Page 10 of The Clash of the Damned (The Titan Syndicate Saga #2)

Luca

D eath is not an unfamiliar concept to a Supernatural.

Rarely do we die from old age as we should.

Instead, we learn to expect death around every corner despite our gifts and the advantages they give us.

Our world is run by power and money, which usually results in murder.

To get to the top, hearing someone is dead is normal, moving everyone up the ranks.

But I never expected it to be my parents.

What’s the saying? “It never happens to you until it does?”

The wind whips around me as I race my new toy through the mostly quiet streets of Chicago in the dead of night, the stars shining brightly, leading me home.

My memories of the sitdown are blurry, like trudging through quicksand.

I remember trying to attack Amelia after she admitted to being a Rogue and murdering my mom, and then there was a scream.

The Rhodes were dead, and even though Sebastian was justifying it, the fury that Jude felt for him as she held her dead father’s body, must have been what I looked like when I saw Amelia.

He must have caught onto that too. It wasn’t long after Dom’s exit that they left, and then it was only Jude and me.

She at least had bodies to hold and grieve; I had nothing to say goodbye to.

We’re both orphans now, and I wish we didn’t have it in common.

I don’t know how long I sat there after she left, after Beau helped her collect the bodies.

Where did I go? Who did I go home to? There was no one left for me.

Except, there was. Silva. Jude must have called her while she dealt with her family, because Silva was the one to collect me.

She told me to sort my shit out while she announced the change of power to the Undead and kept an eye on Tao.

Those first few days, it was an effort to put one step in front of the other and just exist. I even considered leaving Chicago to find a new city where no one knew who I was; where I could start over.

A place without all this death that follows me.

But my family’s legacy can’t end with me.

I would never be able to live with that.

I had to find a reason to keep going, and I realized I had one all along.

Me . I want to live, and more than that, I want to thrive.

One or two bad moments doesn’t replace all the good in my life, especially at Tao.

I will go back there. I owe it to myself.

But success and all these achievements may feel pointless because I have no one left to share them with.

I may not have all the answers yet, but I’m getting there.

I’ve embraced this hardened version I’ve had to become to survive my new position as leader of my empire.

Turning onto my street, I see someone waiting outside for me.

My eyes narrow as I recognize Amelia. She looks good; the life of a Rogue suits her.

In her floral summer dress, which is out of place at this time of night, and her long, dark hair floating behind her in the breeze, she looks as though she is coming home from a date with me.

But she’s not, and while my heart does race at the sight of her, the rage I feel for what she did by taking my mother from me makes it thrum even faster.

Parking my motor bike and pulling off my helmet, I shake my hair out.

“New look?” Amelia calls, pointing to my leather jacket and pants ensemble.

I don’t bother explaining to her that it’s motorcycle gear and necessary to blend in.

“How did you find me?” I cross my arms over my chest.

She holds her hands up in peace, her false bravado quickly fading. “Some things happened this evening…with my family, and it’s time you and I spoke. There are things you need to know. Once I’m done, I’ll leave you alone, outside of our shared family responsibilities. Deal?”

I hesitate for a moment longer than needed, my old feelings getting in the way. Empires always do favors for each other, but it’s never out of the goodness of their hearts. “What do you want in return for this information?”

“Nothing.” Amelia chews at her lip. “I owe you answers.”

Curious as to what she’s referring to, I decide to let her in and gamble if it will undo all the progress I’ve made.

“Let’s make one thing clear. I don’t care what we had, and the only reason why I’m not killing you for what you did to my mother, is I can’t afford a war with the Rogues.

Despite this invitation, you’re not welcome in my home or my life. Understood?”

“Lead the way,” Amelia says softly, and I ignore the downcast look on her face.

The days of me being won over by her emerald green eyes are gone, and I scan the fob to get into my building with her close behind.

The elevator ride to the top floor is awkward silence as I try to get a handle on my anger.

Finally, just when it feels like I’m about to lose it, the elevator opens into my new apartment.

Another change I’ve made since the sit down.

It’s smaller than what my parents had, but it’s as modern, clean, and open.

I needed a fresh start if I was going to have any chance of healing.

“Take a seat at the couches; I’ll be right there.” Briefly, I consider offering Amelia something to drink–that’s what my mother would expect–but that would also imply she’s welcome. I doubt my mother would graciously welcome her murderer into her home, so chivalry be damned.

Grabbing my bottled blood, I sit on the couch opposite her, my leg bouncing as I wait to hear what is so important. “You look different, thinner. Are you drinking enough?” She motions to my bottled blood.

