Defying the North Wind Read Online Free

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    Without warning, she pressed the ice pack to his ribs. He sucked in a breath. She shot him a tiny, pleased smile.
    “Bitch,” he said.
    Her smile widened. “Don’t you forget it.”
    Oh, he’d have his revenge. But he knew revenge was always better cold, like the North Wind.
    She shifted her weight. “What’s next? How will we catch Caecius?”
    “I need a plan. I’m not waiting for the bastard to target more of my people.” Horrific images of the dancing flames and the screaming victims replaying in Luca’s mind made his shoulders tense. “I need to lure him out where I want him.”
    “How?”
    “Not sure yet.” But he was working on it. Luca didn’t like to admit it, but he and Caecius were not so different. They were both driven by anger. Luca just needed to figure out what would lure him out and the same thing would probably work on the Tempest Wind.
    The thought had his temper spiking. To calm it, he looked at Rayne. “Tell me about the Aurae.”
    “There aren’t many of us left. Few survived The Purge.”
    Luca frowned. “The Purge?”
    She stood and started to pace. “The last time the Venti Tempesta escaped, they didn’t just wreak havoc with their vices.”
    Luca easily recalled that time, centuries ago. He possessed the memories of all the WindKeepers before him. Even now, he heard the screams and cries of the victims.
    She stopped and looked at him, her face tense. “They targeted the Aurae.”
    He blinked. “I know they are cunning, but I wouldn’t have thought them patient enough to carry out a plan like that.”
    “They’ve had plenty of time to plan, trapped in the bodies of horses for centuries. They believed the Aurae were what were stopping the WindKeepers from succumbing to their vices and joining forces with the Tempest Winds.”
    Could it be true? Luca steepled his fingers. Was that why he and his brothers were coming so close to giving into their vices? Because the Aurae had all but disappeared? Dante and Antonio had barely survived their vices…and only then with the help of two Aurae descendants. “What happened?”
    “We’re not entirely sure how the Venti Tempesta did it, but somehow they poisoned the seasonal breezes.”
    Luca’s eyebrows drew together. The WindKeepers controlled the cardinal winds, the Venti Tempesta the other winds, and the Aurae held the seasonal breezes.
    “Aurae fell ill. Died painful deaths. At the time The Black Death was blamed but Aurae all over the world sickened and died.”
    Her voice hitched. He saw that she too held her ancestors’ memories, felt their pain and suffering. He wanted to pull her into his arms. He frowned at the strange need.
    “A few survived The Purge. Weakened, frightened, they went into hiding. Many hid and denied their heritage. My mother’s family moved to London.” Green eyes lifted to stare into his. “Our leader vowed we’d never sacrifice ourselves for the WindKeepers again. That we would not be their chattels.”
    Luca slowly stood. “I don’t fight for myself. I fight to keep the world safe. That is my duty. Whatever role the Aurae play, it is not for the gratification of the WindKeepers.”
    She looked away.
    He gripped her chin. “Do you believe your leader’s words? Do you feel the same?”
    Rayne shrugged. “Maybe it doesn’t matter what I think. The leader of the Aurae is my mother.”
    ***
    Rayne pulled away from Luca’s touch and strode to the window, her insides churning. Talking about her mother always made her feel this way. Talking with her mother was even worse. Ariel Santini had always inspired both love and hate in Rayne.
    Staring out the window, Rayne didn’t see the peaceful canal, or the dark gondola passing by in a slow, graceful slide. She sensed Luca move up behind her, saw his reflection in the glass.
    “Why did you decide to help me today?” he asked.
    “My mother is the queen of doing nothing.” Rage choked Rayne. “For too long, she’s kept her head buried in the