“And then you told him about the woman and gave him the necklace?”
“I told him about the woman, of course. But, the necklace was nowhere to be found. And neither was Angelina. We could only assume she’d stolen it and run away. It had to be quite valuable and everyone was suffering, never knowing what the next day would bring. It was a time of fear, desperation, and disbelief. Who could blame her? And so, my father asked me to draw what I remembered.”
“And when he saw it, what did he say?”
“I don’t remember him saying anything.” Tessa looked up at Alec and shook her head. “I drew the picture and gave it to him. He tucked it away and we never spoke of it again. I tried to block all of it from my mind. I can’t imagine why he kept it all these years, or why it’s mixed together with these papers.”
“What are these squiggles on the stone supposed to be?” Alec narrowed his eyes in the direction of the drawing.
“I told you it wasn’t a very good likeness,” Tessa laughed. “The squiggles, as you call them, are a child’s rendition of filigree which surrounded the stone almost completely.”
“Maybe it’s a Djinn trap,” interjected a dry, male voice from the doorway.
Tessa’s head snapped up at the familiar, cynical tone.
“Well, that can’t be good. You just get in? How’s Calli?” Alec tossed the drawing on the desk, moved away from Tessa, and strode across the room. Tessa followed slowly, hanging back as the two men pounded one another on the back.
“Yes, we made it and your stubborn sister is fine. Exhausted, but fine.”
Finally, Luca Fiorelli turned to face her. Features perfect and timeless, body long and lean, the Ice Warrior of the Defensori remained as impossibly handsome as Tessa remembered. His faded jeans fit as perfectly as if they’d been tailored for him, and a black T-shirt stretched across the broad expanse of his wide shoulders. Not a single strand of the silver blond hair waving back from his high, smooth forehead dared stray out of place. He wore his characteristically unreadable expression, but she noticed his usually cool gray eyes held a warmth and sparkle previously lacking. Quirking a brow, he reached to take both of her hands in his, and leaned forward, greeting her with a kiss on either cheek.
“Hello, Tessa. It’s been a long time. My condolences on the loss of your father. A good man.”
“Thank you. I don’t think his passing has sunk in yet.” She swallowed hard, pressing a hand to the hollow spot in her stomach that ached every time she remembered, and forced a smile. “I understand congratulations are in order. I must admit, it surprised me to discover you married with a child on the way.”
“No one could be more surprised than I.” Luca’s normally bland expression lit with a grin. “I find it suits me. My Calli is a gift. A sometimes loud and opinionated gift,” he added with a wink as the sound of raised women’s voices reached them from the direction of the kitchen. “But, I think I’ll keep her.”
“I realize she probably had a long and uncomfortable flight, but she just got here. How could she possibly have something to whine about already?” Alec muttered.
“She’s not whining, she’s ranting. Please note the difference. Apparently, she’s a little put out no one bothered to mention you had a wife.”
“Oh.” Alec glanced at Tessa, and she dropped her gaze to the floor, twisting her fingers together. “Listen, Tess—”
“No, I understand,” she whispered.
“It wasn’t deliberate. We’d just gotten Calli back, she already had so much to absorb, and things were pretty chaotic. I guess it just never came up—”
“Honestly, I do understand, Alec. I left and you didn’t see or hear from me in ten years.” Of course, there were months of opportunity to tell his sister after the initial chaos of her return, at the very least. Clearly, he didn’t considered their marriage important enough to mention. She glanced up, widened her eyes, and shrugged. “Why on Earth would it come up?” She shifted her gaze back to Luca. “So, what’s a Djinn trap?”
Chapter Ten
“Exactly what it sounds like. A Djinn trap is an object of iron designed to trap and bind Djinn.”
Luca stepped around Tessa and Alec and moved toward the desk. Picking up the items scattered on its surface one at a time, he gave each careful consideration before moving on to the next.
“But, the necklace didn’t look like iron, it looked like gold,” Tessa said. “Although, now I think of it, it did feel heavier than it should.”
