It’s Funny How Love Starts (IFHLS Book 1)

When Zane and I got back to the huge estate, Lucas was on the veranda, swinging on the porch swing and reading a classic novel. He almost didn’t look that deadly but we all knew what he was capable of.

“You guys are five minutes late,” he said, shaking his head. He put down the book and crossed his arms like a mom angry at her child who broke curfew.

“Well, we ran into some trouble,” Zane said before he thought through it. Whoops.

“What?!” Lucas exploded. “What happened?” He threw himself off the veranda and faced Zane.

I pushed Lucas off and made sure the two had space. “I met a vampire and he kindly helped me. No scratch that. He saved me,” I said, thinking about how I would’ve died with that burning feeling if Derek hadn’t saved me.

“What happened,” Lucas pressed. He wanted to know the full story.

“We were at a bakery and I was thirsty. I didn’t know it was blood that I needed and Derek helped me.” I tried to make it plain and simple and I guess looking back on my words, it did seem all that simple but Lucas was still cautious.

Lucas sighed. “Just don’t scare me like that again,” he said, giving up on the subject.

“Apparently, I scare everyone,” I sighed exasperatingly.

“You don’t scare me, dear,” Amos appeared right next to me. When Lucas didn’t look all that happy, Amos knew something was up. “What happened?”

“She befriended a vampire and he helped her by giving her blood when she was thirsty,” Lucas explained, unhappily. Come on, couldn’t I explain? How Lucas said it made me look like I was a naughty little kid stealing from the cookie jar.

“Well, it saved her and that’s all that matters, correct?” Amos asked. It looked like he was disciplining a child.

“Yeah, but I don’t like how vampires are now roaming the city as if they rule it,” Lucas muttered angrily.

“We live in coexistence. That’s how your town is running smoothly. We work together and we all get benefits from it,” Amos chided.

“We clean up their mess when they leave bloody bodies around the city,” Lucas argued.

“And they clean up for us when we lose control during the full moon,” Amos replied back. Lucas quieted at that. His argument was stronger than Lucas’.

I remembered the full moon. I wasn’t marked yet so I didn’t go through the change in the full moon but I certainly saw mom, dad, and Zane go through it. Watching them suffer was already painful enough.

During the full moon, they would turn into werewolves without a choice but they turned slowly so each movement of the bone, each different placement of their bone structure would cause them pain. When werewolves changed without the full moon, the transformation is so fast that they barely feel the pain. Just an annoying ache of the bone but nothing like how it is under the full moon but that wasn’t the only thing.

The next process was that they wouldn’t be able to control their bloodlust. The full moon would control them and they would kill anything in their sight that wasn’t a werewolf. That was our curse.

Every full moon, every werewolf has to be locked up in their dungeon usually under the basement. Lucas’ was just a nicer looking dungeon that doesn’t even deserve that title.

The dungeons were always equipped with chains and cells made out of silver to insure that the person inside would be weakened when the transformation happened. I had to make sure the cell was properly locked and they would yell at me to go upstairs with a gun loaded with silver bullets in case things didn’t go well.

Don’t be afraid to use it Alexia. You need to protect yourself first, my dad had said but as soon as the screaming and the cracking of bones occurred, I would hug my knees in a corner with the gun in hand, staring at the door that led itself to the dungeon.

Every full moon felt like one step to insanity. I couldn’t bear their screaming and that was one of the reasons why my parents bought me an iPod. Technology was a lifesaver.

“We should get ready for the party,” Lucas cleared his voice. I stared at him dumbfounded. In the event of my bloodsucking experience, I had forgotten about the party.

“Ah, yes, we’ll run late if we keep talking and arguing. The rest of the Elders plan to meet us there and sent me back to escort everyone there,” Amos said, leading us like a flock of sheep back into the pen…I  mean house.

Amos was already in his formal clothes, black suit and tie with polished black shoes to go with it so he made up hurry up and change while we hurried upstairs. If I was correct, it was the same shoe that held the dangerous knife from the last battle.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

In the room, Lucas brought out a beautiful black cocktail dress. Something I would never dream of wearing. It was way too girly for me to wear.

“This was Lexi’s but I think it’ll fit you,” Lucas said, stumbling over his sister’s name.

“No, Lucas…I can’t,” I whispered. It was too precious for him to loan it for me even if I didn’t have any other formal dresses to wear. I was sure a summer dress would’ve been fine. Underdressed but acceptable.

“No, Alexia. I want you to wear it. It was her favorite and I want you to have it. She’s gone and this dress needs a new owner,” Lucas smiled sadly. “Hold up, I got something,” he said, handing me the dress and then went back into his closet for something else.

Since he was too occupied finding something in the closet, I quickly took the opportunity to change since we were short on time and his back was turned.

I seriously thought I would have enough time to slip on the dress and zip it but he caught me again with my troubles with the zipper.

“Having trouble again, are we?” he smirked. He gently zipped it up. No kisses, nothing. He had meant it when he didn’t want anything physical.

“Thanks,” I smiled. “I’ll leave you to change.” He looked like he was about to say something more but he just swallowed and smiled.

“Yeah, I’ll be right down.”

I closed the door, leaving Lucas to his own privacy when I bumped into Zane. Gosh, if we weren’t siblings, we should’ve been twins. We always thought too much alike to bump into each other all the time.

“Hey, wow, never seen you look that girly before,” he wrinkled his nose, not really sure how to take my appearance.

“Thanks, you don’t look so bad yourself,” I said jokingly.

“Ah, my two favorite people in the world,” Jace called out from his bedroom. “I see them together again. Alone,” he emphasized.

“What you trying to get at Jace?” I asked. Wow, I never used formality on him anymore. How strange.

“Nothing, nothing,” he winked. Ugh, sicko. He didn’t need formalities. I can be informal all I want, I decided.

“The party,” Lucas cleared his voice behind us. He didn’t seem particularly pleased at our conversation but ushered us to quickly move downstairs.

Amos smiled at our arrival and we quickly filed in the car to the hotel down town. When we entered, the party was already in full progress. I spotted the Elders doing their work by mingling with the people, saying soothing words that everything was taken care of.

Zane held my hand tight and I remembered back to Travis’ plan. I looked at him and he nodded.

The plan was now set into action.