CHAPTER ONE

Naked. Bound. Luca strained his wrists and ankles upward, seeking a release from the silver cuffs and chains that burned his flesh deeper with every movement. The sound of sizzling skin echoed in the room with the slightest movement. Luca lay imprisoned flat on a stone altar, his battered body racked with pain. His arms were spread to each side, the chains on his wrists wound around the hard pedestal legs. His feet were tightly bound together, effectively immobilizing him.

Where the fuck am I?  Scanning his surroundings, Luca realized he was in an abandoned building, a Catholic church. He could see the Stations of the Cross painted on the faded, chipped walls. Streams of light shone through a broken, stained glass window. The church smelled of mold, urine and blood. His blood. Used surgical syringes littered the floor. A rubber band was loosely tied to his arm. Because there were no marks on his arm, he reasoned he must have healed himself. Shit. Someone had been syphoning his blood.

The last thing he remembered, he had been escorting the witches to their coven. An attack, a blinding silver spray flashed in his mind. Luca couldn’t remember how long he’d been unconscious. Weak, so weak. It took everything he had to wriggle his arms. The silver burned and drained his energy as uncontrollable thirst enveloped his thoughts.

He screamed into the desolate cathedral, hoping someone would hear him. “Help me!” No answer. His eyes burned with fury, knowing it was unlikely help would come. How long had he been shackled without blood? Would his captors return to torture him? In his diminished state, he was surprised that they hadn’t staked him. Why was he still alive and not dead? Crying out in agony, he was again met with silence. It was useless.

Lying on the altar in his stink and dried blood, he felt like an animal. Glancing around the dilapidated structure, he could not assess a feasible means of escape. He closed his eyes and concentrated, praying he could establish a connection with his maker, Kade. Kade would not rest knowing something had happened to him, his best friend and confidant. Luca prayed to the goddess that he could link with him soon. Feeling his life slip away like air leaking from a balloon, there wasn’t much time left. If he wasn’t rescued soon, he’d die.

Kade’s eyes flashed open, sensing Luca’s consciousness. He’s alive.

Sydney stirred in Kade’s arms and placed a kiss on his bare chest. She felt him tense beneath her; something was amiss. “Kade, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Luca. He’s alive. I can sense him. I need to concentrate and see if we can make contact.”

“Oh my God, Kade. Where is he?” she asked excitedly. Luca had been missing for over a week. Attempts to find him had been fruitless.

“Shhhh, love. Just give me a minute to focus on him. Lay still.” Kade closed his eyes, letting his mind wander. Settling his thoughts on Luca, he mentally reached out across New Orleans. Since Luca had disappeared, Kade had been unable to establish contact with his progeny.

While in Philadelphia with Sydney, Ilsbeth, a local ally and powerful witch, had contacted him with the news that they’d been attacked while returning to the coven. Both Ilsbeth and newly transformed witch Samantha, had made it safely home; Luca, however, had been taken. Kade, the leader of New Orleans vampires, and his fiancée, Sydney, a police detective, had searched the area of the attack for days on end and had turned up no clues to his abduction. Immediately after the fight ensued, the coven had been set to lock down, so none of the witches could describe Luca’s abductors or provide assistance in finding him. Kade had tried numerous times to reach out to Luca psychically. Throughout time, they’d always shared a connection. But since the attack, only a silent hum remained of Luca’s existence. Kade could not sense Luca’s death, but neither could he sense Luca’s location. It was as if he’d dropped off the face of the Earth.

Kade surmised that the lack of communication meant one of two things: either Luca was incapacitated to the point of death, perhaps silvered, or he had purposefully left the area, refusing to contact Kade. Luca had been a loyal friend since Kade had turned him at the start of the nineteenth century, so Kade knew for a fact that Luca would not take off without notice. Because of this, the former conclusion concerned him greatly. If Luca was hurt, it would be nearly impossible to find him.

