Page 25 of Marcello
I nodded. “I’ll ask my beloved,” I said. I glanced back at Rio. “Are you here to stay? Or are you going back to…”
Rio offered a kind smile. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him. I…well, I didn’t. Especially if it was Master Edison who had sent him here to us.
“I am here for another month at least. I will be here for Mazzi’s birth, and after if needed. My coven in Brazil has two other doctors, and I am not necessarily needed.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure there is a story there. Why would a warlock coven need three doctors?”
Rio smiled. “They are my family. Distant cousins, and both are much older. They did not wish to come here for family reasons. I did not have anything or anyone holding me back, and I had no issues with helping out your coven.” Rio shrugged. “It is not as if I cannot protect myself.”
I nodded slowly. “Well, welcome to the coven. At least temporarily.” I pointed to the other side of the kitchen. “If you two will excuse me though. I came in to get some fruit for Abel.”
“There’s plenty in the refrigerator. But if you want something else, just say so,” Mazzi said.
I opened the refrigerator and saw the platter of fruit. I pulled it out and went in search of a plate, but Mazzi beat me to it.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I can fix a platter for him if you’d like.”
I sighed. “I am not quite used to having a warlock in the coven,” I said.
Mazzi touched my arm gently. “I understand you are upset with me. I probably shouldn’t have kidnapped your beloved, but I do agree with Master Vincent that it was for the best. You have your beloved with you now, as you should.”
I nodded. “If he hadn’t been?—”
Mazzi smiled. “I’ve heard how he went at Master Ambrosius. We all have. We haven’t even met him properly, but he has everyone’s respect. He knew who Master Ambrosius was, and hestill went after him when you were threatened. You have a feisty beloved, Marcello.”
I grinned. It made me feel great to know that the others respected my beloved. That didn’t mean that I wouldn’t be overly protective of him around them for now. That couldn’t be helped.
I started to move some of the fruit to the plate but noticed there were no strawberries. “Are we out of strawberries?” I asked.
“I don’t believe they were on the list,” Mazzi said. “Did you wish for some?”
“They are Abel’s favorite,” I told him.
“Oh. I did not know. I will be sure to make certain that we always have them here.” Mazzi waved his hand, and my plate was filled with fruit, strawberries included, and was now on a tray with a bowl of yogurt, a mug of what looked like tea, some french toast, and crepes.
“That’s quite the breakfast. I was here for some fruit and then to see if he wished to venture downstairs for a bit.”
“Did you wish for me to take it all back?”
I picked up the tray and shook my head, turning to leave. “Thanks, Mazzi,” I said. “It was nice to meet you, Rio. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again soon,” I called over my shoulder as I left the kitchen. As soon as I was out of sight, Mazzi and Rio started talking again. I made another detour back to Vincent’s office. When I walked in, he was writing something on some papers.
“What now?” Vincent asked.
I narrowed my eyes. “Why didn’t you say Sandro has left? Where is he?”
Vincent threw his pen down and leaned back. “If I knew where Sandro was, I wouldn’t be in such a foul mood.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. We’ve looked for him. He’s disappeared.”
Sandro had struggled since Vittorio had been killed. “Do you know where he is? Is he still alive?”
“No, and I do not know. Carmelo and Dario have gone out looking for him. They’ve been gone two days now, and nothing. Naldo and Armando are out locally, and beyond that, there is not a whole lot I can do. I wish I could, and I don’t want anything to happen to him any more than you do. But Sandro left on his own. I asked him to stay; he said no. I asked if he was returning. His response was he wasn’t sure.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ll take this up to Abel, and then?—”