“Seriously, Luca, how could you not know that from the superb drawing?” Alec snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Looks can be deceiving,” Luca countered with a fleeting smile. “As for the drawing, I imagine the art world heaved a collective sigh of relief when you chose a musical vocation.”
“Though I’m hard pressed to decide which of you is the more talented comedian, you can both keep your clever comments to yourself. I’m well aware I can barely sketch a recognizable stick figure. What’s a Djinn?”
“Your father never spoke of them?” Tessa shook her head. “Not surprising, I guess. The Djinn are little known in the West beyond tales of magic lamps and beautiful women who dissolve into pink smoke and emerge from fancy bottles.”
“Genies?” Tessa raised her brows and looked from one man to the other, biting back a laugh. “Really, Luca. How gullible do you think I am? They’re a myth, an Arabian fairy tale at best.”
“Many would say the same of angels, but we know better, do we not?” Luca grinned at her over the top of her drawing. “Djinn are very real. A race created from smokeless fire before the time of Adam. With no defined physical form of their own, they’re usually invisible to the naked eye. However, they’re also powerful shape-shifters who can take on the physical form of just about anything that suits them.”
“Okay,” she drawled, glancing at Alec to see if Luca was trying to put one over on her. But, his dark brows were drawn together, and he regarded Luca through narrowed eyes. He didn’t look the least bit amused. “So, assuming I’m buying this, are they good or evil?”
“It depends. Created with free will, they choose which path they wish to follow. Though most are not especially enamored with humans. Many believe even supposedly good Djinn have their own agenda and should never be trusted completely,” Luca answered, tossing everything back on the desk. “Brace yourself, Alec.”
“Why should he—” Tess began, but the answer to her half spoken question arrived in the form of a very flushed, very pregnant woman with a murderous gleam in her eye. Callista McAllister Fiorelli stormed into the room and headed directly for Alec. Flinging a long, thick braid of dark hair over her shoulder, she tilted her head back, planted her fists on her hips, and glared at her much larger brother.
“You are an inconsiderate, self-involved snake.”
“You are as big as a house.”
Luca crossed his arms over his massive chest and shook his head, allowing it to drop back on his shoulders as his wife promptly burst into tears. Chuckling, Alec drew Callista into his arms and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. Then he gripped her shoulders and turned her in his arms to face the others in the room.
“And you have never looked more beautiful. Now stop blubbering and turn around and meet my…wife.”
“Hello,” Callista sniffed, sagging against her brother. “I’m afraid I’ve given you a very poor first impression.”
“Not at all,” Tessa smiled and moved forward to take the other woman’s extended hand. “You’ve had a long flight, you’re nearly ready to deliver, and you must be exhausted. Besides, Alec really can be an inconsiderate, self-involved snake, but I’m hopeful he’s redeemable.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.” Calli grinned and jabbed an elbow into Alec’s midsection.
“At any rate, I’ve been away for a long time, and it’s understandable my name didn’t come up. Please forgive Alec. I’m sure his thoughtlessness was quite unintentional.”
�
��I wonder if that’s possible,” Alec said quietly, and Tessa’s startled gaze flew to his face. Observing his wary expression, compressed lips, and tightly clenched jaw, Tessa had the uneasy feeling the forgiveness he sought was neither his sister’s, nor solely related to his failure to mention their marriage. Was he offering her an olive branch? He had no way of knowing with the clarity of time and distance, she’d forgiven him and acknowledged her own contribution to their estrangement years ago. What kept her silent and withdrawn all those years had been the fear of his rejection and inability to believe or forgive her. In danger of becoming lost in the depths of his eyes, and keenly aware of their all too interested audience, Tessa bit her lip and looked away.
“Well, you’re my brother, so I suppose I’ve little choice,” Callista sighed dramatically, as the undertones sailed over her head. “Even if you are a buttknuckle.”
“Buttknuckle?” Alec choked out. “What exactly is a buttknuckle?”
