Lucas - A Faction Series Prequel Book 1 Read online

  Contents

  Dedications 3

  Preface 6

  Chapter 1 8

  Chapter 2 10

  Chapter 3 14

  Chapter 4 17

  Chapter 5 21

  Chapter 6 25

  Chapter 7 29

  Chapter 8 34

  Chapter 9 38

  Chapter 10 42

  Chapter 11 46

  Chapter 12 50

  Chapter 13 53

  Chapter 14 56

  Chapter 15 61

  Chapter 16 65

  Chapter 17 69

  Chapter 18 73

  About the author 79

  Other books by Lindsey Jayne 80

  Copyright © 2017

  L. J. Thorburn

  (Pen name Lindsey Jayne)

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce

  This book, or portions therein

  No parts of this book may be reproduced without

  The written consent of the author

  All persons in this book are fictional and any resemblance

  To persons living or dead is purely coincidental

  All illustrative material used has been purchased legally,

  And with the right to use in such a manner as for, but not limited to,

  The purpose of book cover design. Websites used are

  www.canstockphoto.com

  First Published July 2017

  Dedications

  It has been over a year since I last published a book, so this has been a long, long time coming.

  So much has happened in that time, I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

  The last book I wrote, I was living in Derby with my partner and had a job as a Recruitment Consultant (if memory serves). At that time, my partner and I had separated, and a month later I had moved back to Wolverhampton – my home town.

  I’m still in Wolverhampton, and I’m still living with the mother who, pretends she doesn’t, but loves me dearly. I’m kidding of course – but before I start listing the people I dedicate this to, she needs the very first mention!! She is literally my hero and my saviour and I would probably be homeless in a ditch somewhere if it wasn’t for her!

  She has, and still continues to hold me above water and I don’t even know how she does it.

  Mum, if you’re reading this (and it’ll probably be in a few years when you finally finish reading the book I published over 2 years ago!) then I want you to know that I love you with all my heart. Forever and always… even when you whinge at me!

  And, of course, I can’t forget my sister, Kirsty. She, too, is still reading The Faction series, but I think she’s about to start the final one, so she isn’t quite as slow! She’s been a rock for me, too, before and since I moved back home. She’s kept me grounded and she’s done things for me that I will appreciate until the end of days. She even came to her very first book signing as my assistant, and that day would have been hell if not for her! And not because of the event – I had such an awesome time – but because she loaded her car with all my crap, drove me to a shop to pick up a wireless charger after my phone gave up, and then taught me not to lack the confidence to really sell my books the way they should be sold. That day opened my eyes, and I thank her for being there with me.

  To my niece, Madison Rose (and yes, you will notice her name from The Faction series books). Since moving back, I have had the most precious opportunity to forge a relationship with this little gem. She is my light when things get dark and I would literally do anything for her.

  If not for these people, I can’t even imagine the messes I would be in – it doesn’t bear thinking about.

  Thank you, so much, for everything you have done and continue to do for me.

  And of course, I will not forget my friends.

  To Nat – though you may not have read my books yet, I don’t think you could understand just how much your friendship means to me. You are another me!! And while most would clash over such strong personalities, we rock it! It may have only been a couple of years (if that), but I feel as though we have been together for a life time. You’ve kept me realizing that there is a life outside of my own little world, and you’ve been willing to live it, drink it and dance it away with me, and for that, I will always be grateful. Here’s to many more Pornstar Martinis and propping up the bars in town!

  And now comes the most geekiest thing anyone will ever hear me say. Thank you to my GODZ family – the awesome bunch of people that I play Call of Duty with, and the guys that gave me my BFF, Nat. And you know what? I’m not even embarrassed to say any of it because you guys have been superb. You’ve understood my need to burrow myself away and ignore you while I’ve spent endless days and nights writing. I won’t forget that! Rick, Ryan, Daz, and Nick – you four have encouraged me more than most. Your faith and pride in me is something I will cherish always. Nick… get your arse into gear (you know why!) and to my UK guys, BRING ON BLACKPOOL!!!! I cannot wait to see you all again (and some of you for the first time!)

  Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank the following people:

  Ben – for being my Newcastle assistant (and, hopefully one day, my book cover model)

  Jen – for literally everything!! For the road trips and the giggles, for picking up and dropping of my books because I’m still a loser who cannot drive yet, for making my signing events dollytastic!!

  Brenda and Karen – you two are still much loved for the time and effort you put in to helping me get these stories right. I couldn’t do it without you two.

  Jackie – for part-time PAing for me and throwing out pimp posts. You’re a diamond and your help is so appreciated. Can’t wait to see your face again, hun.

  For anyone and everyone who left me a review, I LOVE YOU! Even the not so good ones, because they only serve to make me better at what I do, to get it right next time. OK, so I may not love you per se, but I don’t hate you either 

  For anyone that I failed to mention (and that’s probably because I’ve been staring at a computer for the past few days) know that I love you all and I appreciate your continued support.

