It took some time to heal, but when his skin no longer looked charred, the screams of the hunters could not be heard outside in the streets. Instead, the air was filled with the scent of blood, bile, and seething hatred.
Michael looked to Yaverik who stood just at the edge of the shadows, the front of his shirt drenched in blood that rolled off his chin. From outside, Francesca’s soft whimpering and Angelo’s whispered words of assurance met Michael’s ears. The tightness in his chest eased, now that he knew they were safe.
Marco and Giovanni exchanged some harsh words as Tor padded into the cellar, stepping over the rubble of the destroyed barrier. His fur was caked in his own blood and the blood of the hunters, his paws and muzzle dripping. Golden eyes probed into the darkness, assessing them one by one until he was satisfied that they were well.
Michael didn’t yet have the strength to stand, but if he could, he would have hugged the beast, blood or no blood, and thanked him. However, Jane jumped at the chance. Soiling her clothes with the blood, she held him close and wailed out thanks after thanks to the werewolf.
Tor stood and returned her hug, lifting her into his arms with a kind of affection that shocked Michael. Apart from the fading anger he felt toward their attackers, another current of emotion rushed in that he hadn’t expected to ever sense from the Egyptian. True, unabated, fondness for Jane. It wasn’t quite love, but it was certainly the beginning of it.
After all he had learned in Arnathia and all he had experienced with Tor on the way to this place, Michael knew for a fact that if his daughter wanted to marry a werewolf, he would give his blessing. Hate and fear had surrounded their races for thousands of years. If she and Tor could spark a revolution, a renaissance of peace for the world, then he would not stand in their way. Their world had been submerged in the darkness of ignorance for long enough.
1 month later, Florence Italy, 1570
Tor paced a short distance in the vestibule in Michael’s villa. The sun would rise soon and the vampires would only have a limited window of time to see him off.
The journey back to Italy seemed much shorter than before. With the added supplies that they gleaned from the hunters’ packs and saddle bags, they traveled north. Their camels had been loaded with scrolls, books, and all manner of other artifacts and documents that Michael would study in more detail in the comfort of his villa.
Giovanni revealed that the plot to have Michael killed was his doing. Yaverik needed the most restraining as the poor, misguided scholar groveled for mercy and pardon from his padrone. Michael had every right to be furious, but extended the hand of benevolence and forgave the defector. He had kept it a secret from the others, but the vampire knew all the time what would happen. He only refrained from telling anyone else because he knew how the others – especially Yaverik – would react.
Like a true optimist, Michael wanted to believe that Giovanni would change his mind before it was too late. Though Giovanni did return to Arnathia after attempting to flee, he admitted that he had been too much of a coward to stop the hunters before they took their mission too far.
They all were in agreement, though. If Tor hadn’t come when he did, they would have all been killed. Francesca suffered a broken ankle that Tor deftly set, while Marco lost a fair amount of blood in his attempt to fight off the hunters. It left them crippled for a time, but not decimated as the hunters intended.
Their trip had been enlightening and perilous. Tor hated that he had to leave them.
Giovanni had been released from Michael’s services, achieving what he had wanted all along. There was no true ill will between them and now that Michael knew how desperate Giovanni had been to serve other padrones, he gave him leave to seek other venturing enterprises. A wealthy baron in Verona sought Giovanni for a trip around the southern tip of Africa to seek trading alignments along the coast of India and the far east. Giovanni offered a place on the voyage to Tor.
With his appetite for exploration wetted by their excursion to the Caspian Sea, Tor could hardly refuse the invitation. Yet what he would be leaving behind created a storm of confliction within him.
Not only would he most likely never return to his temple in Asyut, there was the matter of a certain young woman he had grown fond of in Italy.
He and Jane had grown close on the trip back to Italy and though their future had never been determined, Tor imagined that she pictured them side by side for a little longer. He wasn’t sure how long he would be away from Italy. It could have been months, perhaps years. Who was to say that when they met again, their friendship would be sustained? What if Jane found a husband and had a family? What if the growing ember in Tor’s chest was snuffed out by the distance between them?
