Dark Heart Surrender (2 page)

T
he old man looked up from his newspaper and gave the boy a bemused, dry look.

‘You’re late,’ he said, but without judgement, as though he were just stating a fact.

‘I got caught …’ Luca shrugged off his cagoule, spattering old Pete’s newspaper with drops of rainwater. His clothes underneath weren’t much better, his T-shirt sticking to his stomach. He peeled it away, grimacing. ‘I’ve never seen rain like that.’ He looked up at Pete, who was now regarding him sympathetically.

‘Out back,’ he gestured with his thumb. ‘Clean shirt and overalls, hanging up. Leave your wet clothes next to the boiler and they’ll be dry in a couple of hours.’ He sniffed, dropping his eyes back to his paper.

‘Thanks.’ Luca walked carefully out to the storeroom; he needed to get out of his jeans.

Inside Pete’s tidy storeroom, rain thumping on the corrugated roof, the boy took a moment to inhale the smell of hardware: tools, pots of paint, the lattice of pigeonholes carefully labelled with essentials for the trade – nails, two dozen different sizes of hammers and screwdrivers. Luca loved the smell of all this … practicality. Though he was beginning to shiver from the damp, he smiled to himself. A surge of well-being came over him. He opened the cupboard by the door, where Pete’s spare overalls hung from one hook and a clean denim shirt from the other.

‘OK out there, boy?’ Pete cleared his throat, scraping his stool back. ‘We got work this afternoon, out by the old army training ground. Demolition job.’

Luca heard Pete moving around the workshop and, registering what the old man had just told him, his good mood evaporated.

The army training ground. A place he had no wish to return to. It was there, nearly two years ago now, that Raphael, heir to Nissilum’s Celestial family, had held Jane and her family hostage, intent on revenge for his father Gabriel’s death. Raphael, half mad with anger and grief, had blamed Jane and her mother – Gabriel’s long-forgotten love – for his father’s fate. Luca and his younger sister Dalya had arrived just in time to stop Raphael. It had been a day like today, pelting rain, the whole place damp, dark and deserted. A lot had happened since then … Luca and Jane had been apart for a long time, while Luca tried hard to be an obedient son, wanting to please his family by marrying into his breed. He hadn’t gone through with it; he had never stopped loving the beautiful mortal girl and now they were together, living with her family here on Mortal Earth. It was what they had both wanted, never to be apart. But Mortal Earth held dangers of its own … Today’s casual news from Pete was a salutary reminder of that.

Luca took a couple of deep breaths, closing his eyes, not just at the horrific memory but at the thought of what he had nearly lost for ever.

Jane.

‘Luca.’ Pete stuck his head round the door. ‘Rain’s easing off now. What’s keeping you?’

Luca shook his head, reviving a smile for the old man. ‘Sorry, Pete. We’re leaving now?’

‘Good a time as any.’ Pete narrowed his eyes for a second, as though detecting a false bravado in Luca’s tone. He was a shrewd old guy, Luca had already recognized that. He’d given Luca the job in his small independent construction company on a good word from Jane’s father Jack, but it hadn’t been long before he’d picked up on the aura around the boy. As though he had smelled the wolf on him. Luca knew that there were mortals who had an extra sense in that way – who could detect a supernatural presence. He just hadn’t expected this gruff and practical old man to be one of them. Pete had questioned Luca for a long time on his background and, though Luca had worked out a story ahead of time with Jane and her mother, he was unprepared for the level of interrogation on his first day in Pete’s yard.

‘Pale, aren’t you, kid?’ Pete had leaned in closely, his eyes sweeping over Luca’s delicate cheekbones, his jawline, his extraordinary green eyes, dark-lashed, gleaming. ‘Celtic?’

Luca had just nodded, not knowing what Celtic meant, but realizing it was better to comply with the old guy’s assumption.

‘You used to heavy work, then? A lot of physical stuff going on here. Lifting, shifting, carrying … Not a job for a faint heart or a weak constitution.’

‘No, sir.’ Luca had pulled up his shoulders, setting his jaw. ‘I did a lot of that stuff for my dad. He had a similar set-up to you. I’ve been helping him out since I was a kid. I’m strong – I don’t look it, but I am.’