As Kade meditated on Luca, a flicker of vibration resonated back to him, alerting him again to Luca’s presence. It felt as if Luca was far from the Garden District but still within the city limits. Luca, can you hear me? Where are you?

Drifting into unconsciousness, Luca perceived the sensation that Kade was there with him. He wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating or dying, but he moved his lips, trying to speak into the darkness. No matter how he strained to talk, no more words could be spoken aloud; he was too weak. His thoughts raced. Please let this be real. Help me. An abandoned church. Mold. I can’t…I can’t last much longer.

Kade swore, “Goddammit. I felt him, but he’s lost to me again. He must be unconscious or badly hurt. I heard something…something about an abandoned church. And mold. But shit, that could be just about anywhere down here. The only thing is that I can feel he’s within the city limits; not in our district, but he’s not far.” He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Shit. I should’ve sent someone else with him to escort the witches so soon after that clusterfuck with Simone and Asgear. This could be related to them, or maybe someone’s trying to get to me,” he speculated.

Sydney scrambled out of bed, pulling on a pair of faded jeans and a t-shirt. “Don’t blame yourself. This is not your fault. We don’t know that this is related to Asgear or Simone. We’ll get him back,” she said determinedly. “Where could the church be? There were hundreds of abandoned buildings after Katrina. But there has been lots of cleanup. Where could there still be a church? Lower ninth ward?”

“No, he feels closer. We need to get the car and go for a drive.” Kade quickly got dressed, pulling on a pair of black denim pants and a black polo shirt. He pushed his feet into his leather boots and began to pace, anxiously wanting to resume the search. “This isn’t good, Sydney. If he hasn’t fed, he could be dangerous. I’m just warning you in case we find him. He’ll need human blood immediately. You’ll have to do what I say, no questions, okay? It feels like he’s almost gone…not yet dead to us, though.”

Sydney wanted to comfort Kade. A lot of shit had gone down over the past few weeks; she was determined to help find Luca. Kade felt helpless not being able to locate Luca and blamed himself for not anticipating the attack. She wasn’t sure how to make him feel better except by comforting him in the one way she knew how. Wrapping her arms around Kade’s neck, she kissed him lightly, letting him know she was there for him. “Kade, I will do whatever you need me to do. I promise we’ll find Luca. I love you.”

“But Sydney…”He wasn’t convinced. In the nearly two hundred years since he’d turned Luca, they’d never gone without speaking for so long. Kade felt Luca dying; they needed to work fast.

“But nothing. I mean it. I would do anything for you. No exceptions. You felt Luca. Maybe it was just a slight sense, but he’s here somewhere. Now, let’s go get him.”

Kade zipped through the streets of the Garden District, driving feverishly towards the French Quarter. “It’s getting stronger. He’s not far away.”

“Is he in the French Quarter?” Sydney asked.

“No, a little farther. Maybe Foubourg Marigny?” Kade guessed.

“Hmmm…along the water? Well, that would explain the odor Luca described,” she replied.

“Sydney, we don’t know who took him or if there will be danger where we’re headed. Please. For the love of God, let me go in first. We can’t take any chances.” He knew Sydney had a tendency to act first and think later.

“Really? Are we doing this again? I have my guns with me. And do I need to remind you that you are the one who’s weakened during the day, not me? How about this…we go in together, I stay behind you.” She smiled coyly at Kade, knowing he could not refuse her during the daytime. She swore to him that she’d do what he said but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hold her own.

“All right. But no heroics and as promised, you do as I ask. We go in, get Luca, put him in the back of the SUV and get the hell out of there. Luca will most likely need emergency attention. Étienne, Dominique and Xavier are procuring donors to feed him when we return.”

Sydney cringed at the term ‘donors’. She knew there were plenty of humans out there who would willingly donate their blood in exchange for the pleasurable bite of a vampire. Given that most humans climaxed during the experience, she couldn’t understand how someone would let a strange vamp bite them, regardless of the high it guaranteed. She sighed. “I promise I’ll behave myself. Let me know if you sense any vampires or witches, though. I hate surprises.”

