as if to soothe a pain. He does it unconsciously, as does Finn. After all these years, one hundred and eight to be precise, they both still feel the ache from the missing bond with her. As far as I can tell, Luca feels nothing.
We crossed an ocean and when we reached the far shore, the broken hollow man that he was, was reshaped. All the broken pieces of him are now hard edges that cut anyone who dares come too near. He filled his emptiness with ice and indifference. In essence, he became the man I used to be before a certain witch melted all the edges from my soul in one night of love. Try as I might, I can’t seem to forge them again.
We wait and every time the door swings open our eyes track that way but the man we are waiting on does not step through. Two more rounds of ale are delivered and drank and I finally see the wolves begin to lose patience. I’m concerned when I see both of them rubbing their chests again and the deep frowns that they wear on their faces. When the door opens once again both their heads shoot up and I see them sniff at the scent on the air. They share a confused look that has me leaning across the table.
“What? What is it?”
Both of their gazes meet mine and then shift cautiously Luca’s way. Finn shakes his head like he’s trying to dislodge something and then they both look away.
“For fuck’s sake, spit it out!” Luca snaps at them causing Cade to glare at him and then turn to me.
“We can smell…her…scent.”
Luca slams his mug against the table sloshing the planks with even more ale and snarls.
“Shut your filthy mouth! You don’t smell anything of hers. We had an agreement. I will say this one time and if you ever bring her up again, I will kill you. She’s dead. We watched that sword slide through her chest. No one survives that so you don’t smell her and you don’t feel her bond and finally, you don’t talk about her ever again! Do you understand me?”
“Luca! That’s enough.” I warn when I see the red starting to ring his pupils.
He keeps Cade pinned with his glare for a few more moments before pushing back from the table and to his feet. “I need something stronger than this piss. I’ll get a bottle and four glasses.”
We watch him shove through the crowd toward the bar until he’s out of sight and then I sigh even as Finn’s slamming back the rest of his ale and swiping at his mouth.
“Fuck if he’s not hard ta take some days. I understood why ya pulled us out of France, Bas but some days I think ya shoulda left that one lost in his fucking clay.”
