Angel Unbound

by Sharon Saracino

  Calli turned to face him and planted her hands on her hips. She compressed her lips into a tight, thin line and raised a brow. Luca took a step back. Clearly, he got the message. She was pissed. Totally and completely pissed. The corners of his mouth twitched, adding to her annoyance since she saw no humor in the situation whatsoever. Her foot beat an impatient tattoo on the marble floor until he turned toward the door and yanked it open.

  “Maybe I’ll just go make some coffee…or something.” He stepped out into the hall and pulled the door closed behind him. Calli closed her eyes and counted to ten before turning back to the sullen woman huddled in the chair.

  Callista closed the distance from the door to the chair in slow, measured strides until she stood between Giovanna and the window, blocking the other woman’s view. Still Gia didn’t look up. Calli took a few deep breaths to harness her anger and sighed inwardly. She’d so hoped they could resolve their differences in a civilized manner, but it seemed as though Gia was rethinking her earlier apology and had decided to act like a thwarted child. Calli truly felt compassion for the girl, but she wasn’t about to be treated like a doormat in her own home, especially by someone she had done her best to help. More than once. Furthermore, she felt sure if she didn’t take a stand now, Giovanna would interpret it as weakness and would simply continue to disrespect and torment her whenever she could.

  In the weeks following her rescue, Calli had spent endless hours recovering from a deep chest wound that would have been fatal to a mortal. Much of the time, her eyes were glued to the wondrous modern device that was television. How many daytime talk shows had she watched touting the concept of tough love? Calli had listened to the theory, confounded. She’d never really comprehended circumstances that would warrant it. Until now.

  “Nothing to say, Giovanna?” she began in a firm voice. “Well, that’s fine. I’ll begin. You can sit there and listen, and I’ll tell you exactly how things are going to be. If you have questions about your mother, I’ll be glad to answer them the best I can. I knew her well, and I loved her dearly. If you have questions about your father, I’ll try to answer those as well, though I’d really rather not talk about him. I am truly sorry for what you’ve had to go through in your life, but we’ve all had our crosses to bear. As of this moment, I’ve reached the limit of what I will tolerate. Even after the hurtful stunt you pulled in the salon, I helped you today, Giovanna. I didn’t have to do that.”

  “Luca would have…” Gia’s head snapped up with a sneer.

  “Luca would have walked away and left you to fend for yourself if I asked him to.” Calli interrupted in a cold voice. She didn’t know if that was true, but she counted on the fact Gia didn’t either. “So, let’s see…that makes two times now I’ve saved your life. Once when you were born and once today. And how do you repay that debt? You send animorti to my door, share intimate scenes of the man I love in your bed, and then subject me to your thankless, self-indulgent behavior in my own home, where, I might add, you are currently a guest.”

  “It wasn’t me…the animorti, I swear,” Gia interjected and looked away.

  “Irrelevant. The bottom line is this, Giovanna. Right now, you need me and Luca a damn sight more than either of us needs you. Mariana’s daughter or not, you are in my home and in my debt. You will stop your juvenile nonsense at once and treat me with courtesy and respect.” Calli’s voice rose with every syllable. She only realized she was shouting like a fishwife as the last word left her lips.

  “Or what?” Giovanna taunted spitefully.

  “Or…or you can bite my bottom and get the hell out!” Calli exploded so loudly she barely heard the muffled guffaw on the other side of the door that quickly turned into a strangled cough. She clapped a hand to her mouth. Lord, had she really said that? Then her lips curled against her palm. Yes, she had. And it felt good! She quickly rearranged her features into a stern expression.

  Giovanna’s head swiveled toward Calli, her eyes wide in alarm. “You’re Earthbound. You help others. It’s what you do. You wouldn’t turn your back on me and let the Fallen win.”

  “Try me, Gia,” Calli ground out through clenched teeth. “Yes, I’m Earthbound, but I’m not a masochist. I’ve already helped you twice and suffered for it both times. You want my help? Then it will be my way and on my terms.” Of course, the little bitch was right and Calli would never turn her back and let the Fallen have her, however tempting it might be. But Gia didn’t need to know that.

