Luca
Luca put his fist against his mouth to smother a yawn. Next to him, Livy rubbed her eyes and glared at him before her mouth cracked open in a wide yawn of her own. They were sitting in the back of the cafeteria. Their lunch period had ended ten minutes ago, but neither were in any hurry to get back to class. They were only at school because his father forced them to go. He was afraid any deviation from normalcy would affect Brantley's chances of being returned.
Luca didn't have the heart to tell him the chances of that were already nonexistent.
"I know you've got to have an idea tumbling around in that big brain of yours," Livy said as the lunchroom began to fill with third period lunch. She poked at the pizza on her tray, its cheese hard and congealed.
Luca didn't respond. His gaze roved around the room, searching for the one person he thought might make him feel better. He was almost sure she had this period for lunch, but when the final bell rang, there was still no sign of Van.
"Do you really think right now is a good time to be thinking about your dick?" Livy snapped.
He whipped his head around to stare at her. She was a wild cat outside of these walls, but within them, she was always prim and proper. It was a carefully crafted image- even now she wore a pale pink cardigan over a white blouse with a peter pan collar. So, it was more than a little off putting to hear such crude language falling from pink, painted princess lips.
"Livy, just don't."
"I don't get you," she hissed. When she leaned closer, he caught the red lines across the white of her eyes. "You've been calm and collected since they took him."
"What good would losing my cool do? It wouldn't bring him back, and I'd be locked up with him."
"If that were my little broth-"
Luca slammed his fist on the table, making their trays and the kids around them jump. "But he's not. He's mine."
"Then stop being a coward and fight for him." Mascara colored tears leaked down her cheeks.
"Is that what you want?Another dead male relative? I guess once you lose one, we're all expendable."
Livy jerked back, her back rod straight. He held back the apology that sprung to his lips the moment the other words were out. She curled her manicured fingers into her palms, straightened them, curled them, and then stood. Without a word, she swiped the contents of their table onto the floor, the crash silencing the boisterous chatter in the cafeteria.
The petite teenager didn't wither beneath the stares. Instead, her lifted her chin and turned on her heel, leaving him sitting at the table looking like a fool. Only after they began to speak again did he leave.
No one stopped him when he exited the building. Many of the teachers were pack, and they wouldn't dare question a Brooks- well, a Forest might, but they'd never stoop so low as working in public education. His bag went into the back of his Porsche, and he peeled out of the parking lot with one destination in mind.
Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he thumbed through his phone to check his text messages. There were no new alerts, but he checked Van's thread anyways. Frustration and anger burned in his gut when he saw no reply to his last message. He chucked the phone into the passenger seat and gripped his steering wheel tighter while he pressed the gas pedal to the floor.
There was some part of him that knew he was fixating on Van, on whether or not she was okay, because he felt helpless to save his brother. But there was another part, a larger part, that was genuinely concerned about her well-being. Far more concerned than he had any right to be.
Luca tapped his thumb on the wheel. It was risky going to her house in the middle of the day, but with every second that passed, his need to see her, to confirm that he could keep someone safe, overtook him. She would understand what drove him to speak to his cousin with anger; she wouldn't judge.
He needed Van.
But no one was home. He parked a street over from her house and jogged through the open yards. Helsing House was no less imposing during the day. The wrought iron gate at the entrance of the driveway absorbed the light around it, and the festive decor did little to soften its severe architecture. But it didn't surprise him in the least- he'd been to The Holy Asylum of light, and the person who built that monstrosity was responsible for this one.
Luca's skin rippled as he opened his senses. His brown eyes turned yellow, and the world around him shifted to shades of neon. Most things were blue and green on such a cold day, especially in the shadows, but the house was orange and yellow. He scoured it from top to bottom, pausing when a burst of red went from the front of the house to the back. But her shape wasn't right- it had to be the housekeeper. Her was the only heat signature in the house.
Disappointed, he blinked and his eyes resumed their typical color, and the world went back to normal. The walk back to the car took twice as long, he shoulders sagging forward and a knot growing in his throat. A sound somewhere between a growl and sob worked its way beyond his lips, and he stumbled. Knees slammed into the soft ground, and he fell forward, curling his fingers into the grass as the tears he'd denied himself dropped like rain to the earth.
Luca shook. Not just from the sobs wracking his body, but from the effort it took not to shift. His panther offered relief from human emotions- he was cold and calculated- all the things Luca tried to be to keep from shattering. Every time his mother looked at Luca, every time Papa wiped at his cheeks when he thought no one was looking, the fissures in Luca's armor grew wider. Today, Livy had busted them wide open.
"Luca?"
Hissing, he looked up. Van stood at the edge of the yard, one hand hovering in the air. Her lips were parted, and her eyebrows were flat over widened eyes. Her figure oscillated between normal and bright red, and he had to close his eyes to force his thermal imaging sensors to shut off.
Praying she hadn't noticed, he stood up and looked beyond her as he spoke. "Van,what are you doing here?"
She closed the distance between them, and it was then that he noticed the purple in her hair had faded to little more than a tint. It was now the color of a new penny flashing in the sunlight.
"I live across the street."
"Why didn't you answer my text messages?" It was blunt, but now that she was before him- whole and unharmed, he was irritated.
"My phone is in the house," she said. "I've been out walking."
"Are you okay?" The way she spoke was different. Less forceful. More uncertain.
"I'm fine. I just thought I should probably skip school today since I was so sick this weekend. Save the masses from the stomach bug from hell."
Luca's hand went to her face. She didn't flinch as he brushed back the hair falling into her eye. There were no outward signs of bruising, and he watched carefully for signs of pain as he pressed on the skin. Nothing but a strange heat flashed through the emerald depths. It was a heat that seeped into his pores, and he had to clear his throat before speaking again.
"Would you like to get something to eat? Or drink if you're not up to the task of eating yet."
Pressing her lips together, she shook her head. She wrapped a hand around her arm, holding it as if protecting herself. "I-I probably shouldn't. My father is kind of pissed at me for going out the other night. I-I got busted, and I'm not really supposed to be talking to anyone."
"Did he touch you? I swear, I'll-" Luca swallowed the rest of what he'd been planning on saying. She'd think he was psychotic if he threatened to kill her father. Not to mention if such a threat got back to Abe Helsing, his entire family would pay. Brantley. More than they already had.
"No," she said. Some of the familiar steel crept into her voice when she continued. "Don't you worry about something like that. I'll take care of him if ever hurts me. With pleasure."
"You can't tell me something like that. Not when I was the one who was at fault."
She squeezed his hand and raised up on her tiptoes. Her lips were cool against his cheek, but when she pulled away, they were both flushing bright red. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."
Luca watched her walk away. Just a few moments in her presence had settled him, and when he returned to his car, he released a shaky breath. Starting the vehicle, he pointed it toward home, determined to make things right with Livy. Now, more than ever, he needed peace among his family, and that meant Brantley had to come home.