Page 47 of Bane of Hate and Silver (Primordial Inheritance #1)

Tragedy Under the Sun

L uca woke as the sun began to rise over the upturned Jeep.

Though his injuries had begun healing themselves, there was blood all over his surroundings.

One of his shoulders had probably been dislocated, but it had slipped back into place as his muscles began righting themselves.

He reached for the seatbelt, which was still holding him upside-down.

With a great yank, he freed himself. Falling onto the grass and shattered glass beneath him, Luca grunted in pain.

His hands and arms were inflicted with fresh cuts as he shifted to kick what was left of the driver door clean off.

He crawled out, still clutching his abdomen.

Carson obviously knew about Luca’s attachment to Jules.

Jules was in Fort Miles and, for the first time, he was grateful that Gabriel’s dilemma had taken her far from here. However, there were others who might now be in peril. If Carson had somehow learned that Kyle and Hayley consorted with Jules as well, they could be next. He had to warn them.

With a yell of pain and a flash of light, he went from man to wolf. His paws carried him more swiftly than his feet would have, and his blood covered clothes disappeared under his fur. He climbed up the steep incline and across the road, heading straight through the heart of town.

Ricky practically jumped off the bed when he was awakened by a loud pounding on Luca’s bedroom door. He’d walked up the stairs late last night to wait on him to return and had fallen asleep across the end of Luca’s bed.

Ricky didn’t respond to the knock, choosing instead to lay back down and yawn. Whoever it was, was most likely looking for Luca anyway.

Just as Ricky started to drift back to sleep, Carson burst through the door, eyes blazing. He froze in the doorway for a fraction of a second and then came at the still half-asleep teen, grabbing his shirt and lifting him off the bed. Ricky wanted to scream for his mother but kept his mouth shut.

“What the…” Ricky grabbed at Carson’s fist. “Let go.”

“Traitors don’t speak in my presence,” Carson snarled.

Ricky didn’t know why he was a traitor, but decided that he’d keep his mouth shut for the sake of his own preservation. Especially since the veins in Carson’s neck looked as if they might explode at any moment. Ricky jerked his head toward the door when he heard his mother calling Carson’s name.

“We will finish this later!” Carson said through gritted teeth just as Demetria reached the bedroom door.

“Carson!” she shrieked, running toward them.

Carson shoved Ricky back onto the bed. He bounced upon landing. Demetria ran to him, her hands hovering over her son helplessly.

He sat up, shaking himself. She hugged him around the neck, kissed his hair, and then placed herself between her lover and her child.

“In the future, Carson,” Demetria’s voice rose, “You will keep your hands off my child.” For the first time since his father’s death Ricky felt like he had his mother back.

Carson closed the space between them and struck Demetria across the face with the back of his hand. “You will never speak to me like that again!”

Demetria’s hand covered her discolored cheek, but she did not move or shrink away.

Ricky stood to defend his mom, but she grabbed him by the wrist, holding him back.

“Your son is a traitor to this pack,” Carson shouted, pacing menacingly in front of them but did not move toward them again.

“You are our Alpha.” Demetria bowed to Carson. “But he is my son, please allow me to handle this,” she begged, her head bowed submissively.

Carson glared at her and then at Ricky and back at her. Instead of responding, Carson growled and exited the room.

Ricky stepped away from his mother, dropped onto the bed and rested his elbows on his knees.

“Ricky, honey, what was Carson talking about?” Demetria asked, turning to face him.

“I don’t know,” Ricky said honestly. It’s not like Carson had been transparent with the details of his supposed betrayal.

“What did you do?” she said, grabbing him by the arm and shaking him.

“I don’t know!” he shouted yanking his arm away. Other than not censoring his actions and making friends with Luca and Jules, he really wasn’t sure what he’d done.

“We have a good thing here, Son. Why are you intent on screwing it up?” she spat accusatorily.

“A good thing?” Ricky snapped, astonished. “He just hit you, Mom! Dad would never have treated us like that and you know it!”

“Not another word about your father, do you hear me?” She pointed her finger at him angrily. “Your father is dead. He is never coming back. It’s time you accepted that.”

Her words stung. They hadn’t even spoken about his father since arriving here. She really was content to sweep Micha Harrison under the rug and never think of him again.

Leaving his mother’s cold words behind, Ricky ran out of the room, down the stairs, and as far from the Den as fast as his feet would carry him.

