Page 51 of Bane of Hate and Silver (Primordial Inheritance #1)

“By fifteen minutes! And don’t call him that.” Her arms crossed in annoyance.

Nick looked stunned. “I only meant that it’s not what I expected. You know, werewolves can be dangerous.”

“Not you too.” Jules rolled her eyes.

“Me and who now?”

Jules nodded her head toward the closed bedroom door.

Nick made a sound that conveyed both mild dislike and annoyance for the man who had broken his nose. At least to Jules it did. “Who cares what golden boy thinks?” Nick said after just a few moments.

“I do Nicholas. Before a couple hours ago, he was the only family I had.”

“Yeah, well…” Nick’s next comment was cut short when her phone began to ring from the small dining table across the room.

In a fraction of a musical note, she was standing, had checked who was calling, and answered Monica’s call.

“Hi Monica,” she greeted.

“It’s me, Jules.” Luca’s voice was barely audible and laced with a deep pain.

What was wrong? Why was he with Monica? And why wasn’t he calling from his own phone? “Are you alright?” she asked instead of the questions flooding her mind.

He continued slow, heavy breaths into the phone but didn’t speak.

“Luca?” Jules noticed from the corner of her eye that Nick had stood also. Walking to the heavy curtains, he peeled one away tentatively but dropped it back in place as soon as the bright sunlight stung his face and hand.

“I’m okay,” Luca finally said. “For now.”

“What do you mean for now?” Jules tried to keep her tone level, even though anxiety-spiked adrenaline pumped through her veins. “Luca, what’s going on?”

“Carson knows about us.”

Jules waited for him to continue, biting down on a nail. Nick gently pulled her hand away out of some form of instinct. She swatted at him lightly.

“How…” she began but trailed off when he continued to speak.

“He tried to have me killed.”

“Is everyone alright? Are you?”

Nick hovered nearby, obviously sensing some distress.

“I’ve healed.” Luca’s tone was flat. Detached. There was something he wasn’t saying.

“Luca, what is it?” she encouraged softly when he hesitated to continue. “Talk to me.”

“It’s Ricky,” Luca said finally.

“What about Ricky?” she asked very tentatively but wasn’t sure she wanted to know anymore.

“Carson attacked him. He’s been cut by a silver blade. Jules… I,” but the sound of his voice died out.

She couldn’t speak either. Cut by a silver blade. Silver was fatal to werewolves once it had entered the bloodstream. Ricky was not going to make it. She tried to wrap her brain around that reality.

Jules vaguely felt herself drop to one of the hardback chairs, her elbows resting on the table. “Is he…?” she couldn’t finish her question.

“Not yet. But I don’t think he has much time,” Luca said, sounding a little steadier.

“Listen, Jules. Carson is coming for us. All of us. Hayley will likely be spared, but he probably has an execution order out on Kyle by now too. I want you to stay where you are. This fight is going to get bloody, and I don’t want you to get caught in the crossfire… ”

“No, Luca.” Jules’s tone was unwavering. “This is my fight too.”

“Please…”

“I am not going to hide in the shadows while people I care about are dying. You are going to need me in this fight. You know that.” Her voice was as final as her decision.

This was not a discussion. She was a centuries-old vampire, and she knew how to fight an enemy that was out for blood. “I’ll leave at nightfall. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Luca said and then they both ended the call.

“So, who are we fighting?” Nick asked. Gabriel may not, but Jules knew that Nick would stand by her side.

Luca , Hayley, and Kyle stood in the kitchen. No one spoke for a long while. Luca tried to relax his body by leaning against the kitchen counter. Kyle had wrapped his arms around Hayley, who had buried her face in his chest.

“We need to kill the bastard,” Kyle said quietly.

Luca had been thinking this also, he just hadn’t voiced it yet. “We can’t just barge into the Den and kill him, Kyle,” Hayley said, looking into Kyle’s eyes. “It would be suicide.”

“Hayley’s right. We have to be smart about this,” Luca said.

Kyle absentmindedly stroked her hair.

Luca thought of Jules. He wanted her there with him. He wanted to be able to hold her. He needed her.

“If we attack Carson, we will all die too,” Hayley said.

“We need more support,” Kyle added. “We need allies, or this fight will be over before it even begins.”

“What about Demetria?” Luca asked.

“What about her?” Hayley replied.

“Did you tell her this was Carson?”

“Not yet.”

“Don’t you think if she knew, she’d be on our side,” Luca asked.

“Maybe,” Kyle said.

“But will she believe it?” Hayley asked.

Luca didn’t look up as he spoke, “she won’t if she hears it from me.”

“I’ll tell her.”

Luca’s head shot up. Tasha and Monica had just entered the kitchen. Monica’s arm was still around the younger girl.

“What?” Luca asked, stunned.

“I’ll tell her it was Carson.” Tasha fidgeted. “Ricky told me all about… everything. Who he is, who you are, who you’re dating.” She pointed at Luca. “And who was going to come after him if someone did.”

All the wolves in the room were now looking at Tasha, astonished. “You’re extremely brave to be standing here with all of us,” Kyle said.

She chuckled softly. “Ricky said so too. I think it’s cool.” She gave them a sad half-smile. “So, I’ll tell her. I think she’ll believe me. I don’t know any of you. I only know what Ricky told me.”

“If you’re willing to try to convince her…” Hayley began.

“I’ll do it.” Tasha paused a moment. “For Ricky, I’ll do it.