“What’s a bloodling?” I blurt out.
Maria’s eyebrows lift in surprise. “They are a newly turned vampire. It is forbidden in this city.”
I turn to look at Toby. “Is that what they think I am?”
He tenses, a crease forming between his eyebrows. “Most probably. Your scent is not like a bloodling though. I suspect that is because of me.” His eyes turn dark as they settle on me.
I feel the unspoken exchange between us; a strange connection occurs as our eyes stay locked. I force myself to blink to break the spell. I look away and catch Maria watching our little exchange. “What do you mean?” I ask.
“You had my blood before you turned. You smell different to us now.” He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees.
“We will need to explain what has happened. I will set up a meeting with the Romano family tonight.” Maria gently touches my hand for reassurance.
“Why do they need to know that I have turned? Is it really any of their business?” I huff, agitated.
“Yes, sweetheart. We cannot turn a human into a vampire in Rome. It is forbidden. Now that other vampires have sighted you, they will have questions. Toby’s life could be in danger if they think he turned you. It doesn’t help that his scent is mixed with yours.”
“Great,” I mutter under my breath.
“Thank you, Toby, for all your help. I can take it from here.” Maria stands and strides toward the kitchen. I can hear her talking on her phone.
“I guess that was my invitation to leave.” He smirks at me.
“I guess,” I say standing up a little too quickly. I hear a deep chuckle next to me.
“It becomes easier,” he reassures me.
I walk him to the front door. He turns and watches me, his eyes questioning. He stands inches from me, eyes lingering on my mouth. “You never told me how this happened. How you came to be like me.”
My eyes fall to his broad chest before I speak. “It’s in my family bloodline. We are cursed with this.”
His hand comes up and gently touches under my chin, lifting my head up until our eyes lock. “I think I prefer you like this. You give me more ammunition to laugh at you.” His eyes crinkle at the edges, a wide grin plastered on his face.
I can’t help but laugh and push him with my palm. He stumbles theatrically backward and pretends to be hurt. “You’re such an arse, but thank you for lightening my mood.”
He winks at me as he turns around to descend the marble stairs.
“Toby,” I call after him.
He stills mid-stride and twists to look at me. “Kat.”
“What happened to that lady’s nephew?”
Toby huffs and runs his hand through his hair out of frustration. “He’s fine. I will show you how to immobilize one of us one day.”
He turns to escape my questioning, but I manage to grab his arm before he can take another step. “What did you mean by it will all reveal itself in time? What will reveal itself? Why did you follow me around Rome?” I stare at him accusingly.
“Don’t read too much into it. Your scent intrigued me, so I did what is natural to me—hunt.” He shrugs out of my grip and disappears before I can say another word.
I retreat into the safety of the apartment. Toby’s words echo in my mind. I know deep down that he is not telling me everything he knows. I stand in the lounge room lost in thought when Maria rounds the corner.
“Kat?” She interrupts my thoughts. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“Nothing.” I shrug.
“We have a dinner meeting with the Romano family tonight. You will need to change and shower before we go.” She eyes my smeared clothing.
“Maria.” My voice is barely a whisper.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“What happens to me now?” My eyes search hers for answers.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. But I do know you will be okay. This will all be okay. I promise you that.” She walks toward me and embraces me in her comforting arms.
I sink into her and close my eyes; the sob I had been holding onto escapes my lips, allowing my tears to fall freely. “What if I can’t do this?”
“Look at me.” Maria holds my hands in hers. “You are capable of anything; trust in yourself. I know this all seems like a nightmare at the moment, but I promise you it does get easier. This is your life now and I will do everything in my power to make sure you are safe.”
I nod in response and wipe away the last few tears.
“Go have a shower and change out of those clothes. You will feel better afterwards.” Maria smiles sympathetically.
I stand in the shower allowing the hot water to trickle down my back as I lean my head against the glass. How the hell did this happen, I think to myself. My mind repeatedly plays back the last couple of days. I cannot pinpoint the moment my life turned on its axis. The only thing that stands out is Toby’s blood. With the realization that I may have turned because of my own stupidity, I try to focus on the water around me to clear my head, but all it does is bring back memories of the death chamber. I gasp for air as the shower fills with steam. I push the glass door open, happy to have escaped the confines of the small space. I breathe a sigh of relief and stare at the water gushing out of the showerhead, mesmerized by the rainbows of color that sit on the surface of the streams of water. I switch the shower off, wrap a towel around me, and head to my bedroom to dress. It takes all my energy to block out the noises I can hear, to concentrate on moving at a normal speed, and to try to ignore the constant hunger deep within. Once dressed in attire I hope is presentable enough, I exit my room and head down the hall.
“Maria?” I call out as I enter the kitchen. “Hello?”
I spot my bag sitting on the bench and search through it for my phone. There are two missed calls—one from Dominic and one from my mom—and four text messages. I push the phone back in my bag without reading any of them, unable to deal with anything right now.
“Kat?” I hear Sofia call from the front door.
“In here.”
Sofia practically sprints through the apartment and knocks into me circling her arms in a tight embrace. “I was so worried about you.” She squeezes me tighter.
