Madigan sat up gingerly, rubbing the back of her head. Someone had broken
into the house, catching her unaware. Whoever it was knocked her out and
now she had a killer headache. She sniffed, feeling the ground she was
sitting on. The air felt cool and damp, smelled musty. She felt earth under
her fingers.
The walls were made of cool stones and rough mortar. She heard the faint drip of a leaky pipe and the soft crunch of a shoe on the floor.
"Sorry we had to do it this way, strega." The voice was somewhere above her and she struggled to stand up. "Mauro, help her to her feet."
Strong hands grabbed her by the arms and pulled her upright. She swayed for a moment and his arms circled her waist to steady her.
"Easy." His voice was low.
"What do you want from me?" Madigan tried to pull away from Mauro but he was too strong.
Another hand reached out and stroked her face. "You're going to be our new pet." There was laughter somewhere close by and he removed his hand.
"Where do you want me to put her Nino?" Mauro asked.
"Leave her here for now. Sun will be up soon."
The arms around her helped her sit down on the floor again. "I'll bring you food when it's dark." He said and left.
***
A somber group of Lost Boys landed in the cave. Everyone but Paul flopped down onto the couches.
"I'm going to get Madigan." He told them as he headed for the passage. "She should be at the house by now."
David nodded morosely. Paul hurried into the passage and up into the house.
"Madigan?" Paul called out as he pushed open the kitchen door. "Where are you?"
There was no answer and he went in search of the blind witch. Something felt off about the house. He looked in the living room first, expecting to find her asleep on the couch. The room was empty, a lamp shattered on the floor, the couch cushions in disarray and the front door hanging at a funny angle on its hinges.
"Mad? Are you here?" He called, panic rising in his chest. He ran up the stairs and searched the upper floors in record time. The rest of the house was empty and untouched. Paul flew back through the passage and landed in the cave, just as the Boys were heading back into their bedroom.
David looked up as he landed alone. "Where's Madigan?"
"They took her too." Paul said, his voice shaking. "The living room's a mess, front door's broken. She's not in the house."
David made his brother sit. "She's gone?" He nodded. David cursed.
Paul looked up. "What are we going to do?"
David looked at Dwayne and Marko before looking back at Paul. "We're going to destroy them."
***
The Malvagità often slept together as a pack. Each member had their own room but sometimes at dawn, they gathered in the attic and slept in a large nest of pillows and blankets.
Lily stretched out on her back, her head on Nino's shoulder. Diego's arm was slung over her waist, his legs tangled with hers. Isabella and Valentino curled together near Diego's legs. Nicolo and Ottavia slept a little away from the group and Mauro's body was sprawled across nearly everyone's legs.
Lily was the first one awake but Diego, Mauro and Nino covered most of her body so she just enjoyed the closeness of her pack.
The hand on her stomach flexed and crawled under her tank top. She wasn't sure who the hand belonged to as it climbed further up. She placed her hand on the hand to stop its progress and opened her eyes.
Mauro was sprawled over her legs, watching her, his green eyes glittering in the dark. His arm disappeared under her tank. He smiled ruefully. "Damn. I was trying to cop a feel while you were asleep.
Lily smiled. "Nice try."
"Come on, please."
"No."
He grinned at her. "You're no fun." His hand slipped out from under Lily's tank but stayed on her stomach.
"And she's staying that way." Nino spoke up. He stretched and kicked at Mauro until he moved off Nino's legs. "Evening, Principessa." He leaned over and kissed her.
"Now that's just not fair." Mauro protested.
Nino smiled at him. "Leader's privilege."
"Would you all shut up? Vampires are trying to sleep around here." Ottavia groused and tucked her head back into Nicolo's shoulder.
"Too early for them." He shrugged and got to his feet, pulling Lily up with him. They descended from the attic and went down into the kitchen for coffee.
Lily noticed for the first time that she wasn't ravenous like she'd been the past few nights when she woke.
Nino noticed her smile. "Why are you smiling, piccola?"
"I'm not hungry. Not like the past mornings."
"That's good news." Mauro said as he and Diego entered the kitchen.
Diego dropped a kiss on the top of Lily's head, earning a glare from Nino. "Your change is finally complete."
Nino set out coffee mugs on the table. "I want you to take care of the strega tonight. Find out how she did it." He told Mauro in Italian.
Mauro nodded. "Want me to kill her?"
"Do what you want with her."
Lily looked up at Diego. "I hate when they do this." She said. Mauro and Nino often spoke in Italian around her when they didn't want her to understand
them.
Nino smiled. "My apologies, Principessa. It is so easy to forget you do not speak our language. Someday, I will teach it to you."
***
Madigan was startled out of sleep by a touch on her cheek. She sat up but couldn't move away because of a hand around her arm. "Who is it?"
"Mauro." He was very close to her, his breath on her cheek.
She turned her head toward his voice. "What do you want from me? I haven't done anything to you."
"How did you bring them back?" His fingers trailed up and down her neck, sending shivers down her spine.
"I have the Sight. It told me what to do." His mouth moved against her throat, following the path set by his fingers. "Please don't." She tried to pull away from him but he held on.
He started murmuring to her in Italian. He pulled her hair to the side and kissed the delicate spot behind her ear. She whimpered as his mouth moved to the pulse in her throat. He said something to her and sank his teeth into her neck.
