Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
Titus snarled at each tiny scratch or scrape that marred Alessia’s skin as he cleaned and treated her injuries.
Her fingers smoothed over the wrinkles marring his forehead.
Looking up, he met her gaze. She cupped his jaw and leaned forward to kiss him tenderly.
The exchange seemed to reach into his heart, enchanting him.
“I’m okay, Daddy.”
“I should have killed him,” Titus snarled.
“No. You punished him more than a quick end. Enzo has no money and no men. Intimidation and violence formed the backbone of his power. He has nothing now,” Alessia said. She was surprised to feel sorry for Enzo. Not anger, but pity for him.
“That’s still too much,” Titus snapped.
Her Daddy wasn’t lashing out at her. Enzo had endangered her.
Only Alaric’s intervention had kept him from killing her brother.
Nothing she could have said would have swayed him from that goal.
She hated what Enzo had become but remembered the relationship they’d had as kids.
Alessia wanted to believe that part of Enzo was inside him. Somewhere.
On the other hand, the fact that Frankie no longer posed a threat to her was an immense relief.
For years, her skin had crawled at the sight of him.
That sensation had only gotten more sickening once he’d set his sights on claiming her for himself.
The idea of being intimate with him had given her nightmares.
Shaking off those horrible visual images, Alessia studied Titus’s handsome face, now clouded with anger and concern.
Wishing to pull him from the negative thoughts of the past several hours, she gasped theatrically as he dabbed at her next injury.
Immediately, concern superseded his anger.
Titus appeared to push away his plans for revenge as he focused on her.
“My apologies, Little mate. I hate causing you pain, but I have to clean these wounds so they don’t fester.”
She sniffed sadly as she nodded. “I know, Daddy. Thank you for keeping me safe.”
A knock on the study door drew their attention. Alessia turned in her chair to stare behind her. Marcus filled the doorway. “Can Carina and I come in?”
“You are always welcome,” Titus greeted him. He dabbed at one last spot before dropping the cotton pad into the trash bin. Alessia breathed a sigh of relief to have someone deflect her Daddy’s attention.
“Hi!” Carina called, squeezing around the bulk of her Daddy. She hurried to Alessia’s side and dropped onto the ottoman beside her chair. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” Alessia reassured her.
“She’s got a million bruises and scrapes,” Titus growled as he walked forward to shake Marcus’s hand.
“Everything will heal,” Alessia said.
“You have lots of ouchies. No wonder your Daddy is growly. He’s all Papa Bear over you,” Carina said, adding a bit of levity to the room. “You were so brave.”
“Too brave,” Titus said.
“We needed to check on you.” Marcus nodded toward Carina, clueing Alessia and Titus in that his mate had wanted to talk with Alessia personally.
“Donovan, Bram, and Darius are out in the foyer too,” Carina said.
“Come in, everyone,” Titus called.
Soon the room was full. The men stood together in a semicircle, smiling at Carina and Alessia, who chatted happily.
The tension of the last several days ebbed from Alessia’s frame as she considered them.
Her new family. She glanced at her Daddy and smiled at that idea.
After years of being isolated and having no one in her corner, all these fierce warriors and Carina had come to her defense. Everything would be fine.
Gio appeared in the doorway. “Sir, you have another guest. I will bring refreshments.” When he stood back, the air vibrated with electricity.
The vampires all turned to face the door and lowered their eyes slightly to the ground. Carina’s hand tightened on Alessia’s arm. Who is this? Staring at the door, Alessia held her breath.
The devastatingly handsome figure she’d first spotted in the Nightfall video appeared framed in the doorway.
In person, his magnetism impacted her at an unbelievable level.
Unable to look away, Alessia met his gaze and shivered at the ice-blue eyes that seemed to see directly through her.
He was more attractive than she remembered.
Look down, Little mate.
The brush of Titus’s mind on hers interrupted her inability to break eye contact. She dragged her gaze to the carpet under her feet, and the mental bonds that wrapped around her loosened slightly. Alessia drew in a shaky breath of relief. That connection had been too intense.
“Your bravery impressed me, Alessia. You are the perfect mate for Titus. My congratulations to you both for finding each other and sealing the bond. May you have many years of happiness together,” Alaric decreed.
“Thank you, Alaric,” Titus answered for them both.
“Should I convene a clan gathering?” Alaric asked.
Sensing that she was somehow involved in the meeting, Alessia lifted her chin automatically to check where Alaric’s attention focused. Titus tightened his grip on her hand. Focusing on the rug under her feet, she nodded to signal him she understood as Titus addressed the Elder’s question.
“Yes. With Enzo’s continued existence, my mate is not safe from his threat.” Titus’s tone was blunt.
“Are you questioning my decision, Titus?” Alaric’s response dripped with iciness.
Alessia inhaled and held her breath. Whirls of power circled around her, whispering over her already sensitive skin. What was Titus doing?
“Honestly, yes,” Titus admitted before adding, “I do acknowledge that you may have additional information that I do not.” His voice was hard and controlled, as if he struggled not to lash out at the clan leader. Alessia squeezed his hand back, trying to reassure him she was okay and he could relax.
“I do,” Alaric confirmed before continuing, “I will draw everyone together on the next full moon. That will give you time to prepare.”
“Thank you, Alaric,” Titus answered. His voice sounded slightly less tense. Alessia smoothed her fingers over his skin in silent appreciation.
The electric vibrations in the room diminished. Alessia peeked up and found the space where Alaric had stood was empty. She turned to Titus and whispered, “Is his appearance always like that?”
“Every single time. I do not understand his actions today, but I have learned over the years to trust his instincts. Perhaps Enzo’s mere presence prevents a bigger threat from gaining power. Besides, we have Bram to monitor him. Tell me how fucked Enzo is, Darius.”