“You’re cutting off my circulation,” I croak.
“What happened? When did you get home?” Her eyes widen with concern.
“Just after daybreak,” I explain.
“So, you’ve fed then? Did you turn last night? Was it bad? I’m so sorry.”
“Yes, I turned last night.”
“What? Where? How?” She sits in a heap on the stool.
“You know how. Toby found me down near the Pantheon and took me back to his place. I lay in his death chamber.”
“His what?” Sofia screws up her face.
“He has a sensory deprivation chamber. He made me get in it and it was hell,” I explain.
“Wow. You don’t hear of many vampires using those.”
“Why? Are they not good?” I ask.
“No, they’re really good for us to sleep in, but once in it, you are susceptible to being attacked. He must have wards around his place,” she says, impressed.
“Wards?”
“A powerful witch can cast a spell to stop any other vampire or hunter detecting that you live there.”
“So that’s what he meant when he said they can’t track us there?” I ask myself out loud.
“Toby must have connections high up,” Sofia explains this to me as though I should have suspected from the beginning. “So how was your first?” She grins.
“It was…umm…a little intimate to start with. Toby had to pry me away from him.” I blush as I look down at my hands.
“Him, hey? Was he fresh and young?”
“Sofia.” Maria’s stern voice cuts our conversation short as she enters the kitchen dressed to the nines in a pair of high-waist black pants and a black, ribbed, long-sleeved top that skims the waist of the pants. “We have a meeting with the Romanos
later tonight. I have a witch coming to cast a spell on a bloodstone for your pendant.” Her eyes drift to me.
“Does it involve any kind of torture again?” I shudder at the memory of the antivenom.
“No, not at all. The witch will have one hand on your head and hold the bloodstone in her other hand. She will say her chant and that’s it. Do you know where your pendant is?” she asks.
I reach for my bag and search through it. The pendant sits in a small heap at the bottom. I pull it out and dangle it in front of my eyes. My thoughts drift to my Nonna, to our conversation in my walk-in robe the night before I left. Only a handful of days have passed from that evening. It feels like a lifetime with all that has changed. My stomach clenches and I feel homesick for my family, for my normal life. A life that I will never get to have again.
I sit next to Sofia. “Do you think the elixir didn’t work because I had some of his blood?”
“I cannot be sure. It is a possibility. This has never occurred before,” Maria answers.
“Everyone that has taken the elixir has not gone through the agonizing change to become a vampire? I’m the only one?”
“As far as I know. All your ancestors have come to me once the change was imminent. Every one of the women have either chosen to change or chosen not to. I will have to look into this a little deeper and find out the cause of the elixir not working.”
The door buzzer rings and Sofia jumps up to let the visitor in. I walk to the lounge. I can hear the faint footsteps quietly echo up the stairs. I hold my breath and wait in anticipation for the knock on the front door. Sofia lets the small witch in. I notice it is the same old lady from the store we visited on our way to Craco.
“Ciao.” Her eyes come to rest on me, void of emotion. “I see.”
“Hello.” My voice is small, nervous.
“Sit.” She points to the leather chesterfield.
I do as she says and wait for further instruction.
“Where is the pendant?” She looks to Maria who holds it out to her.
The witch reaches into her leather handbag and removes a small velvet pouch. She proceeds to untie the pouch and carefully pours its contents onto the coffee table. A handful of bloodstones tumble out. She takes my pendant and sizes up the stones to find one with a perfect fit. I can hear her steady heartbeat in her chest, strong and even. She shows no fear of being in a room of vampires. I watch her aged hand pick up one of the stones. It glows under her touch. She steps toward me and gently places her free hand on the top of my head.
“Close your eyes,” she instructs.
I follow her instruction without speaking. Not afraid.
I hear her whisper in a language I do not understand, her voice even and quiet. She continues in a hushed tone chanting the same sentence over and over. Her voice becomes louder; her chanting changes intensity. I feel the heat from her hand radiate over my head, but I dare not open my eyes. Her chanting becomes surprisingly loud and she has changed what she is saying. She stops suddenly, her hand lifting from my head. I open my eyes to see her place the bloodstone in my locket and place it around my neck.
“It may heat against your skin for a few days when you are out in the sun. This is normal,” she explains as she packs up her belongings.
“Until next time.” She nods at Maria and exits the apartment.
I hold the pendant between my thumb and forefinger as my mind swirls with the echo of the chanting.
“Don’t ever take that off. Not even for a minute.” Maria eyes me.
I don’t respond. I sit and continue to rub it between my fingers.
“I need to finish some work before we go. I will be in my office.” Maria turns to head down the hallway.
“Maria.” My voice is barely audible.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“I need to feed, I think,” I look at her with hungry eyes.
“Of course. Come with me.” She gestures for me to follow her.
We walk to the laundry where a small bar fridge sits on top of the bench. Maria opens it. The shelves are bursting with blood bags, like the ones you see at the hospital. She grabs one out and hands it to me. “You may prefer it heated.”
I look from her to the blood bag and back. I take it from her hand and feel the muscles in my stomach clench at the thought of having the sweet liquid wet my lips again. I feel my canines elongate and try to hide it.
