Holding Hope Word Doc NC (2 page)

An apparition appeared
outside the cathedral ruins. The majestic angel stood before the women who
bowed down on their knees in her presence. “You shall call me Magdalena. You
shall pray to me as Goddess. For you are those I saved this day. You are true
to the promise made so long ago and granted to us through the grace of God.
Your honor lies in claiming your breed mate. It is as it should be.”

The women dared not move as
they heard the men approach, remaining on their knees in respect for their
Goddess with whom there was a connection. The soil warm beneath their legs, the
air crisp and cool against their hands. Every sensation, every movement and
sound,
was heightened.
Their change not subtle, the men present that day at the cathedral witnessed
the transformation.

“You are no
longer as you once were. Manifested in you now are the elements. While others
broke their promise, you held steadfast and are rewarded with powers in your
own right. No longer shall you exist only to sustain your mate but to also
sustain the earth. My blessings
be
upon you and your
children after you. It is as it should be.”

Those gathered
saw the apparition spiral in a colorful rainbow that seemed to draw every eye,
a comforting scent and warmth flooded the courtyard where now only seven women
remained alongside the breed men. A new beginning was upon them.

Chapter
One

Lucas held the most
precious thing in his arms, something he thought he’d never have in his many
years. Once, just once before, had he allowed himself to hope but it hadn’t
been meant to be. Martha had died before he could claim her but he’d been
certain at the time that she was his mate. Could it be he was wrong? He’d lived
years believing he’d lost his only chance at love, his one true mate. Now,
holding Ella in his arms, Lucas understood Martha hadn’t been his mate after
all. You couldn’t have two mates –two people perfect for you- and with all certainty,
every fiber of his being assured him that he was holding his mate in his arms
at this very moment.

He looked down at Ella.
She appeared so young; he wondered how old she was. He knew nothing about her
and still his heart beat only for her now. Her pale skin was soft under his
calloused fingers. He longed to stroke his fingers through her short blond hair
but didn’t want to disturb her. She remained limp and still but he took solace
in knowing she was calmer now. Her cinnamon brown eyes were closed again. He’d
nearly broken down when those precious eyes looked up at him, first afraid and
then hopeful. They’d been filled with hope, with such faith and a trust he
didn’t deserve.

His gut clenched with
the knowledge that he’d claimed this magnificent woman without her consent.
Would she understand he had no choice? She was so weak and seemed so
vulnerable. He’d held her the entire flight back to the United States, hadn’t
let anyone so much as touch her. When Donovan, the TEU’s medic, tried to help,
Lucas fought back his growls while he refused his help.

“She needs more blood,”
Donovan explained. “I can hear her heartbeat fading again.”

Lucas heard his
brother-in-arms but couldn’t reconcile himself to what needed to be done.

“Lucas, listen to me,”
Donovan raised his voice as he touched Lucas’s shoulder. “Since she’s a woman
of the
Magdalena Circle
, our blood
can sustain her through her injuries. I gave her a few drops of my blood while
we were being held. Let me give her a few more.”

“No,” Lucas raised his
voice to match Donovan and showed his sharp teeth, two actions he’d never
before taken against one of his brothers-in-arms. Shame immediately rushed
through him. “I apologize, Van, but no more. She will take from me alone.”
Lucas knew the few drops Van had given her wouldn’t do any harm. Since he
wasn’t her natural mate, it had no effect aside from sustaining her health
during her healing but he still couldn’t allow it.

Understanding swept
over Donovan as he backed away and nodded. “You’ll need to at least give her a
few drops until she’s well enough to feed fully.” Donovan pulled the curtain
and left them alone.

Silence reigned over
them as Lucas sat holding his mate, holding his hope in the future.

“I’m so very sorry, my
precious, I can’t bear to see you like this. I must feed you and make you
well.” Lucas’s voice broke as he pulled Ella closer against him. He fought to
control his emotions, anger and frustration raging through him. He’d given up
searching for a mate because he’d believed she had died. Had he not been so
foolish, Ella may not have ended up held captive by Nassir and his men. What
hell had she gone through?

Picking up his phone,
Lucas called Anton.

“Lucas, what can I do
for you?” Anton sounded surprised to hear from him. Lucas could hardly blame
him. His usual MO was to fly under the radar and bother no one.

“Anton, I need the
cabin prepared for me. I’ll be going immediately there once we land.”

Silence followed. It
was clear Anton was holding back his questions. “Ah. Okay. I’ll send a car to
the airstrip for you and in the meantime, I’ll send the caretaker to freshen
the cabin.”

“Good. I’ll be staying
at least a few weeks.”

“I’ll have some of your
clothes and necessities packed in the car for you.”

“Thank you. And Anton,”
Lucas paused, “There’ll be someone joining me.”

“Very
well.
Should the caretaker prepare a second bedroom?”

“No. One will suffice.”
Uncomfortable silence followed Lucas’s admission. “That’s all. Thank you
again.”

After disconnecting
from the call, Lucas rested his head back on the seat and let out a sigh. Truth
be told, he was exhausted. In a single moment –inside that dark, dank cell- his
center realigned. Nothing was more important than the woman he now held in his
arms. Lucas suspected he’d have a lot of explaining to do once she healed. He
really had no idea what his beautiful mate would think about everything that
had happened since he rescued her from captivity.

*
 
* * *

Ella blinked her eyes
open. The room was dark but she was lying on a soft bed and the smell, the
heavenly scent of lavender, embraced her like angel’s wings, a fragrance that
once surrounded her. It was her mother’s scent. Goddess, could it be she was no
longer in that awful cell? She fought to keep her eyes open, to focus so she could
take stock of her surroundings.

