CHAPTER THIRTEEN

C raig stepped into the central security office of Casa Moretti. It had been a long time since he’d been here. Things had been modernized over the centuries, as had all their locations around the world, but standing inside the spec’d out room in person was different.

This castle was old. Like, really fucking old. Thousands of years old. To see it fitted out with modern-day technology was a trip. At the very least, it was a great distraction for a moment.

But only for a moment.

His mind kept flashing back to the moment he’d just had with Brianna. Her heart rate had skyrocketed, and those eyes of hers had dilated so most of that gorgeous green had disappeared.

He could have ripped off her clothes and fucked her on his bed, and hell, he’d wanted to. Had she been aware she’d licked her lips and looked at him like he was her next meal?

He’d had to step away or he would have broken his promise to keep his hands to himself. Sure, she had looked willing enough, but she would have regretted it, and then this whole fake relationship would blow up in their faces.

And he’d meant what he said. He couldn’t. Sexual attraction aside, his feelings for Brianna were unsettling him. He needed to keep his cock out of any decision-making.

She deserved a nice human man who would love her. Someone who would give her the whole mortal package—the wedding, babies, a picket fence or two.

He couldn’t give her that. Love. He’d been down that road, and it had ended in disaster; a shredded heart only a vampire could understand.

Craig stared out the window at the inky sky. Oh, how he’d loved staring up at the sky at night, learning the names of the constellations and planets.

When he was a different person.

He was still young, having just had his one hundredth birthday. It was the seventeenth century. His parents were not wealthy, so he worked the land with his father. Europe was at war over religion, and Ferdinando I de’ Medici, ruled over most of Italy.

One evening when out walking near the Arno River in Florence, he had crossed the Ponte Vecchio, taking in the incredible engineering magnificence of the bridge.

That was the thing about living a long time—you got to witness the evolution of life, invention, and technology in a different way than a mortal. Back then, they could only witness it, not take part. Vampires had lived on the outskirts of society. The invention of electricity and the lightbulb had changed everything for them.

Now vampires worked night shifts or in labs, and were able to contribute their smart minds to the development of planet earth.

That fateful day, Craig’s admiring thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a speeding carriage approaching. He leapt to the side, conscious not to use vampire speed in case he was seen.

The carriage hit the bridge and continued toward him when the horse suddenly faltered. As it fell, the carriage strained and tipped on its side. Craig, already a strong vampire at this point, halted only a second to check for witnesses and then sped across the short distance to catch the vehicle.

He was too late, and it landed on its side. When he heard the female screams coming from inside, he ripped open the door and found two humans. First, he assisted the more distressed older woman and used his vampire abilities to tell her she was calm and safe. She quieted and sat on the bridge.

Then he reached back in, and his life changed in that instant. A second female sat rubbing her head, long dark curls loose and falling around her shoulders. The moment their eyes locked, his heart began pounding in his chest. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“ Chi è Lei ?” she asked, wanting to know who he was.

He smirked and replied, “ Il suo cavaliere dall’armatura splendente.”

She blushed and giggled at his claim to be her knight in shining armor as he pulled her out.

“What is your name, bella ?”

She didn’t answer him immediately, but eventually, he discovered she was Marie de’ Medici.

Inwardly, he cursed. This beautiful creature, human though she was, was the niece of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Off-limits to a poor male such as he.

After delivering her and her lady-in-waiting home, he was rewarded by the duke and invited in for refreshments. Marie blushed the entire meal and then was sent to her room.

After that eve, they met by the river each night, where they talked, held hands, and shared delicious kisses. She was a virgin, as all females of worth were in those days, and Craig had no desire to disrespect her.

Well, his body wanted to, but not his heart.

He wanted to turn her, to share with her that he was a vampire and could gift her with immortality, but he couldn’t bear to see the fear in her eyes. Plus, he was waiting for the sign she was his mate. He had little doubt, and yet his eyes didn’t change—no rim around his irises appeared. It didn’t always happen immediately, so he waited as patiently as a male in love could.

Then the next fateful day of his life arrived. On the fifth of October, 1600, his life changed forever. Marie de’ Medici was announced as the wife of King Henry IV of France. A marriage by proxy, meaning she hadn’t been present nor consenting.

He fled to her home and burst into her rooms, where she flew into his arms, crying, and he knew he had to have her. She needed his protection.