Luca approached Kyle’s apartment, shifting back into a man once again, bloody clothes and all.

He stopped when he heard raised voices coming from inside. Kyle was protesting someone’s actions, and they weren’t Hayley’s.

“If we find out something else!” A voice shouted.

Luca walked to the open doorway and peered inside. Adam and Kyle were having a standoff while Hayley’s father stood nearby, his shoulders slumped under some unseen emotional weight.

“You’ll what?” Kyle spoke sharply, his hands clenched. In all the time he had known him, Luca had never seen Kyle this angry.

Hayley stepped between her husband and Adam, pushing each of them back forcefully.

“Hayley, come.” Her father closed the distance between them and grabbed her by the arm. “This marriage is over. I’m taking you to Carson now!”

Luca stood his ground, although he wanted to step forward and punch Hayley’s father for treating his friends this way.

She yanked her arm away as Kyle stepped up behind her. “You’re not serious?” Kyle growled.

“You can’t mean that,” Hayley added, her voice trembling.

Her father’s tone softened a little. “We must. Your Alpha still desires your hand in marriage. We must assure him of our family’s loyalty.”

“He’ll accept no other form of proof,” Adam added. “Carson wants your marriage annulled. He called this morning demanding it.” Adam’s tone didn’t sound as impassioned as his father’s, just resolute.

“I won’t do it.” Hayley glanced up at Kyle who slipped his arm protectively around her waist. “It’s too late.”

“You will do as I tell you, for once in your life!” her father yelled.

“I can’t! I love Kyle. My loyalty is to him, before you, before the Alpha, before anyone.”

“Your loyalty is to your Alpha first,” her father said angrily. “Always.”

“My Alpha is wrong,” Hayley shouted back.

“That is treason!”

“Then I accept the consequences for my treachery.” Hayley squared her shoulders determinately. “I am an adult Father; my choices are my own.”

Adam looked from his father to Hayley, to Kyle and back to his father. “Father let’s go.” He stepped between his father and Hayley. He glanced over his shoulder at his younger sister. “She’s right. We can’t make her do this.”

“Carson said…”

Adam put his hand on his father’s shoulder, cutting him off. “I know what Carson said and we’ll do what we must, but not this.”

Hayley’s father looked back at his daughter and her husband. He sighed and nodded. Both men turned toward the door and Luca bolted, tucking himself into a darkened corner as they exited the apartment.

Once they were out of sight, he crept through Kyle’s door, shutting it behind him. “Holy hell!” Luca said.

Both of them jumped a little and looked toward Luca. Kyle had both arms wrapped around Hayley, who was crying softly.

“How much did you hear?” Hayley asked.

“Enough,” Luca said.

“The pack is all riled up,” Kyle said. “There is a lot of talk about a betrayal.” Kyle looked as though he was winding up for a joke. “But, of course, everyone in this room already knows who the traitorous creature is. Don’t we?”

Luca rolled his eyes, but he’d made Hayley smile. Kyle wiped a couple of tears from her face.

“So,” he said, holding Hayley close again. “Why do we have the pleasure of your company, my traitorous Canadian friend… in my living room… unannounced… looking rather rough?”

Luca dropped onto the couch. He had momentarily forgotten about his bloody state. “I’m in trouble.”

“Um... dude. I think we already know that. You’re in love with a dead person.”

“Very funny.”

“Thank you.”

“I mean that I was run off the road last night. I think Carson sent Kip to kill me.” Luca’s voice had become serious.

“Oh, that kind of trouble,” Kyle said raising his eyebrows.

A phone beeped. Luca had the reaction to check his own even though he knew it was back at the wreck in teeny-tiny, unsalvageable pieces.

“Okay, so problem one hundred and two just text me,” Kyle said, looking down at his phone.

Luca did not respond but smiled at his friend’s sense of humor and waited for him to continue.

“Ricky says that he couldn’t get ahold of you, we all know why, so I was next on his ‘help me’ list. Carson accused him of treason this morning.”

“Considering the execution attempt I just survived, I’d say the kid is in danger for sure. Carson’s lost his mind,” Luca said.

“Where is he? Is he safe?” Hayley asked.

“Hold on,” Kyle said and typed out the question.

After a few tense seconds, the response beeped in his hand.

“Yeah, he’s okay. He’s at his girlfriend’s house.”

“Hand me your phone,” Luca said, and Kyle did so. He pulled up the number and hit send.