Looking For Lucy Jo

Chapter 1

Acknowledgements

First I'd like to thank one of my favourite authors and online pals, Melissa Pearl, for taking the time out to beta read for me. Melissa, you are truly an amazing YA and NA author – I've devoured practically every one of your books and I am in absolute awe of you. So to get your opinion on my own work, well, what can I say? I am so incredibly grateful. Thank you.

My other beta readers, as always, are amazing. I feel so lucky to have you in my writing life. Jill, Brittany, Debra, Mary and Jean. I heart you girls! Thank you for your hard work.

To my awesome editor, Andrea. You work so hard to help improve my writing in every way and I'm looking forward to working with you on lots more books in the future.

As always, I know I wouldn't be in this fabulous position right now if it wasn't for my wonderful readers. You keep me going with your words of encouragement and you make me want to be a better writer – something I hope I achieve in every book I complete. Thank you for purchasing my books, reviewing them and getting in touch. It really does mean the world to me.

My fellow authors and bloggers who have become real (virtual!) pals. I'd be lost without your words of wisdom and encouragement. I love that you are all so supportive of me. Thank you.

And finally, to the wonderful friends and family members who I've lost over the years. I'm not going to list you because, sadly, there are so many of you. But I know you're all looking down and watching over me as I go through my writer's journey. All of you inspired me to become the woman I am and I miss you terribly. Thank you for loving me just for me. This book is for you.

Prologue

She knew something was eating at him. It had consumed him day and night. Correctly, she'd assumed revenge was his greatest desire when she'd figured out he was trying to find a way to hurt them. Trying to come up with a plan to get his revenge on the Watchers. Ever since they'd thwarted his plot to acquire the Temporal Stone, he had become determined that they would pay.

From the darkness beyond the door, she stood listening to their conversation, careful to remain out of sight. Her fingers gently pressed against the wood, her ear straining to hear every last word when his other wife had spotted a photograph in his collection. A picture of a child.

'What a beautiful little girl,' she whispered into his ear. 'I do miss my children.'

Their husband laughed and hugged her to him.

'Perhaps it's time to have another, my love.'

Her small beady brown eyes lit up, 'Really, Sthen? We can have another?'

He picked up the photo and held it up to the light.

'How would you like this little one?'

'Really, Sthen? Really?'

She could just see Sthenelaus through the c***k in the door, watching as he smiled wickedly before nodding. 'Yes, my dear. We will have a daughter this time. But shush... let's not tell Aria about this, not yet anyway.'

Gasping, she tiptoed away.

OoO

'Stanley, we have to do this right,' he banged his fists on the desk. 'And that means everything, down to the tiniest detail,' he coughed.

The sounds of his coughing began to fill the room.

The younger man ran to his side, slapping his back. Sthenelaus pushed him away violently.

'Water,' he croaked.

Nodding, the man ran out of the room, returning seconds later with a large glass.

He snatched it, spilling almost half on the carpet before slugging it down. His coughing slowed, and he stood, trying to catch his breath.

'Dad?'

He held up his hand and shook his head angrily.

'Dad, you need to see a doctor.'

'You think I haven't seen every specialist in this damn country? Nobody knows what the problem is.'

'Then we must take you elsewhere. To America? There must be better doctors there? What about the witches?'

'What do you know about the medical profession? Not a damn thing. So keep your mouth shut. This has nothing to do with you, Stanley.'

The young man dropped his head and nodded. 'I'm sorry.'

'Now, back to business. I've already organised the helicopter to get you to the island. Are you listening, boy?'

Turning his attention back to his father, the young man nodded. He could have sworn he saw something move, out by the window, but he didn't dare go and look.

'Yes, Dad. I'm being flown out to Andilyse so I can snatch this child,' he said, pointing to the little girl in the picture. 'Before we fly out to the rig for a day and then, erm....'

'Then you fly to Portugal to meet the woman.'

'The woman?'

'Do you not listen to a damn thing I say?' he banged his fist on the desk again.

'I...I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in. I've never kidnapped anyone before.'

Sthenelaus glared at his youngest son.

'Well, nobody that young before, anyway,' he said with his lip curled up slightly to one side.

'Your immature actions of the past couple of years mean nothing to me. From now on, you do what I say, do you hear?'

Immediately sitting up straight, Stanley nodded aggressively.

'That's better. Now, back to the plan. I've got everything in place, except for the memory clan but we're working on that.'

'The memory clan?'

'Yes, the memory clan. I told you about them earlier,' he said, shaking his head in disbelief. 'Do you not remember anything I tell you? Perhaps I should use the memory clan on you,' he laughed at his own joke. 'The Portuguese family that has the power to change people's memories.'

'But what's so impressive about that? There are loads of Skulls, witches—and even Watchers for that matter—who can do that.'

Suddenly he felt a sting on the back of his head where his father had slapped him so hard his eyes momentarily felt like they would pop out.

'Ow.'

'You think I don't know that? The memory clan are the only ones that can do it permanently.'

'But why do you want to do it in the first place?'

