Chapter 9
Lucifer
I should’ve stayed asleep.
After the intense night with Yvonne, I decided I needed to clear my fucking head for a while.
Now that I know where she’s living, I can always go back.
She won’t up and leave, not when you consider how much thought and care she put into that place.
The herbs she’s growing are unique, a lot of them illegal to grow, and I know she wouldn’t risk it being found.
But I didn’t think I’d find myself… well… here.
When I first woke up, I was driven by instincts.
I left the castle in Transylvania, without so much as even speaking to my sister, Ophelia.
Instead, I listened in closely, used the persuasion powers that I possess, and got on a plane.
I followed Yvonne’s scent to the cottage, but I didn’t really take a moment to absorb everything.
I was too angry, too excited to see her, and then rip her head off.
Now that I’m finally able to take in the scene around me, I’m in a state of shock.
The world has changed too much in two hundred years.
Tall buildings — that I now know are called skyscrapers — that seem to serve no purpose.
Who would want to live so high up in the sky?
A minor catastrophe could strike and boom, they’re dead.
Humans truly have no sense of self-preservation.
I almost got hit by a car, twice. Not only are they different from what I remember, but now there are these things called crosswalks, that I have to use to cross the street, otherwise I could get imprisoned or killed.
Not that either of those things would happen to me.
These humans live by too many rules nowadays and, although I’m not proud of it, I did steal some money from Yvonne.
I needed it so I could learn the currencies, and the way money works in today’s society.
I used it to buy clothes that fit the standards, and one of the women working at the boutique told me I should cut my hair.
Does she not know that long hair is proof of wealth?
I know I stole from a witch, but Ophelia will reimburse her, my family has endless amounts of wealth.
Now, I’m sitting outside of a coffee shop, with a plastic cup of something they call iced coffee in my hands. It tastes… fine. I can’t really tell. Aside from blood, I can’t taste many things, but since it’s rather popular, I’d say has to be good.
“Do you know how long it took me to find you?”
My eyes snap to the side, and I spot my brother, Valerio standing there. His long, black hair is tied into a low ponytail, reaching his waistline. He’s dressed in a professional shirt, a pair of shoes that look expensive, and a pair of pants that were definitely tailored to fit his body.
“Valerio,” I lift a brow. “I didn’t think I’d see you this soon.”
“I followed your scent, after Ophelia told me you woke up,” he takes a seat next to me on the bench. “How does it feel being in the land of the living, again?”
I roll my eyes. “Eh, fine. Give me some money.”
Valerio laughs. “Money? Fine, here’s my card.”
He pulls out a small card, and I blink, staring at it.
“What the hell is this?”
“A… bank card?” He blinks, then realization dawns on him. “Right, you were asleep when these were invented. Basically, you take this to an ATM machine, type in your pin, and you’re able to withdraw money from your account.”
“What’s an ATM machine?”
Valerio takes a deep breath. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you all about the electronics and fill you in on all you’ve missed. Now, the most important thing, why do you reek off that witch?”
“Ah, Yvonne,” I scoff. “I’m going to kill her.”
“Highly doubtful,” Valerio drawls out. “If you wanted her dead, she’d be dead by now. So, what’s going on? Why is she alive? Why are you covered in her scent?”
“Apparently, her curse was improvised, and it didn’t have the desired effect.”
He quirks a brow. “It put you to sleep for two hundred years. If not that, what was her goal?”
“I’m not sure. But something went awry, and she ended up connecting us somehow.”
Valerio closes his eyes slowly, sucking in a sharp intake of breath. “Fucking fantastic. Does she, at least, have a solution?”
“She better come up with one, I don’t care what it takes. I will force her, if need be, to fix this. I cannot imagine staying alive for the rest of eternity and having her tied to me.”
“It still doesn’t explain why you reek of her, though.”
“That is none of your business, Valerio.”
He doesn’t say anything for a moment, but his brows skyrocket to his hairline. He blinks, and when realization dawns on him, he smirks. All I want is to wipe the smirk off his stupid face, but knowing that he won’t push the subject forward, I take a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.
“Anyway,” I clear my throat. “Back at the castle, I smelled someone else aside from Ophelia. Who was it?”
“Oh, you didn’t stick around long enough,” he leans back on the bench, a smile on his lips. “Our sister has a mate.”
I freeze. “What?”
He hums, nodding. “A hunter named Faith.”
“A human? She didn’t smell like one.”
“Their bond formed after Ophelia turned her.”
“Ophelia turned someone?” Disbelief slips my tongue. Out of the seven of us, she’s the one who rarely turns anyone, if ever.
“Accidentally, but yes.”
“Is Ophelia happy?”
Valerio nods. “Yes. It was rather rocky at first, but now… she’s happiest she’s ever been. She’s found her forever person, and you should go back home to meet Faith properly. You’ll like her.”
I’m glad Ophelia has found someone. She’s always been the matriarch of our family, always putting herself last, always doing what was in our best interest, with no regard of what the consequences were for herself.
The fact that there’s someone who can be there for her, her person, makes me extremely happy. Though, since Valerio mentioned she was a hunter, I’m assuming she went there to kill Ophelia. So much for liking her.
“Once I figure out how to deal with Yvonne, I will,” I promise. “Where’s the rest of us, though?”
“Cassius is still chasing after Juliana, trying to clean her mess up. Honestly, she’s getting too reckless, leaving too many bodies in her wake.”
“So basically, nothing has changed with the two of them.”
“Precisely. Darius is living near the sea, as always, and rarely reaches out to us. Aurelia… who knows? She sends letters from time to time, so she’s well. You know how secretive she is.”
“I’m just glad they’re all well.”
“Ophelia and Faith are getting married in four months. Come home for the celebration.”
“Of course,” I nod. “What should I buy them?”
Valerio pauses, then a small smirk tugs on the corner of his lips.
“I know just the thing.”