Kade reached across the seat and ran the back of his hand across Sydney’s cheek. He loved her so much. She was brave and beautiful. And she’d agreed to be his wife.

Sydney felt chills run throughout her body straight to her womb. God, how she loved that man. She didn’t want to worry him, and after the mess with Asgear and Simone, she’d learned her lesson. Vampires were seriously dangerous creatures, and she worried about how Luca would react to the smell of a human after being injured. Luca was formidable on a good day, let alone when he was hurt.

As they approached the riverfront neighborhood, Kade slowed the car. “There!” he shouted, pointing over to a church.

Sydney noticed the heavy broken padlocks lying on the concrete sidewalk. “Looks like someone has been goin’ to church. The locks have been broken,” she observed.

The enormous stone building must have been beautiful in its heyday. Three large arches adorned the front of the building, giving way to large, wooden double doors. Ornately carved gargoyles perched along the top of the structure guarded its entrance, providing a gothic warning to evil ne’er-do-wells. Remnants of stained glass mosaic windows accentuated the church in broken shades of indigo and evergreen.

Kade parked the car but left it running. “Sydney, you stay behind me. Remember what I told you. It’s possible that Luca hasn’t eaten in days. If he’s injured, he won’t be himself.”

“What do you mean? Luca’s always just so pleasant and friendly with us humans. Warm and fuzzy comes to mind,” Sydney joked sarcastically, knowing that Luca wasn’t crazy about humans. She made a face.

Kade frowned. “It’s more than not winning the mister congeniality contest. I expect that he’ll want to see you, but not because he necessarily wants to have a chat. It’s more than possible that the man hasn’t eaten since he was taken. You’re food. Need I explain more?” He shook his head, knowing his friend would not be in good shape. “You can follow me in and assist me if…and this is a big if, I need help. Otherwise, just stay back. I will get Luca. Please Sydney. I need you to obey me on this.”

Sydney nodded. She’d been in more than a few scuffles with vampires lately and did not want to become Luca’s dinner. She was as tough as they came, but she knew with certainty that Luca would not be the cool and collected vampire she knew. People were warned never to touch injured wild animals, because they might attack due to fear or pain, and you could get injured in the process of trying to help. A starved and injured Luca could be like a large and dangerous lion. And a lion tamer she was not. As much as she wanted to help, she needed to be cautious. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and all that business. She decided to follow Kade’s directions to the letter.

Kade exited the car. The warm summer breeze blew against his face; his nostrils flared, concentrating on finding Luca inside the church. “I can smell him. Something’s wrong.”

Sydney placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Kade, he’ll be okay. Luca is tough. Come on…let’s go. I promise to stay back.” She reached for her Sig Sauger and clicked the safety off.

With a great shove against the decrepit, weather-worn doors, Kade stumbled into the open vestibule. Rank, moldy air choked their lungs and dust danced throughout light beams, pulsating through the cracked stained glass windows. Sensing no one but Luca, Kade cautiously proceeded into the antechamber. Glancing back at Sydney, he held up his hand to her, reminding her to stay behind. She nodded in agreement as Kade entered the church.

With preternatural velocity, Kade rushed to the stone altar and hissed at the sight of Luca chained to the slab. “Sydney, come quickly. He’s silvered. I need you now.”

Sydney sprinted up the aisle, aghast at seeing Luca’s handsome face now crusted over with dried blood. His once muscular body looked emaciated, with burns oozing from the silver chains. “Oh my God. What did they do to him? Luca…we’re here. We’ve got you.” She reached over and began unraveling the heavy chains from his limbs. Sydney expected Luca to wince but he remained unnervingly still, unresponsive to the pain. The chains clanged onto the floor, dispersing the dirty needles and dried leaves that had blown in through the broken windows. “Kade. Look at all the needles. What the hell? Why would they do this?”

Kade showed no emotion while circling the altar, scanning the mess around them. He waited patiently for Sydney to remove all the silver. “Fucking assholes. They probably took blood from Luca to be sold on the black market.” Anger surged as he kicked the needles aside, silently vowing revenge on the perpetrators.