  “I hate you,” Gia whispered and dropped her forehead to her knees.

  “Duly noted,” Calli responded evenly. She turned toward the door and gripped the knob. “Fortunately, I’m not interested in your affection, just your courtesy and cooperation. It’s up to you to determine if your hatred of me is more important to you than your life and the life of your uncle. I’ll be downstairs when you decide.”

  Calli stepped into the quiet dimness of the hallway and pulled the door closed with a click. She slumped back against it with shaking legs now that she’d cleared Giovanna’s line of sight and let out a trembling breath she barely realized she’d been holding. She hoped Gia bought her show of false bravado, otherwise they would still be obliged to help her, and Calli’s credibility with the woman would be destroyed. Concentrating intently on calming the uncomfortable thumping of her racing heart, she never noticed Luca leaning against the wall a few feet away.

  She nearly jumped out of her skin as he stepped from the shadows and reached for her hand. She opened her mouth to speak, but he held a finger to his lips and tugged her toward the stairs. He pulled her into his arms the moment they reached the bottom and simply held her until her trembling subsided.

  “Well played, cara,” he laughed into her hair. “Oprah?”

  “Dr. Phil,” she smiled into his chest. “Do you think she believed me?”

  “Oh, she bought it, dolcezza. You were quite convincing. Now we wait to see if she’s willing to accept your conditions.” He leaned back slightly to smile into her face. It was a genuine smile, one that transformed his countenance completely. It was the smile she’d held close to her heart and relied on to get her through her darkest hours for over a hundred years. But this smile wasn’t a dream to hold onto in the midst of a nightmare. This was real. This was Luca, and that smile was all for her. Her knees began to tremble all over again.

  Keeping one arm around her, he brought the other hand up to cup her chin, and Calli offered no resistance when he raised her face to his.

  “Did you mean it?” he asked in an odd, gruff tone.

  “Of course I didn’t mean it. You should know me better than that, Luca. You know we’ll help her regardless.”

  “No, carissima. If Gia refuses to abide by your conditions, then someone will help her, yes, but it won’t be us. But that isn’t what I meant. You told Giovanna I was the man you love. Did you mean it?”

  Calli’s mouth went dry and she found it nearly impossible to formulate a single word as he continued to regard her with that odd intensity. She’d made decisions in the past that had hurt not only her, but the people she loved. If she admitted the truth, that she did love him, that he’d always been the one, and to him it meant nothing more than a casual affair in a long line of casual affairs, it might haunt her for the rest of her long life. And yet, she’d never seen a hint of anything other than complete confidence in his eyes. Now he looked…uncertain. Was it possible he was as nervous as she? Somehow the thought gave her comfort… and confidence. In for a penny, in for a pound. She stretched up on her toes and brushed her lips across the fascinating cleft in his chin.

  “Yes, Luca. I meant it,” she whispered. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard before opening them again with a dazzling smile. Then he swooped down to capture her mouth with his. She melted into him and her lips opened readily to his seeking tongue when he deepened the kiss. Her stomach muscles tightened as he pulled her closer, hitching her up by the waist to give him better access. A jolt of desire unlike anything
she’d ever felt slammed through her. Books and fantasies were one thing…but this! His tongue stroked and plundered and Calli was thankful for the strength of his arms around her as her bones dissolved and her knees buckled. She felt the hard, pulsing heat of him against her belly and the force of his heart hammering against her palm and knew he was as affected as she. His hands skimmed along her back, down her spine, cupping her buttocks through her jeans and pulling her even more closely against him. She clung to him desperately as a low growl vibrated in his chest and he pulled away. Puzzled at first, Calli understood as Gia’s irritated voice reached them.

  “Il mortacci tuoi.”

  Luca glared at Giovanna. “I know you’re upset, Gia, but I don’t think it’s necessary to curse me and my dead.” He looked back at Calli and leaned in for a final quick kiss that left her wanting more. Then he turned her in his arms so they were both facing Gia where she waited on the stairs. Calli was gratified to hear Luca’s breathing sounded as ragged and unsteady as hers. She dug deep and pulled out her game face, stiffening her stance and raising her chin as she glared at the woman twisting her fingers nervously on the stairs.

