Chapter Thirty-six

Luca's POV

"She is obtaining great powers every day, and delaying the final attack won't do anything to help us in this situation. She hasn't harnessed her full powers yet, and at the same time, Kai is weak. The full moon is close," I tried to explain to the rest of the members. "This is the best opportunity to strike!"

"Luca, for someone who could easily take down one of us, we do need all the time to strategize and execute smartly-"

"We are running out of time, and we can't risk her becoming stronger than she already is. It's of no use to us-don't you see?"

"We get your point, Luca, but you should also understand that this cult has existed long before you were even conceived, and every victory it has achieved has always been the result of immense strategy and careful execution," one of them told me to my face.

"We have less than two weeks, and you'd be so disappointed in your strength by the time you meet her," I snapped.

"Why are you so confident in her abilities? You seem to be more afraid of her than of the outcome of the battle-"

"Don't you see it?" I almost yelled, feeling miserable that they were desperate for victory yet so slow. "She is the battle. The prophecy clearly states that, and she has already proven multiple times that she has the potential to fulfill it. Weakening her is the key to our victory, and to do that, we have to strike fast."

I waited for one of them to say something-at least to finally agree with me-but nothing came. It was really draining to deal with them. Even though I had joined the cult for my own benefit, I still had to play along so they wouldn't suspect me in any way.

Using their help to weaken Elaine would make taking Kai down much easier. Or maybe, I would get them to trust me enough to leave Elaine to me because, come sun or rain, Elaine was going to be mine by the end of it all.

"Let's say that you're right and everything you said is true-how then do we get to her? We don't know enough about her to plan properly or gain an advantage in an attack. We just know that she is a potential threat from the prophecy, and it doesn't even make sense because, at that time, we made sure to wipe out his entire bloodline-"

"Maybe you failed somehow without knowing and-"

"We can't rush into this because the prophecy has another side to it, and we don't even know it yet," another member, who had been quiet since the meeting began, spoke, silencing everyone. "We can't go anywhere without a complete map to our destination. So, if you all don't mind, return to your various abodes and take three days to see if you can come up with anything."

"What happens if we fail to find something or a clue to the other part of the prophecy? Doesn't that mean we won't be able to execute the attack on or after the night of the full moon?" I asked, trying to assess his intelligence.

"We'll know better after the third day," he said simply, his voice exuding authority. He didn't stress or try to stand to air his view, neither did he try to look look up at our faces. He just stood afar with a demeanor too hard to crack.

The cult wasn't allowed to have a supreme ruler over the others-if not, I would have thought he was the one. Even so, it didn't change the fact that he had earned himself so much respect, and that might just get in the way of my plans.

"With that being said, I personally think it is a good suggestion, but there is still room for more."

One of them continued speaking while I just watched, accepting defeat for today alone. Nobody suggested anything else, and it was strange because it only emphasized how powerful the cold, quiet speaker truly was.

I left as soon as everything was over and hoped that his smart plans wouldn't interfere with mine. I opened the door and walked into my home, only to realize that I was so deep in thought that I hadn't noticed something unusual. My door was already open-I hadn't needed to use a key.

I moved further inside, concluding that I might have forgotten to lock it properly-especially since nothing seemed out of place.

Elaine.

I rushed to where I had kept her captive, only to find everything on the floor-she was gone.

"Impossible," I muttered, recalling how strong the spell binding her was. I had suspected that something like this might happen and had prepared for it, yet...

My eyes drifted to my study area, which wasn't too far from where she had been held. It was the only place that had been tampered with. The only thing I could do was pray that she hadn't taken anything with her.

Rushing to my desk, my eyes widened at her brilliant selection. Everything she needed to build herself up, to become more powerful-she had taken it all.

Roaming my entire house in seconds, searching for any trace of her, I returned to my original spot, feeling utterly disappointed.

"Elaine!" I yelled at the top of my voice, but got no reply. How in the world was she able to break through my spells?! Thus was exactly what I feared but how would the cult know? She kept growing stronger and stronger in a very little space of time. How would things be after the full moon?

Without thinking twice, I left my home and went to all the places I thought she might be. First, her apartment-where, for a moment, I thought I would easily escape the old woman.

"I see you're desperately searching for something," she said in a mocking tone.

"Where is she?" I tried not to sound rude to her especially since I was desperately in need of sincere answers and not an opportunity to mock or be mocked by someone.

"Where is who?" She asked with slight confusion flashing through her eyes.

"Elaine, of course!" I snapped, slamming my fist against the counter, making her jolt slightly in fear.

"You took her, didn't you?" she accused, her tone betraying her uncertainty. Perhaps she didn't even know that Elaine had been in Raven Hollow, which meant Elaine hadn't stepped foot here.

I ignored her and walked out immediately, heading for Kai's place.

"Watch it, Luca!" I heard Kai warn me from behind.

Good. Now we wouldn't have to put on too much of a show to get what I wanted.

"Where is she?" I demanded. I didn't expect him to give me a direct answer, so I just yelled her name in case she was here.

"What makes you think she'd come out if she was here with me?" he asked mockingly.

"I think we've argued enough in the past. This time, I'm dead serious. Bring her out-now."

"Funny how everyone has to work hard to get what they want, and yet you, with your unrealistic confidence, sit, wait, and watch-thinking everything you desire will come to you." He lowered his voice. "Trust me, Luca. No matter how hard you try, you'll never have her the way you want to. She's out of reach for you-and that's how it will always be."

Before I could think it through, I sent a hard punch across his face. The fact that he always downplayed my ability to have Elaine-especially when I was certain he would be dead sooner or later-enraged me.

"If anyone will be out of her reach, it will be you-after you finally kiss your deathbed," I hissed, hitting him again.

This time, he caught my hand before it could reach his face. He twisted my wrist and brought his other fist to my face with full force. I stepped back slightly, not expecting such a quick reflex from him.

"You'll be the one to meet your end, Luca. And I will destroy you completely," he spat.

"You talk like you have strength of your own," I scoffed, making him angrier than he already was-but it was nothing compared to my fury.

I increased my attack speed, aiming anywhere and everywhere at once. However, he was much faster than before, which was disturbingly strange. He defended against all my attacks effortlessly, and before I knew it, he sent me flying until my body collided roughly with a tree trunk.

"Forget Elaine and everything about her, because you'll never be someone in her life-whether or not I'm alive. You mean nothing to her, and it would be best if you just accepted that now."

"Never," I growled, standing to my feet, ready to take him down once and for all.

Casting my spell, I watched in satisfaction as he collapsed, clutching his chest and spitting out blood.