Madigan felt her body grow heavy. Mauro bit into his own wrist and held it up to Madigan's mouth. She tried to turn her head away from the blood in front of her but she was too weak and the blood ran down her throat.
The walls were made of cool stones and rough mortar. She heard the faint drip of a leaky pipe and the soft crunch of a shoe on the floor.
"Sorry we had to do it this way, strega." The voice was somewhere above her and she struggled to stand up. "Mauro, help her to her feet."
Strong hands grabbed her by the arms and pulled her upright. She swayed for a moment and his arms circled her waist to steady her.
"Easy." His voice was low.
"What do you want from me?" Madigan tried to pull away from Mauro but he was too strong.
Another hand reached out and stroked her face. "You're going to be our new pet." There was laughter somewhere close by and he removed his hand.
"Where do you want me to put her Nino?" Mauro asked.
"Leave her here for now. Sun will be up soon."
The arms around her helped her sit down on the floor again. "I'll bring you food when it's dark." He said and left.
***
A somber group of Lost Boys landed in the cave. Everyone but Paul flopped down onto the couches.
"I'm going to get Madigan." He told them as he headed for the passage. "She should be at the house by now."
David nodded morosely. Paul hurried into the passage and up into the house.
"Madigan?" Paul called out as he pushed open the kitchen door. "Where are you?"
There was no answer and he went in search of the blind witch. Something felt off about the house. He looked in the living room first, expecting to find her asleep on the couch. The room was empty, a lamp shattered on the floor, the couch cushions in disarray and the front door hanging at a funny angle on its hinges.
"Mad? Are you here?" He called, panic rising in his chest. He ran up the stairs and searched the upper floors in record time. The rest of the house was empty and untouched. Paul flew back through the passage and landed in the cave, just as the Boys were heading back into their bedroom.
David looked up as he landed alone. "Where's Madigan?"
"They took her too." Paul said, his voice shaking. "The living room's a mess, front door's broken. She's not in the house."
David made his brother sit. "She's gone?" He nodded. David cursed.
Paul looked up. "What are we going to do?"
David looked at Dwayne and Marko before looking back at Paul. "We're going to destroy them."
***
The Malvagità often slept together as a pack. Each member had their own room but sometimes at dawn, they gathered in the attic and slept in a large nest of pillows and blankets.
Lily stretched out on her back, her head on Nino's shoulder. Diego's arm was slung over her waist, his legs tangled with hers. Isabella and Valentino curled together near Diego's legs. Nicolo and Ottavia slept a little away from the group and Mauro's body was sprawled across nearly everyone's legs.
Lily was the first one awake but Diego, Mauro and Nino covered most of her body so she just enjoyed the closeness of her pack.
The hand on her stomach flexed and crawled under her tank top. She wasn't sure who the hand belonged to as it climbed further up. She placed her hand on the hand to stop its progress and opened her eyes.
Mauro was sprawled over her legs, watching her, his green eyes glittering in the dark. His arm disappeared under her tank. He smiled ruefully. "Damn. I was trying to cop a feel while you were asleep.
Lily smiled. "Nice try."
"Come on, please."
"No."
He grinned at her. "You're no fun." His hand slipped out from under Lily's tank but stayed on her stomach.
"And she's staying that way." Nino spoke up. He stretched and kicked at Mauro until he moved off Nino's legs. "Evening, Principessa." He leaned over and kissed her.
"Now that's just not fair." Mauro protested.
Nino smiled at him. "Leader's privilege."
"Would you all shut up? Vampires are trying to sleep around here." Ottavia groused and tucked her head back into Nicolo's shoulder.
"Too early for them." He shrugged and got to his feet, pulling Lily up with him. They descended from the attic and went down into the kitchen for coffee.
Lily noticed for the first time that she wasn't ravenous like she'd been the past few nights when she woke.
Nino noticed her smile. "Why are you smiling, piccola?"
"I'm not hungry. Not like the past mornings."
"That's good news." Mauro said as he and Diego entered the kitchen.
Diego dropped a kiss on the top of Lily's head, earning a glare from Nino. "Your change is finally complete."
Nino set out coffee mugs on the table. "I want you to take care of the strega tonight. Find out how she did it." He told Mauro in Italian.
Mauro nodded. "Want me to kill her?"
"Do what you want with her."
Lily looked up at Diego. "I hate when they do this." She said. Mauro and Nino often spoke in Italian around her when they didn't want her to understand
them.
Nino smiled. "My apologies, Principessa. It is so easy to forget you do not speak our language. Someday, I will teach it to you."
***
Madigan was startled out of sleep by a touch on her cheek. She sat up but couldn't move away because of a hand around her arm. "Who is it?"
"Mauro." He was very close to her, his breath on her cheek.
She turned her head toward his voice. "What do you want from me? I haven't done anything to you."
"How did you bring them back?" His fingers trailed up and down her neck, sending shivers down her spine.
"I have the Sight. It told me what to do." His mouth moved against her throat, following the path set by his fingers. "Please don't." She tried to pull away from him but he held on.
He started murmuring to her in Italian. He pulled her hair to the side and kissed the delicate spot behind her ear. She whimpered as his mouth moved to the pulse in her throat. He said something to her and sank his teeth into her neck.
Madigan felt her body grow heavy. Mauro bit into his own wrist and held it up to Madigan's mouth. She tried to turn her head away from the blood in front of her but she was too weak and the blood ran down her throat.