home

search

Stolen Treasure: Prologue

  Anna Nádasdy

  Anna Nádasdy threads through the bustling streets of Boston, her leather boots clicking softly on the pavement as the early morning light dances off the brownstones lining the neighborhood. The city is awake but subdued, its hum a comforting backdrop. A black trench coat hangs off her shoulders—a uniform of sorts for the day walker vampire, blending into the mortal crowd. Her dark hair catches the faint breeze, a gleaming cascade that contrasts sharply against Boston’s muted autumn tones. In one hand, she clutches a cardboard coffee cup, the steam curling up and kissing the edges of her sharp cheekbones. Coffee—they’ll bury her with a cup in hand, she thinks wryly.

  Phara Private Investigation Firm is located within a converted townhouse in Beacon Hill, its polished brass plaque gleaming faintly in the morning sun. The firm is a curious hive of activity for both the night and day creatures that call it home. Anna strides up the stairs, pushing the heavy wooden door open. The comforting scent of paper, ink, and old varnish washes over her, mingling with the nutty undertone of coffee wafting from the corner brewer—a gift from her partners to feed her relentless addiction. Theodore's warm laughter echoes down the hall, rich and deep, as he trades quips with a nervous client who has yet to realize that one-third of this team isn’t entirely human.

  Phara’s office takes up the far corner, lit by a pool of sunlight just spilling through. Phara is there, as usual—a commanding presence with raven-black curls pinned neatly back, her posture straight and unshakable. She raises an eyebrow as Anna enters, the barest flicker of amusement curling her lips when she spots the coffee cup. “You’re late,” Phara says with mock sternness that gives way to a playful, almost conspiratorial grin.

  Anna frames her response with an arch look that speaks volumes without requiring words. Her sharp tongue often doesn’t bother with speech when her expression can cut through the air just as well. Theodore passes her in the hall with a devilish wink and a murmured tease about caffeine dependency under his breath. She pays it no mind, determined to savor every drop of her brew before the day spirals into chaos—as it always does.

  Down the hall, tucked away in the dim of the records room, sits Anastasia, her older sister. The full vampire is the opposite of Anna: porcelain-pale, raven-haired, and enveloped in an aura of darkness that neither coffee nor daylight will ever touch. Anastasia busies herself with a stack of case files, her vampiric grace precise and efficient, her crimson lips fixed into a line of concentration. She’s competent—irritatingly so—and Anna bristles still at the thought of sharing her sacred turf with her sister. It’s not the tension you’d expect from siblings who’ve lived through centuries together, yet there’s a quiet rivalry buried beneath their professional respect. Anastasia glances up from her task, her eyes glowing faintly with that unholy depth as she greets Anna with polite indifference.

  Then there’s Norika, Anastasia’s girlfriend and newest addition to the team. Norika, with her feline smile and airy charm, softens the tension. Her presence brings a strange ease to the office—like she’s some glue binding the disparate pieces. Norika approaches Anna with a light touch on the elbow, her dark almond eyes sparkling. “Morning,” she murmurs, handing her a fresh report. The woman moves like a shadow, her grace equally as hypnotic as Anastasia’s, though less standoffish. Anna even thinks she might enjoy her company.

  The cases are piling up, as they always do, but the workload has doubled since Anastasia joined. Anna can’t deny that her sister’s nocturnal skillset—ruthless efficiency, calculating precision, and the ability to charm targets into compliance—is an asset. But she doesn’t admit it. She never will. Instead, Anna buries herself in her own work, unraveling tangled mysteries in her own way. She’s the bloodhound of the office, following the scent of truth wherever it leads, often preferring to work alone. Her methods are unorthodox, her attitude occasionally prickly, but her results speak for themselves.

  Each case brings them a step deeper into Boston’s underbelly. Here, ancient grudges nestle among mortal crimes, and whispers of supernatural intrigue ride on the wind. They take on clients from every side—the desperate mother seeking her stolen child, the politician trying to erase his past, the ancient vampire coven embroiled in power plays that would make the Mafia blush. High-profile cases come knocking like storm clouds, dark and heavy with secrets Anna finds herself compelled to chase. She finds high society insufferable but illuminating; secrets taste the same, whether they're swathed in silk or buried beneath the grime of alleyways.

  And so, Anna Nádasdy keeps chasing. Fueled by coffee, simmering resentment, and the faintest spark of—for now—manageable love for the mismatched family she’s gathered around her. Each case is another thread in the labyrinth they navigate, and each passing day reminds her that answers are a fleeting luxury. In the end, she moves not for truths, but for the thrill of pursuit that keeps an undead heart beating. Still, life—or unlife—is complicated at Phara’s firm, and for Anna, it’s the one mystery she never quite solves.

