Angel Unbound

by Sharon Saracino

  When Monte finished, there was complete silence in the room for the space of a heartbeat. He’d shared the story in a calm, matter-of-fact tone that gave away nothing. He waited for a reaction, his face impassive, almost as though he’d been talking about someone else. Then Kat let out a low moan and doubled over completely. Mac reached for her, and Monte’s eyes opened wide. He rose awkwardly to his feet.

  “She’s an empath!”

  Kat went limp in Mac’s embrace. She took a deep, shuddering breath as Monte apparently slammed a block on his emotions.

  “Mi scusi, signora. I did not realize. I should have seen that your insight was more than mere intuition as your husband claimed.” He favored McAllister with a dark look.

  “Va bene, it’s okay, Signore Monte. You couldn’t have known.” She offered her husband a shaky smile, sat up, and patted his cheek.

  Mac’s jaw relaxed not one iota, he hauled her back against him and wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled into him, neither of them giving a flying fig who watched.

  Luca simply shook his head. He loved Calli with his entire being, but he would never allow a Fallen to witness how important she was to him as Mac was doing. He might as well hand Monte a sword and turn his back. What in the hell was he thinking?

  “Oh, but I should have,” Monte replied. “You see, signora, I’ve known a few empaths in my time. My wife, for instance. The gift is one that is peculiar to the line of Aandalena. It has been centuries since I’ve encountered it. I had forgotten the signs. I did not intend to cause you pain.”

  “Yeah, right,” Luca shot back. “A compassionate Fallen. Who wouldn’t buy that?”

  “Assuming you’re telling the truth,” Mac began with a warning look in Luca’s direction. “Why? Why tell us this? You could easily have fabricated something that left you less exposed. You’ll excuse my hesitation, Monte, but frankly, we’re not used to candor from any Fallen. Maybe you’re trying to play us. Maybe you have a different agenda altogether.”

  “I can appreciate your qualms, McAllister and if I were any other Fallen, they might be valid. But I have walked this earth for a very long time. Longer even than you realize. Just ask your friend, Michael. It’s time. Once the demon is destroyed, there is nothing to hold me here. My reasons for living were taken from me long ago. I’ve endured these many centuries solely to see justice done. Truthfully, I never believed the book would remain lost for this long, and I am beyond weary. No doubt, you find this difficult to believe but I really am ready for this to be over. Working with you increases my chances of ending it once and for all. Who knows? Maybe obliterating Azakriel will even buy me some redemption.”

  “As if.” Luca growled which earned him another cautionary glance from Mac.

  “You know redemption isn’t something we have the power to offer,” Mac said. “So, if that’s your motivation for helping us...” Mac trailed off and set Kat on her feet, making a move to rise from the chair.

  Monte waved him back into the chair, and Kat resumed her seat beside him.

  “I am well aware of that, McAllister. Youth and poor decisions placed reconciliation beyond my reach millennia ago. My remark was simply wishful thinking.”

  “Considering the things you’ve been responsible for in your life, Monte, wishful thinking is an understatement,” Luca growled.

  Monte’s attention turned to Luca and a vaguely amused smile hovered around his lips.

  “You are quick to judge, my young friend. And yet we are not so very different, you and I. The two of you hunted Rapier for over a century, doing whatever you had to do in order to find him and avenge the supposed death of Callista McAllister isn’t that so?”

  “Not even remotely the same thing, Monte,” Luca retorted. “It’s the difference between light and dark. We don’t drag innocents into our fight.”

  “Do you not?” Monte purred. Then his voice hardened. “Perhaps you should tell that to the young woman Jacques left rotting in the dumpster, or the woman at the docks, or maybe the young brother who witnessed his sister’s murder and will likely never be the same. Do you think he would agree with your assessment? Oh, yes, I know all about Jacques’ little attempts to gain your attention, Earthbound. Pray continue to enlighten me on how no innocents were sacrificed in the making of your revenge, won’t you?”

  Mac, a tic visible in his cheek, fixed a stare on Luca and shifted in his chair. Luca knew the deaths of those women weighed heavily on his friend. Hell, they’d both suffered sleepless nights over it. The loss of innocent lives had been unintended and unforeseen on their part, while Monte had involved innocents with deliberate forethought. He saw the same look on Mac’s face that he suspected must be apparent on his own. Regret mixed with resignation. They both felt the burden of culpability, yet both knew they would follow the same path again to achieve the extermination of Rapier and exact vengeance for a woman they both loved.

  Luca was torn. He couldn’t let go of the rage he felt when he considered what had happened to Gia, and he found it difficult to even contemplate what might have happened to Calli if the Fallen’s thugs had gotten to her.

  Yet, knowing Monte’s history with this demon, could he really continue to condemn his actions? Would Luca have operated any differently if it were his wife, his child? Would Mac?

  Ultimately, whatever the impetus, whether in the name of good or whether in the name of evil, the outcome was the same. Innocent lives had been lost in the quest for justice on both sides. Perhaps Monte had a point. At the heart of it, maybe they weren’t so different after all.

  Luca forcibly swallowed the bile that rose to choke him at the realization. He looked at Mac whose expression revealed he’d reached the same conclusion. Kat reached for her husband’s hand and sent an understanding look in Luca’s direction.