“You don’t get to do small talk with me, not anymore. Say what you came here to say, or get out.”

“When I started working with Dominic, Alyssa was my only target. I hated lying to you, but it was necessary. If Sebastian and I had been caught…I didn’t want you caught up in the middle.

When Dom came across his father’s black mail notes, things changed.

Dimitri Hart kept meticulous notes on the spells he had to perform for influential people.

I imagine he thought it was an insurance policy.

Neither Dom nor I expected to find your mother’s name on this list. It was the only one out of place. ”

My shoulders feel tense, like I’m bracing for the blow. “Why didn’t you tell me back then? We could have handled it together.”

Amelia looks away, like my question pains her.

She’s always carried her emotions in her eyes, and now, there is a haunted look that never quite leaves them, a mirror of the grief I’ve been trying to work through.

“Losing you is my biggest regret, and if I could change things…Wondering what could have been won’t help either of us now.

” She pauses, like she’s trying to collect herself.

“According to Dimitri’s notes, your mother had your memory wiped after she came to him in a panic.

She had a hit placed on you with one of the Undead families, and she didn’t go to the Rogues as she needed to keep it in house.

Going away for business was a way of maintaining her cover.

But that all fell apart when they went for your dad, not you. ”

My fingers grip into the cushions on the couch as I hear her words.

I want to believe they are lies, but instinctively, I know they’re not.

I’ve always felt off about my memories surrounding my father’s death, and I never understood why.

Seeing my tension, Amelia asks, “Do you want me to stop?” Shaking my head, I encourage her to continue.

I need to hear this. “When things didn’t go to plan, your mom panicked from what we could see, and she ran to Dimitri.

His part in this was helping your mom cover it up.

The only way they could do that was by wiping your memory.

When your mom realized that you were stronger than them, she backed down.

She couldn’t figure out a way around your strength. ”

I almost forget to keep breathing.

“I became concerned and started watching your mom, more-so when she re-entered society. I didn’t fully trust that she would let it go, especially when you two had always seemed close.

No one ever pays attention to the help, which is what she thought I was on the odd occasion she saw me.

When I saw her meeting with the Dramont family to make plans to finish what she started, I knew I had to act.

She had to die, Luca. She was never going to stop until you were dead. ”

The silence between us is deafening, until I finally break and ask the one thing weighing on my mind. “Why did she do it?”

“That’s a good question, one I don’t ever think we will ever have the answer to,” Amelia says.

“But if I have to guess? I think she was scared of you. You’re one of the most powerful Undead I can find any record of, next to Drusilla.

Your mom wasn’t ready to give up her power, and while I think she loved you in her own way, she loved her power more. ”

Amelia gets up and walks over to my TV, turning it on to a news report.

“You haven’t answered anyone’s calls, but you need to know about this.

” It’s a repeat news report, but it seems to be all anyone wants to talk about if the bulletin is to be believed.

A pretty blonde woman walks onto the set in a pastel pink suit.

The headline flashing across the screen reads: “Supernatural creatures are real and walk among us.”

“Sebastian and I ran into issues at a standard clean up job this evening; it shouldn’t have been that difficult. Things are changing for us and our world, and I want you to be ready for it.”

“Care to elaborate?” I ask as I rub the back of my neck in frustration.

“We have a religious problem. I believe our ancestors would have called them witch hunters. Eden is the leader of The Children of Christ, a position she took over after her father was assassinated by us. It started when she and Brooklyn had a disagreement at school.”

My eyes widen as I make the connection. “So now she’s picking up her father’s mantle?”

“Correct. There are Supernatural bodies popping up all over the city. This time, Sebastian and I have nothing to do with it. And if you listen to the interview, Eden and her cult take full responsibility. She says they’re doing God’s work .”

Finally reaching my breaking point, I look up at Amelia with as much venom as I can muster.

“Get out,” I tell her. She looks at me in surprise.

“What, did you think I was going to fall back into your arms after you told me this? Now that you’ve come to save me from myself and this cult?

Even if it’s all true, you still lied to me.

You could have come to me with this information and we could have figured it out together, but you took that option away from me.

Get out. I never want to see you again. ”

She doesn’t argue, but she stops at the front door and turns over her shoulder to look at me. “I’ll respect your wishes, but really, it’s a pity you don’t want to be part of my life. I’m fucking fabulous.” On that note, she walks out of my life again, something she’s become familiar with.