{"id":6425,"date":"2024-01-12T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/?p=6425"},"modified":"2024-02-05T16:44:58","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T06:14:58","slug":"well-ill-be-damned-s2-ep1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/12\/well-ill-be-damned-s2-ep1\/","title":{"rendered":"Well I’ll Be Damned, S2 Ep1"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t

Season 2, Episode 1<\/strong><\/h3>

Rebecca<\/p>

While this may not have been the first time<\/strong> I walked out of an abattoir with a case of pig\u2019s blood, I had never imagined doing so for my dearest, most favourite person in the world. I never should have taken him to that club. To be fair, it was ge1ing harder to find good venues that London\u2019s supernatural population didn\u2019t also frequent. Reaching my cute little bubble of a car, I felt my phone buzz in my back pocket. I released the latch on the hatchback\u2019s boot with a mere thought and loaded the crate into the cargo hold. Opening the text message from Hayden, I let the foulest of curses rush from my mouth like a flood of sewage<\/p>

{Hayden}<\/span>\u00a0Hey Bex, don’t get mad, but I need to rescue Sheena, and I can’t wait for you to get back. Rochelle summoned me to some warehouse along the Thames where the Duke’s men are holding her captive.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Damnit! Seraphina will chew my ear o\ufb00 for this. I should have made the anti-vampire ward work in both directions.<\/em> Slumping into the driver\u2019s seat, I punched out a reply: You’re an idiot Hayden, go back to the safehouse, and we’ll come up with a plan to gather.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

{Haydan} There’s no time; I can’t bear the thought of my sweet little punk suffering at the Duke’s hands because of my crimes.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Argh! I took a few deep breaths before responding: Where are you going? I’ll meet you there.<\/strong> The blood would just have to go to waste because I didn\u2019t have time to fridge it before saving his sorry excuse for a vampire arse. As soon as he sent the coordinates, I floored it out of the carpark with squealing tyres.<\/p>

Hayden\u2019s directions led me to a grimy old warehouse district outside of my regular stomping grounds. The unfamiliarity didn\u2019t sit<\/p>

well with me. I preferred scoping out a place before charging in half-cocked. Yet there I was, ignoring everything my family had taught me along with my own instincts all for a man I shouldn\u2019t be in love with. Heaving out a sigh, I focussed my witch senses on the surrounding buildings. Most of them were empty, but I detected a strong heat signature from one large warehouse to my right. Drawing closer, I halted as dread cast a long prickly net over me. Of the twenty-five people I sensed in the building, only two of them were vampires and the rest were\u2026 human? Oh fuck! That\u2019s not the duke\u2019s men. If they\u2019ve trapped Hayden and Sheena that could only mean one thing. Moving out of sight and earshot of the warehouse, I dialled Seraphina.<\/p>

She picked up after three rings. \u2018What is it, witch?\u2019 \u2018We\u2019ve got a serious problem.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018You mean other than my arsehole father and his Raumian witch of a wife?\u2019<\/p>

\u2018Ah yeh, those are shi y situations and all, but there\u2019s a more immediate threat.\u2019 She tried to conjure some words that would soften the blow, but she\u2019d never been good at diplomacy. \u2018It would seem that Hayden has wandered into a hunter\u2019s trap.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018Dammit! That stupid man is nothing but trouble! How many hunters?\u2019 Seraphina asked in a weary voice.<\/p>

I wished I could have disagreed, but ever since Hayden fell into this world, trouble had followed him and vice versa. \u2018I can\u2019t be sure they are all hunters, but worst-case scenario, we\u2019re looking at twenty-three.\u2019<\/p>

Seraphina whistled her surprise. \u2018That is quite a threat. Unfortunately, I am going to need to petition the duke to help me run these guys out of town.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018What\u203d\u2019 I screamed down the phone line. \u2018No way! If you do that, they\u2019ll take Hayden back into custody.\u2019<\/p>

She sighed. \u2018That is still be\u0091er than the alternative. If we leave him there, the hunters will kill him. Honestly, I\u2019m surprised they haven\u2019t already.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018Maybe they\u2019re laying a trap for you. They must figure him a fledgling and they want to catch a bigger fish. They should buy us some time. Surely you can mobilise your own army to take these guys down?\u2019<\/p>