  “Mac?”

  “Your call, brother.”

  Luca turned to Monte. His stomach churned and his fists were clenched tightly at his sides. He concentrated on his breathing as the minutes ticked by. In. Out. In. Out. ’Atta boy, Fiorelli. You can do this. He hoped he wouldn’t live to regret it.

  “Okay, Ignazio, what’s our next move?” He finally forced out between stiff lips.

  Monte rose from behind the desk, loosened his tie and yanked it over his head with the knot still intact. He tossed it on the desk and moved toward a wall of built in cabinets on the far side of the office.

  “If you will permit me a few moments to change?” He quirked an enquiring brow in Luca’s direction.

  Luca nodded stiffly. Monte opened a door and began jerking leathers from their hangers.

  “Signora McAllister, I suppose it is too much to hope that you have inherited your ancestress’ talent for summoning?”

  Kat jumped in surprise. “Well, if I have, signore, I’m not aware of it.”

  “Unfortunate, but not unexpected. Then perhaps while I am dressing you can begin to think about your friend, this Signorina Gates. The demon will play on her emotions while he toys with us. No doubt, she has confided in you. Try to think of something she wants. Something she would never act on in her right mind. If we can figure that out, we might be able to figure out where to start looking.”

  Monte disappeared behind another door with his arms loaded. Kat’s face twisted in concentration and then her head snapped up as she let out a strangled gasp and a look of dread widened her eyes.

  “What is it, baby?” Mac tugged her hand to gain her attention.

  “I know where she’s going, Kassian. I know what she wants.” Kat’s horrified gaze swung to Luca.

  “You, Luca. Elle wants you.”

  Luca watched the color drain from Mac’s face even as he felt the blood leave his own. Mac pulled Kat into his arms.

  “We’ll get the ring.” And they were gone.

  Elle Gates wanted him? Kat had no doubt informed her his heart was taken. He was off limits. Now Azakriel possessed her and the forbidden was his specialty. Calli. He had to get to Calli.

 
“Monte!” Luca roared struggling to contain the total panic threatening to incapacitate him. “Move it, now!”

  The Fallen threw open the door so forcefully that it nearly tore from its hinges. Dressed in black leather from head to toe, he tossed a thick packet on his desk and then strode directly at Luca without hesitation. Luca reached out and grabbed a fistful of leather. That quickly, they too were gone.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Callista paced the length of the villa for what felt like the hundredth time that day. The soles of the more comfortable flats she’d adopted after a single day in stiletto boots slapped rhythmically on the marble inlaid floors and terracotta tiles as she wore a path from the front door to the back and then to the front again. They’d said they were only going to talk to Monte. What could be taking so long?

  She tugged the cell phone Kassian had given her from the back pocket of her jeans and checked the screen. She hadn’t quite figured out to use the device yet, but found when she hit any button, a light came on and the time was displayed. It was nearly three o’clock. Luca had programmed in his number, as well as Kassian’s and Kat’s, but Calli hadn’t yet had any occasion to call anyone. She wasn’t even sure she could and it probably wasn’t the best time to begin experimenting. She doubted Luca would appreciate her interrupting him while he was working.

  She jammed the phone back into her pocket with a sigh. She and Luca had barely had any time alone this morning and no time at all to talk before Kassian burst in. The longer Luca was gone, the more worried Calli became that the distance had given him time to reconsider.

  For Calli, last night had been life-changing. Even now, when she dwelt too long on the things they’d done together her bones melted and her pulse raced. She pressed her fingers to her lips, remembering the tingling heat of Luca’s mouth on hers. She imagined she could still taste him. But what if it hadn’t been the same for him? She’d believed it had last night, but now the doubts crept in.

  What if she was no good at it at all, even after they’d practiced again and again, and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings by saying so. Her heart sank. Was Luca already regretting last night and deliberately staying away? He’d said he loved her, but what if it wasn’t enough?

  Desperate to suppress the worrisome thoughts, she’d spent part of the day practicing Italian with Maria. But that had been hours ago and after putting a large cast iron pot of pasta fagiole to simmer on the stove for dinner, Maria had returned home to care for her own family. Now Calli found herself alone with the silence and her uncertainty.

  Calli slumped against the window frame in the parlor, absently observing the antics of two younger Ursuline sisters from the convent next door. The white veil over their guimpe and bandeau branded the women as novices who had yet to take their final vows. Ostensibly, the sisters were tasked with watering the rose bushes inside the wall, but away from the watchful eye of the Reverend Mother, the chore had degraded into a water fight. By the time the two ran giggling along the side of the convent toward the back garden, there was more water dousing their habits than nourishing the thirsty plants.

  Calli was roused from her contemplation of the nuns by the arrival of a long black car pulling up to the curb in front of the villa. Her mother told her that the Ursulines rented modest rooms to students and visiting family members of the foreign seminarians studying in Rome, but the car seemed a bit too luxurious for anyone seeking the humble, no frills accommodations offered by the nuns.