“Come with me. Spend your life with me, Marie,” he pleaded. “I have little, but I promise to protect you for eternity.”

She cried and shook her head, explaining why it was out of her hands. The king was coming for her.

“Fuck the king,” he said. He’d kill them all for her and rip the guy’s head off.

Desperate to get her to safety and have her trust he was capable of doing so, he told her what he was. She scrambled away from him in terror. At her screams, the household came running into her room as she threw cross after cross at him.

Craig had, in that moment, missed the opportunity to capture her and take her with him. Staring as she looked at him like he was an animal, he took in all the emotions of pain and rejection, feeling his heart tear open as silver crosses and other bedroom accessories bounced off his body.

He remembered the moment a tear had formed in his eye and slipped from the corner. Marie saw it too and halted for just a mere second, but she had already decided, and shook her head.

Craig’s world turned black as he leapt out the window and raced through the streets of Florence, his heart screaming.

He ran and ran until he collapsed.

Later, full of ale and having fucked no less than five wenches, he made his way into the streets and howled. For the next three months, he left a trail of bodies, none of them undeserving. He became a super vigilante.

Human or vampire, he didn’t give a fuck. Rapists, thieves, child molesters—he gutted them all, his soul black and uncaring. Soon, the lines became blurred, and he killed a woman. She was the madam in a brothel, and he’d seen her whipping her wenches. Blood had poured down the creamy skin of a young female, no older than fourteen. The madam was French, he discovered, just like that fucker Henry.

One evening, he followed her out into the night as she was delivering her top-class prostitutes to the Moretti princes. He had heard even then about their infamous orgies and how picky they were about who they allowed into their castle.

Back then, of course, he hadn’t known one day that would benefit him, but he digressed.

Brayden Moretti had spotted him in the shadows that night, but he’d hurried out of the prince’s view. It was after he’d taken the female’s life that Craig learned nothing got past the powerful alpha.

Brayden had waited for him to finish the job before approaching him, and what surprised Craig the most was that he hadn’t even fucking heard him. He knew it wasn’t because he’d been distracted in his kill. The prince was just that damn good. And then he’d pounced.

At first, Craig had frozen. He couldn’t fight the prince. The prince of the vampire race. Then he realized what the male was doing. He was giving him a punching bag, so to speak. He’d roared and bared his fangs, not because he wanted to rid himself of his fury, but because he was fucking furious.

“You waste your time here, prince. Go save another.” In the dead of the night, the two powerful vampires had slashed, punched, kicked, jumped, and bitten each other for hours.

“You ready to give up yet?” Brayden panted.

“Fuck off.”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

They continued until the sun began to peek above the horizon, pushing them into a cave. Exhausted, bloody, and full of fury, Craig bashed his own head against the cave wall as Brayden sat opposite him on the dirt.

“Was she your mate?” the prince eventually asked.

When Craig glared at the royal male, it had zero impact. He simply held his stare, and it felt like Brayden was holding him grounded on the planet. It was true; the sunlight had been beckoning him in the days surrounding those events.

“You can step outside, my friend, but I’ll ask you one more time. Was she your mate?”

His voice was dry and croaky when he replied. “I had assumed so.”

They said little more that day, dozing on and off. He suspected the prince did little sleeping, concerned he would sprint out into the sun. Craig never stopped to question why he cared.

As night fell, the prince stood, looked down at him, and said in a princely tone. “You have killed enough people, including vampires, which I cannot abide.”

Craig looked up, wiped his face, and nodded. “I am done.”

And he was. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but this was no life.

“Good. In that case, I have a proposal for you.”

He blinked. He couldn’t fathom what the prince could ever want from him, but he soon learned, and it changed his world forever.

“Join the Royal Army. I have a position I think might suit you. But you will need to prove yourself.”

Him, a soldier? He’d always been a fighter, a warrior of sorts. Craig knew even back then he was strong and large, even for a vampire, but thought he would always work the land and support his family. Yet he had deserted and shamed them with his actions. With little thought, because some things just felt so damn right, he nodded.

“I accept your offer.”

The prince held out his hand and pulled him to his feet. “Good. Get your ass cleaned up and let’s get you home to Casa Moretti.”

And here he still stood.

