“You see what you have done old woman!” Lela yelled at her mother. “You have filled his head with nonsense and allowed Stefan Renaldi to once again corrupt our family.” Lela moved towards her son again. “Ian, everything she told you was false. The story of the curse we told you when you were a child is true.”
“No, it’s not.” Ian moved away from his mother. He could feel his power building, and he didn’t want to accidentally lash out at her. “I know in my heart and soul what is true. I’m in love with Stefan. I will not allow you or father to stop me. I will NOT allow this family to rip love from my hands again.”
“Foolish, ungrateful child!” Lela regarded her son with a cold look. “We will not allow you to disgrace this family again with your perverseness.”
“What have you done?” Ian knew the determined look on his mother’s face all too well.
“The family has been watching over you ever since you started hunting on your own.” Lela sat down gracefully on Irina’s couch. “We knew what your birth would mean, and we were determined to keep you away from Stefan and his family at any cost.”
“You’ve been following me?” Ian was outraged. “What gives you that right?”
“We are your family, Ian.” Lela’s demeanor was icy and harsh. “We could not allow you to wallow in your sin. You are the first male born to our family since that cursed Ian Merripen. You will marry and bear children to carry on the Merripen name.”
“I will not.” Ian’s jaw clenched with hate. “You can’t stop me from being with him.”
“But we can, you fool.” Lela grinned maniacally. “Your father was tailing you last night. He saw that wretched act the two of you performed in the woods. Your father was able to take care of Stefan, once and for all.”
“Liar!” Ian spat at his mother. “If he had died I would know it.”
“You know nothing!” Lela growled. “It is over Ian. I am here to give you a choice.”
Lela’s words sent chills down his spine. Flashes of past memories echoed through his mind. He could almost feel the hands of fate gripping onto him. His soul knew that the time had come. It was time to fulfill his destiny.
“What choice would that be?” Ian asked.
“You will stop this ridiculous fascination you have with men.” Lela locked eyes with her only child. “You will marry a good woman and have children to carry on our family’s bloodline. We already have the paperwork ready to have your last name changed back to Merripen. We will require you to have at least one male child to carry on the family name.”
report “And if I refuse?” Ian demanded.
“You won’t refuse us, Ian.” Lela slowly stood. “Because if you do then you will die.”
“You would kill your own child, Lela?” Irina stood defiantly next to her grandson.
“We will not allow his filth to ruin the family again, mother.” Lela moved towards the doorway. “You have until sunrise to make your decision. You have already lost Stefan, for a second time. Do you really wish to lose your life as well?”
Lela didn’t wait for Ian’s response. Instead she moved gracefully out of the room and then out of the house. Irina and Ian could hear the front door closing behind her. Tears filled Ian’s eyes as his world came crashing down around him. Irina hugged her beloved grandson close to her.
“He can’t be dead, grandmother.” Ian sobbed into her chest. “I’d know if something happened to him.”
“I do not think he is dead either, my child.” Irina tried to soothe his worries. “They would not allow a Renaldi to die an easy death. Unfortunately I think they would torture him first.”
“I have to find him.” Ian quickly wiped his face off. “If they are giving me until sunrise to make a decision then he will probably live until then.”
“Sunrise!” Irina exclaimed. Ian looked at her questioningly. “They are probably going to let the sun kill him. The exposure to sunlight would be far more painful than anything they could do to him.”
“I don’t have much time.” Ian glanced at his watch. “I might have about ten hours, but I doubt more than that. I need to find him.”
“Go child! Hurry!” Irina pushed him towards the door. “I will see if I can figure anything out. I know you can do this!”
Ian kissed his grandmother on the cheek and gave her a quick, but tight, hug. He ran from the house and off to the cemetery. The cemetery was on the edge of town. Ian would start there and work his way across the town as quickly as possible. He prayed that he would have the time to find Stefan and save him.
#
Ian sat down dejectedly on one of the park benches. Tears streamed down his face. He had been over the entire town almost twice and he still couldn’t find Stefan. He realized that his family could have easily taken Stefan out of town to get rid of him. Ian was lost and had no idea where to turn. Ian already knew what his answer to his family would be. Death. He would not choose to live his life without Stefan, not again.
As Ian was making his way back to his apartment he glanced at his watch. It was nearly six o’clock in the morning. The sunrise was just about a half-hour away. Ian sat hunched down on the front steps of his apartment building as sobs overtook him. His pain was so intense he never noticed the figure that stepped in front of him. His head jerked up in surprise as he felt a hand lightly rest on his shoulder. The beautiful woman in front of him looked very familiar to him. It only took a moment before his mind realized who it was.
“Mama Renaldi?” Ian asked.
“I see the legends were true.” Felicia responded as Ian stood up. “You did find a way to come back, Ian Merripen. Though I say you look nothing like you used to.”
“I’m the same on the inside.” Ian looked at her pleadingly. “My family has taken Stefan, and I don’t know where they have him. I think they are going to expose him to the sunrise. Do you know where he is?”
“I do know where he is.” Felicia responded. She looked appraisingly at Ian. “When Stefan told me of a male hunter my husband and I were concerned. We had heard the rumors of the spell the first Ian had cast before he died. We have had our own family following Stefan to ensure his safety. That is how we discovered where they took Stefan.”
“Were you able to free him?” Hope sprang up in Ian’s heart.
“No.” Felicia’s voice reflected her pain. “When Stefan was captured they used your Gypsy magic to keep us away. My husband followed at a distance and saw where our son was taken. He hid in the shadows and listened. Stefan is shrouded in magic now, magic that will not allow us to get to him.”
“Where is he?” Ian demanded.
“He is tied between two trees at on the edge of the park’s forest.” Felicia locked eyes with Ian. “That spot will be covered in sunlight moments after the sunrise.”
“I’ve been through that damn park twice. Why didn’t I see him?” Ian was furious.
“Your father and cousin cast some type of spell around the grove of trees.” Felicia explained. “My husband heard them talking about it. The spell will not allow anyone of Gypsy blood to see what is behind the wall of magic. We can not get to him.” Felicia’s voice broke as unshed tears filled her eyes. “I am here as a last resort. Do you love my son?”