“Obdurate.”
“Possessive.”
“Possessive?” My curiosity is getting the better of me.
“I won’t share what is mine.”
“Typical only child haha. I don’t like to share either,” I text back.
“No?” he questions.
“Nope. So, don’t steal my food or coffee and you should be safe.”
“What if I steal you?”
I stare at my phone. “It depends—for how long?” I reply.
“Forever.”
I can’t wipe the grin off my face. I want to text him that he is sweet but resist as I am not sure how he will react.
“Forever is a very long time.”
“Forever seems to never end. When are you back in Rome? I could do with a little distraction right about now.”
“And how would I be distracting you?” I quickly text.
“Hmmm. Where do I begin?” he teases.
The car speeds into a dark tunnel through the side of the mountain. My phone loses reception, and my fingers itch to reply.
Large swathes of eroded sand give way to rolling hills scattered with olive trees. Craco is a hauntingly beautiful town that sits atop a peak in the distance. Bathed in the glowing rays of the sun, its buildings seem to hang suspended in the expansive blue sky. The car tires crunch on the gravel as Maria stops on the main road. Squinting into the light, I step out of the car and my eyes search the ghost town for any form of life, coming to rest on the majestic tower that sits high above the crumbling town. I am thrown by how beautiful the scene is before me, the single photo I have seen doing it no justice. The overwhelming feeling of belonging and the sense of something magical in the air causes me to take in a sharp breath as I involuntarily take a step toward the fence that cordons off the site.
“Do you feel that?” Maria whispers as she puts her arm around my waist. “This is home, sweetheart.”
“It’s beautiful.” I admire the golden buildings. Sofia appears on my other side, taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Are we allowed to walk through and explore?” Sofia asks in a hushed tone.
“Of course. Sections of the town that are still safe will be opened up for the festival on Friday and will remain open until Sunday evening. I can show you where I lived before my father and I fled,” Maria says without taking her eyes off the tower.
“Is that where Cassia was imprisoned?”
“Certainly was,” Maria replies as she heads back toward the car. “We will come back tomorrow before the set up begins so I can give you a tour. Let’s go find a coffee shop.” She pauses and takes another glance toward the tower before climbing into the car.
We head down the road to a small town called Craco Peschiera, about twenty minutes away. The small town is bustling with activity, the locals loading trucks with festival necessities and the street overflowing with early festival goers. Maria parks in front of a small coffee house. Two small tables are placed to the right of the entrance, and wooden crates are scattered around the tables. We follow Maria in and the aroma of coffee and freshly baked sweets assaults my senses. My stomach growls audibly enough to cause the closest human to glance my way.
“Can you order me food please?” I whisper to Maria as I quickly exit the shop. I sit down at a small table nestled against the stone wall and take in the town around me. Shops with houses above line the main street, and a grassed area across the street is home to a stone fountain and an intricate maze-like garden.
“Coffee for the half human,” Sofia chimes as she sets my aqua-colored mug in front of me.
“Should you say that out loud? Here of all places?” My face contorts in concern.
Sofia smiles and raises an eyebrow at me. “Relax. You’re turning into Maria.”
“I heard that.” Maria sits opposite me with her back to the road. She places a plate of various pastries next to my coffee.
“Thanks.” I reach for a pastry and nibble at it.
“Where are we staying while we are here?” Sofia asks, glancing over her coffee cup as she sips the milky coffee.
“A dear friend has given us her house for the weekend. It sits empty for most of the year. The house is five minutes’ walk from the center of the old town,” Maria explains.
“Are Kat and I allowed out at night?” Sofia grins at me.
Maria glances from Sofia to me and back to Sofia. “I don’t see it being a problem. However, Sofia you will need to be extra careful and watch over Katalina. Understood?”
“Yes!” Sofia squeals. “We are going to have so much fun, Kat.”
I grin at her, hoping her excitement rubs off on me. I take another pastry from the plate and concentrate on eating it.
We edge our way up the gravel driveway, pine trees lining both sides, and come to a stop at the front door of the two-story villa. Tangled vines cover one corner of its stone walls, and the shutters on all the windows are open. An elderly gentleman dressed in khaki dress pants and a crisp white shirt appears in the doorway. He heads toward the car with a welcoming grin. I watch as he takes Maria’s hand and embraces her without hesitation, kissing her once on each cheek. They talk loudly in Italian, occasionally gesturing toward the villa, before the old man leaves.
I dump my bag on the oversized bed and head to the small window seat. Kneeling on the soft covering, I lean out the window and breathe in the fresh air. Beyond the boundary of the property the land is harsh and desolate, scattered with wiry shrubs and rocky hills. A stark contrast to the rows of grapevines just below my window. I am distracted by the buzz from my phone. I jump off the window seat and scramble onto the bed in search of it. I am disappointed when I see it needs charging and there is no phone reception in my room. I plug it in the wall to charge, and as I stand up, there is a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
“There is no phone reception in this whole stupid house.” Sofia barges through the door holding her phone in the air.
“Great,” I sigh in defeat.
“How am I supposed to contact anyone? I am having withdrawals already!” Sofia cries as she falls onto the bed.