  Preface

  I knew, when I finished Revoking the Witch, that I wouldn’t be able to stop there. It’s difficult to let something go when it’s grown to be a part of you.

  I cherish the characters I created in that series, so much so, that I couldn’t leave them be.

  While I’m working on other spin offs, it felt only right to give the three main alpha vamps what they deserved.

  It’s one thing to develop a character in the story, in the moment, for everyone to read about, but it’s an entirely different thing to want, and be able, to give that character a history – something that goes toward explaining why he is who he is.

  There were questions left unanswered in my series; little snippets of background information about my boys. After completing the book, I figured it was time they had their moment.

  In The Faction, they’re the heroes. But they weren’t always. In The Faction, we see others struggle while they play the saviour – but what about their struggles? Being a vampire means eternal life – to a degree – so why not create that life and put it out there for all to see.

  The obvious starting point is, of course, Lucas. He was the Faction General and, for those who have read the series, his story was one of sadness. So be warned!

  I will say no more at this point, except that I hope you enjoy, and can appreciate this story for what it means.

  LUCAS

  The Faction Prequel Book 1

  By Lindsey Jayne

  Chapter 1

  London, Tudor England

  The lat
e spring sun threatened to devour me at any moment. Sweat beaded my brow and drenched my linen tunic, making it heavy and uncomfortable.

  I stood tall, dropped my sickle and stretched out my back, feeling a pleasant tingle spread through my limbs.

  In the distance, my two, young children played among the wheat fields, chasing off birds and laughing with one another, carefree and happy.

  On some level, I envied their innocence. But they were my children, and I loved them with every inch of my soul.

  Warm hands snaked my waist, pulling me close before gentle lips lay a soft kiss on my neck.

  Turning my head, I beamed down at my wife, Mary, her dark hair fluttering in the light breeze, her cheeks rosy red thanks to the sun and the walk from our small, humble home.

  She returned my smile, then kissed my lips. “I hath made ye something to eat,” she told me, pulling away slightly. “Come back to the house and take a break, before the sun dries thou out.” She laughed at her own quip.

  “Margery! Thomas!” I called to our children, repeating myself when they failed to hear me the first time. “Time for lunch.” I lowered my voice the closer they came, before they ran off in the direction of our house. Their energy astounded me, making me chuckle as I wrapped my arm around Mary’s shoulders while we walked.

  ∽∽∽

  The wooden table in the hall bore a loaf of fresh-baked bread and four, small bowls of stew as well as a pitcher of freshly-made ale my wife had prepared that morning. The children were already taking their seats, ripping off bread and dipping it into the pottage, laughing and joking among themselves.

  I cherished moments like this, when we could all be together.

  Before I could sit down and join my family, though, a knock echoed from our front door. Opening it, I scowled at the site of the landowner, John, whose property we rented. “Good day, sir.” I forced a smile at the portly, well-dressed man. “How might I do for thee?”

  “Goodman Drake.” Adjusting his tunic, he told me, “As you know, taxes are again on the rise. I need to collect rent a little earlier this month… ,” he paused, clearing his throat. “And I need to raise it slightly.”

  “What?” I couldn’t believe my ears; times were hard enough already. “Pray tell, by how much?”

  “Ten shillings per year.”

  I couldn’t possibly afford that; I already worked my fingers to the bone, harvesting crops and selling them for pittance. We were lucky to be able to put the food we ate on our tables, let alone keep the roof over our heads. I voiced as much.

  “It is what it is, Lucas. Of course, you and your family are welcome to look for somewhere else to live.” With that last, snide remark, he walked away and I slammed the door behind him.

  “Lucas?” My wife’s anxious voice floated through from where they sat. “What ails thee?”

  I didn’t want to lie to her, but I could not let her worry herself over this. Being the man of this house, I would make sure my family were provided for. “’Tis OK, my love, nothing to worry about.” Perhaps I could reason with John went I went to pay him our rent for this month – maybe offer him goods or services in exchange for keeping the rent as it was. If not, then I would consider telling Mary the truth, but first I would need to exhaust all other options.

  One thing I did not want to see happen, was my family begging on the streets. Only the disabled and the mad were granted licenses to beg – anyone able bodied must remain off the streets in such a manner. I had seen good friends pay dearly just for trying to keep their loved ones fed and clothed in that way.

  Chapter 2

  In the two days since John’s visit, I had done nothing but put in extra hours on the farm. After discussing my situation with a neighbour – and swearing him to secrecy – he had admitted being in the same predicament. Together, the two of us found extra work tending to the crops and livestock of a local Nobleman, George Langley.

