Page 43 of Depths of Hunger

Left with no choice, I go back into the office and reluctantly take my seat again in a chair in the corner of the room, far from the chaos, and watch the scene unfold.

Nico and Luca continue to drink the blood, the color slowly returning to their cheeks, but the pain is still evident in every strained movement. I realize, with a sinking feeling, how little I truly know about this world—about the house I’m living in, about the rules Renzo has bound me to. I don’t want to know more. I don’t want to be a part of any of this.

The door bursts open, and a woman strides in. She’s slightly older than me, with long, fiery red hair cascading down her back over a black leather jacket. Her eyes are sharp, her movements brisk, and she exudes an aura of command that demands attention. She drops a worn backpack on the floor and rushes over to Nico, squatting down in front of him.

“How are you feeling?” she asks, her voice cool but edged with concern.

Nico shrugs, his expression strained. “Not great.”

The redhead nods knowingly. “Let me guess—lightheaded, weak, nauseated, each breath feels like a thousand knives cutting through your lungs?”

Both Nico and Luca nod, their faces drawn and pale. The woman frowns deeply, glancing up at Renzo. “Just what I thought. It’s the same poison that was on the bullets I removed from Renzo.”

I blink, struggling to process what she just said. “I’m sorry, can someone please fill me in on what’s happening?” The words tumble out before I can stop them. The room feels heavy, everyone’s eyes on me.

Renzo sighs, frustration flickering in his eyes. “Mia, this is Esme, she’s …a healer. Esme, Mia.”

I’m stunned. Renzo said Esme was on her way, and I was sure he said she was coming from Venezia, but it took her less than five minutes to get here. My mind reels, wondering if she’s a vampire too. Esme, the redhead, gives me a curt nod, then pauses, a question crossing her features, followed by an assessing glance in my direction. The scrutiny elicits an uncomfortable jangle in my nerves.

She blinks, and with what feels like a snap, the tingle racing over my skin is gone. She nods at me. “Nice to meet you, Mia. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.” She turns back to Renzo, her expression serious. “I’ve been analyzing those bullets, and I can’t figure out exactly what it is. But it’s definitely some kind of poison, and it’s definitely from the magickal realm.”

Renzo’s face darkens. “Who else knows about this?”

Esme shrugs, her demeanor calm but tense. “I’ve only told a couple of my lab assistants. They haven’t had any luck identifying it. If you want me to dig deeper, I’ll need to consult my coven, but word will get around.”

Holy shit! Did she just say coven? My head spins. Is she a witch? And if witches exist, then what else is out there?

I must have made some kind of a sound because everyone present in the room turns to look at me, and I feel like the ground is shifting beneath my feet. “It’s time you told me what’s really going on, Renzo.”

Luca nods, wiping sweat from his brow. “She’s right, Renzo. She’s going to find out sooner or later since she is now part of the family.”

My stomach twists into knots and beads of sweat break out alongmy hairline. I’m not sure I want to know the answers, but the silence is suffocating.

Renzo meets my gaze, his eyes stormy and conflicted. Finally, he speaks, his voice heavy. “Esme is a witch.”

“A witch? Like…with a pointy black hat and a broom?” I blurt out, the absurdity of my own words catching me off guard.

Esme chuckles, shaking her head. “Not exactly. Though I do own a few pointy hats. But no, we don’t fly on brooms. I am a witch, yes. Just not the kind you’re used to hearing about.”

“Not like Wiccan?” I ask, my voice shaky. “I mean, I know some ‘witches’ who study the Wiccan religion, pray to the moon or whatever, but they’re just normal people with a religious belief.”

Esme smirks. “Yeah, well, word of our existence slipped into the human world a while back, so some people practice Wicca. The witches you know are real, and I’m sure they cast spells just like I do, but because they’re not in the magickal realm, their spells aren’t as powerful. It’s harder to harness magick here on this side of the veil, but not impossible. I’m sure some witches here are more powerful than you think. My magick is powerful and I do cast some amazing spells. I even have a black cat.” She grins. “Witches are very real.”

I lean back, feeling the weight of her words. My nerves are frayed, held together only by a thin filament of sanity. What am I going to meet next? A fucking gargoyle?

“What else exists?” The question slips out before I even realize I’ve spoken, and Nico’s laughter fills the room.

“If you could see your face right now, Mia,” Nico says, grinning despite his pain. “All those creatures you’re imagining… Yeah, they’re real.”

I turn to Renzo, my eyes searching his, needing confirmation. He gives me a slow nod. “And more, Mia. There are all kinds of creatures on this earth. Humans are just one small part of a much bigger picture.” He looks at his brothers, his expression hardening. “But right now, we need to figure out who wants us dead.”

“So, it’s not me they were after?” I ask, shelving the crazy thought that I might need a tinfoil hat in the future.

“No,” Esme replies, her tone thoughtful. “I think all of this was a distraction—a smokescreen if you will—to make it look like you were the target. But they’re really after Renzo, Nico, and Luca.”

I swallow hard, the new revelation reeling in my head. I glance at Renzo, then at Nico and Luca, wondering who could possibly want them dead. “Any ideas on who might want you all gone?”

Nico lets out a bitter laugh. “The list would be too long and painful to go through. Renzo’s been alive for over four hundred years. Luca and I, we’re the babies of the family—we’ve only been around for about three hundred and fifty. And Esme’s been around a while too.”

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