Sthenelaus rolled his eyes. 'Your mother wants that little girl. If she remembers her own life up until now, then she's not going to settle in very well, is she? I can't believe you're my son, have you no brain at all?'

'Why does Mother want another child? She's old enough to be a grandmother.'

This time, Sthenelaus held back his laughter at the sight of his oldest wife in the doorway, carrying a tray with a teapot and two cups.

'What did you just say?' she said, calmly placing it on the desk, before turning her attention to her son.

'Erm, nothing, Mum.'

Grabbing his ear, she pulled until he was forced to stand up. 'I might be old enough to be a grandma, but I can still whip your a*s, young man.'

The boom of Sthenelaus' laugh made them both jump. 'A child, a little girl, will certainly change the dynamics in this house.'

'This house?' the woman asked, dropping her son's ear.

'Erm, well, no. The new house.'

Her grin made her features even scarier than usual. Madge had married into the Sophocles family when she was just sixteen years old. The union had been planned since her birth, and Sthenelaus had been powerless to stop it; both of their fathers (now deceased) were the most powerful Skulls in Greece at that time, and nobody said no to them, ever.

So he had simply taken a second wife, some twenty-five years later, when he'd found the perfect beauty to balance Madge's ugliness. Surprisingly, Madge had agreed to the marriage even though his younger bride initially had not.

'The new house?' asked their son.

'Yes, the Canadian house.'

'Oh, yes, right. I almost forgot about that.'

'How can you possibly forget about this?' Madge said, opening the large cupboard behind the desk and pulling out a thick magazine full of images of the most stunning log mansion. 'Our new home, our new life,' she said with a sigh, as she flicked through the pages.

'Not long now, my dear. We were just finalising the plans before you brought us tea. Where is Aria?

'She's out shopping. Don't worry, I haven't told her anything.'

'Good, she doesn't need to know about this. Not yet, anyway. Stanley, let's continue.'

'I shall leave you to it,' Madge whispered as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Leaning back against it, she listened to the faint sounds of their voices, before curling her lips upwards and walking away.

CHAPTER 1

Leaning against the lounge window with her legs tucked under her bottom, Emma Jane Morgan sighed at the most beautiful sight beyond. Snow fell hard and fast from the sky above, leaving a vast blanket of white completely covering the garden. Over a year ago, she wouldn't have even been able to look at it, let alone enjoy it.

Emma Jane had been terrified of storms – it didn't matter whether they were rainstorms or snowstorms, her irrational fear rendered her unable to do anything but hide indoors until the worst was over. That was until her sixteenth birthday when she discovered that she and her adopted sister, Lana Beth, were actually the daughters of an angel and a human male. Their entire lives changed in what seemed like an instant. Both girls grew strange tattoos that wound themselves around their bodies, finally settling at the base of their spines. The same stunning image of a winged eye, with different Latin words written beneath them, was just the start of a new life for them both. Lana had the words, Provehito in Altum written on her back, whereas Emma's tattoo said Lux In Tenebris Lucet.

Although Patrick and Audrey Morgan, their adoptive parents, were unaware of the truth, they had sent them to a unique academy in London where other young people in the same predicament were learning how to become Watchers. The girls were the happiest they'd ever been at the academy, even though their parents remained entirely in the dark, believing that their daughters had simply been invited to attend one of the finest A level colleges in the city.

'Come and give us a hand, Emma,' said Patrick.

Turning away from the white blanket and pushing her dark hair behind her ear, Emma smiled. Wrapped from head to foot in fairy lights, her sister, Lana, giggled as Patrick carefully unwound her, meticulously placing each light on the Christmas tree.

'How did you manage that?' Emma laughed, climbing up from the floor as Audrey appeared from the kitchen with a tray of mugs full of hot chocolate.

'Are those marshmallows?' shrieked Lucy Jo, her eyes wide in anticipation as she scrambled up, leaving the sketch she'd been poring over to fall off the coffee table, only to be trampled on by Fred, who barked at all the excitement.

'Shhhhh, Fred,' Lucy Jo scolded.

'Mmhm,' smiled Audrey.

'Yum.'

'Where's mine?' asked Greg, who suddenly appeared from behind the huge Christmas tree with countless baubles hanging from his clothes and ears.

Laughing, Audrey shook her head and handed him the marshmallow-topped hot chocolate with a grin. 'Maybe we should just forget the tree and stick you in the corner of the room instead. I think it's time you had a haircut,' she said, ruffling his slightly long hair.

'Nah, all the kids are wearing their hair like this these days, Mum. I'm thirteen now, not eight. It's cool.'

'What's wrong with being eight?' Lucy Jo pouted and placed her hand on her hip.

'Eight equals baby,' he taunted.

'Does not,' she yelled right back.

'Does too.'

'Does not!'

'Does too!'

'Alright, alright, that's enough. This is the time of year to be joyful, kids. Now, come and give me a hand, Greg. I'm ready for those baubles now.'

Finally free from the trail of fairy lights, Lana leaned her head on her mum's shoulder with a grin. 'Thanks for the yummy hot chocolate, Mum. You always spoil us, especially at Christmas.'