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Luca
My heart and mind were in turmoil as I sped through the sky. In one arm, I cradled Angelina, and I carried a suitcase stuffed with some of her things in the other. Anger, fear, and every other emotion in between threatened to engulf me. What Viktor had done… it was the worst case of murder and violation I had come across for many centuries… and I’d witnessed it all. Rape. Torture. Depravity. This… this was personal. The demon had obviously felt enraged that Angelina wasn’t there and took his revenge on the two people she cared most about. The only relief for my brother and me was that our beautiful mate had remained untouched.
Diane and Michael waited nervously outside our mansion when I alighted. Salvatore had called on ahead, for which I was grateful. There were tears in Diane’s eyes and it was hard for me not to cry right along with her. Angelina’s pain and grief would have a great impact on Sal and me. Michael took the bag from me and strode inside.
“Oh, Luca, I can’t believe this. The poor girl is going to be inconsolable. I know how much Cassie and Jake meant to her,” Diane sobbed, stroking Angelina’s cheek.
“I know. Our parents have been called. Our mother is going to head over to see if she can be of some help.”
“That’s a good idea. Come, let’s get her indoors.”
I waited outside our bedroom door as Diane changed Angelina into her pyjamas. As much as I wanted to keep her in my line of sight, I still didn’t want to see her in a state of undress. It would feel way too intrusive, even though we’d shared our bed and become intimate. After a while, the door opened. Diane stood there looking tired, her eyes red from crying.
“Go to her, Luca. She’ll need you close. When your mother gets here, I’ll send her to your room.”
“Thanks, Diane.” I kissed her cheek and went inside.
Diane had closed the curtains and wrapped throws up close to Angelina’s chin. She seemed so small and fragile in the middle of our massive bed. She appeared peaceful, although her cheeks were deathly pale. I climbed up next to her, snuggling as close as I possibly could above the covers. Putting my arm protectively over her, I placed a soft kiss on her cheek.
“Keep her safe, Luca. Father and I will be home as soon as we can.”
My brother’s pain at our mate’s suffering mingled with my own. I wanted to wake her but, at the same time, I was terrified of how she would react. Would she blame us for what had happened, making her reject us so we all perished?
“Don’t think that way. We’ll help her through this.”
The door to the room opened. I sat up to see my mother in the doorway. It had been a while since her last visit, and I realised how much I missed her. Diane and Michael were family also, but we saw them all the time. With our parents’ responsibilities as part of the Hybrid council, they were extremely busy. I got off the bed and greeted her with affection. She held me close and then pulled away, her golden eyes fixed to mine.
“Oh, Luca. I am so sorry that we must meet under such circumstances. Your father and I were so excited to meet your mate… but not this way. Take me to her.”
I led my mother over to the bed. She sat on the edge, stroking Angelina’s forehead with affection. When she glanced up at me, she had huge tears swimming in her eyes.
“She is beautiful, Luca. So perfect for you both.”
I smiled with love at our auburn-haired beauty. “Yes, she is. We are already deeply in love with her.”
“I know.” She reached up to squeeze my arm. “I can see it in your eyes.”
“How are we going to deal with this?” I sighed.
“With love, patience, and tenderness, my son. It’s the only way. You can’t make her forget what she has already seen.”
I knew this was going to be her answer, although I wished it could be easier. She patted the space beside her and held me close.
“No one said loving a person was going to be easy, Luca. All three of you have much to learn. Soon, you must mate completely.”
“I know. We have taken it slow because she was an innocent before we met her. We didn’t want to scare her with the force of our passion and love. The actual mating process is going to be very intense.”
Thank goodness we had the kind of relationship with our parents where we could discuss anything. It still made it a little embarrassing sometimes, though.
“You’ll find a way. Was it definitely Viktor who committed these atrocities?”
“Yes. His scent was unmistakable.”
“Once the three of you become bonded for eternity, you will have the power to defeat him once and for all. But for now, we will wait for Angelina to wake.”
And so we sat, both of us gazing at the flawless female, still sleeping, oblivious to everything around her.
* * *
Salvatore
I was having trouble reining in my rage at what Viktor had done. His days were numbered; that was a certainty. A whooshing sound distracted me. My father stood in the doorway to Angelina’s room, with Karl and Antoine close behind him. I stood up and walked to my father, hugging him close. I nodded in greeting to my two friends.
“This is a bad situation, son. Viktor will be hellbent on reaching Angelina now. I can sense it in the air around us. The amount of violence only strengthens the fact he was beyond angry to not discover her here. The memories of what he’s achieved are beating at me. Such depravity, even for a demon. He must be stopped from causing any other devastation. This can’t continue.”
“I agree totally. Luca and I are more concerned about how Angelina will deal with this when she wakes. She saw everything before we could get her out of the apartment.”
Karl and Antoine had already disappeared, making a start on the dreadful clear-up. How any of our race could deal with this, I had no idea. But thank goodness they did. We couldn’t allow anyone in the human world to start screaming about strange happenings. For the most part, the supernatural races managed to keep their identities safe. And that was how it must remain. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.
“We must head to your home, Salvatore. You should be there when your mate wakes up. Antoine and Karl will sort out this mess.”
“Angelina will have to face the police though, won’t she? She’s already had the stress of an official interview when Viktor destroyed her gallery.” I hated the fear in my voice.
“It will appear as if they were shot in a home invasion gone wrong. You can be present when she has to make the statement.”
I nodded my understanding. This was going to be tough for her to get through.
