Page 34 of Unbound

“Rude!” she says, pretending to be insulted. “And even if I am, you’re still basically cradle snatching. But I will age, eventually. Faster than you anyway. If I’m lucky enough, I’ll be gray and wrinkly, and my boobs will hit my knees. I’ll have liver spots on my hands, and possibly all my teeth will fall out. You … well, you’ll still look like this for a very long time.”

It’s true. Vampires—Old World ones at least—do age. It’s just a very gradual thing.

“I won’t care,” I tell her, closing the distance between us and pulling her into my arms. “And I think turkey necks are hot.”

“Pervert,” she says, slipping her hands around my waist. She lays her cheek flat against my chest, and I rest my chin on the top of her head. None of this helps the hard-on situation, but we both pretend it’s not happening.

“I love you,” she murmurs, her voice small. She’s trying to control her emotions, just like I am. We’re both overwhelmed by the idea of being apart, no matter how necessary it is.

“Ti amo, Rosa. You are my world, you know this?”

She nods, looks up at me. Tears are shining in those big green cat eyes of hers, and I smooth them away with my thumb as they spill. “I do know. And you are mine. This won’t be forever, will it?”

“No,” I assure her, holding her shoulders and meeting her gaze. “It will not. Nothing can keep us apart forever. I promise.”

I’m speaking as much for myself as her. I am also at risk of sinking into despair at the thought of our separation. I see the effort it takes for her to pull herself together, almost hear the mental pep talk she gives herself. With a slap on my ass, she moves away. “I’m going out,” she tells me. “I need to buy a neck pillow for the flight. Don’t want to get a crick.”

“Heaven forbid. You will stay in touch?”

I know she doesn’t need a damn neck pillow. She just needs to give herself the chance to find her balance. She’s upset and anxious and probably concerned she might incinerate me at any second. Her hands are in fists a lot these days, I’ve noticed, as though she’s trying to keep the sparks in. That kind of tension eats away at you.

“Yeah. I’ll update you on everything I drink from the plane trolley and what the in-flight movies are.”

I smile. “Good. I don’t want to miss a thing. Take care of yourself, cuore mio.”

“You too.”

And without a backwards glance, she’s gone. I listen to her as she runs down the stairs. I can hear her racing heartbeat for a few seconds, and then the sound of her briefly chatting to Donna in the kitchen. Then the front door opens and shuts, and I finally let myself fully feel it. A gut punch of sadness. I lean against the wall and slide down it, my legs weak and my heart weighing as much as a fucking anchor.

I grab one of her discarded T-shirts from the floor, raise it to my face. Bury my nose in it, inhale the scent of her lemon-and-basil perfume. Her shampoo. Her everything. It’s almost too much to bear, and tears are welling in my own eyes now. Rosa has brought out a side of me I thought long gone, and it’s a mixed blessing. I hear heavier footsteps on the stairs, the familiar tread of Matteo, and consider hiding what I’m doing, what I’m feeling. Fuck it, I decide. Real men can cry.

The door to the room is open, but Matteo still knocks. Moonface shows no such restraint, galloping towards me and immediately licking my face. She knows I’m upset and is making little whining noises as she tries to comfort me in her pit-bull-specific way. The way that almost crushes me beneath her massive body.

“You okay, boss?” Matteo asks, concern in his voice.

“Been better, pal.”

I throw a pair of balled up socks for the dog, and she skitters across the floor to give chase. She retrieves them and kills them with maximum efficiency.

“Yeah,” Matteo says, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of me. I’m naked, but neither of us gives a shit about that. At least my dick has calmed down. “She said goodbye. She’ll be okay; she’s a tough cookie. And she … well, she’s right, ain’t she? She did almost set you on fire and all. I mean, she’s a Seer. She was always dangerous to us. But this new thing? That’s some next-level shit.”

I nod. He’s speaking the truth. I know it’s right. I just don’t want it to be.

I stand up, start to pull on some clothes. Though now I’m down a pair of socks. I need to get back to work, and besides, I think she wants me to be gone when she gets back. It’ll be easier for both of us.

“Talking of dangerous, what the fuck gives with you and Donatella?”

He snorts out a laugh and tries to take the socks from Moonface. She snarls at him, and he backs off. Socks hers.

“It’s not a big love thing, like you and Rosa,” he says, frowning as he thinks about it. “At least I don’t think it is. I haven’t been in love, ever, though, so I don’t suppose I’d know.”

“You’d know,” I tell him firmly. “Believe me, you’d fucking well know.”

He shrugs. “I’ll take your word for it. But right now, it’s just sex. And Jesus fucking Christ, is the sex good! The shapes that woman can pull …”

“Too much information, Matteo. I’m not scared of many things in this world, but I tell you something, I have a special regard for Donatella Agostini. She’s one of the most lethal creatures I’ve ever met. Don’t forget that just because of your balls.”

He nods. “Message received and understood. Anyway. Aidan’s been on. Says there’s a truck full of workmen outside, waiting for you. Part of the Albini crew.”