  Phara Louis & Theodore Samaras

  The dim hum of Boston’s late evening buzzes outside the walls of the townhouse on Beacon Street, a building that has come to resemble not just a home but the beating heart of Phara’s investigative empire. The structure itself whispers tales of transformation and individuality, its Gothic facade a sharp contrast to the modern and mysterious life thriving inside. Lush ivy crawls up its stone body like secrets eager to share their stories, an impossible blend of age-old wisdom and fresh determination. The air is thick with the aromatic tang of sage and lavender, lingering just at the periphery of your senses as Phara deftly mixes a potion on the worn mahogany counter in her office—a room that smells like mystery and holds objects more enigmatic than the mysteries she solves.

  Phara’s presence is commanding yet effortless. Her witch-like abilities aren’t flashy or ostentatious; they emanate from a quiet confidence steeped in years of practice, the sort of confidence earned by bending fate itself on more than one occasion. Her fingers trail across a black-and-gold grimoire as she reads an incantation under her breath, a faint shimmer of crimson glowing in the air before dissipating as she seals the magic. She doesn’t need flash; results are her currency—and it's a currency she exchanges liberally when weaving these uncanny threads into her cases.

  The building isn’t just a home; it's alive and humming with purpose. Every corner has been tightly curated to cater to the team’s needs, designed by Phara herself after years of dreaming of this sanctuary. The ground floor houses a sleek yet vintage-style reception area, a maze of offices adorned with framed clippings of solved cases. There's a dark records room in the basement, dimly lit by the eerie glow of vintage yellowed bulbs, a sanctuary for Anastasia—the vampire archivist—and her nocturnal treasures. Anastasia thrives in the shadows, her movements graceful and silent, a wraith among forgotten papers and obscure records. If there’s a lead buried under decades of dust, she’ll find it. Her cool demeanor belies the fiery intellect that makes her indispensable, even if sunlight keeps her tethered deep below.

  On the second floor is Theodore’s domain, his tech lair, walls cluttered with sleek monitors and blue LED light strips that cast a faint, lupine glow across the room. Silver cables intertwine as he tinkers, testing the limits of what modern technology can do for ancient problems. Werewolf by instinct, a tech guru by craft, Theodore’s days are filled with clicks, whirs, and soft growls as he mutters about systems and coding. An air of primal strength surrounds him, and it’s hard to ignore how his focus sharpens in direct proportion to the cycles of the moon overhead. Yet when Phara enters the room, his head lifts instantly; there’s something about her presence that cools the primal beast within and draws him toward her—a pull that history, magic, and instinct refuse to explain.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Anna brings warmth into the dynamic, a foil to Theodore’s cool logic and Phara’s enigmatic grace. Her sharp tongue cuts through moments of tension like a blade, but the flash in her smile tempers the steel, making her presence something of a refuge. Not one for precision, Anna instead tackles cases with intuition and an uncanny ability to make sense of human motives. Her training might not be steeped in ancient arts or software algorithms, but she’s adept at reading people, at twisting hearts and minds gently like threads tangled into the narrative fabric of their investigations.

  Then there’s Norika, bold and unapologetically adventurous. She’s the one with wings—or wheels, depending on the mission. Small-framed but fiercely resilient, she commands anything that moves, from jets down to mail trucks. Her knack for maneuvering through Boston’s labyrinthine streets and skies is borderline supernatural, echoing a freedom the rest of the team envies yet dares not confront. Her laughter—infectious and her approach fearless—adds a jolt of fire to the very blood of the team.

  Phara winds her way through this kingdom of her creation, pulling each string to weave a melody of collaboration and purpose. The oddity of their arrangement doesn’t seem to bother anyone; love has carved a space for itself among them. Their relationship flows alongside the cases, a current that binds rather than distracts. Each glance holds layers unspoken—the unbreakable thread connecting the three of them even amid chaos. Their moments of quiet, stolen in places like the sprawling, shadowy solarium on the upper floor, are sacred yet effortlessly balanced with the tension of danger.

  As she looks through a gilded compass that doesn't just point north but spins wildly toward disturbances invisible to most, Phara exhales deeply. What they need are tougher cases, threads that’ll pull the team toward something larger—higher-profile mysteries with stakes that could elevate their newfound reputation to untouchable heights. A surge of power courses through her veins, sparking in her fingers, begging for action. Boston is full of secrets, she knows, throbbing in the brick underfoot and haunting the intricate alleys. What she wants — what the whole team needs — is to uncover something monumental. Something transformative.

  Then, a knock at the door. It’s a foreboding sound, reverberating even through the thick walls of her renovated fortress. Phara’s gaze snaps to the door, curiosity already blossoming as her hand instinctively flicks to the black opal necklace around her neck for strength. Whatever comes next, she knows she’ll face it with her peculiar tribe of shadow-dwellers and mystics at her side—a team bound by bonds stronger than mere professionalism. Burnished by the firelight of shared ambitions, burdens, and love, they are seekers of the undiscovered, ready to embrace the mysteries of Boston calling through the veil.