“Come on, I’ll show you where to heat it.” Maria heads toward the kitchen with me close on her heels.
“In the microwave?” I’m surprised at the simplicity of it. And I hear Sofia giggle from behind me.
“Yes. The makers of the bags designed them so that they can be put in the microwave without changing the taste of the blood.” She smiles as she takes the blood bag from me, places it in the microwave, and turns it on high for one minute.
“What will they think of next?” I wonder out loud. I watch the bag rotate on the plate until the microwave pings.
Maria grabs it out of the microwave and I watch her shake it around to distribute the heat. She reaches around me and grabs a straw from the drawer, piercing the bag and handing it to me. I take it graciously, saliva pooling in my mouth. The sweet scent of vanilla fills the room and my eyes dilate as my feeding instinct takes over.
“Enjoy.” Maria smiles at me.
I take a small sip and wait for the sweet liquid to hit my taste buds; the flavor is sweet like honey. I suck the bag dry within seconds, squeezing the last drops out with my hands. “Thank you.” I lick my lips and look around to work out where I dispose of the blood bag.
“I stocked up last night after you ran out of here. Throw it in the bin under the sink. We have our own special garbage service that collects the bags and recycles them so that no humans find them,” Maria explains.
I study the bag and turn it over in my hands before dumping it in the garbage.
“I will be in my study if you need me.” Maria smiles reassuringly before she adds, “Have as many bags as you need. I can always get more.”
I watch her stride down the hall toward her office.
We arrive at ten-foot-high wrought iron gates. Maria presses a button on the keypad, and the gates open, allowing the car to slink through and make its way up the long driveway. We come to a stop next to a magnificent villa. The valet opens our doors and I climb out and marvel at the building before me. Arched windows face the gardens on all three levels. A balcony on the top level wraps around the side of the building, and out of one of the open doors, a lonely sheer curtain dances in the breeze as though trying to beckon us inside. Sofia and I follow closely behind as Maria walks up the sandstone staircase to the front door, which opens as if on cue. A man dressed in a sharp black suit holds the door for us to enter. The foyer is fit for royalty—the marble floors are polished, fifteen-foot-high portraits line the walls, and the paintings on the ceiling look as though they belong in the Sistine Chapel. The whole room oozes grandeur with gold fittings and maroon velvet curtains.
“Seguimi.” The man in the sharp suit gestures for us to follow him.
We walk into a large sitting room where we are offered to take a seat and wait for our hosts. A butler arrives with a tray of glasses of blood. I watch as both Maria and Sofia decline. I follow suit. We wait in silence. I hear her before I see her. Maria stands as she enters the room from the left wing; Sofia and I both stand to flank Maria.
“Buonasera.” The beautiful vampire greets us as she embraces Maria and kisses her on each cheek. She wears a floor-length dress in royal blue. Her golden caramel hair cascades in large waves to the middle of her back. She looks to be no older than Maria. Her slender arm reaches out to me to shake my hand.
“Buonasera,” Maria replies. “This is Katalina, and you have met Sofia before.”
I take her hand in mine and smile. “Hello.”
“Welcome. I am Allegra.” She smiles genuinely. Her thick Italian accent echoes in my ears.
I remember my manners. “Th
ank you for having us.”
“Please join me in the garden terrace.” She seems to float across the floor as she makes her way through the room, her dress billowing behind her.
We walk single file after her. My eyes roam my surroundings looking for her dark-haired son. The garden terrace is alight with hundreds of fairy lights, and we sit under a blanket of green vines dotted with fragrant white flowers. I sense Allegra’s eyes on me, but I dare not look up. I wait for her to speak.
“You are not a bloodling like my son accuses you of.” Her voice is questioning. “I do hope he was not rude to you.”
My eyes snap up to meet hers. I cannot decipher the look she is giving me. “No, he was not rude.” My voice is quiet.
“It is good to hear that I have taught him well,” she sighs as she looks out to the lush green gardens just beyond the green lawn.
“Katalina’s turning was not planned,” Maria explains. “I hope you will welcome Katalina, if she so wishes to stay in the city?”
“Of course, Katalina can stay in the city. I would not deny her or you this, never in a thousand years,” Allegra voices with sincerity.
“Thank you.” I smile graciously.
“Yes, thank you, Allegra. How can I repay you?” Maria’s voice is relieved.
Allegra’s eyes sparkle. “Do not speak of such things. There is no need to repay me.”
“I thank you with all my heart. This means more to me, to all of us. It means more than you can imagine.” Maria looks at me and Sofia.
A butler enters the outdoor area with four wine glasses, placing one in front of each of us.
“To new beginnings,” Allegra toasts.
I pick up the glass; the liquid in it smells divine. Vanilla mixed with some sweet scent I cannot place. I lick my lips in anticipation and hold my glass up just as Maria and Sofia do.
“To new beginnings,” Maria and Sofia chant in unison.
I take a tentative sip. The blood melts like liquid gold on my tongue. I cannot control myself and gulp the rest down. I place the glass on the table and see Allegra smiling at me.
Bequeathed Page 18
