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‘Salvatore… we’re waiting.’
I heard Romeo’s voice shout up from outside and the many voices with him shouting up their impatience, before turning my head towards the clock. It was now eight in the morning and the agreed time for the blood ceremony. When I looked back at Salvatore, I found him with his arse resting on the edge of the furniture. He had swept his hair off his face and with his head twisted to one side he was looking between me and my small, jewelled knife in his hand.
‘What are you going to do?’ I asked, as my heart began to pound frantically in my chest.
‘Question is… what are you prepared to do, little bird?’ His question hung tantalisingly in the air. And even with the distance of the large room between us, I saw his eyes ignite. ‘Pain and pleasure are intrinsically connected.’
‘What do you want me to do?’ Lifting the throw that was wrapped around me, I began to make my way towards him.
‘Get the sheet.’
I detoured my path and without taking my eyes off him, I picked up the sheet and carried on towards him, only stopping when I was a foot away.
Slowly, I looked on as he made a cut in the middle of his palm and then offered me the knife to do the same. Without thinking once, let alone twice, I copied his action, letting out a small rasp of air over my lips as the knife sliced through my flesh, instantly bringing the bright red liquid I needed up to the surface.
In reaction, I let the blade fall from my hand and went to take a hold of my painful hand with my now empty one, but Salvatore grabbed it before I could. He let our blood mix together by squeezing in the right places and as more good-natured calls came from outside for us to show ourselves, he guided me to the floor. Together we spilt our blood onto the sheet and created the few drips we needed our blood ceremony witnesses to see.
Holding on to my elbow, Salvatore pulled me back up to standing. He released his hold and turned my palm over to examine my hand.
‘Still stinging?’ he questioned.
‘Yes.’
‘Most nerve endings are close to the surface of the skin, so superficial cuts are always more painful,’ he explained. ‘You can cause a person more pain with a superficial cut than a deep knife wound.’
‘I understand,’ I whispered back, mesmerised. ‘It’s a primeval reaction, to stop people from burning themselves.’
‘Correct.’ He nodded at me like he was teaching me a valuable lesson.
‘SALVATORE.’ His grandfather shouted from outside.
‘WE’RE COMING!’ Salvatore shouted back. ‘But not until my wife is ready.’
Gently, Salvatore kissed over the now drying blood on my palm and in reaction to the pleasure his mouth created against my skin, I went to pull my hand away. His hold tightened, keeping my hand precisely where he wanted it.
‘Pain to pleasure, Serafina…’ He ran the tip of his tongue over the length of the cut and the back of my knees began to quake. ‘We are bound together forever, in the light and darkness of life. In pain and of course in pleasure.’
A soft mewl of desire left my mouth at his words and actions. He looked up from his ministrations and presented me with a broad smile, a smile so wide it reached his eyes.
‘We can continue this later… when we have no audience.’
Salvatore bent over and picked up the sheet, the drops of blood already starting to dry on the fabric, and I knew from a distance they would be convincing. Holding the sheet in one hand and my still smarting hand in the other he moved us both towards the balcony and pushed the door open wide with his foot, before moving in front of me and holding the sheet up for our families below to witness.
His sudden presence and evidence of a virginity that had been taken, was met with cheers, a few lewd but jokey comments from Salvatore’s brothers and lots of clapping. Salvatore twisted his arm up behind his back, making sure the evidence we’d just fabricated between us remained hidden. Taking his lead and leaning into his naked, but solid torso, I appeared to the side of him to take in the view.
Quickly, I found the people who meant the most to me and thought back over Salvatore’s words. My papa and my mum looked proud, and I knew I had done what was needed. Mia, my baby sister, was grinning up at us both, lost in the romance of it all. They were most definitely my light. I moved my gaze to find Enzo leering up at me and shuddered, he was without a doubt the darkness. I smiled briefly at Sal’s grandfather, who was looking up at us both with pride. Then my eyes found my brother Dante, and the anger I found inside him as he looked up at the two of us was palpable. Unfortunately, he seemed to be the pain. I looked at him for as long as I dared to, without drawing attention to the two of us. Then I pulled my gaze away and nestled in closer to Salvatore’s side. The man I had married was undeniably my pleasure. I just wished I could find a way to convince Dante of that.
‘Thank you,’ I whispered and looked down at the same time, making sure absolutely no one could lip read what I wanted to say. ‘You were my first, Salvatore.’
‘And make no mistake, little bird… I will also be your last.’
PARTTWO
CHAPTER ONE
SERAFINA
Present Day
