Page 15 of Unbound

I laugh at the image. Matteo in a women’s clothing department computes even less. I know many vamps who actually like going to the mall—lots of places with very little natural sunlight, lots of prey, fro-yo stands—but Matteo would not be one of them. I button up the shirt, tug on my pants. Sit on the edge of the bed and put on my sneakers.

“You seem to be going somewhere,” he says, not sounding thrilled.

“Wow. Your powers of deduction are wasted on being a Cosca Don. Have you considered a career in law enforcement? I mean, I’d like to see you in the uniform for sure. If they had one big enough …”

I get distracted, my mind veering off into how much fun we could have playing dress-up. “You know,” I say, pointing at him, “if you ever get tired of running your own evil empire, you could get plenty of work as a male stripper. You, Matteo, Stefano, maybe that hot guy with the blond hair whose name I don’t know? You could, like, totally Magic Mike the shit out of life. You’d be a huge hit at bachelorette parties.”

He drags me to him, shuts me up with a kiss. It’s a real humdinger of a kiss too, making my lady parts throb and beg for mercy. They’ve been tortured enough already.

“That blond guy is called Finn, and I might have him beheaded now.”

“All because I think he’s hot?”

He nods sternly. I don’t think he means it. “Aw, that’s so sweet,” I tell him.

I jump out of his reach before things can heat up again. “I’m going to wander. I feel wired, you know? Need to stretch my legs. Maybe work out. I don’t know—not stay still.”

“You want company?” he asks, climbing out from beneath the covers. Wow. He really is a piece of art. I reach out, pat his delectable ass. “No, thanks. I need to let the mixed-up soup in my head cool down.”

He seems to think about it, and I can pretty much see his thought process. He’s doing a risk assessment about me being alone here. Eventually, he nods. “Okay. You’ll be fine. Everybody knows you belong to me.”

I put my hands on my hips and pop an eyebrow. “Really?” I ask, putting some snark into my voice. It’s not difficult, because as well as being a piece of art, sometimes he really can be a piece of work as well. “That’s the only reason I’ll be fine? Not because, you know, I’m a kick-ass vampire slayer with magic fireball powers?”

He shrugs, doesn’t look at all remorseful. “I don’t suppose that hurts. But be aware, cara mia, that this whole place is filled with danger. Vampires, yes, but also powerful creatures of all kinds. We have shifters in court, some witches visiting from Pennsylvania. Plus, a thousand and one assholes looking to challenge me and make their mark on the Firenze Cosca. Possibly spies from the other families, sizing me up. Some of them might not know who or what you are, and some of them might see you as a way of getting to me. A weakness. Because just like you said, Rosa, if I lost you, I wouldn’t survive it. I’d kill whoever was responsible. Then I’d kill the rest of the world. And finally, when I’d slaughtered all in my path? I would end myself. So, tread carefully, my darling, because you are more important than you could ever imagine.”

It’s quite the speech, and it knocks the wind out of my sails. I know how much pressure he’s under, the scrutiny he’s facing. The constant threats. I won’t add to that by worrying him.

I go up onto tiptoes, kiss the fierce line of his lips. “I hear you, Luca. Loud and clear. I’ll be careful, I promise. You do the same.”

He nods, and I turn to leave. He makes light of the assholes challenging him, but all it takes is one mistake, one sneak attack, one misstep, and he could be gone. It’s a sobering thought. I reach the doorway, turn back to him. “I love you, okay?”

He smiles, and it is sunshine and rainbows and all things good. It makes my heart sing and my soul soar. “I know. Back at ya.”

I leave him as he’s getting dressed. I know he’ll go straight to Aidan to catch up on the work he missed by coming with me on my mission. I’m glad he did, if only for the helicopter ride and the moral support. Donatella and I could have handled the actual vamps, who turned out to be weak sauce, but the cleanup, the charming, the crowd control of the survivors? That would have been a lot. Plus, without the transport, we’d never have made it in time to find that surviving prick, Howie, and he might have gone on to finish off every human that was left there. Even the intriguing Jeremy McGee. I get out my phone, tap a message to Donna: I think we should have our own chopper. What say you?

