Page 1 of Depths of Hunger

Prologue

The lights of the city twinkle in the darkness while the cool mist dances on my skin, breaking the heat of the setting sun. I inhale sharply, the smell of salt filling my nose and lungs. My body starts to hum and vibrate. I glance at my father, but he is studying the skyline, appearing to take no notice of me.Appearing. I know he’s paying attention to my every move, every breath. He’s trying to gauge my reaction to being here. I hate being at the Fondatori meetings, especially since, in order to attend them, I must cross into the magickal realm. I don’t fear much, but I do loathe plenty, and this realm is at the top of my list.

But as the heir apparent to the Valdici empire and Northern Italian seat of power, I must be here. My father is trying to teach me how to be a king. It is my misfortune that I am not a good student.

The speedboat rolls with the waves. I keep my breathing even and my heartbeat regular. It took me years to learn, but I can control my body in ways even my father is unaware of.

Halifax.Kjipuktuk, the Mi’kmaq word for it, meaning great harbor. I haven’t been back here in years. My uncle is here, along with my cousins. They run the Valdici empire on this side of the ocean. They control much of the drug trade, as well as the blood trade for theentire east coast of Canada. They love the New World. They think it’s beautiful as well as powerful.

They are not wrong.

You are quiet, Renzo, my father’s voice echoes in my head as the boat slows for our approach to Seafarer’s Island and the portal to the magick realm.

I learned long ago to keep my thoughts to myself.Just admiring the view. It’s been a while since I have been here. Will Silas be here? Or my cousins?

No. They aren’t invited. Only the kings and their heirs. We won’t have time to see them before we go back. This emergency meeting has caused me to leave some issues unresolved. I must get back right away. And you need to get back for your wedding. Not many days remaining now.

I balked at the reminder and tightened one fist on my knee. A reminder I didn’t need.

The boat coasts past the visible dock, cruising toward the hidden side of the island. I ruminate on what my father has brought up…my wedding. I have no interest in being married, especially to a human, but my fate is non-negotiable. We need the Giordano family name to consolidate our power. They provide us a certain level of respectability within the families.I miss the days when we could just go in and kill everyone who stood in our way, I comment to my father.

I married a female human before and it was not a pleasant experience. It was hell and now I am forced into the same position. Part of the Valdici strategy to conquer the world. At least this time I am attracted to my future wife. I’ve always been attracted to Mia Giordano. Once I make her my wife I’ll finally get to have her. And then I can kill her somewhere down the road. No need to have a wife forever. Hell, on my wedding night I will take over the Giordano family business. I could end her immediately after I consummate the deal and our marriage.

But, I think I’ll hold on to my new wife a little longer. A few short years or even months should do.

My father’s chuckle is audible, not just sounding in my mind. His words follow, still tinged with humor.It was certainly simpler. But it’shard to get away with that these days, and the one thing we can’t do is go to prison. There would be no hiding our nature there. Your marriage is necessary to the family’s needs, but I recognize it’s a sacrifice, and the family owes you for it.

I say nothing, but I store that nugget away. I may need a favor at some point, and it is good to have leverage. One of the things my father taught me over the last four hundred-plus years.

Blood pounds in my veins as we approach the invisible boundary between the mortal world and the mystical one. I hate crossing the veil. The magick realm is not all that welcoming to me as I see it. Perhaps if I crossed over all the time it wouldn’t hurt so much. I hold my breath and still my body as we cross the divide and the magick rolls over my skin. My cells all seem to burst in an instant of searing pain, and then it’s gone, and we’ve breached the gateway to the mystical world.

My father utters no sound, but beside me, he stiffens. He hates crossing the boundary as well, though he would never admit it. But he remains tense, and that is unusual.What is going on? I don’t sense trouble. I immediately broaden the reach of my senses to search the surrounding area, but there is no danger. So what, then, is wrong with my father? Why is he on edge? Of course, in the magick realm, it’s not a bad idea to always be on guard. Anything can happen over here and frequently does.