Since the vampires had become known to the public, both pharmaceutical companies and entrepreneurs had been looking to capitalize on the immortality of vampires. Try as they might, no progress had been made towards perpetual life without incurring that nasty little side effect of becoming a vampire. While plenty of vampires were willing to sell their blood for profit, it didn’t stop the gangs from kidnapping and draining vamps to sell their blood on the black market at a discounted price.

Kade lovingly swept his hand across his old friend’s face, trying to clear the dried blood off of him. “Luca,” he whispered. “You are safe now. We’ve got you.”

Luca and Kade had been friends for over two centuries, meeting during the early eighteen hundreds. While Luca had been born in Britain, he had been raised in Australia. He’d come over to America during the War of 1812. When he’d been badly injured and lay dying on the battlefield, Kade had turned him. He was indebted to Kade; they were partners, best friends.

Kade was infuriated; whoever had done this would pay dearly. “Sydney, you drive. I’m going to lie in the back of the SUV and feed him. Don’t get near us. When he wakes, he could be dangerous.” Kade frowned. “Look at what they did to him. He’s starved.”

“Will he be okay?” Sydney didn’t know that much about vampire medicine except that they had healing properties in their blood. Said properties were most effective on humans and werewolves but held minimum benefit for other vampires. She knew he needed a mortal donor.

“Yes, he’ll heal, but we’ve got to get him human blood. Call Dominique and tell her to bring the donors into the house and get them ready now. She knows what to do.” Kade gingerly slid his hand underneath Luca’s head and knees, bringing him close to his body. Swiftly, he lifted him and carried him out of the church.

“Put the back seat down,” he ordered.

Sydney clicked the release on the seats, pushing them until they were flat. Kade laid Luca in the trunk and climbed into the back. With his hands underneath Luca’s arms, he gently pulled him all the way into the car. Thank God they’d brought the Escalade. It would be a tight fit with two large males lying in the back, but they’d fit.

Kade sighed as he leaned up onto his side, and reached over to Luca’s mouth. Placing one hand on Luca’s chin and cupping his cheeks with the other hand, he slowly opened Luca’s cracked lips.

Sydney started the engine and stole a glimpse of Kade biting into his wrist. No matter how many times she’d witnessed a vampire feeding someone or feeding from someone, she was always fascinated by the intimacy of the act. It felt almost intrusive to watch them together. Anxious to get home, she pulled her eyes back to the road and drove.

Kade cradled Luca’s head as he pressed his wrist downward. The crimson droplets trickled down the sides of Luca’s face; he wasn’t swallowing. Kade reached with his mind, willing Luca to drink. Please Goddess, let me through to him. Drink Luca, drink.

Luca jerked in Kade’s arms as a single drop of the life-giving blood was absorbed into his body. Yet he didn’t wake. He could not move. Immobilized within his friend’s arms, Luca’s consciousness awakened. Safe. Kade. Friend. He tried to move, but couldn’t manage more than a swallow.

“That’s it, Luca. Drink,” Kade ordered. Relief flooded his mind; he’d been worried about Luca’s ability to recover. While vampires only needed to drink a few pints every couple of days, they needed to feed regularly. Going without feeding could send them into a frenzy, which could cause them to lose control and kill a human. Going several days without feeding could cause their demise.

Pulling into Kade’s compound, Sydney saw Dominique waiting impatiently near the mansion’s entrance. Dominique, another vampire, was a longtime loyal employee and friend of Kade’s. Sydney described her as a badass fashionista. She and Dominique had initially clashed when they’d first met over a month ago. Since then, they’d forged a friendship based on mutual respect and a love of leather.

Parking the car, Sydney ran around the SUV and slowly pulled open the hatch. She understood that Luca could be dangerous, so she moved slowly with no sudden movements. Yet looking at his frail, battered torso, she couldn’t fathom what harm he could do in his weakened state. While typically well-composed, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. She could not resist the need to provide both Luca and Kade with comfort. As she reached to touch Luca, his eyes flew open; he strained to break free of Kade’s hold. Human blood.

