Angel Unbound

by Sharon Saracino

  “Callista!”

  Her heart leapt in her chest. He’d come back for her. Her knees buckled in relief and she sagged against the stone railing of the bridge.

  “Luca?”

  “Where are you?”

  “On the bridge.”

  Luca groaned. There were any number of bridges spanning the Tiber and Calli would have no way of knowing the name of any of them.

  “What does the bridge look like, cara?”

  “It has angels on it.”

  The Ponte Sant’Angelo. Thank the Saints! She was only a few hundred yards away. In addition, the pedestrian bridge was protected by sigils and led right to the front door of the Castel. No Fallen in his right mind would venture that close to Michael’s lair. She would be safe until he reached her.

  “Callista, don’t move. I’m on my way.”

  “All right. The sculptures are lovely, aren’t they?”

  She sounded as though she hadn’t a care in the world. But then, he thought, why should she? She had no concept of danger. She’d proven it often enough. Luca would bail her reckless ass out again, right? He fought to keep the anger from his voice lest he frighten her into bolting as he strode quickly in the direction of the river.

  “Bernini.”

  “What?”

  “The angels….they were designed by Bernini. Each angel holds an instrument of the Passion. Do you see? The cross, the whip, the crown of thorns?”

  He could hear the hint of laughter in her voice when she replied.

  “Yes, Professor…I see them.”

  He finally caught sight of her as he stepped onto the bridge. She stood about halfway across near the center of the roadway with her head tipped back and her eyes shaded against the sun as she studied the master’s work. Luca’s heart finally resumed a normal rhythm once his eyes locked on her and he knew she was safe. He discovered he was even able to take in enough air to expand his lungs fully instead of the short gasps which were all he’d been able to manage after he faded into the empty alley and found her gone.

  “If you wanted to continue the tour, you should have said something, cara mia.”

  His expression remained impassive, and the controlled timber of his voice belied the simmering rage and worry he’d been feeling. Instead of being nervous about his anger, as any reasonable woman would, he saw Calli’s shoulders relax at the sound of his voice and wondered if she was losing her mind when she turned to him with a smile.

  The urge to shake her senseless again faded as soon as he saw that her lashes were spiked with moisture. She’d been crying. He pulled her into his arms and simply held her, unable to ignore the way she fit against him as though she’d been made for him.

  “You didn’t give me much of a chance to say anything, Luca. You simply disappeared and assumed I would follow,” she mumbled against his chest.

  “Of course I assumed you would follow, Callista. I really thought you had more brains than to wander off on your own after everything you’ve been through,” he hissed quietly.

  “I do have more brains than to wander off on my own, Luca, and if you’d have let me get a word in, I would have told you that I. Cannot. Fade.”

  Luca set her slightly away from him and stared down at her blankly. He could have sworn she said she couldn’t fade. He didn’t know what excuse he’d been expecting for her blatant disregard of his orders, but this one was far more creative than he would have given her credit for. It was ridiculous. Calli was Earthbound. All Earthbound could fade.

  “And I may as well confess I didn’t deliberately open the door to that animorti this morning, either. I also don’t think I can sense evil anymore,” Calli continued when Luca failed to respond and continued to stare. “I guess I probably should have mentioned those two little handicaps sooner, but it wasn’t as though you’d given me the chance. And I hadn’t even been aware of my inability to sense evil until today. I had briefly wondered why I hadn’t detected the animorti at the door, but in the alley before, I didn’t even feel a whisper of sensation.”

  She narrowed her eyes against the glare of the late afternoon sun and stepped away from him resuming her inspection of the massive stone angel perched on the railing of the bridge. “I’m always amazed at the lifelike details a talented sculptor can coax out of a block of stone, aren’t you? The drapery is incredible.”

  “Callista, what in the hell are you talking about?” Luca finally ground out. “That’s impossible.”

  Calli shrugged, clasped her hands behind her back and slowly strolled to the next angel. Luca followed so closely he nearly knocked her over.