  Calli watched nervously as a short, stocky man got out of the driver’s door, and glanced up and down the street before approaching the villa’s front gate. He was dressed in a dark suit with a chauffer’s cap pulled low on his forehead throwing his face into shadow. He pressed the button on the intercom, folded his hands in front of him, and waited with his head down.

  Calli tiptoed her way to the small box near the front door and bit her lip. Should she answer or simply pretend no one was at home? She’d promised Luca she wouldn’t leave the villa, but talking to someone through an intercom was hardly the same thing, was it? Besides, the man was outside the gate and the sigils would keep him out, so what harm could there be in seeing what he wanted? At this point, she welcomed almost any distraction. She pressed her eye against the peephole in the massive wooden door. The man looked harmless enough. She took a deep breath and pressed the button the way she’d seen Maria do.

  “Yes?” she breathed into the small black box in a voice that trembled slightly.

  “Signorina McAllister? Callista McAllister?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry…do I know you, signore?”

  “Ah! Buon pomeriggio, good afternoon. Signore Fiorelli sent me.”

  “He did?”

  “Si, signorina. I am to take you to meet him.”

  “Meet him where?”

  “It’s a surprise, signorina.”

  A surprise? Calli loved surprises, and Luca was well aware of it. Still, she’d promised not to leave the house. Her eyes narrowed as a thought struck her. She’d hoped Luca finally saw her as a mature, responsible woman and not some impulsive, thoughtless half-wit, but what if this was some kind of test? Her lips compressed into a thin line. Of course, that was it! No doubt he and her brother were watching in amusement from behind the darkened windows of the car at this very moment, waiting for her to give in to temptation and venture outside.

  Katrina would be against it, of course, but Calli could just picture Luca and her brother, heads together, maybe even placing a wager on how long she would last before venturing out of the house despite her promise to remain inside. Calli had lost count of the things that had changed while she existed in her time capsule of captivity, but apparently, men and their need to amuse themselves with silly games was not one of them.

  She glued her eye to the peephole and poked the button on the intercom. Luca and Kassian would have done well to remember she had a particular talent for games herself and she had never been a graceful loser.

  “I am very sorry, signore. I am not free to go with you at the moment. Please convey my deepest regrets to Signore Fiorelli.”

  Calli swallowed a giggle as the man’s head snapped up so suddenly that he nearly lost his cap. He recovered quickly however, and tugged it back down over the bridge of his nose.

  “Scusi?”

  “I said,” Calli repeated, being careful to speak loudly and annunciate clearly. “I find I’m unable to leave the house at this time. Please convey my regrets to Signore Fiorelli and tell him I look forward to his return.”

  Calli burst out laughing when she observed the man’s reaction to her announcement. He first turned in a complete circle, then looked at the car, looked at the house, looked at the car again. He removed his hat. He scratched his head. Finally, he walked back to the car and knocked on the window.

  Well, that would show them! She was so busy congratulating herself on her own cleverness, she almost forgot to be offended that Luca might doubt her even after last night and all that had passed between them. Of course, maybe Luca had complete faith in her and the entire ridiculous production was her charming brother’s idea. That seemed more likely. She pressed her eye to the door once again to see if they would give up the game and come into the house now that she had proven them wrong. The car window was open a bit and the driver hunched forward, talking to someone in the back seat. Then the door opened and Calli observed a pair of thigh high leather boots, followed by slim black leggings, a beaded sweater, and a very large pair of sunglasses climb from the car. The entire package was topped by spiked red hair and long, dangling earrings that winked flirtatiously in the late afternoon sun. Stunned, Calli’s mouth dropped open in shock. Balanced fashionably on the mile high stilettos stood Kat’s friend, Elle Gates.

  Calli opened the door and quickly motioned for Elle to stay outside the gate.

  “Um, security system,” she called. “No one can get in and I don’t know how to turn it off. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until the others return. Kat will
be so happy to see you, Elle. Everyone has been terribly worried. Where on earth have you been?”

  “Oh it’s a long story,” Elle laughed carelessly. “Come on, I’ll tell you on the way.”

  “On the way? Oh, but I promised Luca I wouldn’t leave the house until he comes back.” Calli chewed on her lower lip. She felt incredibly rude making Elle wait outside on the walk, but she couldn’t undo the sigils herself so it really couldn’t be helped.

  “I know,” Elle called back. “But you can get out, right? I called Kat from the airport and she asked if I could swing by and pick you up. We’re going to meet up with them for a late lunch.”

  “We are? Have they finished with Monte, then?” Calli asked slowly. Of course, Elle was Kat’s friend. If Kat had asked her to stop by and bring Calli along, then it must be all right. So why did her stomach churn with indecision? When in doubt, defer.

  “Monte? Ignazio Monte? Well, well, well,” Elle’s lips curled in a sneer. “What an unexpected boon.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, nothing,” Elle waved a hand airily. “I’ve heard of him, that’s all. Yes, I guess they must be finished. Come on, let’s go. It’ll be fun!”

  “I’ll need to change my clothes first. I’ve been, uh…helping Maria in the kitchen. Can I at least bring you something to drink? You must be exhausted after your flight.”

  “I wouldn’t say no to a glass of wine,” Elle smiled brightly.