  “Well?” Calli asked.

  Gia hung her head and sighed.

  “I have been fighting someone or something my entire life. I grow tired. Luca, I wished you good fortune and hoped you would find what you were looking for. I hoped, in the end, it would be me. Now it becomes clear that your heart has always belonged to another. Truly, the ashes of loss are bitter on my tongue, but I accept there is no point in waging a battle I can never win. Therefore, I…accept your conditions,” Gia finished in a resigned voice.

  “Very well,” Calli couldn’t have been more surprised that her gamble had actually paid off. She acknowledged Gia’s announcement with a regal nod. “Let’s all go into the kitchen and figure out what our next step should be.” With a sweep of her arm, she indicated Gia should precede them. After Gia passed, Luca leaned down and burrowed his lips into Calli’s thick hair until they touched her ear.

  “Dio, Calli, I love it when you go all domineering on me,” he laughed softly. She wriggled out of his arms and headed for the kitchen. If she allowed it, he would have her senseless in seconds. She couldn’t concentrate with him so close. It hadn’t escaped her notice he hadn’t said he loved her. The sudden realization caused her gut to clench. What if she really was simply another conquest?

  “Like hell! I most certainly did!” Luca objected fiercely grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him.

  Calli grimaced. She really must try to remember she wasn’t locked in a room with no one to hear her thoughts anymore. “No, you asked me if I loved you, and then you kissed me. That hardly constitutes a declaration, Luca,” she argued. His expression softened.

  “Carissima, you really can’t tell?” He let out a long, shaky breath and smiled. “I guess I’ve struggled with it for so long that when I finally accepted it myself, I forgot to tell you. My bad.” He smiled tenderly and took both of her hands in his, bringing them against his chest, right over his heart.

  “Calli, right now my heart is so full, I wish I could tell you all of this in my own language, but you wouldn’t understand, would you?”

  Calli shook her head and stepped closer.

  “It sounds a lot more romantic in Italian,” he hedged.

  “Maybe, but it’s a lot more effective if I know what you’re actually saying,” she countered with a smile.

  “Good point. Okay, here goes.” He drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Then he stared directly into her eyes. “I love you, Callista McAllister. I love you with every beat of my heart and every breath in my body. You are the missing piece of my soul, and my world was empty without you in it. I loved you yesterday, I love you today, and I will love you tomorrow. Ti amo per sempre.”

  Calli gazed back at him with happy tears pricking the back of her lids. Every word wrapped around her heart and crept deeply into her soul. Her Italian needed work, but she definitely understood ti amo per sempre. I love you for all time. She reached for him with a smile.

  “Dio, Luca. I love it when you go all Italian on me.”

  Chapter Ten

  Long moments later, Calli stopped, shocked into immobility, in the doorway to the kitchen. Luca plowed in to her from behind and pulled her back against him to steady her. Nearly every cabinet stood ajar. An assortment of bowls, spoons, and food items littered the table. Gia struggled to tie a kitchen towel around her waist like an apron. She looked up as they entered and froze. Then a deep flush suffused her olive skin, and she threw the towel onto the table.

  “Mi dispiace…I don’t know what came over me. I forgot myself for a moment,” she stammered.

  “What the…” Calli began. Luca bent forward and rested his chin on her shoulder.

  “Gia bakes. She bakes when she’s sad, she bakes when she’s happy. She especially bakes when she’s upset,” Luca said as though it explained everything.

  “Oh.” Calli could understand that, although she did find it kind of odd that she would do it in someone else’s kitchen. But then, it had been an odd sort of day.

  “Cal?” Luca stage whispered. “She’s really good at it, and I’m really hungry. We sent Maria home, remember?”

  Calli sighed and raised a brow in Gia’s direction. “Can you talk while you bake?”

  Gia looked offended. “Certo!”

  “Very well, carry on. My cucina is your cucina or whatever the appropriate expression is. There should be an extra apron behind the door.”

