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“Take a seat, and I’ll make us something to drink.” I removed my jacket and unbuttoned my dress shirt, feeling instantly more at ease in my own place. I flipped over two wine glasses and uncorked a bottle of Sunflower Fields. As I tossed the cork in a wire basket on the bar, I glanced over at her. Sometimes I had to shake myself in disbelief to realize she was now here at all, let alone in my home, close enough that I could touch her.
It was amazing how the world could change. I took a moment to study my home. Thirty-foot ceilings, windows that looked over part of a vineyard and some of the countryside. The large chocolate-brown beams lined a cathedral ceiling that supported a cast iron chandelier in the center of the room. The room was warm and inviting, but what I loved most was the custom fifteen-foot bar I had built out of stone. I kept it fully stocked with every kind of scotch and brandy I could find. An added bonus was a well-planned panic room behind the bar where I kept all types of weapons and gear for any and all situations that might arise. One could never be too careful, even if we were protected by an army.
“Are you hungry?” She shook her head as I came toward her, and she took the glass of wine I offered.
“I’m not sure what I am.” She sighed. “And you…” She stopped and seemed to gather her thoughts. “You were so mad at me at your uncle’s house. Elio, you know me. I would never knowingly do something that was against the rules. Mariano doesn’t take no for an option, and don’t even get me started on your…” She stopped herself and swallowed back her words.
“Get you started on what?” I found myself curious as to why she stopped talking.
“Nothing, just forget it.” When I tried to take her hand, and she stepped away. “I get it. This is your life, and now mine is tangled up in it and whatever. That’s fine, because I love you, but I can’t have you getting mad or frustrated with me all the time.”
“I’m mad and frustrated because I’ve had to watch the woman I love be pursued by a man I want to kill with my bare hands. It’s not easy for me, Sienna.”
“Oh, I know,” she shot back with a sarcastic laugh as she took a sip of her wine. I could tell she was in need of a good fight. She had been pushed to her breaking point.
I set my glass down and opened a small wooden box on the side table. I pulled out a joint, lit the tip, and sat on the couch. My legs were open, my arm ran along the back of the couch as I kicked back and watched her annoyance grow that I wasn’t taking the bait. I loved that even after all these years I could read her.
“What are you doing?”
“Sitting.”
“I’ve never seen you do pot.”
“You’ve never seen me snap someone’s neck either, so there’s a first for everything.” I grinned and enjoyed the sudden red flush to her face. If she would just lose it and run her mouth, she’d feel so much better, but instead she huffed and turned away. Her hand went to her ribs, and I caught her pained expression in the window.
I suddenly remembered our earlier conversation. “What happened to you after the blast?”
“Which part?” She snickered, but I could tell she was close to tears again. “I’m so tired,” she murmured after a few moments. “I’ve fought to keep things inside for so long that sometimes I’m just not sure how much more I have in me.”
That hit a spot in me. I was so used to taking each day for what it was, letting out my frustrations on the men who deserved it, that sometimes I forgot she didn’t have that kind of outlet.
“I don’t know.” Her shoulders sagged, and she winced. “Maybe I shouldn’t have wished so hard.”
I decided to hold off on the questions. “Hey.” I was on my feet standing behind her, and I gently wrapped an arm around her chest and held the joint to her mouth. “It’ll help with the head and the pain.” She leaned forward and sucked the tip, drawing in a huge breath. “Careful, you don’t want to cough.”
She took another and, to my surprise, she seemed to handle it well. After a moment, she sank into my hold and let out some more tears.
“You aren’t in this alone, mybella.” I kissed her shoulder. “Your wishes worked because I was wishing, too.”
“Nothing comes without a cost,” she muttered and turned in my arms.
“When we were created, we were one person,” I whispered. I inhaled another deep breath of the smooth smoke and placed my lips to hers to let her take in my exhale. “They may have torn us away from one another, but you got my heart, and I got the memory of our love and the will to fight.” She exhaled as she leaned into me. “We were never supposed to be separated. Souls cannot be kept apart. It’s why you’re back. You take as much time as you need to process what happened tonight.” I brushed my fingers through her hair, exposing her slender neck. “But the darkness that’s creeping around the edges of your heart, if you let it in, it can change who you are, in here.” I slid my hand down her back.
She was calm now, so I led her to the couch and draped a blanket over her lap for comfort.
“Did you speak to Francesco?”
“Yes. Elenora wasn’t forthcoming, but I know he’ll look further into it. Just give him some time.”
“It’s just strange.”
“I know Noemi used to travel a lot, so it’s possible their paths have crossed before.”
“Well, Elenora doesn’t make the best first impressions, so if there’s tension there for some reason, I don’t blame Noemi.”
We sat in silence, letting the drug turn off all anxiety and pain to our brains. Today was one of the worst days I’d had yet, and while I seemed okay on the outside, I was anything but on the inside.
“I was almost sold today,” she sighed as she stared out the window, “like I was an item, rather than a human.”