“No idea. After a century in captivity, it appears your sister has decided to adapt to the modern era by mastering the fine art of western slang.” Luca rolled his eyes. “My advice is to just go with it without requesting an explanation. Trust me, it isn’t worth the resultant headache.”
Callista stuck her tongue out in her husband’s direction. His face softened and assumed a tender expression Tessa never thought to glimpse on the usually taciturn warrior. The aloof and indifferent Defensori was clearly and completely captivated by his bride.
“Well, now everyone’s been introduced, and we’ve established your brother is, indeed, a buttknuckle, I think it’s time for you to have a nice cup of tea and get some rest, young lady,” Madge announced from the doorway. “Won’t you join us, Tessa? It’s been a rough couple of days for you, as well. You must be exhausted.”
Callista’s large, blue eyes, so like her brother’s, immediately welled up. Stepping free of Alec, she threw her arms around Tessa, who instinctively stiffened in surprise.
“Here I am ranting like a spoiled child when you’ve so recently suffered such a tragic loss. What you must be thinking of me! I am so, so sorry,” she sobbed.
Looking to Alec for help, and gaining nothing but a shrug in return, Tessa awkwardly patted the other woman’s shoulder and glanced helplessly in Luca’s direction.
“She’s a bit emotional these days.” Luca bit back a smile.
“Jeckyll and Hyde springs to mind,” Alec muttered.
“She’s entitled.” Madge pried her daughter away from Tessa and tucked the weeping girl against her side. She reached out with her free hand and snagged Tessa’s sleeve, efficiently moving the three of them as a single unit in the direction of the door. “Now, come along and have some tea. You too, Contessa. I swear, if men were the ones forced to endure childbirth, the race would be extinct.”
“Oh, but I…we…” Tessa glanced at the desk and widened her eyes in Alec’s direction as his mother steamrolled her from the room.
“Mom’s right. You’ve had a rough couple of days. Go ahead and relax for a while. We’ll figure this out later. I need to talk to Luca about a few things, anyway.”
Luca waited until the door snicked closed behind the women before turning to Alec with an arched brow. “What the hell is going on?”
“I hoped maybe you could tell me. Barachiel left me this.” Alec indicated the materials on the desk with a sweep of his arm. “You’re the one who mentioned Djinn. I’ve heard of them, of course, but have no experience in that area.”
“Actually, I meant what was going on with you and Tessa, but we’ll go with Barachiel’s unfinished business if you prefer.”
“Barachiel asked me to stand by her through this.” Alec cleared his throat and moved back to the desk, unable to meet Luca’s gaze. “You know as well as I she has no one else. I’d be an unfeeling jerk to not to be there for her, wouldn’t I?”
“Undoubtedly.” Luca shrugged off the lightweight black jacket, revealing the daggers tattooed on his forearms, and tossed it on a chair. Then he moved to stand beside Alec and regard the materials on the desktop. “Pity that wasn’t your attitude ten years ago. Would have saved me a lot of trouble. I’m as susceptible as the next man to a beautiful woman in distress, you know. But, it can make for a sticky situation when the woman is another man’s wife.”
“It was you?” Alec forced out through clenched teeth as every muscle in his body seized into tight knots. “You were the man who brought Tessa home that night?”
“Well, it sure as hell wasn’t you, was it?” As Luca reached to pick up a map, Alec’s fist slammed into his brother-in-law’s jaw with a sickening crack. The silver angel sailed over the desk, hitting the tile floor on the other side with a thud. Massaging his chin as he levered himself into a seated position, he then reached around to the back of his head. His eyes widened, then narrowed as his fingers came away streaked with blood. He climbed unsteadily to his feet, his eyes fixed on Alec. Alec moved around the desk, seeing the dagger gripped in Luca’s fist through a red haze of fury.
“How dare you take advantage of my wife?” With a growl, he grabbed the front of Luca’s black T-shirt in one fist, and pulled back his other arm to strike again, barely aware Luca released the dagger and let it clatter to the floor.
“Diavolo! Have you lost your mind?” Luca shoved hard with both hands against Alec’s chest, knocking him off balance, then twisted free and stepped back out of range. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of in my long life, but sleeping with your wife is not among them.”