“Don’t touch him! Get away now, Sydney!” Kade hissed at her.

Sydney jumped back, startled at the bloodlust in Luca’s eyes. He was dangerous. Hungry. She thought she must look like water in the desert to him. Heeding Kade’s order, she ran inside to see what she could do to help.

Dominique intervened, helping Kade to restrain Luca. “Fuck, what the hell happened to him?” Dominique questioned.

“He was silvered, starved. Possibly tortured. Not sure what all they did yet. But I know they got his blood. There were needles all over the damn place,” he spat out. So many years had passed since he’d been turned. At times, he was astonished by how little progress humanity had achieved. Evil, hate and torture still beat strong within the hearts of so many. How could they have done this to him?

He sighed wearily. “Sydney’s blood is making him crazy. We need to get him inside. Where are Xavier and Étienne? Do we have donors?” Kade held tight onto Luca while trying to move him slowly out of the SUV. Luca was still in no condition to walk and he’d be damned if he’d chance letting him loose.

“They’re on their way. I have a room prepared upstairs. I can help carry him,” she said, looking around to make sure Sydney was gone. Like Kade, she could not trust Luca not to attack her. They had human donors waiting upstairs, and they would monitor the feeding closely so Luca didn’t end up draining them.

“Where’s Sydney?” Kade asked.

Dominique looked around. “It seems your woman had enough sense to make herself scarce when he looked at her like she was lobster dinner. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. It isn’t her first time at the vamp rodeo.”

“I know. It’s just that she’s not used to seeing Luca like this. Neither am I.” He shook his head. Seeing Luca in such an animalistic state would serve as a reminder to Sydney that she was marrying into this lifestyle. He needed to find her and make sure that she was all right.

Kade easily lifted Luca, with his arms under Luca’s neck and the crook under his knees. Luca’s eyes were wide open, yet he wasn’t speaking. Kade wasn’t sure if Luca understood what was happening as he took him upstairs to the guest bedroom. Dominique motioned Kade into the bathroom, where she had a bath filled with warm water. “Kade, over here. The warm water will help get his body temp back up.”

Kade placed Luca’s emaciated naked body into the warm, soapy water. “Shit,” he said as water sloshed over the sides of the tub and all over the floor. Without even taking the time to undress, Kade carefully climbed into the tub and lay next to Luca so he could hold him still while he fed. Deeply concerned about Luca’s state, he waved over at Dominique. “Where’s the donor? We need him now!” he commanded.

She pointed at a shirtless, twenty-something male who was waiting in the bedroom. “You, over here, on your knees by the tub.”

“Yes ma’am,” said the donor as he willingly and quickly complied with her demand, and held out his arm. Donors were easy to come by these days. They signed up at blood clubs, hoping to experience a sexual encounter with a vampire. At the very least, they hoped to be chosen for a bite, knowing the orgasmic properties that could be granted by the vampire.

Issacson Securities, Kade’s company, had contracted with Sanguine Services to procure donors when needed. Dominique had called in advance to procure a couple of strong males who would be able to provide enough blood for Luca. She just hoped the blood would be enough to bring Luca back from his atrophied state. She had never seen a vampire so far gone and wasn’t convinced they could save him. But she didn’t want to cause Kade further worry, so she kept her reservations to herself.

Dominique gently took the donor’s wrist and flashed him a quick smile. “Hey there, what’s your name?” she asked.

“Milo,” he obediently replied.

“Okay, listen, Milo. This person here; he’s a good friend of mine. His name is Luca. He hasn’t eaten in days, so this might be a little rough at first but I promise you will be safe.” She hoped he would, anyway.

Kade tried reaching out mentally to Sydney to tell her to stay away. Their telepathic connection was in its infancy, but short of yelling for her, he needed to send some kind of warning to stay away from Luca. Sensing she was in the house but not near, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was time to get started. He nodded at Dominique to begin.