  “Luca, who knows better than we do that nothing is impossible? My inability to fade is the result of a spell. Jacques knew a witch, a sorceress. Call her what you will. He wasn’t taking any chances I might escape, so he had her bind my ability soon after he took me,” Calli said. “The inability to sense evil…well, that I can’t explain. For the first several years with Jacques, I felt it nearly constantly, uncomfortably so. After a while, I didn’t notice it so much. I don’t remember feeling anything at all since you found me.”

  Luca’s anger dissipated completely in light of her revelation. At least his anger toward Callista did. His anger toward himself for leaving her unprotected was only beginning to surface. She must have been terrified. Alone and defenseless in a strange city with no idea of how to get home.

  Luca grasped her upper arm and pulled her against him at the rail as a tour group comprised mainly of high school students jostled by them and gathered at the foot of the nearest angel, laughing and snapping pictures of it and of one another while a disheveled chaperone flitted among them and endeavored to keep track of everyone. He turned Calli around to face him and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He didn’t stop to examine his reasons. He simply felt an overwhelming compulsion to hold her and know she was safe.

  Calli didn’t protest and instead wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her cheek against his chest, curling into him and pressing her entire body along his. He could feel the way she used his body to support hers. He felt her exhaustion. His tension ebbed. Holding her felt…right. In the place inside he always kept hidden, Luca had been afraid he would discover that very thing.

  “Fiorelli?” Luca looked over the top of Calli’s head and became aware of a large Defensori regarding him with an amused expression. He was built like a bull and dressed in black leather from head to toe. Coupled with his long black hair and the wicked scar on the side of his face, Dimitri Radchenko would stand out anywhere, even a city as diverse and multicultural as Rome.

  “Dimitri? What are you doing here, brother? I thought you were still in the States,” Luca stuck out a hand in greeting while keeping the other arm firmly around Calli.

  “Had some business to discuss with the boss,” the huge man flashed a set of even white teeth, taking the proffered hand in a bone crushing grip. His gaze flicked to Calli. “I see you beat me to the punch. Shouldn’t surprise me, I guess. You’re always johnny-on-the-spot when a woman is involved.”

  Luca felt Calli stiffen slightly before she pushed away from him and turned to face the newcomer. One good look at Dimitri had her shrinking back against Luca’s chest, but after a moment’s hesitation, she offered her hand as well.

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate your offer of assistance. But, as you can see, everything is fine now.”

  “Your offer of assist—” Luca began in a puzzled tone.

  “Apparently the little lady was lost, so she sent out a distress call on the common pathway asking for assistance from any Earthbound in the vicinity,” Dimitri cut in. “Considering our location,” he jerked his head in the direction of the Castel, “that was pretty quick thinking. I just happened to be getting out of a meeting with Michael. Isn’t that how you found her?”

  “Oh. No. I was looking for her, actually. We got separated in the crowd,” Luca offered. “Callista, that was very… resourceful of you.”

  Though h
e kept his features typically deadpan, he realized his voice sounded as though he was having teeth pulled. Calli simply quirked a brow and shrugged in a passable imitation of Luca himself, for the benefit of their audience.

  “Is it really so painful, Luca?”

  “What?”

  “Admitting you might have been wrong about me.”

  Before he could respond, Dimitri piped up.

  “Callista? Hot damn, you’re Mac’s little sister, right? It’s great to finally meet you! You’re a legend, kid!” He pumped her arm so hard he nearly lifted her from the ground. “Hey, you’re like that wizard kid…you’re the girl who lived.”

  “Dimitri!” Luca barked sharply, pulling Calli back against him. He felt her entire body trembling, and he couldn’t decide if it resulted from fatigue, Dimitri’s appearance, or the knowledge that her ordeal was apparently the topic of Earthbound dinner conversation around the globe.

  “Oh, uh…sorry.” The hulking giant actually blushed. It was an odd look on such a menacing countenance. His obvious discomfiture made him seem somehow less intimidating. “I didn’t mean…well, anyway, I’m glad everything turned out okay and uh, welcome home.”

