Authors: Toni Kelly
Luke stood ready for him as he dove toward them. Tucking Savannah into his side, he spun and caught the halfling by his neck, propelling him with his own momentum into a store front. The male crashed into a metal grill, denting it and cracking the glass behind it. Two vampires attacked and he evaded their punches, buying several feet of distance.
Savannah’s heartbeat galloped, her blood swished. Bending his head, he found her jugular with his mouth and let his fangs sink in. She gasped and stiffened within his arms then slowly relaxed. And for one infinitely small moment, she tasted sweet. Pure. Amazing. But soon the burning began.
The others froze in their tracks, watching and waiting, curiosity etched into their faces. Luke drank until the slicing pain radiating from the center of his chest made him dizzy. When he pulled away, his knees crumbled and he hit the cobblestone. Even the cool night air did not provide relief from the searing heat engulfing him. Reaching forward, he collapsed onto his front, and rolled to his back.
“Luke, oh my God. Luke.” Savannah’s face filled his vision as she kneeled beside him, hands roving over his face and body. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
He wanted to tell her not to cry, but could not speak. Blood soaked her hands, and he feared she had somehow been hurt, but as red crept across his vision, he realized he bled.
“You stupid vampire.” She shook her head and bent to kiss him. Blood from his mouth stained her lips. “Why?”
With all his strength, he lifted a hand and caressed her jaw. He did not have strength enough to push thoughts into her mind. He could only hope she saw the answer in his eyes, understood he loved her with his entire heart and whatever piece of his damned soul he still retained.
Dropping his hand, he laid his head back. Her change would start soon and with it, hate would come. Pain numbed him, bringing a glorious cold. He felt light and almost human. His eyelids grew heavy. It would soon be over.
“Luke.”
His name caught his attention and he searched out the voice. Broderick bent over him. “You fucking idiot.”
Forever with the insults. Luke coughed an answer but Broderick shook his head and said, “I understand. I’ll take care of her.”
Relief settled in his chest and he let go.
* * * *
“No.” Savannah lay on the cold, wet cobblestones, unable to believe she watched the man she loved disappear into thin air. How cruel, destiny didn’t even leave her a body to mourn.
“It’s okay.” Broderick’s hands gripped her shoulders and she shook them off.
“No, it’s not.” Deep anguish bubbled up within her, rocking her body. Sobs came in a gush, painful in their intensity. “I loved him.” And in the chaos of the moment she hadn’t even remembered to tell him.
“I know. I did too. He was like a brother to me.”
She turned and met Broderick’s gaze. In the gray blue depths of his eyes she could see he meant it.
“I promised him I would take care of you,” he said. “You will go through the change soon and it’s going to be painful.”
“No, she won’t,” Rafe said.
Savannah pushed herself into a sitting position. The Ancient stood beside them. Anger burned through her chest. “You. What are you doing here?” She rose to her feet and pushed at his chest. “This is your fault.”
“No, Savannah.” Broderick shook his head, still squatting over the area where Luke had disintegrated. “If it weren’t for him and Drago, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have had the chance to say goodbye.”
“No, she’s right,” Rafe said. “I didn’t know Luke’s intentions, otherwise I would have warned him. The Blessed don’t change. They can’t.” He turned to face Lorenzo’s men. “Your leader is dead. Leave, unless you want to join him.” As if to further prove his point, he whipped out his arm and all six hit the wall. They scrambled to their feet and ran.
“Wait a minute.” Broderick stood. “What do you mean, they can’t change?”
“Who doesn’t change?” Her head pounded and none of what they said made sense.
“They’re pure and sacred. For those reasons, their blood harms us.” Rafe bent down beside her. “I am sorry for your loss.”
She turned away from him. “What is he talking about, Broderick?”
Broderick placed a hand on her shoulder. “I should have forced Luke to tell you.”
“Tell me what? What does Rafe mean, when he says I can’t change?” she asked him but turned to Rafe for an answer.
“Three hundred and thirty-three seconds.” Rafe leaned against a wall, arms crossed. “Your body ceased to live at one point in your life for this length of time. Enough time for you to reach heaven and return.”
“Your accident changed your blood. Made you a sacred being capable of destroying our race,” Broderick said. “That’s why Lorenzo wanted you.”
Savannah blinked. “My blood.” She recalled the morning her blood burned Luke’s arm. Heat seared her, deep in her chest. “You both knew this entire time? And Luke? He did this on purpose.” Why hadn’t they said anything? Why had Rafe let this happen?
“He thought this the only way,” replied Broderick. “He didn’t know you wouldn’t change. He wanted to tell you but worried about your reaction.”
She looked down, unable to think of a reply
“I must go,” Rafe said as he bent close. “I don’t expect or care for your forgiveness and trust, but I will tell you I didn’t want Luke’s death. He saved my life at the auction and his spirit has given me a renewed sense of purpose. I know what he meant to you. I am sorry this happened.” He walked over to Broderick. “Drago does not concern himself with her, for now. Best to keep it that way for as long as we can. Take her back to Boston. I will ensure her safety. No one will make an attempt on her life. It’s the least I can do.”
Broderick nodded and Rafe left.
Savannah stared at his retreating back. He and another Ancient had saved Broderick from Lorenzo. She was grateful but the hurt from her loss overshadowed everything. What would become of her now?
“In time you may forgive him...you may forgive us.” Broderick lifted an arm and she looked down at her hands. They were still covered in blood. “It’s okay,” he said.