Pete had nodded, the beginnings of a smile appearing on his face. ‘Sure, sure. I believe you, son. It’s what Jack told me too.’ He’d looked down at his hands. ‘But, if you don’t mind me saying, you look the serious type … sensitive. I got to be sure you won’t break down crying once the wrecking ball comes out.’ He’d glanced up, almost fondly, at Luca. It was then that Luca knew instinctively that the old man would be on his side … if he ever needed him to be.

‘Well, come on,’ Pete said now. He reached over, pulling the overalls straight on Luca, brushing at something on the collar in a paternal way. ‘We have to pick up a few things for the job.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘It won’t be the most pleasant of jobs – creepy old place. Full of ghosts, bad energy …’

Luca swallowed, forcing himself to look unaffected, casual. ‘The sooner we get there, the sooner it’s over, I guess.’

‘Exactly.’ Pete lightly punched the boy’s shoulder. ‘That’s the attitude I like. I’ll meet you out front in two minutes.’

‘S
ee, this is exactly why I would like a lock on my room.’ I put down my bag, glaring at Dot. ‘Did I give you permission to borrow my favourite T-shirt?’

Dot opened her blue eyes wide. ‘I didn’t know. I’m sorry.’ She swivelled her head to appeal to my mother, who watched the two of us wearily.

‘No harm done, hey?’ She ruffled Dot’s hair before smiling at me. ‘We’ll wash it and then you can have it back.’

‘Not the point,’ I snapped, wondering why I was such a grouch today. I’d overslept and missed half of the first Art class of the new term. ‘I need some privacy.’

‘Well, we don’t have locks except for the bathroom. You know that.’

‘Tell her to keep out of my things then.’ I cast another glower at Dot.

‘What’s the matter with you lately? It isn’t like you to get so wound up over stuff like this.’ Mum looked concerned, sighing. ‘This must be the terrible teens at last.’

‘Mum!’ I wrinkled my nose. ‘You make me sound like a little kid.’

‘Then don’t act like one,’ Dot supplied chirpily, though backing towards the door. For a moment I felt furious, but then I took in Dot nervously hopping from foot to foot and I smiled.

‘Yeah, yeah,’ I said softly to my mother. ‘I suppose it’s college. I can’t seem to catch up. I’m panicking, I guess.’

Mum looked stern. ‘I knew it would be too much, Luca living here.’

‘No. It’s not Luca …’ I hesitated. ‘Well, yes, it is Luca. But it has to be this way … I can’t, I couldn’t—’

‘I know.’ With a sigh, Mum pulled out a chair from the table and sat opposite me. ‘And I’m not suggesting that Luca goes back home.’ She lowered her voice, both of us aware that neither Dot nor Dad knew the whole truth. ‘But this is your future. You need to focus on your studies for the next eighteen months. Luca will have to take a back seat.’

I nodded. ‘You’re right. But he’s given up a lot for me. I can’t just ignore him after all that sacrifice.’

‘Luca is going to be busy himself, earning some money.’ Mum drew up her shoulders. ‘Old Pete will keep him occupied, believe me.’

‘I know. I’m probably worrying too much.’
About everything
, I added to myself. Luca and I had been so happy to be together again after all that had happened in Nissilum. There had been a time – an eternity it had seemed then – that I thought I had lost him for ever. I guessed I had Soren to thank for changing things. Soren had come in and out of my life so dramatically. For a while I had even felt that I had more of a bond with him than— I shut my eyes, forcing that thought out. It felt disloyal. But I missed Soren. He had seemed to understand me, like Luca did. But half vampire, half angel, Soren’s future lay back in Nissilum, where he now shared equal status with Raphael, heir to the Celestial dynasty. Half-brothers who had no affection for each other. But they had to make it work.

‘Jane.’ My mother’s voice cut through my thoughts. ‘You’ve gone into one of your daydreams again. What are you thinking about?’

‘Nothing.’ I hadn’t told Mum half of what had gone on back in Nissilum. She herself had been embroiled in a fatal love triangle there. It meant she knew things not many mothers would understand. But it was a past she wanted to leave behind. I smiled at her, changing the subject to something more mundane.

‘They’ve asked me to chair the student council at college.’ I shrugged. ‘For some reason they think I am a calm, reliable person with principles.’

‘All true.’ Her mother smiled. ‘Kind of. You don’t want the responsibility?’

