Forbidden

Summoned

Luca

 Luca had been on edge all day. It was one thing to discuss rescuing Brantley with Van, and another thing entirely to send her into the den of vipers. Each time he closed his eyes he saw her green ones glowing bright with determination as they discussed the plan. Not a single shard of fear passed through them, and that memory was the only thing tempering his guilt.

The worst part of it all was the radio silence. They'd both agreed texting one another throughout the day was too dangerous. All it would take was one pair of wandering eyes that shared a set of loose lips, and word would get back to Abe Van Helsing. Luca knew the Supreme wouldn't stop with a warning this time, and he would be lucky if he was given a cell next to his little brother.

By the time he made it home from school, his control over his animal half was slipping. Not since his first year of shifting had he felt himself so close to snapping. Livy watched him with knowing eyes on the way home, but despite making up- or maybe because of it- she said nothing. He almost wished she had. If anyone knew what it was like to feel so out of control, it was his cousin.

A sharp knock sounded on his bedroom door. "Luca?"

He blinked rapidly trying to clear his vision. The math problems on the page before him blurred, and he dragged his fingers through his hair before sitting back in his chair with a sigh.

"Come in, Price."

The door creaked open, revealing his lanky brother-in-law. Price's ready grin was absent, and his red curls looked more skewed than usual. Luca straightened.

"Everything okay?"

Price shook his head and came into the room. A rumpled piece of paper was clutched in his right hand.

"You know what today is?"

Nose crinkling, Luca sifted through the possibilities. Then he cursed. With everything going on, it wasn't surprising that he'd forgotten about Shifter Day. Once a quarter, they were forced to send shifters to the Holy Asylum to assist in training. Typically, the more aggressive shifters in the community volunteered. It gave them a much needed outlet. However, the few times no one volunteered, the Asylum handpicked the fighters from the pack.

"Did you get summoned?"

"No, you did."

Luca snatched the paper out of Price's hand. He grew cold as he read the names on the page, but by the time he finished, he was burning with rage. He knew exactly what game Abe was playing.

Price shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heel. "I was gonna ask if you knew what sparked this, but from the look on your face, you know exactly what's going on."

"I do, but it's nothing anyone here needs to worry about."

As much as Luca wanted to tell his family about his plan, he couldn't risk it. If things went south, they needed to be completely unaware so they wouldn't go down with him. And because he couldn't handle igniting hope just to see it destroyed.

"Yeah, sure," Price grunted and then he snarled, "You know what, no."

"Excuse me?"

"No. This isn't how our family works, Luca. We don't keep secrets, and ever since you invited that girl into our home, you've been acting odd. Is she involved in this somehow?"

"I said you don't need to worry about it. Besides, we've all done Shifter Day. It's not so bad."

"Oh yeah, not bad at all. My jaw was wired shut for a week after my day. Your mother can't handle anything happening to you right now, and if you've done something to piss off the Asylum, we need to know about it. We need to prepare to protect you."