TLS Special SNEAK PEEK Feature

The Lemonade Stand has spent so many years bringing you the best the Twilight fandom has to offer, and we are very excited to have the chance to offer you even MORE. We've watched stories grow and develop from first post through COMPLETE, and now we're lucky enough to share previews of the stories that will soon be your new addiction.

Today we are featuring MarieCarro, author of Through Your Eyes, The Duke & the Swan without Wings, and Love is Strange. She's sharing a peek of her upcoming new mob fic The Death of a Prince. 

banner by MarieCarro

The Death of a Prince

by

MarieCarro

Summary: At age 7, Edward Cullen witnesses his father's death. Traumatized and terrified, he blames himself and runs away. Two minor league criminals stumble upon him when he wanders the streets at night, freezing and starving, and they decide to take him in. Years later, Edward is confronted by his past and must decide if he'll take his rightful place as the head of the Irish Mob, or remain with those who raised him. {Heavy Angst/Crime/All-Human} Rated M

~oOOo~

Edward's belly rumbled angrily from being empty for so many hours, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do. Food cost money, which he was only given occasionally, but today, his pockets were as empty as his hungry stomach.

On top of that, he was lost. He'd been in the heart of Boston a handful of times, and always with an adult, but the part of the city he was in now was unfamiliar and quickly grew scary as the sun set for the day.

Where he was, there were no green parks with families sitting on blankets and important men wearing suits talking on the phone. There were no bicycles or ponds and fountains. Only blocks of gray buildings and broken concrete under his feet, and the only people around all looked rather menacing even as they minded their own business.

He had nowhere to go and wandering all day had made his feet and legs hurt. He sat down on the edge of the sidewalk, but then the mouthwatering smell of cooking food wafted in his direction from somewhere, and his stomach ached so much he started crying.

Running away had been his only option, but he knew there was no way he'd make it in Boston on his own. He was already too hungry with hurting feet, no money, and nowhere to sleep.

He also really needed to go to the bathroom.

Across the street, there was a small commotion that caused Edward to look up and see what was going on.

One dark-haired boy, not too many years older than himself, and a tall guy who was definitely more adult than boy was helping a third man they'd accidentally bumped into and caused to drop his items.

“I'm sorry, sir,” the boy said, looking contrite, but as Edward watched, he saw him seamlessly slip a golden watch from the man's wrist into his own pocket.

“Yeah, are you okay?” the tall guy asked and handed the man his dropped phone.

“I'm fine,” the man replied with annoyance. “Just watch where you're going next time.”

“Of course, sir,” the guy promised. “Once again, so sorry.”

The man huffed and hurried away from the scene, completely unaware he did so sans golden watch, and Edward stared after him with rapt attention, fascinated by how fast and smooth he'd been robbed without knowing it.

“Shit, I think he saw us,” he heard and looked toward the thieves, who were now staring straight at him.

Edward averted his eyes toward the ground and quickly stood up to walk away. He had no idea if the thieves were dangerous, and he didn't want to cause any trouble, so he hurried to get out of their way.

However, he'd barely walked a few yards before the older thief ran around him and came to a sudden stop in front of him. “Not so fast, kid. I'm afraid we can't just let you walk away after that.”

The younger thief closed in on him from behind and crossed his arms. Edward didn't know what to say and froze in place, his eyes directed to the ground. The tall one looked at him for a long moment, and then his eyes wandered down until they spotted the blood spatter on Edward's pants.

“Hey, Em, come over here,” he said to the younger thief, who with visible confusion rounded Edward and looked where the tall one pointed. They exchanged a glance, and then the tall one crouched down to be at Edward's eye-level. “You okay, kid?”

Edward stared at him, not understanding his sudden change of tone, and then shrugged. “I guess,” he said.

“You sure?” the boy named Em asked, and Edward nodded. “Then that blood on you isn't yours?”

He looked down at the dried spots and was momentarily brought back to that morning and the sight of his dad falling to his knees and taking his last breath. Edward clenched his eyes shut and shook his head. “No, it's not mine.”

~oOOo~

Remember to put MarieCarro on alert. The Death of a Prince begins posting on January 1, 2023.