“She admitted it, and… I saw you.” Nostrils flaring, Alec lowered his head like a bull preparing to charge, and regarded Luca steadily.
“If she claimed anything happened between us, she lied to you. Maybe you should give some thought as to why she felt the need. And if you interpreted comfort as passion, then you lied to yourself. Either way, not my problem.” Luca tugged his shirt back into place. “But, I’ll give you a piece of advice. Lying to yourself? Bad idea. Damages your trust in yourself, and colors everything in your life. Believe me, I know.” Bending to retrieve the dagger, he slapped the weapon against his forearm, where it dissolved back into his tattoo. He straightened to his full height of six and half feet and regarded Alec with an icy expression that caused more than one Fallen to turn tail and run without ever putting up a fight. “Be thankful I love your sister. The last time a man cold-cocked me, the argument concluded with his entrails littering the floor.”
“But, she said…” Alec trailed off and raked a shaky hand through his hair, replaying that awful night in his mind, struggling to recall Tessa’s exact words through the vortex of pain that always accompanied the recollection. What had she said? He’d been so busy wallowing in guilt and wanting to place the blame for his own failings elsewhere, he took one look at her and threw out accusations she didn’t deny. But, failure to deny wasn’t exactly an admission. He ignored her youth and inexperience, didn’t understand how deeply he hurt her with his unintentional indifference and preoccupation. When he handed her the opportunity to strike back, why wouldn’t she? What kind of man was he to become so consumed with his own devastation and self-righteous anger, he’d failed to see hers? And then he closed his mind when she later tried to explain. You witnessed comfort that night, not passion. Hadn’t Luca just said almost the same thing? Dear God, she wasn’t unfaithful, she was hurt and uncertain. Ten years later, she still tried explaining, and he still failed to hear the truth. He sucked in a deep, shuddering breath that did little to ease the ache in his chest, and blew it out again. I am a complete jerk.
“I jumped to conclusions.”
“No kidding. And I gather it’s not the first time. You should work on that.”
Alec swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah. So, I suppose I owe you an apology?”
“Clearly. Not to mention the one you owe your wife, Buttknuckle.” Luca felt the back of his head again, and after determining the bleeding stopped, he combed a portion of his thick, shiny locks o
ver the blood stiffened ones with his fingers and turned his head for Alec’s inspection. “Is it covered?”
“If the Defensori could see you now. Luca Fiorelli, the Ice Warrior, one of the most feared and deadly Earthbound on the planet. The man whose very name strikes fear into the hearts of Fallen and animorti everywhere, worried about his hair.” Alec moved back behind the desk and pretended to resume his inspection of the papers. “You are such a girl.”
“Actually, my concern was on your behalf should your sister notice and demand an explanation for my cracked skull. And don’t make the mistake of thinking my love for Callista has made me soft on any level. I’d be delighted to prove you wrong.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Alec looked up. “So, now we’ve established I am, in fact, a buttknuckle and I jumped to conclusions, care to tell me what really happened that night?”
Chapter Eleven
“Ask your wife.” Luca snapped, then he stepped over to the desk and pulled the maps and the drawing toward him.
Alec leaned forward and planted his hands on the desk, interrupting Luca’s view. “I’m asking you.”
“You won’t like what you hear.” Luca straightened and crossed his arms over his chest, straining the confines of his shirt. Pressing his lips together in a tight, thin line, he lifted his chin.
“Humor me.” Alec stared at the other man, working to ignore the tight roiling in his stomach and the ache in the back of his throat.
“Very well, but let’s sit down, eh? It’s been a long day that just keeps getting longer.” Luca motioned to a pair of overstuffed green velvet upholstered armchairs chairs set in an alcove in front of a curved triple window on either side of a mahogany table. He settled into one, stretching his long, denim clad legs out in front of him, and indicated with a wave Alec should take the other. After indulging in a jaw cracking yawn, Luca dropped his head back to rest against the chair and closed his eyes.
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