3. Sandro
Sandro
Ihad been to Rome many times in my lifetime.
Never before had it been without Vitto. I heard a giggle and turned my head at the sound.
There was no way I could stop the smile that automatically came to me anytime I looked at Abel.
He was…unexpected. He was the complete opposite of Marcello, yet at the same time, they were perfect for one another.
Abel brought life into the coven. He added a level of happiness that we’d never experienced.
And I knew that I owed my life to the little fox shifter.
Without Abel, I would no longer be alive.
I knew this, as did everyone else in the coven.
There were days, nights mostly, that I was upset that I had been found in time and saved.
More giggles, these accompanied by a high-pitched squeal and then babbling, drew my attention from morbid thoughts to the trio of babies that were on the floor of the apartment we had rented for our holiday.
Tulio was just under four months and could sit up with a pillow behind him, albeit a bit unstable still, and he found everything exciting.
Naldo and Mazzi were completely taken with their son and his game of toss the toy after chewing on it first. But it was actually Marcello and Abel’s twins who were making all of the noise.
The twins were just under three months old now, and although they weren’t much younger than Tulio, they were both happy to be on their backs, staring up at some bright-colored toy that had things dangling down.
With every kick, the toys moved, which caused more squeals.
Which, in turn, caused even more noise when they discovered it was their own voices that were making the sounds.
I turned back to the window and stared out at Rome.
We were going to one of the many tourist sites now that the babies were all awake from their nap, and I would put on another smile and pretend that I wished I were anywhere but here.
Not that I’d been given a choice about things.
I was told by Master Vincent that I needed to get away, that my near-death experience was no reason to remain locked away in my suite of rooms at the coven house.
Of course, he’d sent me on holiday with the two mated couples and their children.
I sighed internally. I held nothing against them and their happiness. I was thrilled for both Naldo and Marcello. But I didn’t see why I needed to be here with all of their family happiness. I didn’t have a beloved, and I no longer had any desire to find mine.
“What do you think, Sandro?”
I looked toward Abel and blinked a few times. “Mi scusi?”
Abel’s smile never faltered. “I asked if you were up for going down to the little cafe that is across the alley? We haven’t had lunch yet.”
I nodded as I met Marcello’s gaze. I found him scowling at me, but when he noticed I was looking at him, his facial expression cleared.
“Lunch sounds like a good plan,” I told Abel.
“There are many places nearby to choose from.” I would go, I would eat, I would play along with the others and act as if I were enjoying my time here in Rome.
In reality, I could not wait to return to Naples, where I had already started my plans to leave the coven.
Master Vincent had been incredibly understanding, but it was to the point that I could no longer stand the looks of pity from the others.
I was certain they didn’t realize they did it, but I saw the glances before they were able to mask their expressions.
“Apologies for being late,” Rio said as he came into the room.
I turned and offered a smile to Rio. He was an amazing doctor. One who was quite a bit younger than I was, but he was so much more capable than I was simply because he was a warlock and I was a vampire. I did not have the same abilities that he did.
“You’re not late, Rio,” Marcello said. “We were just discussing going to one of the cafes not far from here to enjoy some lunch.”
“That sounds like a great plan,” Rio said.
I nodded along with the others and was quite surprised at how quickly everyone got themselves and, more shockingly, the children ready to leave.
Within minutes, we were walking out the door.
There were several different cafes just outside the door of the apartment we were renting for the holiday, but it seemed as if Abel knew exactly which one he wanted to eat at as he walked directly to it once we were outside.
We sat at an outside patio table, and although the weather was lovely, I couldn’t seem to enjoy the meal as much as the others were.
I went through the motions of eating, but it was Rio who once again noticed I wasn’t nearly as engaged as I should be.
He leaned close before asking, which I was thankful for.
“Are you in pain? Do you need help?”
I shook my head. “Thank you, no.” I glanced down at the meal, which I would normally enjoy immensely.
