Page 9 of Depths of Hunger
“Renzo, I know this is a sacrifice. Living with a human woman will be difficult. They are not like us; they can never understand our natures. She will be... annoying. But you cannot kill her until we are firmly established. Sometimes it seems like it would be easier to just wipe out the humans and take what we want, but that would only expose us. We must tread carefully.”
“Yes, Father. I have been married to a human before if you remember. I am familiar with it.” It had been a disaster the first time. I had thought myself in love. The notion doesn’t exist for me anymore, but I lust after Mia, and I intend to take full advantage of our marriage for the time being.
My father’s expression sours. “Let’s not repeat that experience.”
Nico smiles.He’s trying not to say you were young and stupid andpicked the wrong woman. Good thing no one believed her when she told the world you were a vampire. Died in Bedlam, if memory serves. Mentally unfit.
That was over three hundred and fifty years ago. I think I’ve learned a thing or two since then. Besides, you weren’t more than a teenager back then, Nico. What the hell do you know about it?
My father shakes his head. “Just be careful, son.”
There’s no point in arguing. I’m married now, and my bride is waiting upstairs. A surge of desire flares in my gut, primal and insistent. “Was there another reason you all came by?”
“There’s more news about Berlin,” my father replies, his voice turning grave.
The mention of Berlin sobers me instantly. “Tell me.”
“So far, Miller has kept his word. No more vampire killings. But he got what he wanted.”
Nico curses under his breath, his frustration boiling over. “I still can’t believe they’re all gone. The boys, even Greta. We’ve been friendly for centuries and now they’re dust. What are we doing about it?” He clenches a tight fist on the arm of his chair.
My father raises a calming hand. “I know it’s hard, Nico, for all of us. But reacting without a plan is a recipe for disaster. There are rumors of a group of turned vampires out of Albania in search of a territory to take over. They haven’t decided where yet, but they will. And there will be more like them.”
“And there will be more like them,” I echo, my mind already spinning with the potential threats.
“We need to make a statement,” my father says, his voice hardening. “One that makes any turned vampire think twice. Your uncle and I are strategizing, and we will call upon Roman, Gabriel, and, of course, all of you.”
“What about Kyros?” Luca asks though we all know the answer. Kyros hasn’t left the magickal realm on Oak Island in Nova Scotia for over a century. No one expects him to now.
My father brushes off the question. “We may unite with other vampire seethes to present a united front. But more importantly, Ineed you to keep your eyes and ears open. Talk to your networks—vampires, humans, anyone. We need to know what’s being planned and by whom. See if there’s any chatter about this Albanian group of vampires. Every scrap of information helps.”
Nico leans forward, his expression grim. “What about the curse?”
The room goes still and my father’s expression hardens. I shoot Nico a glare.What the hell are you thinking?
It’s a valid question, now that you’re married. Nico’s voice rings in my mind, defiant.
Luca shifts uneasily beside me, tension radiating off him. This is dangerous territory.
Nico, my father’s voice booms in our minds, private but intense.We do not speak of the curse. You know the rules.
Nico doesn’t back down.But the curse says?—
I know what the curse says, my father snaps.
Do you?Nico challenges.Then why aren’t you doing anything about it? The curse says that once we marry, we bring about the downfall of the Valdici seat of power.
“No, it doesn’t,” I cut in, my voice slicing through the tension. Everyone turns to look at me. “The curse says, “When the sons three marry and the moon is red, the sisters three will bring about the dead, and the clan of Valdici will be no more.”
My father’s gaze locks onto mine, heavy with unspoken questions. Nico and Luca look stunned; they’ve never heard the full wording of the curse before, only whispers and half-truths.
“How do you know that?” Nico’s voice ruptures the silence.
“It’s not important,” I say, my tone final. “And neither is the curse right now. You two are still single, so it’s not an immediate concern. What matters is the ‘Ndrangheta. If we’re plotting, you can be damn sure they are too.” I’m not about to tell them that I’d asked a witch I know to dig it up. That won’t go over well, and I do not want to get into that conversation now.
My father stands, his posture commanding. “Your brother is right. Focus on the task at hand.” He shoots a warning look at Nico, thenLuca. He looks my way. “Congratulations again on your nuptials, Renzo. It’s a small sacrifice, but a necessary one.”
Small sacrifice?Luca scoffs, his voice dripping with sarcasm.Female vamps everywhere are weeping tonight since Renzo’s off the market.