  He seemed pleasant enough, but with his wealth, he would throw lavish parties. Me and my neighbour, Edward, were never invited, of course – we were poor farmers, we had no place among high society such as that. But we worked through the night for him – always after dark – where we would notice several carriages pull up, and beautiful, lavishly-dressed ladies, sometimes gentlemen step out.

  I dared not say out loud what could be going on inside his four walls, but one could imagine.

  Tonight, after seeing Mary and the children safely off to bed, I met Edward at the edge of his property, as usual, and we walked, in the settling dusk, to George’s house.

  “How the wealthy doth live,” Edward mused, as we approached George’s stately home to see several women entering, giggling among themselves.

  “Let us keep ourselves out of trouble, Eddie; we know what we need to do, so there be no need for us to be bothering Master Langley.”

  “You always were one to err on the side of caution, Lucas.” Edward shouldered my arm and gave a half-muted laugh as we got closer to the property. “Art thou not in the least bit interested to know what goes on inside there?” He nodded his head in the direction of George’s home.

  “It concerns us not.”

  Edward smiled. “Because we are naught but lowly farmers?”

  “Because we are happily married, family men.” I chuckled at his good-natured persistence.

  Opening the doors to the barn, a horrid stench hit me right away. I recoiled and took a step back, bumping into Edward who steadied me before I fell over his feet.

  “What is that?” Edward spoke my mind. “It smells as though someone lost control of their bowels a month ago.”

  We, of course, knew this to be untrue because we were here the previous night. The animals in the barn were cleaned and fed as instructed.

  Turning to Edward, I told him, “Fetch one of the torches; we need to know the cause of this before we inform Master Langley.”

  For long moments, I waited for Edward to bring torches, nervous in case George came outside to check on our progress – as he sometimes would. But he did not come, and I saw Edward making his hurried way back to me with two lit torches, eager himself not to be seen by anyone who might be looking through the windows.

  “Let us make haste.” His voice quaked as he handed me a torch. “I doth not much fancy hanging around with whatever is making that atrocious smell.”

  Not wanting for Edward to see me trembling, I tried to stay level with him while we walked into the barn, both balking once again at the stench.

  We neared the middle of the barn, where a pen of sheep were housed. The wooden fencing around them came into view under the dim firelight. I heard, then saw flies buzzing nearby, hovering over a darkened patch of stained hay.

  Following the trail, I gasped when my light fell on the carcass of one of the sheep, bled dry from a tear in its neck.

  “By Christ, that is putrid.” Edward breathed beside me. “I had heard that wild animals had been attacking the livestock around the village, but we checked the doors were bolted before we left last night, did we not?”

  “Aye,” I managed to mutter, still hypnotized by the display in front of me. “We need to be rid of this before Master Langley sees.”

  “He is going to realize that one of his sheep is missing, and ‘twill be us who gets the blame.” Edward made a valid point.

  I thought hard for a moment. “Could we not take it to a neighbouring farm and swap it out for another?” Even I knew how ridiculous it sounded while I said it.

  “Are ye insane, Lucas? If we get caught, we will be hanged by our necks until dead.”

  “What do ye think will happen if Master Langley finds out one of his sheep is dead?” I countered. “Ye said it thyself, Eddie; we will be blamed.”

  He looked at me with one brow raised. “The most that will happen is we lose our jobs… not our lives.”

  We were raising our voices, worrying me that George might hear. “Quiet your voice,” I hissed. “I need this job, or Mary and I will not survive the next win
ter. I be doing this, with or without your aid.”

  Cursing me under his breath, he moved passed me, further into the barn.

  “What art thou doing?”

  “Looking for something to move it in,” he replied in a hushed tone, “I doth not want to get sheep innards all over me.”

  Despite our circumstances, my lips hitched into a slight smile before I went to help him.

  Between us, we found a wooden barrow and some hessian sacks. They would not stop blood from seeping through into the wood, though, but with little choice, we hoisted the dead carcass into the barrow, and just pray that we would find one to swap it with before much damage could be done.

  “The Turner farm is the closest.” Edward took hold of the barrow handles and motioned with his head for me to open the barn doors. “Look first; make sure ‘tis all clear.”

  We did not need to be surprised by any of George’s late night visitors, not to mention George himself, so I stepped forward and peered around the half opened door. It looked clear, so I waved for Edward to follow me out.

  In the eerie silence of the night – save for the chirping of grasshoppers – the wheels of the barrow over the rough, dirt road sounded twice as loud as usual.

  My heart beat fast and hard against my chest, while my palms and brow were drenched with sweat. It dawned on me that we would have to do this again on the return journey. The thought made my heart beat ever faster.

  Chapter 3

  The Turner farm came in to view and my breathing hitched.

  There were no lights on that we could see. With luck and God on our side, we would be in and out before anyone would wake.

  Having taken it in turns to push the barrow, I grabbed the handles and made to move forward, when Edward stopped me, placing a hand on my chest.