I can’t help but laugh.
“It’s not funny.” She laughs as she launches a pillow at me, missing me by inches and sending the pillow hurtling out the open window.
“I better go get that before Maria sees it.” I hurry out the door.
I eventually find my way to the back door and peek out to see if I can spot the pillow on the ground. It is nowhere to be seen. I walk out onto the paved area and look around confused. Deciding on pretending like it never happened, I turn around to head back inside when someone clears their throat.
“Looking for this?”
My eyes dart to where the person is standing holding the pillow in his hands. He is leaning against a black sports bike, leather jacket undone and sandy brown hair sticking up in all directions. He is Captain America hot.
“Yes. No.” I blink.
“Well, which one is it? Yes or no?” He smirks at me.
I smile back as I take a few steps in his direction. “Yes, it’s from my room.”
He tosses it to me and continues to stare as I stand there not sure what to say or do.
“I’m Toby. I’m staying here for the festival. I didn’t know anyone would be here,” he explains, crossing his arms.
“I’m here with my family. We are here for the festival as well,” I offer.
“Hmmm, you’re all staying here?” He nods toward the villa.
“Err, yes.” I shrug. “Why?”
“No reason. It’s just better if I’m alone.” His eyes darken.
“We won’t bother you. The master bedroom downstairs is still vacant,” I tell him as I turn on my heel and head back inside. What an ass, I think to myself.
Maria and Sofia are in my room.
“Girls, my friend’s nephew Toby is staying here with us for the festival. He is like us, Kat, so be careful around him please?” she w
arns.
“I ran into him before. He seemed surprised we are staying here.”
“Just try to stay out of his way please; he is not as civilized as he lets on,” Maria states.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sofia asks.
“How should I put this? He eats whenever and whomever he wants,” Maria sighs.
“My kind of guy.” Sofia grins as she nudges me in the arm.
Maria shakes her head and stalks out of the room.
After dinner I go in search of phone reception and head out toward the main road. As I make my way down the dimly lit driveway I sense I am not alone. I just about jump in surprise when Toby speaks from behind me.
“Phone reception is only good about one hundred meters down the main road.” He indicates with his head.
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people. You scared the daylight out of me.”
“Wasn’t my intention.”
I continue to walk toward the main road with Toby close on my heels. “What are you doing?”
“Heading to the same place as you.” He holds up his phone. “So, how did they convince you to come to this festival, Katalina?”
“How did you know my name?” I look him in the eyes.
“You know exactly how.” He smiles.
“Oh,” I stutter.
“Don’t worry. I’m not as uncivilized as they say.” He winks at me.
I drop my gaze and quicken my footsteps.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“My aunt thought it might be nice for me to see where my family is from, and it’s also my birthday on Sunday,” I answer him. “Why are you here?”
“Good question,” he answers
His steps fall in line with mine as we walk toward the front gate. The only dim light is from the moon high in the inky sky. The silence is uncomfortable, and I sneak a peek out of the corner of my eye. He catches me, a smirk appearing on his face. I follow his lead and turn left down the dark road, appreciative of his presence. The air is cold and I can barely make out the road in front of me. I shiver as we come to a stop, which I presume is the spot for phone reception. Toby pulls his phone out of his pocket and stalks off. I can see the illumination from his phone creep farther away from me. Lighting up my surroundings with my phone, three messages pop up, all from Dominic.
“I’d much rather show you than tell you how to distract me.”
I grin at the screen scrolling to the next two messages and quickly text back.
“Hey, we arrived and yes I did go out of range.” I hit send.
Playing on my phone while waiting for a return text from Dominic, I glance around to realize I cannot see the light of Toby’s phone anywhere and figure he has wandered off for privacy. I head back toward the villa using my phone to light up my surroundings, my phone goes flying out of my hand and I watch it as it skids across the gravel. My heart jumps to my throat and I stand stock-still, hyper aware of the darkness around me. Standing in the middle of the road, I question whether I should scream, run, or pick up my phone. Before I can make up my mind, something hard smacks into the side of me sending me sprawling to the ground. The twinge in my wrist shoots up my arm and I cry out in pain. I can feel the burn on both my palms from the gravel rash. A heavy boot lands in the middle of my back and pushes my chest into the ground, knocking all the wind out of my lungs. I try to move, but the weight of the boot makes it impossible, and I whimper under the heaviness, barely able to get enough air in. The person who has me pinned to the ground calls out in a language I don’t understand and then is gone. I hear a loud growl and a scuffling in the close distance. Scrambling up off the gravel, I squint but can only make out dark shapes fighting, grunting, and wrestling. Too frightened to make a noise, unable to move my cemented legs, I watch in horror as one of the shadows is lifted into the air and is brought down hard against the ground. Their bone-chilling cry echoes into the night before their head is swiftly twisted causing a loud crack. I gasp and the shadow that is still alive turns in my direction and stalks toward me with its hands up and palms facing me. I step backwards as it closes the distance.
“Fucking ferals, that is what you call uncivilized,” Toby announces as he reaches me.