Reaching out with her
hands, Ella ran her fingers over the softest cotton. She moaned at the
decadence of something as simple as a bed. She’d been caged for so long, she
had no memory of the last time she’d touched something soft. Ella glanced down
and admired the soft blue colors. Everywhere she looked were shades of blue.
She should be concerned with where she was but she wasn’t. Something inside her
felt safe. She knew she was safe. Her captors had never brought her anywhere
like this.

Ella sat up and
confirmed what her senses had already told her. She was alone. The shades were closed
but it appeared to be light outside. Soft sounds came from another part of the
home. She could sense just one more person nearby but felt no malice coming
from them. In relief or from sheer exhaustion, Ella allowed herself to sink
back down into the soft mattress. This bedroom was a haven and she was safe.

It had been far too
long since she’d felt safe. From that dreadful day when she’d discovered her
mother’s secret, her life had irrevocably changed. Reading through the old
books her mother had hidden in a locked trunk at the foot of her bed, Ella
learned she’d been adopted by her mother’s friend. Rosemary had taken her in
when her parents died at a young age. Rosemary, the woman she believed to be
her mother, hadn’t been her mother at all and the secrets the woman kept left
Ella cut off from those like her. She was a part of a society of women called
the
Magdalena Circle
. It explained so
much about just why she never fit in. What she didn’t understand was why they’d
kept it a secret from her.

For days, she poured
through the history of the Magdalena Circle, learning there was a brotherhood
of men from which it was started. Ella also learned her destiny included a
mating to one of these near Immortal men, a Valendite Breed. Torn between being
terrified and hopeful, she traveled to her native homeland of Italy for
answers. That’s where the men who kidnapped her had found her. She was simply
sitting at a café in Pontedra, Italy when her life was thrown into turmoil.

Refusing to stir the
memories of her captivity, Ella closed her eyes again and allowed sleep to
claim her.

* * * *

Lucas heard Ella wake.
He stood in the hallway, his hand on the closed door to her room, to feel for
any disturbance in her peaceful energy. He waited long enough to hear her
breathing level out once again as she fell into sleep.

They’d been at the
cabin for two days already. He was no closer to discovering who she was or
where she’d come from. Chiara Sinster, Layla’s mother, couldn’t even track Ella
through her connections with the innermost workings of the Magdalena Circle.
Patience.
Everybody continued to remind him to have patience
but Lucas was a man who sought answers. Sitting idly by was not working well
for him.

Without knowing the
status of Nassir’s operation, Madden recommended Lucas keep off radar. This
meant staying off any traceable devices and limited what Lucas could do himself
to investigate. He had to leave it to the others to stop Nassir.

Most of the families
were on their way to Italy for another Pronouncement. It seemed yet another
Sinster sister had found her mate. Seamus, of all people, had claimed Gemma and
with a full moon approaching on the Winter Solstice, the Pronouncement was set
immediately. Laying low wouldn’t be a problem. Lucas had no plans to leave this
cabin or to let anyone in until he’d claimed his mate properly.

His libido was climbing
by the hour, the pheromones Ella was unknowingly putting off setting his blood
to boil. How he’d make it to bring her gently into their lifestyle, Lucas
wasn’t sure. He returned to the kitchen to continue preparing a light vegetable
soup for Ella. When she woke fully, she’d need nourishment. He’d included
medicinal herbs into the soup as his mother had instructed him and hoped sooner
rather than later, his mate would be up to enjoy it. Then they could talk and,
Goddess willing, she’d be ready to be claimed.

Chapter
Two

A knock at her door
woke Ella. It was soft but still the noise startled her. A man appeared who
seemed familiar. He was tall, much like the last man who shared her cell. At
the thought, Ella began taking inventory. Her instinct of self-protection
kicking in, she eyed the man entering the room with skepticism.

He had dark features,
with lashes that framed the bluest eyes Ella had ever seen on a man. They
sparkled in the sunlight coming in through the window but there was something
haunted in their shadows. His dark hair was short but appeared messy as if he’d
been running his hands through it. He was unshaven and his clothes were
wrinkled. Ella wondered what was keeping him in such a state of dishevelment.
Oddly enough, she found it comforting.

“Don’t be afraid,” the
man spoke, “I’m one of the men who rescued you.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Lucas
Santucci. My family owns this cabin and we’ve brought you here to be safe.”

“To
be safe?”

“Yes, your captors
still need to be apprehended.”

“Are you the police? I
mean,
h-how did you find me? Who were those people who took
me?” Ella worked to keep her voice steady even as she felt her heart rate
accelerate. Just thinking back on her captivity terrified her.

“Let’s take this
slowly. I’d like to feed you first. I’ve made soup.”

“I need to know,” Ella
cleared her throat and started again. “I need to know more. Like, where am I?”

“You are at my family
cabin in upstate California. You’re safest here in the United States.” The man,
Lucas, ran his fingers through his hair, an obvious habit for him she’d already
noted. “Okay. I’m part of a team that enters dangerous situations and contains
them. We found you during another recovery operation. While the rest of the
team continues the hunt for those who held you captive, I’m to see to your
safety and well-being.”

“Why am I not in a
hospital somewhere?”

Lucas raised his
eyebrows and seemed to consider her. “I believe you know why.”

Ella swallowed back her
fear. All her senses told her this man was a Valendite Breed and he obviously
knew she was from the Magdalena Circle. She was both concerned and reassured
that perhaps she’d now learn more about her heritage.