“We’ve smashed his financial house of cards, leaving his business tattered on the ground,” Darius reported with satisfaction. “The tax authorities also received a detailed accounting that will complicate his life further.”
Will my mother and sisters face repercussions for Enzo’s actions? Alessia pushed the worry from her mind. They had aligned themselves with Enzo. Her family wasn’t her problem to solve.
“Darius is a wizard with numbers,” Carina whispered to Alessia. “He scares me a bit when he works with Bram online. No one is safe.”
Of course, everyone overheard her. Darius laughed heartily, and Bram flexed his fingers as if he were a concert pianist getting warmed up. The tension in the room deflated.
“We need some drinks,” Titus proclaimed and headed for the fully stocked bar where he mirrored Bram’s finger stretches before tossing a crystal rocks glass into the air and catching the tumbler behind his back.
He pulled out the bottle of Hardy Perfection cognac from a concealed spot on a lower shelf.
Unfortunately, Donovan had joined him and spotted the label.
“Whoa! Are you hiding the good stuff? What year is that?” Donovan asked, walking closer to see for himself.
“What’s Titus keeping from us?” Marcus asked.
“Little girls only,” Titus said. “You scoundrels are too jaded for this perfection.” He added a finger-deep pour to the glass and delivered the drink to Alessia. “Let me know if you want more, Little mate.”
“Would you care for a glass, Carina?” he asked.
“What is it?” Carina asked hesitantly.
“Brandy. Here, try mine first if you’d like,” Alessia said, holding out her glass.
Carina sniffed the liquid first and wrinkled her nose at the scent. “It’s strong, isn’t it?”
“Take a teeny sip, Carina,” Marcus warned her.
“It tastes like chocolate,” Alessia said.
Emboldened by that encouragement, Carina lifted the glass and sampled it. Immediately, she thrust the tumbler back to Alessia with a shudder and watering eyes. “That is nothing like chocolate. I think my breath could catch fire near an open flame. That’s strong.”
“It is definitely for sipping rather than guzzling,” Titus agreed.
Marcus popped open the seal on a bottle of water from the bar fridge and placed the container in Carina’s hands. She squeaked her thanks and guzzled several mouthfuls before sighing.
“Tastes like chocolate,” Carina mumbled, shaking her head as she gave Alessia the side-eye.
“Sorry, Carina. I love this brandy.” Alessia took a sip and allowed the fine spirit to coat her tongue as she savored the flavor. The hint of chocolate registered on her tastebuds as always.
“It’s okay. You can like whatever you want. I still call people a friend even if they think yucky licorice is tasty,” Carina said, good-naturedly.
“Now that’s the worst flavor,” Alessia agreed. “Maybe my Daddy could make you a Carina?”
“Ooh! Yummy!” Carina turned to smile at Titus.
As if on cue, Gio pushed a cart into the room. Alessia sat up straight, straining to see what he had delivered. He took the lids off the serving dishes. Instantly, a delicious aroma captured Alessia’s attention. Her stomach growled, announcing her hunger.
“Ladies first,” Gio announced. As they approached, he handed Titus a small pitcher of a thick purple substance. “Blackberry puree.”
“Yay, Carinas!” Carina celebrated.
Alessia and Carina jumped to their feet and hurried to the cart.
Gio handed each of them a plate and offered to help them to different dishes.
Alessia chose a thick turkey sandwich on a small, soft bun, some apple slices, and a giant snickerdoodle cookie.
Carina had grapes, two fried chicken wings, and a chocolate brownie.
Carrying their plates back to the sitting area at the side of the room where they’d chatted before, they settled on the padded seats to devour their food.
Titus delivered a bottle of water for her to drink with her meal.
He smoothed a hand over her hair. She leaned her head into his caress, loving his tender touch.
When they were alone, she would pay for her rebellion against his wishes, but in her core, Alessia was confident that Titus cared about her deeply.
“Eat, Alessia,” he said and returned to the bar to craft a Carina for Marcus’s mate.
The others crowded around the cart before grabbing a drink from the display of bottles as Titus created Carina’s drink.
Soon everyone sat in comfortable chairs.
As they ate, companionable chatter filled the room.
The guys discussed some concerns about Nightfall and listened carefully to Alessia and Carina’s suggestions.
When Alessia had finished her food, she slumped against Titus’s torso. She yawned, covering her mouth to hide her exhaustion from the others. She didn’t want them to think they needed to leave. A small snore interrupted the conversation about upgrading the cameras in the alleys.
Marcus immediately stood and scooped the sleeping Carina into his arms. “Later,” he said quietly as he headed for the door without another word. The others followed him out soon after.
When Titus picked up Alessia, he cuddled her on his shoulder as he headed for their room.
Setting her feet on the rug in the bathroom, he then quickly stripped off his clothes.
“My apologies, Little mate, for not simply tucking you in bed. I need to remove the scent of Enzo, Frankie, and anyone else who touched you.”
That quiet statement instantly sparked her need to wash them away as well. “Please.”
In a few seconds, he supported her under the warm spray. He smoothed silky cleanser over her skin. The terror of the attack drifted from her mind. His hands removed the traces of others and added pleasant sensations of his addictive caresses.
By the time he wrapped her in a thick, thirsty towel, Alessia could barely keep her eyes open. She swayed on her feet. “Daddy, I’m tired.”
“Little mate, into bed you go. Hopper needs to see that you’re safe.” He picked her up and carried her to the king-size bed. He tossed back the covers and retrieved the stuffed bunny from the pillows, tucking her stuffie into her arms.
“Oh, Hopper,” she whispered and squeezed the stuffie close as Titus settled her on the mattress. She pressed a kiss to Hopper’s soft fur and drifted immediately to sleep.