Page 10 of Branded in Love
With no time to lose, I flash my palm at the sidewalk, summoning my ancestral magic. Spectral blue light shoots off my hand and covers the demon’s blood, evaporating it within seconds. Gods, how could I forget to clean up? That was sloppy of me. But then, everything in me has felt messed up ever since I met this woman.
I lift her, weightless, in my arms, and carry her home.
9
LUCIANA
Twilight spreads in the room when I open my eyes. I see white stuccoed ceilings detailed with baroque paintings of the horned god, Bacchus, and Ariadne. The story comes to me, how Bacchus fell in love with Ariadne and made her his wife… Instant love. Am I delirious?
Wait a minute. Where am I?
“You’re awake,” a soft voice says. It’s gentle as a low croon, a purr that makes my skin prickle with waves of pleasure. My eyes begin to close again.
“Luciana,” he says, bringing me back.
I remember him suddenly. A soft gasp leaves my mouth. “Gavriil...” My head swings to the side lazily, and I meet the man’s dark, brooding eyes. He stares at me, uncertain. He’s sitting on a chair next to the bed. This must be his home.
“God,” I mumble, furrowing my brow. “I don’t know what happened to me.” I force myself to remember, but it only gives me a headache. “We were leaving my apartment and I just…” I take a hand to my forehead.
“You fainted,” he says. “I shouldn’t have rushed you.”
That sounds about right. I try to sit up on the bed. My limbs feel soft and shaky. Gavriil approaches a hand towards me with caution, as though he fears I might bite it off. I would have, before. But not now.
He carefully holds my arm. A shiver ripples through me at his touch. Finally, I manage to sit.
“My friend Sasha brought you some tea and biscuits,” Gavriil says, still leery. Is he afraid of me? Why would he be? Out of the two of us, he’s the one who’s tall and muscular, and so handsome...Snap out of it, Luciana.I shake my head, trying to shed those thoughts for now.
“You said there were more?” I stammer, fear clenching my throat. I don’t want to speak of this, but I have to know. “That they came to kill me, but your friend Sasha took care of them?” Slowly, my mind rebuilds those memories.
Gavriil nods. He’s not much of a talker, is he? My brow tangles with worry. “You stopped Trent when he tried to kill me,” I begin. “Are you like, a vampire hunter? Like, uh… Buffy?” I immediately regret saying that.Allof that. Inside, I’m screaming at myself and wincing.
He leans closer, intrigued. “Who’s Buffy?” he asks.
“You don’t know?” I blurt. How can he not know? Does he live under a rock when he’s not in Rome?
“Gavriil…” a man says. He stands at the bedroom’s doorway. He’s tall and of a muscular build, with a medium-length blonde mane of hair and striking ice-blue eyes.
Gavriil rises. “Sasha,” he says, and meets him at the door.
They talk in the lowest of voices, but I can still listen to their conversation. They do not speak in English, however. At one point, Gavriil nods. He pats his friend’s arm and then returns to the chair by my side while his friend leaves.
“I am not a vampire hunter,” he continues, easing my restlessness. “I’m a…” he hesitates. Why does he falter? “I’m the head of my family. There’s a lot worse than vampires where I come from.”
“And where is that?” I ask with no restraint.
“Saint Petersburg.” He replies quickly, eagerly.
“Oh, that’s right. Your name.... I wasn’t sure that’s what it was,” I say. “And just now, you were speaking Russian then.” I grab the cup from the nightstand and take a swig of tea. Apple cinnamon. My favorite.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Gavriil shrugs. “I’ve ordered Sasha to stick with English for as long as you’re here, but…”
“Orderedhim?” I raise my brow. “So, he’s your—”
Gavriil shifts in his seat. “He’s my…” He clears his throat.
“Personal assistant,” I add knowingly. The house is pretty luxurious. It makes sense he’d have one.
“Yeah.” Another fast response. Gavriil smooths his long hands over his knees and lets out a brief exhalation.