\u2018If this is a trap for me, that is all the more reason to enlist the duke\u2019s men. My own troops are far from ready for ba1le, plus deploying them now risks exposing their identities. My father is already suspicious of my charity cases.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018Then I\u2019ll summon my coven members,\u2019 I suggested, desperate to avoid any situation that lands Hayden back in the duke\u2019s prison.<\/p>

\u2018And the moment they realise you are protecting one of the cursed, they will disown you. Is that a risk you are willing to take?\u2019<\/p>

Damn. She makes a good point. \u2018I could pretend not to know him.\u2019 My voice wavered with doubt.<\/p>

\u2018You know that won\u2019t work, Rebecca. The moment your witches realise the only hostages are undead, they\u2019ll magically nuke the place. They won\u2019t care if Hayden is collateral damage. Be\u00a2er that than risk any hunters hurting your own kind. Ambrosius may be cruel, but he will abide by the laws of the cursed.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018Fine. We\u2019ll do it your way. I\u2019ll text you the location.\u2019 After hanging up, I sent her the GPS coordinates. Feeling defeated and useless, I called a cab and headed home.<\/p>

As the door to my terrace home slammed shut behind me, I threw my keys in the bowl on the credenza in my hallway and retrieved a vial from my coat pocket before hanging it on a hook. I had stolen the tube from the duke\u2019s trophy case. It contained Hayden\u2019s extracted fangs and enough of his blood to magically analyse. It\u2019s time to work out exactly who you are, Hayden.<\/p>

\u2026<\/p>

Seraphina<\/p>

Ambrosius glared at me as I entered his throne room. \u2018You are beginning to make a habit of visiting me, Seraphina. Perhaps I should arrange for my maids to make up a permanent room for you here, to save you the trouble of driving across town.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018No thank you. I would rather endure a hundred trips a week across London than spend one night under your roof.\u2019<\/p>

He sighed. \u2018I grow tired of your insults, daughter dearest. What do you want?\u2019<\/p>

\u2018I bring news of a new party of hunters in town. I beseech you to eradicate them before they become a problem for us.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018Why have you not dealt with them yourself? Surely you can handle a few hunters?\u2019 he replied in a weary tone.<\/p>

\u2018Because there are too many of them for me to take on. My spy clocked about twenty of them.\u2019<\/p>

His eyes widened as he sat upright. \u2018That is practically an army, not a mere party. How did they manage to sneak into my town undetected?\u2019<\/p>

I shrugged. \u2018They are ge ing more cunning while we rest on our laurels. Their lair is in an old warehouse district along the river that used to belong to the Avici clan before you ran them out of Britain.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018Smart,\u2019 he conceded. \u2018Claiming neutral territory to hide right under our noses. Not even the witches cared for such unhallowed ground when those vile creatures vacated it.\u2019 He was not even exaggerating, which spoke volumes for the cruelty of the Avici clan if my father thought them so wicked. Feasting on the blood of virgins was one thing but turning them into vampires and devouring their flesh while raping them was next level perversion and most definitely in violation of cursed law. \u2018I\u2019ll dispatch a crew to deal with them. In the meantime, I demand that you return my prisoner.\u2019 When I began to protest, he raised a hand to hush me. \u2018Do not insult my intelligence by feigning ignorance. I know you played<\/p>

some part in aiding his escape and I\u2019d bet half my treasury you know exactly where he is.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018While that may be true, I\u2019m not in a position to return him to you.\u2019<\/p>

His eyes narrowed on me. \u2018You know the consequences for aiding and abe ing. Why are you defying me?\u2019<\/p>

With a sigh, I helped myself to the crystal decanter of blood beside his throne. He would have enacted a harsh punishment on anyone else who dared to touch his stu\ufb00, but somewhere deep down in his withered old heart, he had a soft spot for his only daughter. \u2018Firstly, I had nothing to do with releasing him from your prison, that was your beloved wife. I merely freed him from her clutches. Secondly, the hunters have him.\u2019<\/p>

A deep laugh infused with malice erupted from the pit of his stomach. \u2018That is very careless of you, daughter dearest. I ought to teach you a thing or two about keeping your fledglings safe and in check.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018No thanks. I have no desire to enslave the minds of my kindred.\u2019<\/p>