  Anastasia Báthory & Norika Meiji

  Anastasia sits behind the tall mahogany desk, her pale fingers brushing over the aged leather cover of the record book. The office, though modestly furnished, exudes a quiet sophistication, bathed in muted lamp light that creates soft shadows on the textured walls. The safety of darkness wraps around her like the comforting embrace of silk—a stark contrast to the harsh daylight she avoids at all costs. The faint hum of the neon sign outside advertising Phara Investigations often reminds her that this little firm is both her sanctuary and her battlefield now.

  It's been months since her coven abandoned her, and though she feels like a shipwreck dragged ashore, Phara has offered her a lifeline. As the firm’s sharp-eyed but enigmatic owner, Phara has put her to work coordinating cases, collecting accounts, maintaining meticulous files, and ensuring the gears of their business don’t grind to a halt. Anastasia has quickly become indispensable in her quiet, diligent way, even if shadows seem to cloak her every move.

  The sharp clicking of Anna’s boots down the hall forces her to pause mid-entry. Unlike Anastasia, Anna moves swiftly and with purpose, her sun-kissed skin radiating energy—a vitality that, at times, Anastasia envies. She is sleek, confident, and undeniably a day walker. The younger sister, born of the same bloodline but touched by some cruel twist of fate, stands apart. Whereas sunlight would burn Anastasia into ashes within moments, Anna thrives under its warmth like it were life itself. Their relationship is strained, delicate like a thread stretched to its limit. Anastasia suspects that her presence at Phara Investigations bothers Anna—grating on some unspoken sensitivity—but the words never leave her lips. Most days, Anna doesn’t linger to exchange pleasantries or engage, driving forward toward yet another case, leaving Anastasia in her quiet solitude within the office.

  Anastasia, for her part, does her utmost to contribute. She combs through intricate public records, investigates cold cases, and discreetly encourages potential clients to seek out their services. Beneath her efforts lies the fervent hope that she can prove herself to Anna, not just as a sister but as an ally. The evident tension gnaws at her nightly. Yet, like every aspect of her existence, she swallows the emotions like bitter wine and presses onward.

  Outside, tires screech faintly as Norika pulls in with confident ease, descending from the driver’s seat in her unmistakable grace. Norika’s hybrid nature—fey and vampire—is a contradiction of delicate magic and predatory sharpness. Though sunlight doesn’t kill her, it still wears heavily upon her fey-touched skin. Layers of sunscreen, jackets, and goggles have transformed her day attire into an armor of sorts, shielding her from the sun's unyielding glare. Still, there is something timelessly resilient about Norika, even during the daylight hours. At night, however, she becomes herself; effortless, bold, and the most competent pilot Anastasia has ever known.

  Norika’s smile, though a flicker of familiarity, always ignites something quiet within Anastasia. Their history together brewed slowly and sweetly before her coven fell apart, before everything burned. To see Norika here now, a constant presence in her new reality, feels like breathing fresh air for the first time after drowning. The moments they share—however brief—are tinted with nostalgia, with the possibility of rekindling something long buried but never forgotten.

  Norika strides into the office, shaking her head, her purple eyes glinting with amusement and restraint. “Another night, another headache,” she mutters with a grin, dropping files on the desk. She leans against the far wall, unwinding after the taxing day. Anastasia drinks in the sight quietly, watching the way Norika tilts her head slightly, a lock of her dark hair brushing her cheek.

  And still, despite the flickers of warmth Norika provides, Anastasia’s easier companions are the cases that fill her nights. They are puzzles with a thousand missing pieces, mysteries begging to be solved—a reflection of her own rebuilding life. Yet, each file she handles, every client she brings in, feels like another brick laid. She is still haunted by her abandonment, but she is a thousand other things now: meticulous, resilient, resourceful. Her existence has been reduced and reshaped, but she is sculpting it into something new.

  The sound of Anna’s voice drifts from the hallway, clipped and business-like as she argues a point with a client on the phone. Norika watches Anastasia’s eyes flicker toward the sound, the subtle downturn of her lips, the longing buried in her gaze. “You’re trying too hard,” Norika remarks softly, her tone tinged with concern.

  Anastasia doesn’t answer immediately, unsure how to address the truth that hangs in the room between them. “She’s my sister,” she says finally, keeping her voice level, though her hands grip the edges of the desk with unnatural force. “I’ve already lost too many. I can’t lose her, too.”

  Norika’s piercing gaze softens. “You haven’t lost her, Anastasia. You just have to give her time.”

  Time. It’s the one thing Anastasia has too much of, but it’s also the one thing she fears she doesn’t—her immortality a cruel reminder of the distances that can form even between blood

  And yet, as the hours tick by and the moon ascends, casting pale beams through the frosted glass pane of the office, Anastasia allows herself the faintest flicker of hope. Amid the fractured family dynamics, the whisper of rekindled love, and the chaos of mysteries lying unsolved—it is all a web she is learning to navigate.

Recommended Popular Novels