Page 13 of The Clash of the Damned
High heels click against the tiles, and I look up from my spot on the couch to see Jude storming into my apartment with Silva on her tail. “What are you doing here?” I croak, my voice raspy from disuse.
Jude grabs the remote from me and opens the living room blinds before she turns to glare at me with her hand on her hip. “I know you’re Undead, but living in darkness like this is ridiculous.” Squinting against the light filtering into my living room, I lift my hand to shield my eyes as they adjust to the unwelcome intrusion.
Jude falls on the couch next to me with Silva following her lead. Almost like they’re caging me in, scared I’m going to run. “Amelia called.” Jude tests the words, knowing it’s a sensitive subject.
“Seems she’s giving me a chance to prove I’m not as selfish as she claimed, even though I hate we need a reason.”
Jude’s mouth opens, then shuts again, as if she’s choosing her words carefully. Like saying the wrong thing could upset me. “When she told me what happened, I called Silva to come let me in. I’m taking the night off from my new responsibilities to focus on you. You’re a priority too, despite what some people may think. I’m here to remind you that you’re Luca fucking De Greer.”
I register how dressed up Jude is. Her beautiful chestnut curls are gathered into a high pony with silver hoop earrings, the look accentuating her cheekbones beautifully. Her couture, gray, mini dress shows off her athletic build, and she’s never looked more like the head of the Druid empire.
“Do you know why my parents named me Luca? A unisex name to some, but predominantly male to others?” Her lips purse as she tries to figure out the answer. “They believed I could do anything I set my mind to, and I shouldn’t be limited by a feminine name. But what does that sayfor my future, when the people that supposedly love me most, wanted me dead?”
Jude puts her arms around my waist and her head on my shoulder, and for a moment, I allow myself to soak in the small, yet temporary, comfort. When she leaves, my small reprieve will leave with her.
“You’re allowed to be sad, L. Druids know this has been a shitty time for you. But you can’t let the sadness win. I wouldn’t wish heartbreak on my worst enemy, nevermind you. But we’re both here, and I still love you, and we’ve got each other. Yes, our empires will have to come first, but we’re going to figure out how to make it work.”
Jude stands and disappears upstairs into my bedroom, leaving Silva and me. “Did you know? I ask her.
Silva leans back into the couch and sighs, her ever ageless face plain of makeup with her gray hair in a ponytail. It’s the most casual I’ve ever seen her in jeans and a shirt with sneakers. “I had my suspicions, but I was never able to prove it. To accuse the Head of the Undead unjustly would have meant my immediate death. The only thing I could do was keep you close in case it was true. Why do you think I encouraged you to work at Tao so soon? It was the only way I could keep you safe.”
It seems the version of Gabriela De Greer we knew was a lie. We placed her on a pedestal as someone we both loved and cherished. Yet that version of her existed only in our minds. Confronted with the truth, neither of us know how to move on. In desperate need of a distraction from our grief, I switch to a much safer subject.
“How is Tao doing?”
“It’s been better. Business has been slower than normal, and I’m not sure if that’s because you’re on leave, or because of the cult, or both.”
“There’s something else you’re not telling me. What is it? You’ve got that look on your face, the one that looks like you just ate a lemon.” My hands tighten around the couch edge, bracing myself for the news.
“I wasn’t going to tell you; you’re dealing with enough as it is–”
I hold up my hand, cutting Silva off. “I am sad, no heartbroken, at the amount of betrayal I’ve needed to deal with in a short span of time, but that doesn’t mean there is something wrong with my brain. Spit it out.”
Silva doesn’t bother hiding her small grin. “Good to see some of your fire is still under there. One of the humans that uses our laundering services has been accused of fraud.”
“Why exactly do I care about said human?” I ask, my nostrils flaring in irritation.
“Because said human is in politics. The type that could end them up in the White House. The whole country will see this unfold.”
Fuck. Rubbing my temples, I make a quick decision. “Call the Rogues.” I’m careful not to use either Amelia or Sebastian’s name. “They owe me at least one favor; get them to take care of it. A human will talk, and we can’t have that. We’ve had enough attention on the empires as it is.”
Silva nods and hesitates as if she’s not done with the confessions yet. “Yes?” I prompt her. She motions to the empty space next to my couch, which would be perfect for the two shrines missing from my life. “I know. There should be one for both my parents. But how do I honor our dead when how I lost my father was a lie, and the mother I thought loved me, was the very reason for it?”
Jude takes that as her cue to come down from my bedroom with three dresses slung over her arm. “That’s why we’re going out tonight.” She offers her other hand to help me up from the couch.
“Remind me how a night out is helpful again? I am not getting it.”
Jude pops her hip out, like my question has insulted her in some way, before she tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Because it’s great PR, obviously. Not only does it promote a message of stability to our empires, I know those influencers always want to see what the famous Luca is up to.”
“It’s not a bad idea, Luca; we could use the promotion,” Silva adds.
Pointing to the dresses, I ask, “I assume one of them is for me?”
Jude smiles at me. “Pick one and get ready. We’re going out in thirty minutes.”
Tensing, I prepare my argument. “I don’t want to–”
Jude cuts me off. “You’ve wallowed enough. Time to be fabulous again.” She slaps me on the ass, and I yelp.