Dominique brought Milo’s wrist to her finely-painted, coral-colored lips. Her tongue darted out, licking his sensitive inner wrist. She resisted the urge to play with her food, knowing that Luca needed blood as soon as possible. Expeditiously, her razor-sharp fangs pierced his flesh; he moaned aloud, sexually excited by her bite.

Leaning over to Luca’s lips, with the donor’s wrist in her mouth, she seamlessly transferred Milo’s bleeding wrist from her mouth to Luca’s. Another loud groan of excitement resounded along the granite-tiled walls as Luca began to voraciously feed.

Kade had his arms locked around Luca’s upper body, preventing him from making any violent attack on the donor. “That’s it my friend. Drink. You’ll be fine, and we’ll find out who did this to you,” he said, looking directly into Luca’s eyes. He could tell Luca was starting to become fully conscious, but he still couldn’t tell if Luca’s cognition was stable. Their mental connection was still severed.

A loud groan emanated from Milo, indicating sexual release. Dominique had already readied the second donor as Kade pulled Milo away from Luca. They were very careful to ensure that Luca did not kill the donors. Luca latched onto the second donor and was starting to regain color, warmth. Despite being close to getting enough blood, something wasn’t right with Luca.

Kade released Luca as he pushed the second donor away. Luca again closed his eyes as his physique appeared to regenerate before their eyes. Kade climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel as Xavier and Étienne entered the bathroom. “Nice of you to join us. Please attend to the donors and make sure they get safely home,” he said as he rubbed his hair vigorously with the towel, annoyed that they’d just arrived at the mansion.

“Sorry we’re late, Kade. Downtown traffic is a bitch this time of night,” Étienne explained. “He’s looking well, no?”

“Looks can be deceiving. Something’s not right. Our mental connection’s shut down. He isn’t verbally responding either. But he’s had quite enough vampire and human blood to bring him back physically.” Kade was worried about Luca.

Xavier leaned down and touched Luca’s head. “Mon ami, what happened to you?” Xavier tried reaching for him mentally and also failed to contact him. “I see what you mean. Do you know what’s going on? He’s here but not here.”

“Not sure. Perhaps he needs time to rest. For now, let’s get moving, people. Get the donors out of here.” He looked over at Dominique. She had a single, blood-red tear running down her beautiful face.

“Dominique, look at me,” he ordered. She complied, meeting his eyes. “Luca will heal. Finish bathing him, and get him to bed. Watch over him until I return. I’m going to call a doctor, and I need to find Sydney. She may be able to help him...”

“But how, Kade? Look at him…he’s not responding to us,” she cried.

“Trust me. I’ve been around a very long time. I know what needs to be done, even if I’m not happy about it.”

Sydney could not stop thinking about what had just happened outside of the car. Luca and Sydney had had a rough start. Because she was human, which equated to weak and vulnerable in his eyes, he hadn’t been happy about her working with them on the Voodoo murder case. But they had forged a deep friendship during battle. Sydney was a hardened detective from Philadelphia, so she’d seen most of the worst the world could dish out. But it didn’t stop the pain in her heart from seeing a friend injured. Nor did it stop the surprise she felt seeing the look in his eyes. She could feel the pull of him mentally, wanting to feed from her.

She was confused about how this could be possible. Sydney had been regularly drinking small amounts of Kade’s blood since they’d got engaged. Blood sharing was an incredibly intimate and sexual experience. As a result of their bonding, she was starting to be able to feel a mental connection to Kade. Right now, she could sense single words or feelings from him, but he told her that soon she’d be able to send messages back and forth. She had thought that connection would only be with Kade.

However, today at the car, Luca’s eyes had bored into her soul, calling to her to help him. It was if she could hear him speaking to her. Frightened, she obediently ran into the house at Kade’s command. She wasn’t afraid of Luca attacking her. No, she was afraid of the message she sensed from him. He needed her blood.