  “Grazie, Calli.” Maria’s voluminous apron wrapped around Giovanna twice. She peered into the refrigerator and turned back with her arms loaded.

  “Un crostata di ricotta e spinaci,” she announced triumphantly.

  “Ricotta and spinach pie,” Luca translated. “Is there enough to make two?”

  Gia looked around at the ingredients spread out before her. “Si, I think so.”

  “Excellent!” Luca grinned and Calli shook her head. The man really was a bottomless pit. He pulled out a chair for her and she dropped into it. He pulled up the one next to her and draped an arm across the back of hers cupping her nape in his large hand. His fingers drew tiny circles that concurrently relaxed and excited her. He loved her. She fought the urge to pinch herself, afraid he might notice and have an excuse to be even more arrogant than he already was. She tentatively rested a hand on his thigh. He scooted closer as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

  Gia expertly measured flour and salt into a large pottery bowl. She cut a slab of butter into small chunks and began rubbing it into the flour with her fingertips, before adding a small amount of water and quickly working it into soft dough. Calli found herself amazed at the effortless grace with which the other woman worked. To Gia, baking seemed as natural as breathing.

  “Gia, I need you to tell me everything you remember. What did the men who came to see you say about this book?” Luca asked.

  “Not much,” her mouth curled down as a frown furrowed her brow. She set the dough aside to rest and continued chopping the spinach. “They said Jacques had acquired a book of great power. A very old book.” She turned to the stove and dumped the chopped spinach into a pot of boiling water for a few seconds, then deftly drained it in the sink and set it aside as she grabbed another bowl and began cracking eggs. “I’m not certain they know much about it themselves, but it is enough that they believe it has power. The Fallen crave power.”

  “And Enrico?”

  Gia’s features twisted in grief as she feverishly beat the eggs and dumped the cheese into the bowl, adding the wilted spinach and some crushed garlic, salt, and pepper. Her lower lip trembled as she quickly divided the dough and rolled it into two large circles and a rectangle. She plopped each of the circles into round baking tins, divided the cheese mixture between them, and cut the rectangle into long strips, deftly weaving them into a lattice on the top of each pie before popping both in the oven. The enti
re process took less than ten minutes. It was obviously nervous energy. Nevertheless, Calli was impressed.

  Gia slumped into the chair across from them and put her head in her hands, oblivious to the dough and flour smearing her face as a result.

  “I went up to check on him this morning, taking his cornetti and cappuccino as I do each day. I heard the shower running, so I left everything on the table. I went back down to the shop and it was then I felt the evil. Monte was there. I thought he was alone…I never thought to warn Zio. As we pulled away from the shop, Monte made sure I saw his men forcing Enrico into a car…the same men who came to visit me after you left.” She raised her head, her expression tortured, her tears streaking the flour on her face like clown makeup. “He didn’t even have his leg, Luca. He’ll be helpless.”

  “His leg?” Calli asked in confusion.

  “Enrico was a Defensori. He lost a leg to a Hell-blade around the turn of the century. He wears a prosthesis,” Luca explained.

  “You said he isn’t related by blood, Gia. How did you come to be with him?” Calli asked.

  “After his injury, the couple who raised me came to work for him. They had always served Earthbounds…I suppose that’s how my mother became acquainted with them,” she added. “I was about thirteen, I think, and of course Zio realized at once what I was. A half-breed. He also saw the way I was being treated. He sent them away, and claimed me as his own. I’ve never told him who my father was. I was afraid he would disown me. He saved my life. And now I may have cost him his.” Her face crumpled and she dissolved into tears.

  “The last word I’d ever associate with Enrico Moscato is helpless, Gia, with or without his leg,” Luca reassured her. “He’s deadly. We just have to buy him some time. And you should know him well enough by now to realize he would never hold you accountable for the sins of your father.”

  “About this book,” Calli began, turning to Luca and shaking her head. “I don’t believe Jacques had it. He had an extensive library, and I read every book he possessed. Twice. A century is a long time to entertain oneself,” she clarified when Luca’s brows went up. “If he had some book of power, he would have told me.”