Tor would miss their long midnight talks and the way she laughed. Jane had an exuberance for life that he severely lacked and he was sure that he would be leaving a part of himself with her in Florence.
He heard her footsteps patter down the stairs and across the tiled floor. Michael stood on the landing overlooking the vestibule as Tor and Jane embraced for what might have been the last time.
“I wish I could go with you,” she whispered against his neck.
“It would not be safe.”
She giggled. “When did that ever stop me?”
Tor pulled away and gave her a look. “I will check the cargo holds before the ship pulls away from dock, just in case.”
Tears glimmered in her eyes, despite the forced smile spread across her lips. “Promise me that you will write?”
He nodded. “I promise.”
“Even if your ship is destroyed in a storm and you’re stranded in the jungle?”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “You’ve been reading too many fairytales.”
She lifted one of her slender shoulders in a half-shrug. “I suppose that’s the romantic in me.”
Tor looked up to Michael who chaperoned their farewell. “I will return to Florence as soon as I am able.”
Michael waved his hand in dismissal. “Take your time. We are not going anywhere any time soon.”
It was the truth. All three of them still had many more centuries to live, more adventures to have, and there was still more for them to learn and explore. The world was becoming an ever-smaller place, just as Michael had told him. It may not have been long before they would fail to hide who they really were. So, now was the time to seize the opportunity.
He took Jane’s hand in his and kissed the back of her fingers. If anyone had told him months ago, living alone in his sandy temple, that he would be standing in the center of a wealthy Italian vampire’s villa, kissing the hand of his daughter while horses waited him outside to take him to another far-off place, Tor would have thought them mad.
He remembered the words of his father, that he needed to protect the balance. In his own way, he would, by leaving his past of ignorance and solitude behind. Tor would make friends, see the world, and feel far more than he would have allowed himself to before.
With her face still fresh in his mind, Tor turned and strode out into the courtyard, ready to face a new and promising future.
Afterword
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading about Tor, Michael, Jane, and Yaverik, and their big adventure to Arnathia. This is just one of the many parts in a novella series that will feature the backstories of other pivotal characters in my Loup-Garou series that is available on Amazon.
If you enjoyed this story, please take a few moments of your time to leave a review on Goodreads.
In the meantime, I invite you to check out my social media sites for more updates and sneak peeks into my progress. You can find me at my blog, www.moonstruckwriting.wordpress.com.
Also, find me on Facebook! I have an author page and fan group page where you can stay tuned into the latest news, get the chance to earn free stuff, and talk all about your favorite books. To subscribe to my email listing, you can follow THIS LINK and sign up.
Happy Reading!
Sheritta Bitikofer
About the Author
Sheritta Bitikofer is an author of eclectic tastes. Her mornings are spent dancing to Frank Sinatra and singing to hard rock bands while sipping on a good Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks. At work, she’s often found without shoes on or running to get her coworkers’ drinks from Sonic during happy hour. And when the day has been hard, she unwinds with a good book and chili cheese fries before snuggling on the couch with her husband. And on some weekends, she can be found at non-profit medieval historical society events either painting or shooting a bow. Her idea of a great time is dining out, chillin’ at the library (or a bookstore) and bouncing novel ideas back and forth with her loving and supportive husband.
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www.moonstruckwriting.wordpress.com
Also by Sheritta Bitikofer
Escape
The Neustrian Chronicles
Clouds
Passions
Silver Screen
The Loup-Garou Series
The Enigma
Becoming the Enigma
Beast Within
Precedents - Releasing January 2018
The Legacies Series (A Novella Series)
The Legend
The Guide
The Frenchman - Releasing October 2017
The Decimus Trilogy
The Beast of Verona
Amber Ashes
Saving the Beast
The Guide (A Legacy Series Novella) (The Legacy Series Book 2) Page 15