  “Thank you,” Calli smiled. “And thank you for responding to my call. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem, kid.” Dimitri flashed the perfect smile so at odds with the rest of his appearance. “Hey, why didn’t you just fade back home?”

  “Well, I…” Callista began, but Luca gave her a discreet squeeze. “Luca and I had a bet, and I hate to lose,” she finished smoothly.

  “Ah, well I can get on board with that kind of thinking,” Dimitri laughed. “You’re a McAllister, all right!”

  “Thank you, again,” Calli smiled back.

  “Well, my brother, it’s always good to see you, but I’ve got a plane to catch. When will you be back stateside?” Dimitri punctuated his statement with a hearty whack on the shoulder.

  “Mac and Katrina should be heading back soon, but I’m not sure what my plans are yet. I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Fair enough. Callista, nice to meet you. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.” And with a wave of his hand, he headed off at a brisk trot across the bridge, away from the Castel in the direction of the centro storico, the city center, his long hair streaming behind him like a dark curtain. More than one woman on the bridge followed his progress with interest.

  Luca still had an arm around Calli and she made no move to step away. Instead, she turned her head to the side and craned her neck to look up at his face.

  “You didn’t want him to know I can’t fade. Why? He’s one of us, a Defensori, no less.”

  “I think for the time being, the less people who know about your temporary…disabilities, the better.”

  “But what if they aren’t? Temporary, I mean.”

  “They are,” Luca retorted firmly, hauling her against his side and stalking straight for the entrance to the Castel. They had to be.

  Chapter Five

  After paying the eight euro entrance fee, Luca offered Calli his arm, and she latched onto him for balance on the uneven surface as they started up the long, winding ramp of Roman construction at the entrance to the Castel. At least balance was her excuse. The truth was that in addition to being physically exhausted and emotionally drained, her anxiety spiked to new heights at the prospect of meeting the legendary Archangel face to face and touching Luca calmed her. She didn’t know what to make of Luca’s reactions today. He was pulling her into his arms one minute and then berating her for something in the next. His shields never slipped, not for a second, and she couldn’t read him at all. Her own head felt like it might explode from the whirling cyclone of thoughts she struggled to process all at once.

  On the other hand, Luca didn’t appear the least bit disturbed. He didn’t bother with his usual historical commentary however, not even as they passed through the second floor storerooms that once contained oil and wheat, or the dark, eerie cells that were remnants of a time when the castle served as a prison. They didn’t pause once to admire the antiquities and exhibits they passed along the way. Callista’s legs quivered and her chest burned by the time they reached the military floor with its two large courtyards. Unbelievably, they continued to climb.

  When at last they reached the level of the circular treasury room of Paul III with its walnut built-ins and large metal chests constructed to safeguard Vatican valuables, Luca paused and propped a shoulder casually against the ancient stone wall. A velvet rope, strung across the doorway of the room, allowed tourists to peek inside but proceed no further. A large sign also forbade photography in this area, the first such sign Calli had seen on their long and exhausting climb. She leaned against the wall at Luca’s side and offered up a silent prayer that they’d reached their destination. She didn’t care how amazing the purported views from the upper terrace were, she felt incapable of taking another step and, for the record, she was never wearing this particular pair of boots again.

  Luca glanced over and grinned.

  “You okay?” he asked, giving her heavy braid a playful tug.

  “Fine,” she panted. “What are we waiting for?”

  “You’ll see,” Luca nodded absently at a final group of tourists passing through the area. The chattering assembly had no sooner stepped through to the next area when Luca spanned Calli’s waist with both hands and swung her up and over the velvet rope, throwing his own long legs over as soon as her feet touched the ground. He grabbed her hand and pulled her across the room to the far cabinet looming floor to ceiling behind the largest of the metal chests. He ran a hand lightly over the surface of the door in a complicated pattern and then pressed on a carved panel.

