Blood On The Moon Cover
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I've decided to not only remind myself about the characters, but I figured I'd give you something to sink your teeth into too.
Luke
You may be wondering who Luke is because if you’ve only read the last story – Blood on the Moon – then you won’t have encountered him.
Luke is Hazel/Red’s husband. They have been married for more than 500 years.
He’s the one that started the whole thing for Hazel.
He visited the village of his childhood – to get some ‘closure’ – and tie-up a few loose ends and he saw Hazel and took a fancy to her. He watched her for a while and realised she was an orphan and quite a resilient young woman.
His mentor, Darius advised that Luke should use Hazel just as a dalliance – something to pass the time and then cast off – and then Darius went and asked for permission to take the young Hume for himself.
Playing the part of the faithful and supportive mentor, Darius bit Hazel so that Luke could take her as his mate.
Unfortunately, Hazel proved to be a little more substantial than they imagined and Luke had to wait a while for her to be made Wolf.
Luke, true to his Wolf family, did some horrible things in order to protect them and him from discovery, to Hazel’s detriment.
Darius decided that he’d also like a Wolf wife and went to fetch his Hume wife to be bitten by Luke, ensuring an unbreakable bond between the two male Wolves. I can’t tell you much more about that for fear of spoilers – sorry.
It was because of the horrible things he did that Hazel left him and travelled to France when she realised what he’d done (as well as Victoria’s shenanigans).
Luke followed Hazel to France and then Italy in order to reclaim his bride – he’d realised that she was vital to the Prophecy and wanted his part in that.
Luke and Hazel have a tempestuous relationship and are always splitting up and getting back together.
Wolf laws state that marriage is for life and they’ll never divorce, but their Wolf nature also makes it easy to forgive if they stray into another Wolf’s arms – especially if they are apart for any length of time (half a century?).
Luke’s involvement with other females can sometimes come around to bite him (pun intended) and that fact played a major part in my first book Deadlier Than The Male.
Their relationship is a passionate one and because of that, they argue and make-up in spectacular fashion. Luke did not know the full details of Hazel’s Wolfing – when Darius bit her and made her Wolf – and when he did find out, he was livid at the betrayal from Darius, a Wolf he considered his ‘brother’. He was also furious that Hazel had kept the details from him for more than 500 years and that she also assumed he knew all about it and sanctioned it. – Oh what a tangled web we weave…
I keep saying this, but I had a lot of fun writing the dialogue between Luke and Hazel – a married couple with two strong-minded and courageous characters is always going to be a stormy relationship.
Jealousy doesn’t play a major part in their relationship, as I said, and Luke can accept that Hazel has had other lovers and that one in particular keeps re-appearing from time to time.
It can also be said that Hazel doesn’t have a problem with Luke’s exes and one storyline included one of his more recent girlfriends – with Red/Hazel being asked to defend her before a tribunal for the new Wolf’s life.
Keeping track of all these personalities is a MASSIVE headache and I find it easier to attribute the characters to people I know in real life – don’t worry, I always ask first.
Although that particular trick is no longer necessary, at first, it was and at the first book signing I ever held, five of the characters from Deadlier were at the table at the same time.
I think it’s time that Luke made a return to Hazel’s life – they have some brilliant fun when they get together.
I’m also thinking on a few suggestions you guys have made over the sharing of my stories. The main one I’m most excited about is describing how the individual Wolves came into being – the bitten ones at least.
I’ll have a think on a few of them and see if I can make more of their stories and how I can get them to talk to me (even though a few are now dead).
Luke pursued Hazel across England, through France and into Italy. Hazel was miserable because of many betrayals she'd found out since being bitten.
Hazel and Elizabeth (Erzebet) were on their way home from a party one evening, their guard down for a change.
Part way home, on a lonely road, the carriage started to slow and stop. Elizabeth asked what was wrong but the driver did not answer. Instead, the door was opened and a hand was held up to help them down. Neither were worried because they assumed it was Anton who had stopped them and Elizabeth disembarked, but the gasp of surprise from her warned Hazel to be on her guard, so as she climbed down, she was ready, she did not know what for, but at any rate she was prepared.
She had thought she was prepared, but heard herself utter a gasp in much the same way as Elizabeth had. “Luke,” she whispered.
“Did you think for me to just forget you ever existed? I had hoped to find you before our first wedding anniversary, but it was not to be, more’s the pity. Elizabeth, as ever, it is an honour.” He bowed and kissed Elizabeth’s hand. She looked back at Hazel bewildered.
“Luke is your husband?” she asked.
Hazel nodded her misery, much the same as a child would when caught in telling a lie to a tolerant parent.