She wiped her palms on the slinky material of her dress then hooked her arm through his, letting him support her. “I want to leave as soon as possible. I don’t want anything to do with vampires or the Blessed or any of this.”
“I understand. There are a few affairs of Luke’s I need to take care of. Can you handle going back to his place?”
She nodded. She wasn’t sure she could handle anything at this point but she needed to shower and the more efficiently she let Broderick work, the faster she’d leave Rome.
At Luke’s apartment, she sat on his living room couch as Broderick combed through a box of Luke’s belongings.
“Luke would have wanted you to take this money. It was part of your contract.”
Savannah shook her head at the check Broderick held. “A contract I never completed. I don’t want any of his money.” She rubbed her arms, unable to chase away the cold. She’d sat under the hot rush of water for nearly an hour and yet the chill still seeped deep into her bones. “I want to go home.” And bury herself beneath a pile of blankets.
Broderick approached and touched her chin, lifted her gaze to his. She didn’t want to face him. Didn’t want to see the sadness that lingered there. “Look at me, Savannah.”
She did as he asked. The knot in her throat threatened to come undone and her stomach flexed. She needed to hold herself together.
“Luke did what he did because you gave him life. He lived through your dreams and hopes.” He lifted the check. “Without this, you might as well throw those dreams away.”
Savannah began to turn away then paused. What a fool she’d been. He had known what would happen. She remembered Luke’s words, his request she fight for her dreams. Damn him. With a sigh she took the check, slipped it into the purse slung across her chest.
The side of Broderick’s mouth lifted in some semblance of a smile. “Good. I know it is difficult now but with time you will learn to dream again.”
She nodded but only because she didn’t have strength to argue.
Broderick drove her to the airport. He didn’t say anything further because there wasn’t anything left to say—at least that’s what she told herself. They parted ways at security and she couldn’t help but feel a load lifted from her shoulders. He was her last connection to the past couple weeks, to Luke.
As she sat in the plane and gazed at her faded reflection in the window, she smoothed the shadows beneath her eyes with a finger. Her face appeared drawn and much older than her twenty-nine years. Flight attendants droned on about life vests and emergency exits but she hardly heard them, nor did she care to. She wished the plane would fall out of the sky or skid off the runway, and those thoughts made her feel guilty. Those around her deserved better than the suicidal ponderings of a wannabe chef. If only a black hole would open up beneath her and suck her in.
“Excuse me, miss. Can I get you a drink?” A bright-eyed blonde smiled at her, showing a row of straight, perfectly white teeth.
Savannah wondered what the woman would say if she asked for blood. She resisted the urge. “I’m fine. Thank you.” Without giving the flight attendant a chance to ask anything else, she turned toward the window and let exhaustion have its way.
30
With my ninth mind I resurrect my first and dance slow to the music of my soul made new.
—Aberjhani
Luke sank into the comforting warmth enveloping him. It seeped into his body, infusing him with an energy he had not felt in decades or more. Somehow he understood it protected him and he imagined he could be quite happy spending an eternity in this pleasant nowhere. He could not see anything around him, nor did he care to look. He felt good, soothed and at peace, and only that mattered.
Too soon, the coat of comfort dissipated, leaving the cold, hard reality of a cobblestone street. Suddenly, his body ached everywhere. He could not recall ever feeling this sore, not even as a human. “Christ.”
Rolling onto his back, he groaned and shivered as his skin dipped into a tire-sized puddle of water. He pushed himself into a sitting position to avoid the chilling wetness and rubbed his forehead. His head throbbed as if someone had taken a jackhammer to it. Bloody hell. When was the last time he’d had a headache? His completely nude state did not help, especially since he sat in the middle of a narrow Roman street. And he had no recollection of how he’d arrived there.
“Savannah.” Where was she? He turned, scanning his surroundings, and recognized the area. A side street of Piazza del Popolo. He had been with Savannah here, cornered by Lorenzo’s men. He swore he’d drunk from her but it blurred in his mind.
Either way, it would not do to sit naked in the middle of the street. Francesca. Her
pensione
was nearby and she would know what to do. He needed to find Savannah.
Scrambling to his feet, he half stumbled and half walked on wobbly legs. He stuck to shadows and used the wall to brace himself as his body grew weak. Something was wrong. Had he been exposed to some sort of sunlight? He had not felt this nauseous in over two centuries. His stomach lurched with every step.
By the time he had reached the door to Francesca’s inn, sweat had beaded on his forehead, above his lip and around his neck. If it were not so cold outside, he might have passed out. As it was, standing seemed to take an immense amount of effort. Fortunately, the door swung wide with his first knock.
“My goodness, Dante.” Francesca stepped forward and dug her small hands into his skin as she attempted to support his weight. “What happened to you?”
What had happened to him? If only he could answer that question for himself. “Pardon my state of undress. I am not sure where my clothes have disappeared to. And Savannah, she is gone. I have to find her.”
The older woman shook her head as she lowered him into a chair and brought him a blanket to place over himself. “You aren’t going anywhere in this condition.” Francesca bent low, gripped his chin and tilted his face up to hers. Her burnt toffee gaze narrowed as she searched his face. “Incredible. I never thought this would be possible. I even hesitated despite my visions, but seeing it confirmed it is something of a miracle.”
“What is possible?” He had not the slightest idea to what she referred. She looked him up and down, studying him as if he were something or someone she had never seen. “Please, Francesca. You must help me find Savannah.”