  Calli heard a series of clicks and the door sprang open. Pushing her ahead of him, Luca stepped swiftly inside and pulled the door closed behind them. There was barely room for one person in the close, dark confines of the space, let alone two…especially when one of the two was an extremely large Defensori.

  Calli had no sooner opened her mouth to ask why someone of Michael’s stature couldn’t afford headquarters with a bit more elbow room, when Luca chuckled and pulled her close as the cabinet launched into a dizzying spin.

  “You could have warned me,” Calli gasped, her nails biting into his biceps.

  Light flooded the small space, and she realized they were now facing another room entirely, one suffused with a blinding, golden glow. When her eyes finally adjusted, Calli realized it wasn’t the room glowing. The brilliance came from the nearly seven foot tall Archangel, with an equally impressive wingspan, approaching them from across the incredibly ornate room decorated in the Renaissance style.

  She recognized Raphael’s hand in the gloriously colorful frescoes decorating the plastered walls and coffered ceiling, and she stifled a nervous giggle at the incongruity of the seventy-inch flat screen television and oversized leather sectional occupying the space between two enormous paintings, one depicting the beheading of John the Baptist and the other, the martyrdom of San Sebastiano.

  Thankfully, Luca kept a firm grip on her elbow as they stepped out of the cabinet and into the room. Otherwise, Calli feared her trembling limbs would have given out completely.

  “I’m sure Callista is suitably impressed, Your Grace, so you can pack up the wings and tone down the light show,” Luca remarked sardonically. He squeezed Calli’s arm when she swallowed audibly at his audacity.

  “Relax, cara. He doesn’t bite.”

  “Well, not much, anyway,” Michael’s smile was mocking as he continued to approach, his massive wings bending and folding with dizzying speed until they disappeared completely, and his glow fading away as quickly. Calli knew her eyes must be as big as saucers, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. “At least Miss McAllister seems more suitably impressed with me than your sister Katrina did.”

  “Kat is an empath, Michael. She had your number the minute she stepped through the door,” Luca offered dryly.

 
; His lips twitched at the memory of his less than five and a half foot sister standing toe to toe with the nearly seven foot Archangel, sticking the Ring of Aandalena under his nose, and basically telling him to take his ring and shove it. The Emperor Constantine himself was rumored to have been struck dumb in the presence of the powerful and intimidating Prince of the Heavens. But not Kat. By the time the visit ended, Kat’s ancient ancestor looked decidedly thunderstruck.

  “Yes, well if you had thought to mention that beforehand, I might have blocked a little better.” Michael’s lips twisted wryly. “Your sister is quite a woman. McAllister is a lucky man.”

  “We were all lucky to find her,” Luca agreed quietly. Some days he still found it hard to believe he actually had a sister, let alone one who had accepted him and his world so completely and unconditionally. At least one good thing had come out of his father’s relationship with Lilly Brookes. Luca offered his trust rarely and his heart with even more caution, but his sister Katrina had managed to gain a full measure of both in a relatively short time.

  “Well, come on in, you two. Have a seat and tell me what it is you want.” Michael waved them toward the enormous sectional. It had obviously been custom-made to accommodate the Archangel’s massive size. Calli perched on the edge, her feet barely reaching the floor. She looked a bit like Alice must have after shrinking to mouse size.

  “What makes you think I want something? Maybe we were simply in the neighborhood and stopped in to say hello,” Luca offered.

  “I’ve known you a long time, Fiorelli. That in itself tells me this isn’t a social visit, so let’s get down to business. Why are you here?” Michael impatiently arched a golden brown that exactly matched the rich amber hue of his long, wavy locks. Massive physique aside, he exuded youth, appearing almost boyish in fact, until one looked deeply into his eyes. They were haunted by longevity and experiences few could guess at. There was nothing boyish or carefree in the shadows mirrored there.

  “You don’t waste time with pleasantries, do you?” Luca groused, stalling and flustered.