“I’m afraid I’ve just not had much of an appetite as of late.
” That was true. Part of that was because of all of the blood that Master Vincent was requiring me to drink in order to help with my recovery.
Another was because, as Rio had asked, I was still experiencing pain.
I had talked to him about it in confidence, thankfully.
I would most likely feel those knives entering my body for some time still, if not always.
That was certainly not something anyone would ever look forward to if they had any sort of life expectancy, but when you were paranormal and it was possible that you would live for eternity, it was not something I desired.
“You’re quiet today,” Naldo said. “Are you feeling well?”
I smiled over at Naldo. “I’m feeling better than I did last week for certain.
” That much was true. I did feel better every week.
I had been rescued around six weeks ago, and although I wasn’t nearly as healthy as I had been before I’d been captured, I truly was doing better than I had been.
“I apologize for my disconnect. I will work on being more present.”
Rio patted me on the shoulder. “I was actually going to suggest that since the four of you were planning on going to the Trevi Fountain with the babies, I thought that Sandro and I would hang back and do something around the apartment that didn’t require quite so much walking.
We all know how taxing that can be at times, and I feel it’s best if he keeps things a bit more low-key still. ”
A few months ago, I would argue with the younger warlock.
Not today though. I knew he was not only concerned about me, but also that he wasn’t wrong in his suggestion.
Coming to Rome hadn’t been my first choice of holiday spots.
Where I was currently in my recovery, it would have been more ideal that I went somewhere quiet and secluded.
A trip to Rome, especially since it was Abel’s first time here and he wanted to see all the sights, required more physical exertion than my body could currently sustain without multiple breaks.
“Oh,” Abel said, his voice full of disappointment. I sighed at the glare that I was receiving from Marcello for disappointing his beloved.
“I’m certain I can push through a trip to the fountain.”
Abel smiled, but that quickly changed again at Rio’s words.
“No,” he said. “And you shouldn’t have to.
” Rio glared at the others. “Sandro is here with everyone, and that should be enough. I will not go into detail about his recovery because that is his and his alone to share. But he is, in fact, still recovering. Every last one of you would still be healing as well if you had sustained the amount of damage that his body has.”
I placed my hand on Rio’s arm, and when he looked at me, I could see the anger? Frustration? I couldn’t quite tell.
“Thank you. It might be possible to join them at the fountain. If it becomes too much, I can always return to the apartment and rest.” I shouldn’t be alive.
I should have died on that warehouse floor.
It would have been for the best for everyone who knew me.
I firmly believed that. Yet, because of Abel and Mazzi, I was still here.
But especially Abel. Without him calling the created warlock, I knew for certain I would have died.
Rio broke into my thoughts with his next words. “It’s their holiday. You are here to join them and to rest while away from the others at the villa. This is supposed to be a recovery time for you. Not go and see all of the tourist sights.”
Mazzi seemed to pick up on things first. Or at least to be a bit more understanding.
But he was also a warlock, and I’d learned recently that they could see colors of our auras, and I was certain he had noticed my aura’s colors changing since we’d been here.
“I am more than capable of getting everyone out of a tight situation in a blink if needed,” he said.
“Perhaps if Sandro is feeling up for it later, he’ll join us for one of the more relaxing trips. ”
They had an entire itinerary planned and were going to see everything they could in the two weeks we were going to be here.
I understood that while it was difficult for not only Marcello to get away, but for Marcello and Naldo at the same time, it had been quite the ask of the others in the coven.
The only reason Rio was here with us was that he had the ability to pop back to the villa in Naples with just a hint of magic if needed.
The hope was that his services weren’t going to be needed because if they were, that meant someone had been injured.
“That would be fun,” Abel said. “I’m sorry if I was expecting too much from you, Sandro. I thought you were already healed and were doing fine now. But I hate the thought of you being here and just hanging out in the apartment while we’re all having fun.”