The Pursuit of the Unknown

UNINVITED GUESTS - THE COUNCIL?!?!

 LUCA POV

Startled out of his mind and yet, not losing his demeanor, “The Council? What do they want?” “I am not aware of the reason sir, they just said to make sure you see them .” Raymond said with a slight look of fear in his face. Luca walking off exuding an aura of confidence and danger, he entered the study to find the gentlemen waiting for him. “Gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence? In my home, where you are never welcome?” he said, taking off his coat.

“Someone is a little too reckless for our liking, disposing dead bodies in alleys after feeding is not how things are done Maldive, perhaps you were a little too distracted to take care of your mess? A certain young lass?” one of the men said, and this set Luca on edge.  Grinding his teeth, Luca stood from his chair and said, “ Not a finger on that girl – I will destroy all of you if you so much as touch a hair on her head,”

“Pathetic,” one of them scoffed, “I thought you understood the rules – you father did tell you how we operate no?” with the bone chilling look  one of the men the said, “You’d be the dumbest of our kind if you so much as look at a human as anything more than a meal prep. We are warning you Maldive- no f**k ups, if you make the same mistake again, you risk having us exposed and that’s the last thing we need – a bunch of dumb humans on our radar! We are the hunters, not them.” With that, they disappeared at lightning speed and left Luca in his study, a little afraid that anything could happen to Rosa – he just met her! And he has no intentions to lose her anytime soon. ‘I have to see Father about this, he has to help me,”

Walking to his car, he makes way to his father’s house to seek his protection and that of Rosa against the ruthless pack that just showed up at his house unannounced. “Father! Father, are you in here?” shouting in the study walking in, noting the familiar surroundings he grew up in. He walks up to the large painting of his mother hanging on the wall, “How did you know she was the one?” he asks, feeling his father’s presence behind him.

“When she tried to treat a wound on my arm, she didn’t know what I was and that I recover in a heartbeat.” He chuckles, recalling his first time meeting Maria, he looks at his arm where she wrapped her handkerchief and takes a trip down memory lane. “You know why I love this song son?” s****l healing by Marvin Gaye was on repeat, he takes his infamous cigar and takes a long swig, before telling his son who is looking at him like a madman, “That night I went to a bar with your mother and listened to this song,” he chuckles again before he continues, “Let’s just say that’s 9 months later, Luca Christoph Maldive IV was born,” he looks at his son and smiles at the embarrassment he feels once he realizes what his father was on about.

“Father, some secrets are best kept that way – secrets.” His father lets out a hearty laughter. “Well son, you being here is never a good sign - something must be wrong, what is it this time?” Luca hesitates for a moment before looking at his father and telling him, “I found someone who makes me feel the way Mom makes you feel, and I don’t think I can give her up,” Mr. Maldive Snr doesn’t show any sign of disapproval yet, “She is one of our kind, right?” 

“No, she isn’t. She is human and I -” before he could continue, “Well son, there is only so much I can do. Is the council aware of this girl?” Just the look on his face was enough to attest to the lurking danger that was fast approaching.  “Father, can you make sure they leave her alone? I can’t let anything happen to her, she’s - ”

“Luca, I thought I told you that humans are off limits! You can’t get attached to a weakling that can die the next second knowing who we are and what we do.  Whatever it is you have going on with that girl, call it off – before they find her and kill her. Do you understand?” Luca was not surprised at his old man’s reaction but still, Rosa was important to him and he was not ready to let her go. For her sake, he knew he needed to keep a low profile.  With a final look toward his father he asked, “If it was Mother is in this situation, what would you have done?” in his father’s eyes, he saw loneliness and heartbreak – in a split second, it was then replaced with rage, pure ire and hatred. “Son, your mother was not weak, nor was she human – this is different, she – “

“You would have done everything you could to protect her right dad?” the despair that was upon Luca’s father was an answer enough for Luca, and with that he walked out of the office and headed back to his house, leaving his father in the study room, ‘I would have done anything to protect your mother, if only she listened to me’ he thought to himself, with regret and remorse as he recalled the incident that had robbed him of his will to love, and to live.