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ChapterThirteen
Angelina
Icould hear voices. They seemed to be coming from far away. There was a woman’s soft voice and two others that I knew as intimately as my own. Luca and Salvatore. As I started to become more awake, the chilling scenes I’d witnessed in my old apartment returned. Blood. So much blood. The living room looked as if it had been painted with it. I remembered putting my hand against the wall, my skin connecting with the blood. And in Cassie’s bedroom… the pain was too great, and I began to sob uncontrollably. Instantly, two sets of arms held me close.
“Cassie,” I moaned, “what happened to Cassie and Jake?”
I struggled against them, coming fully awake. My eyes flitted from Luca to Salvatore. The sadness I saw reflected in their eyes made my pain greater. Viktor. That dreadful violence had to be his doing. Pushing my way out of bed, I headed for my closet. It was then I realised I wasn’t in my bedroom back at the apartment, I was in the room I shared with my mates.
I turned around to face them, my rage and grief filling me. My hands balled into fists by my sides as I realised I was now dressed in my pyjamas. What had they done to me?
“How did I get back here; did you knock me out? Who put these on me? Viktor, I need to fucking kill Viktor!”
A wave of guilt so strong brought me to my knees. A loud wail emanated from my throat. It scared me how much like a wounded animal I sounded.
“This is my fault. All of this is my fault. Cassie and Jake, they had a wonderful life ahead of them, and now this? They didn’t deserve any of this,” I sobbed.
Someone knelt beside me and I pounded at the floor with my fists. It hurt, but the pain helped me, the hurt refocusing my anger. A warm arm pulled me close. I sobbed harder as a second arm gathered me against them. It wasn’t Luca or Salvatore, but I could sense this person was related to them.
“It’s okay to be sad. You need to grieve, Angelina. And you are certainly not to blame for Viktor’s atrocities. None of it.”
The gentle tone of the female voice halted my tears. Pulling away from the comforting embrace, I saw a beautiful woman. She had eyes almost the same colour as Luca’s, and her hair was an exact match for Salvatore’s.
“Who are you?” Stupid question, I know, as I’d already worked it out.
She smiled. A beautiful, warm smile which lit up her whole face. “I’m Isabella, Luca and Salvatore’s mother. I’m so happy to finally meet you, although the circumstances are not good.”
I felt loss and searched the room for my mates.
“They’ve left us for now. Don’t worry, they won’t be far away. They love you so very much and will also feel guilt for you seeing what you did today. Come,” she said, getting off the floor and holding her hand out to me. “Let’s sit on the bed where it’s more comfortable.”
I took her outstretched hand and moved to the edge of the bed with her. The rich and vibrant shades of green in the room were warming and comforting. I remembered how much I loved the colour scheme when I initially slept in there. The loss of Cassie consumed me again and I cried.
“That’s it, Angelina. Let out your grief,” she murmured, stroking my hair with soft caresses.
It might sound strange, but I sensed a kind of healing seeping into my skin. I read somewhere in the library that Hybrids could heal and soothe people in distress. Although my grief overpowered me, there was something about this woman’s touch which helped to calm and centre me.
“It’s one of the gifts given to us by the angels,” she said as though reading my thoughts and confirming what I already knew.
We sat in silence for long moments together.
“What will happen to my friends’ bodies?” I could only imagine what the police would say.
Maybe I’d be blamed for going into a jealous rage, because my friend was leaving me in an apartment I loved and could no longer afford. How the hell would the violence and blood be explained? Isabella studied me as if weighing up what to say.
“These kinds of attacks, although rare, have been committed by demons throughout the centuries. We have ways of dealing with them.”
“How? It looked like a rabid knife attack had taken place.” I tried to not remember Cassie’s mutilated corpse on the bed, and what was left of Jake in the living room.
“With our powers, we can change the way things appear. We can make your friend and her fiancé seem whole; the rooms clear of blood. It will be as if burglars were interrupted and shot your friends.”
“But… but the police will want to question me. I’m not certain I’ll look as if I’m telling the truth. After the fire at my gallery, what if they try to link the two offences?” I wailed as more tears tumbled from my eyes.
“Luca and Salvatore will be with you when you return to your apartment to find your friends’ bodies.”
I shuddered at her words. “I… I don’t know if I can do this.”
Isabella took my face between her hands. Her eyes fixed to mine. “You have much strength and courage inside you, Angelina. You are the perfect mate for my sons. Courage, child. You can do this.”
And as I listened to her words, even though my grief and pain were still raw, I believed her.
“I need to be with them,” I announced.
“Why don’t you have a shower and change? You’ll feel a little better. Then I can introduce you to Lorenzo, my husband and the boys’ father.”
“I don’t have any suitable clothes with me. Most of my best gear is still at the apartment,” I mumbled.
Isabella smiled and indicated to my suitcase on the floor by the bed. “They brought some more of your things with you. The rest will come in due course.”
I grabbed the case and headed through a door which was ajar and entered our massive bathroom.
* * *
Luca
Salvatore and I paced the main living room with our father. The tension was unbearable. With our acute hearing, we were privy to the conversation between Angelina and our mother. Our mate’s heartache beat at us. Diane entered with a tray of hot drinks; I smiled our thanks as she left. She was trying to be strong, but I could see how swollen her eyes were too. This was not the introduction to our family we’d envisaged for Angelina.
“Karl and Antoine have finished at Angelina’s apartment,” our father announced.
“We’re going to have to take her back there soon, so it can be reported to the police. Fuck, this is going to kill her.” Salvatore slammed his mug down on a table, which broke the handle.
“This isn’t going to help, Sal. We must remain calm.” I tried to placate him, even though I felt the same.
“The quicker it’s done, the quicker it will be over, and you can help her to get through this. You can’t delay bonding permanently with her for much longer, either. Viktor will know she’s still not properly mated,” our father warned us.
“But we’ve only recently become physical. Angelina was a virgin before she met us. We can’t push this, Dad…”
He put his hand up to silence me. “Luca, if you don’t do this soon, you know what the outcome will be.”
Of course I knew. Sal and I both did. Death… for all three of us. I ran a hand through my hair with frustration.
“You must complete your mating. Viktor will sense it in the air and be more wary about attempting anything like this again. The three of you will be the strongest of the Hybrids, and better able to destroy him once and for all.”
“We’ll talk to her later about it. For now, we have to get through reporting this to the police.” I shook my head and let loose a frustrated breath. Our father spoke the truth, as always.
“It’ll be okay, Sal. We can do this.”
I nodded, unable to say much more. My anger at Viktor’s vile acts was threatening to release the fury I felt. He was right; we had to stay strong for our woman.
* * *
