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“Howdarehe? I want him dead, Domenico,” I whispered.
“And you shall have it, my love.”
****
I awoke in the middle of the night, starved and sated by sex. Domenico and I had spent days in bed, and he’d missed two church services, much to his brethren’s irritation.
To say I was unwelcome was an understatement. Servant’s watched me from the corner of their eyes, and the men of the church watched me closely as I passed by.
I didn’t care; they were jealous,miserablepests.
With a sheet wrapped around me, I descended the stairs to the kitchens, shadows casted by the still flickering candles above me. I felt oddly at ease here, but it was because of the damp loneliness…the morose setting. My hallowed heart was put at ease by the stone and moss that climbed the outside walls.
Soft voices stopped me in my movement across the floor, and I gripped the doorframe, listening.
“Do you love her?”
It was a gentle female voice, lilting and youthful.
“Love? Love is saved for children and mothers. I don’t know if I am able to love in that way. At times, yes, I think I might be.”
That was Domenico’s hard voice, and a bolt of jealousy hit the back of my neck, edging me closer. I was able to see the pair’s profiles by angling my back against the opposite side of the doorway.
The girl was blonde, ringlets of hair brushing her shoulders. She was far too young to be his lover, I thought. But what did I know about vampires? Nothing really, nothing apart from what Domenico had shown me.
“You look tired, father.”
They sat closely together at a small table, knees touching. When she ran the back of her hand down his face, he grabbed it, kissing it softly.
I pulled back from the scene I watched, biting my lip and closing my eyes. My chest felt heavy, like a stone was placed at the center.
Father? As in priest? Or was this another secret?
Anger bubbled inside me, and for the first time, I felt hot tears sting my cheeks.
Do I show myself? Do I make a scene and demand the truth?
Or, should I slink away in defeat, acting as if I never saw a thing?
Even as I thought it, I knew that was not the answer.
I stepped into the moonlight cast across the floor from the large window behind them. It highlighted their silhouette’s, and as I stood before them, both of their heads swiveled to me in shock.
I did not speak at first, I just moved to the stove, lighting the burner with a long match that sat beside it.
“My love, you’re awake.”
I continued to act as if I didn’t care about their presence, but the gnawing need to know the truth swallowed me whole.
“Who isshe?”
Domenico looked behind me, to the girl, and as she stood, I could see her parted mouth, her pointed fangs.
“This is Melody.”
At first, he hesitated, and I held her gaze, my shoulders back. I wasn’t afraid, and I wanted that to be perfectly clear to her.
“Melody, a pleasure.”