Three dots on the screen, then a reply: Great idea! I’ll suggest it to the council. Can it be pink?

I laugh and put my phone away. I don’t actually have anything in particular to do right now, but I do need some space. Joking aside, I’m concerned about these new powers. About the possibility of setting Luca or one of my other vampire friends—still feels weird to say, but it’s true—accidentally alight. And what’s with his silver eyeball thing? I mean, it’s kind of beautiful but freaky as shit. Plus, my amulet is malfunctioning. It’s all weird, and I have no answers. It started when Minnie broke the blood spell. Did breaking it simply unleash something else? What the hell is going on inside me? I love Luca; that’s still very much true. But I can’t ignore the signs. Something doesn’t feel right, and I’m concerned that it’s only going to get worse.

I wander the Firenze court, getting respectful nods and occasional greetings. It’s a strange place. Two whole blocks of prime real estate in Hell’s Kitchen. The façade looks normal—New York normal at least. Bodegas, record stores, yoga studios. But inside, it’s all one gigantic compound. Rooms, gyms, catering for both vamps and non-vamps. Staff who keep the place running. The famous dungeons downstairs. The gruesomely garish central meeting hall where Don Vincenzo used to hang out before Freya staked him. And his gardens. I walk through into the central courtyard—open air, drenched with sunlight, and distinctly devoid of vamps for that very reason.

The scent of lemons fills the air, and flowers bloom in troughs and baskets. Figs, strawberries, all kinds of fresh fruit. All of it planted and tended by Vincenzo. How could such an evil creature have brought such beauty into the world? The man was riddled with corruption. He tortured, murdered, raised my Luca in hell. Stole his life, effectively, him and his equally sick sister, Giulia. Luca was abused in every possible way and lived for centuries at the beck and call of a monster, who could kill him with one twist of his heart. That he survived with as much humanity intact as he did is down to him and the innate goodness he doesn’t even see in himself.

I sigh, find a quiet bench to sit on. I turn my face up to the sun, listen to the sound of honey bees buzzing around the lavender. It’s peaceful, right up until the moment I realize I have company. She’s trying to hide, but I spot her, lurking crouched behind a row of blueberry bushes. Not vamp, and from the distinctly human scent of her, not supernatural at all. Most definitely in need of a wash though.

“Come on out,” I say. “I won’t hurt you.”

Nothing for a moment, then a hesitant limping footstep in my direction. I shield my eyes from the sun. “You’re not one of them?” she asks. I shake my head, hold my hands up in the air as though demonstrating my lack of going poof.

She emerges from the greenery, a tall, gaunt woman. Hard to place an age on her, dressed as she is in tatters, her face coated in grime. Her hair has clumped into tangles, and she’s barefoot. Her movements are tentative and she’s looking around in amazement, as though this is her first day on earth. I’ve seen some horrific sights in my time, but this poor woman is in a bad way.

“I’m Rosa,” I tell her simply, not wanting to spook her. “What’s your name?”

She stares at me, as though searching for signs of danger. She glances down at herself, at her filth and rags, and anger flashes across her face. It looks quite at home there, much more so than the timidity.

“Yvonne. Yvonne Marshall. They let me out of the dungeons, but they won’t let me leave this place … can you get me out?”

That’s a difficult one. All my instincts tell me to say yes, to get her to safety, to get her away from here. I can sense the desperation in her but also the barely contained fury. I want to help, and it goes against everything I stand for to see a human woman oppressed by vamps like this. But at the same time, I have no clue what she was in the dungeons for. Given Vincenzo’s track record it could just have been for looking at him funny, but who knows? She could be dangerous. She could be an enemy. She’s weak right now, but I’m guessing that firing on all cylinders she’d be a force to be reckoned with. I need to know more about her before I can trust her.