I fiddled with one of Dot’s pens lying on the table. ‘Not really. I mean, it’s flattering, but it’s just an extra layer of work and more of my time. And I can’t turn it down because that would look bad and …’ I let go of the pen and pushed my head into my hands. ‘I don’t know why I am getting so stressed out. All this, it’s kind of unprecedented, you know, me being thought of as a normal human being.’

We looked at each other, the irony of the situation registering. I was far from a normal human being. Not with all that had happened over the past year or so. But I was also no longer the loner, the freak I had been for so long. I had friends now, and social invitations I mostly turned down. I was popular.

‘Anyway.’ I took a deep breath and glanced up at the clock. ‘I’m going to have a bath and an early night. I don’t think Luca is back till late.’

Reaching the foot of the stairs I looked back at the kitchen where Mum was still seated at the table, watching me with a look of pride tinged with worry.

‘Don’t worry, Mum,’ I called out to her. ‘I’ll make it all work.’

She smiled. ‘It’s the real world, darling. Good old-fashioned everyday responsibility. You’ll get used to it.’

I pushed open the door to the converted attic room that was now Luca’s domain. He was sitting on the bed, prising off his boots. At the sound of me coming in, he looked up, a broad smile breaking through the exhaustion I saw in his face.

‘Hey,’ he said softly, ‘did I wake you up coming in?’

I moved closer, perching next to him. Even after everything we’d been through I still felt a kind of shyness sometimes whenever I was near him. I pulled at my oversized T-shirt, trying to cover my knees.

‘I couldn’t sleep anyway.’ Almost on cue I yawned deeply and Luca laughed.

‘I’m sorry.’ He stopped trying to get his remaining boot off and sat back, putting one strong but slender arm around me. I shivered – not cold, but tingling at his touch. ‘How was your day?’ he said, studying my face.

‘It was tough. I have so much catching up to do – and suddenly all this stuff is expected of me.’

‘Stuff?’ Luca stroked my shoulder. ‘What kind of stuff?’

‘Well, along with all the studying I have to cram in, it seems to be the general consensus that I would make a good figurehead for the student council.’ I shook my head, a half-smile on my face. ‘They’re mistaking my stunned silence as composure, or maturity, or something.’

‘But that’s great.’ Luca squeezed me. ‘And you’re all of those things. Composed, mature – and principled.’ He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. ‘It’s about time you started seeing that too.’

‘Really?’ I felt myself squirming with a kind of pleased, but still disbelieving, feeling. ‘I don’t know. I just want to get on with my life quietly.’

‘Nonsense.’ Luca’s eyes gleamed proudly. ‘Since when have you ever been such a mouse?’

‘But I always thought that’s what I was.’ I shook my head. ‘The one in the corner, watching everyone else. Never the centre of anything.’

‘Which is precisely what is so great about you – your modesty.’ Luca bent down and finally finished removing his boot and his voice was muffled when he added, ‘And what I love about you.’

Looking down at his tousled brown mop of hair as he bent over, I resisted the urge to say something soppy in reply.

‘You should have seen me earlier. Mature and composed is not how my mum would describe it,’ I said quickly instead.

Luca sat back up. ‘So I get to miss out on your tantrums.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘Not fair.’

‘I wouldn’t call them tantrums exactly,’ I said indignantly. ‘It’s not easy dealing with little sisters.’ As soon as the words had left my mouth I regretted it, seeing the faint flicker of sadness in Luca’s eyes as he must have been thinking about his own little sister, Dalya. ‘Sorry, that was insensitive.’

Luca drew me to him, his soft lips brushing my cheek. ‘It’s fine. You shouldn’t be treading on eggshells around me.’ He paused. ‘I think that’s the expression anyway.’

‘I’m impressed.’ I picked at a thread in the seam of his jeans. ‘Soon you’ll be fluent in Mortalese.’

‘Sounds like some kind of deadly disease.’ Luca pulled me even closer, his chin resting on my head, and I inhaled his familiar scent. College, studies, extracurricular commitments all faded away in this moment. I thought of the conversation with my mother earlier and wondered how I could have got myself so wound up. Luca was here at last and we were finally together. Nothing was going to stand in their way any longer. All the trauma and the heartache of the last year was over.