His eyes turned cold, the humour fleeing his countenance. \u2018I will deal with these hunters, but do not expect me to return Hayden to you when I get my hands on him. He will complete his sentence in my dungeon, after which I will employ him myself, since you\u2019ve been so careless with him.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018No! Father, please, I beg you\u2026.\u2019 The thought of Hayden submitting to my father\u2019s brand of cruelty sent shivers down my spine.<\/p>

\u2018What\u2019s so special about this fledgling? Why do you care what I do with him?\u2019<\/p>

\u2018I\u2026 I\u2019m in love with him.\u2019 The truth tasted bi er as it trickled from my tongue. I sti\ufb00ened, hating myself for showing such weakness to a man who prided himself in exploiting people\u2019s vulnerabilities.<\/p>

\u2018Well, well.\u2019 A vicious smirk tugged at his lips. \u2018Here I thought you had outgrown such human emotions. You are full of surprises, Seraphina, I\u2019ll grant you that. Your love for this man explains why you were desperate to free him from Amaryllis and her harpies.<\/p>

Noone has willingly pried themselves away from their pleasure trap. I am intrigued by my wife\u2019s interest in your fledgling, however. Tell me what you know about Hayden, and I will return him to you straight away.\u2019<\/p>

It was a gamble, revealing my cards this early, but he left me few options. \u2018Make it a blood oath, and I will concede.\u2019<\/p>

Flashing his fangs, he bit into his palm and held it out to me. I followed suit, shaking his hand and sealing our deal. \u2018Now tell me, why would Amaryllis go to the trouble of freeing a fangless fledgling from my prison and risk angering me in the process?\u2019<\/p>

I winced at the reference to the torture Hayden su\ufb00ered before his incarceration. \u2018I recently learned that prior to my cursing him, Hayden was an unawakened mage. Amaryllis sought to awaken his powers and use them to her advantage.\u2019<\/p>

Ambrosius hu\ufb00ed. \u2018That foolish woman. Do you know what sort of mage he is?\u2019<\/p>

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. \u2018I know that his magic is in part, if not wholly, infernal.\u2019<\/p>

He nodded. \u2018Makes sense. Amaryllis is a witch, after all. She must be recruiting an army of hybrids.\u2019 He straightened in his throne. \u2018This conversation must not leave these four walls, understood?\u2019<\/p>

\u2018Yes, sir.\u2019<\/p>

\u2018In exchange for your fledgling\u2019s ongoing freedom, I want you to learn everything you can about my wife\u2019s interest in hybrids. I expect regular intel on the ma er. Understood?\u2019<\/p>

\u2018Yes, sir.\u2019 As soon as we entered into negotiations, I figured we would end up here. Considering I had already planted several spies on Amaryllis, this deal would not stretch my resources any thinner.<\/p>

At least this way, I could drip feed him information at a pace that suited me. Still, something did not add up. \u2018I am curious though. Why go to the trouble of enlisting my network when you live with the woman?\u2019<\/p>

\u2018She already knows everyone here. If she hasn\u2019t yet, she\u2019s unlikely to reveal her secrets to the members of my household anytime soon.\u2019<\/p>

That told me more than he knew. I had wondered for years if any of the duchess\u2019 ladies were my father\u2019s spies. Apparently not. Sloppy work if you ask me. All I need to do is get one of them on my side\u2026.<\/p>

\u2018If that is all, you are dismissed.\u2019 His booming voice returned me to the present situation.<\/p>

\u2018Yes, sir.\u2019 After leaving the throne room, rather than heading straight for the exit, I took a left turn towards the duchess\u2019 private quarters. Time to set a plan in motion.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t

What \u2019s\u00a0 Next?<\/strong><\/h3>

Stay tuned for Season 2, Episode 2, coming 15th<\/sup> February 2024.<\/p>

Season 1 is now available on Kindle: Well I\u2019ll Be Damned Season 1<\/a><\/p>

Subscribe to L. Starla\u2019s Newsletter for monthly instalments<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Season 2, Episode 1 Rebecca While this may not have been the first time I walked out of an abattoir with a case of pig\u2019s blood, I had never imagined …<\/p>\n

Well I’ll Be Damned, S2 Ep1<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13,14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6425"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6425"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6512,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6425\/revisions\/6512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}