My instincts tell me this meeting is not good news. Stay close.

I immediately register that I need to be much more aware of my surroundings than I had anticipated. I do not trust some of the other kings. I can never be sure if they are planning my demise or worried about their own.

The boat glides soundlessly into the slip, and we disembark. I survey the landscape as we make our way up the slope to the stone castle that lies ahead. The story goes that it was transported here from Regno d’Italia in the Middle Ages, and I could believe it. It’s a stunningly beautiful building, something that would never be built in the modern era, but it reminds me of my youth. Dismissing that thought, I cast my senses out, taking in the surroundings. The smell of theearth tickles my nostrils, minute droplets of mist dance on my skin, the distant calls of the owls sound eerie in the night air, and the ancient energy of the land seeps into me. It still surprises me that an island like this can exist in the middle of Halifax harbor but can’t be seen unless the veil is crossed. Magick is truly powerful.

My father strolls ahead, his way lit by the magickal fairy lights on the pathway. We stop at the side entrance of the building. Stepping into the stone alcove, we pause as Father draws his dagger. It’s one of twelve, each hand-crafted to the perfect weight and balance per its owner’s specifications. A large emerald sparkles in the magickal lighting. The stone represents the Valdici clan. Emeralds are the symbols of loyalty, abundance, and security. Those are the rules the entire family must obey: Loyalty to family above all else. Create abundance for the family. Keep the family secure.

I have the same emerald eye color that marks me as a true Valdici. My father shares that eye color, as do my brothers, but not every member of the family does. My father refuses to discuss why, but I know it has something to do with a witch.Oh, how magick weaves and deceivesa saying my mother used to recite to me when I was a child.

In a swift motion, my father cuts his hand with the dagger and then places his bloody hand on the bio scanner. He slides the blade into the notch at the center of the door until it clicks, and then he turns the dagger to release the latch. The door swings open as he withdraws the dagger, and he is admitted as one of the Fondatori kings.

This isn’t my first gathering of the Fondatori kings, but it’s my first here in this place. My father’s tension leads me to constantly scan the house, looking for anything amiss. Anything that might indicate danger. In my dreams of late, I have seen change and upset in the vampire world. I know it’s coming, but I’m not sure in what form. My visions and dreams are sometimes crystal clear and other times, like now, vague and open to interpretation. I don’t talk about them to anyone, but they are disturbing.

I feel the vibration in my ribcage. Something is afoot, as Conan Doyle loved to write. I still miss him some days. I let out a small sigh.A disturbance ripples the air, suspended just out of reach. I explore the hallways and rooms once more with my senses, but I cannot put my finger on the source of the upset. Too many vampires with too many powers in a too confined space. It is hard to tell one energy from another.

We proceed down the hallway to the throne room, where my father nods a greeting to several of the other families present. “Leonardo,” is the quiet response. I, too, greet some of the others. I’ve met most of them before.

As Father takes his seat at the large round table and I take up a position behind his chair, the energy that has been haunting my dreams is present once again. Vampire hierarchy is a quicksand of ego and bloodlust mixed with politics and intrigue. The table is round so that no single vampire king is seen as being above another in the ranking. They are all leaders of their clans, heads of their territories and kings of the vampire world.

I scan the room and pinpoint the vampire emitting the energy I’m feeling. He’s new, which is odd in the extreme, and no one is speaking to him. Another oddity.Father, the vampire across the table on your right. I do not recognize him. Be wary.

Thank you for the warning. I also do not recognize him, but he is on the throne of the Rainier vampire clan from Berlin.

Just then, Ashikaga Hikotaka, king of the Kyoto territory, clears his throat. The room falls silent instantly. “I have news,” he states. My senses brace for what I know will be a devastating blow. “Two nights ago,” he continues, “Heinrich Rainier was dispatched to his final death.”

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