I am unsure of what emotion is plastered on my face, but Toby stops a good few meters from where I am standing.
“Are you okay?” He gestures toward my arm.
I look down and note that I am cradling my sore wrist against my stomach. All I can do is nod in reply, afraid if I speak the hysteria will leak out.
“I’m not going to hurt you, okay? Let me look at your wrist,” he commands as he takes the few steps toward me.
I don’t move away; I just look at him—at his bloodied T-shirt and then at the hands that snapped that neck without any effort. He takes my arm and examines it.
“I don’t think it is broken, sprained maybe but definitely not broken.”
I still don’t speak, as he lets my arm go and wanders off into the darkness. I watch his every step and realize he is looking for my phone. I stay motionless and listen to the emptiness of the night. The only sounds are Toby’s footsteps. He comes walking back with my phone in his hand.
“Let’s get back inside. Come on.” He puts his arm around my shoulders and steers me back toward the villa.
“Is that man dead?” I finally ask as we head through the front gates.
“That was not a man. That was a vampire, and I certainly hope he is dead. I don’t usually half arse things,” he replies as though killing things is an everyday occurrence.
I see Maria standing in the doorway, her eyes lingering on Toby’s arm around my shoulders, and then to my now swollen wrist. She doesn’t speak.
“There was a rogue, but I dealt with it.” Toby drops his arm from my shoulder and heads toward the door. He pauses and turns around to face me. “Come get me next time you want to use your phone.” Then he disappears.
“I’m okay. I think my wrist is just sprained,” I stutter.
“Come inside, sweetheart, and I will bandage it.”
I follow Maria into the kitchen and sit at the dining table on one of the upholstered chairs. Maria examines my wrist and applies a cold pack. The coolness stings at first, but then the ache becomes a mild throb.
“What happened out there?” Maria looks at me.
“I was on my phone walking back here, when it got knocked out of my hands. Next thing I knew someone had thrown me to the ground and pinned me there. I could hardly breathe or move. That’s when Toby took them out and…” I can’t finish the sentence.
“Are you okay? I mean, apart from your wrist?” she asks as she wraps the bandage firmly around my wrist and puts the ice pack back on.
I don’t know how to answer her. I think I am in shock or I have blocked it out of my mind because I don’t feel anything.
“I think I just want to go to my room.” I stand to head upstairs. “I’m okay, I just haven’t seen anything so brutal before. Hopefully I’ll be able to sleep it off.” I manage a small smile before turning and heading up the stairs.
It is just after midnight and the ache in my wrist is becoming unbearable. I head downstairs to search for painkillers. As I enter the kitchen area I notice Toby sitting at the table, reading a book.
“Hey, can’t sleep?” I ask as I walk toward the pantry.
“Not really. You?” he answers without looking up from his book.
“Do you know if there are any painkillers I can take?”
He looks up then, opens his mouth to say something, but decides against it, a furrow forming between his eyebrows. “Above the stove, I think?”
I open the cupboard above the stove, but there are only vitamins. I search the other cupboards but come up empty-handed. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and make my way toward the stairs when he speaks again.
“Are you okay, with all that went on earlier?”
“You snapped that neck like it was a twig. My brain is slowly coming
to terms with that.”
“I wish you hadn’t seen that, but I couldn’t let him go,” he sighs.
“He said something in another language. Did you hear that?” I ask as I sit in the chair opposite Toby.
“Yes, it’s an ancient dialect that I don’t understand. Whomever he was speaking to obviously valued their life and disappeared.” He looks deep in thought.
“Are there many of these rogue vampires around here?” I whisper.
“They are everywhere,” Toby replies looking back at his book.
I pick up the water forgetting that my wrist is sore and wince in pain.
“I can fix that, you know,” Toby whispers over his book.
“How?”
“My blood is able to heal. I don’t understand why those two haven’t offered to help you.” He nods toward the stairs in distaste.
“That is none of your business, Toby,” Maria snaps. She has appeared out of nowhere.
Toby lets out a long breath, collects his book, and stands abruptly to stalk off to his room. I stare at the seat he was sitting in and jump when he slams his door.
“What does he mean by his blood is able to heal?” I look at Maria who is now making a coffee.
“Vampire blood is potent and is effective in healing human ailments. Despite what Toby said, I did think of offering you some to drink to heal your wrist, but I know your thoughts on the whole vampire subject and thought better of it.”
“What else can vampires do?” I ask, bewildered.
Maria sits in the now empty chair opposite me and sips her coffee a few times before she leans back and places the coffee mug on the table. Closing her eyes for a moment she begins.
“We are extremely strong—stronger than any human. We also possess the ability to move with great speed. Our sense of smell is heightened, we have enhanced hearing abilities, our eyesight is like no other on this earth, and we are able to defy gravity. We avoid displaying these abilities in public to stop humans from suspecting something is amiss. “
“Defy gravity?” I raise my eyebrows at Maria.
“We can levitate but only to a certain height. We are able to climb walls and suspend ourselves from the ceiling,” Maria answers. “We can climb the walls of buildings, leap great distances, and hover in mid-air—those sorts of things.”
Bequeathed Page 9
