“No idea. What about Grandpa Dimitri and Grandma Sophia?” Alex asked from the wing back chair across from him. Several albums sat in front of his brother on the coffee table, along with a bottle of beer. “The guy sure liked to hold onto memories.”
“No shit.” Gusts of wind and pounding rain shook the old house on its hinges, drawing Nico’s gaze to the wall of windows. Swallowing the lump now lodged in his throat, he hoped Brooke was somewhere dry and safe. He wanted to be there for her, to comfort her through the good times and the bad, and muddle through the storms together. But she’d cut him off at the knees.
“You okay?” Alex’s voice drew him back to the conversation. “Are you thinking about Brooke? It’s hard to believe you two are over.”
The churning in Nico’s gut returned. He turned back to face his brother and exhaled a frustrated breath. “She ended things. The ball’s in her court now.” Saying the words out loud burned his throat like acid.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Nico.” Alex lifted his beer and took a sip. “You guys seemed great together. I could tell you were really into each other.”
“We are…I mean we were,” Nico amended, not able to stop the longing that hit him in the chest. “I could talk to her for hours and never get bored. At the end of the day, she’s the one person I want to say goodnight to and wake up to in the morning. She’s it for me.”
“I get it, dude. That’s how I feel about Willow.”
“From the first moment I saw Brooke, I knew I had to have her. She’s sweet and funny. She’s got this huge heart. There’s this energy between us that I can’t define.” Nico’s mouth went dry. “And the sex…hell, it’s out of this fucking world.”
Alex held up the neck of his bottle. “Whoa, TMI, but I suspected as much. That kind of chemistry is hard to find. I hope you two can patch things up.”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter now. We’re over.” Nico gripped the couch pillow hard. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure, but I’m betting she’ll come around.” Alex set his bottle down and resumed sifting through the albums. Several minutes ticked by with neither of them saying a word, sitting in comfortable silence. “Holy shit, you’ve got to see this guy. Talk about a family resemblance! He could be your twin, Nico.”
“What? Let me see.” Anticipation coursed through Nico’s veins as he got up from the couch and came up behind Alex to glance at the photo over his shoulder. He stared, speechless. The resemblance was uncanny. It was like looking at his mirror image. His hand shook a little as he reached for the photo. Nico’s finger skimmed over the faded, worn edges and a flash of images rushed through his head like a movie in slow motion. When he turned the photo over, he noticed the date written in the corner, 7-7-1832, next to the name Lucas Denopoulos.
Shock gripped him by the throat. “Lucas,” he murmured and froze. Could Nico be Lucas’s reincarnated soul? If he was, then that meant Brooke’s tale of love and loss wasn’t some legend after all. Fuck, maybe the curse was real. “I’ve got to go.”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What the hell’s going on?” Alex prompted, looking up at him, his brows drawn together. “Care to fill me in?”
“Not now.” Pulling out his phone from his pocket, Nico pressed a button and prayed Brooke answered. No surprise, the call went straight to voicemail. “Dammit, she never answers her phone.” Nico cursed as he waited for the beep. “Please call me the second you get this.” After he ended the call, he glanced over at Alex. “I’ve got to get over to the manor. I need to talk to Brooke.”
“Aren’t you getting the alerts on your phone? Power lines are down and there’s major flooding everywhere. Roads will be closed. Brooke will still be there when this storm blows over.”
“You don’t understand. This can’t wait.” His heart hammered in his chest like a jackknife.
His brother must’ve seen the desperation on his face. “I’ll try Willow and see if she can get a hold of one of the witches.” Alex grabbed his phone off the table and hopped off the couch. “I’ll be right back.”
Nico couldn’t stay put, so he went to the closet, pulled on his rain slicker, and grabbed a flashlight off a shelf. Reaching for an umbrella from the stand, he turned at the sound of Alex’s footsteps.
His brother frowned and held up his phone. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Brooke’s out there in the storm.”
The room spun. “What are you talking about?” She’d mentioned her fear of storms. She’d never go out in this. Nico’s pulse spiked with adrenaline.
“She went to Elysian Park, something about burning letters at some tree. I don’t understand. Why would Brooke go there alone in the middle of a storm?”
The question hit Nico in the gut.Why indeed. “I’m sorry. There’s no time to explain.”
“You’ll never make it in your Mustang. Take my truck and then come back and get me.” Reaching into his pocket, Alex threw him his keys. “I’ll send you a map of the open roads so you can get their faster. Be careful.”
Panic sliced through him when he thought about Brooke out there in the storm alone.I pray I’m not too late.
CHAPTER16
BROOKE
The drive to the park took Brooke hours. She navigated her Beetle through roads without working traffic lights and multiple detours. She’d somehow managed to avoid downed wires and flooding that would have reached the top of her hood.
Her wiper blades squeaked as rain splashed against the windshield. Streaks of lightning lit up the dark sky. When she finally came to the park entrance, she swore her car floated into a spot.
After she cut the engine, she pulled her backpack off the seat and slung it over her shoulder. Lifting the hood on her raincoat, she offered a silent prayer to the goddess to keep her safe. She could do this. She had no choice.