But that hadn’t been the end of the story. After returning to Florence for some ale and a meal, they exited the establishment and headed to the prince’s carriage. As they crossed the dark dirt road, four humans stepped out of the shadows.

Of course, with their vampire sight, they had already seen them, but you couldn’t go around using your powers—especially when you were a Moretti—so he had taken Brayden’s lead and allowed the men to confront them.

The humans were dressed in the French king’s guard uniform. Two of them grabbed the prince, and the other two stepped right up into his space. When the prince made no move, he continued to follow his lead; the race worked hard to keep their existence a secret. Both of them knew they could have the humans unconscious and piled in a corner in a matter of seconds; however, these men would be missed.

“Gentlemen, what can we do for you this eve?” Brayden asked.

“Keep your mouth shut and you can go on your way. Your friend here, though, has gone where he shouldn’t have, and the king wants him thrown out with the trash.”

Without warning, they shot him. Right there. And right in his fucking chest. Craig could still remember the feeling, and it wasn’t very damn nice. He’d slumped to the ground, and the four humans had taken off.

Brayden had cursed and dropped to his feet. “Don’t fucking die on me. I need a male as strong as you on my team. Let’s go.”

The next thing he knew, they were back in that damn cave, and he was sucking down the prince’s blood. The bullet had pierced damn close to his heart. Damn close. Any closer, and he would have been toast.

It had ruptured a major artery, and he’d bled fast. As he had drunk the Moretti blood, he had begun healing, but he had needed a lot.

“Wow, you really know how to choose your females,” the prince had muttered, his shirt rolled up and wrist held up to Craig’s mouth. “Keep drinking. Your chest is a fucking mess.”

It had taken hours before he had healed properly, and with it had come more strength than he remembered. And he still retained it to this day.

He’d nearly lost his life multiple times over Marie de’ Medici, yet his irises had never changed. He had loved her, and he had known the hell of losing her. While he had some doubts that lingered, no other female had ever triggered emotions in him other than lust, and so he’d long assumed she had been his mate.

She was long dead and buried, as any history buff knew, and Craig was grateful in a dark way for the path that had led him to the Moretti’s.

Watching Brayden recently come close to the same possibility of pain with Willow had reminded him of the soul-destroying pain he’d suffered. Now being back on Italian soil had cemented it for him. Whatever he’d felt for Brianna in the bathroom that night had triggered him. She continued to get under his skin and inside of him, and it unnerved him. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and protect her while wanting to teleport to the other side of the planet to protect himself. She had the potential to reach places inside of him that he’d kept protected for hundreds of years.

The room filled with vampires, and he was saved from his walk down memory lane.

A few hours later, he stood and stretched his arms. He’d reconnected with many of the local lieutenants and handpicked a few to assist him and the prince.

“Be ready tomorrow, boys. The captain will be in to meet with you.”

Their excited faces and nods would impress the prince.

He headed back to his rooms, and though he tried not to, he popped his head around the corner of the bedroom door, which had been left open. Lying on his bed, with her arms splayed out and vibrant red hair tossed across his pillows, was his little witch.

He stepped inside and noticed the slight tinge in the sky signaling the sun was about to peek above the horizon. Craig glanced at the button on the wall beside the bed. It was new. When he had last been here, the technology hadn’t existed. But they had it in the other castle, so he knew what it did.

He stepped closer to press it and a little voice spoke.

“Craig?”

“Hey, go back to sleep.”

Because she never did anything he asked, she half sat up and began rubbing her eyes. He rolled his and then pressed the button. A quiet whirring sound began as the protective blinds in his set of rooms rolled down.

Bri glanced at him in question.

“Sorry. It’s either darkness or I’ll turn to ash.” He shrugged and grinned. As her mouth fell open, he reached out and tipped her chin up. “Dangerous having those beautiful lips open, baby.”

She blushed and then looked down at her negligee, which was very nearly exposing a set of luscious, perfectly sized breasts. He sighed.

“I was just checking on you. Go back to sleep. I’ll be on the sofa.”

She shook her head sleepily. “No, we’re tag teaming it, remember? You can have the bed.”

She made to get out of it, but he stopped her. “Hey, it’s only 5:30 a.m. and you’ve had barely any sleep.”

She flopped back down and looked over at the other side of the bed. “This bed is huge. If you keep your boxers on, you can crash over there. I will get up soon, then it’s all yours.”

Yeah, that was not fucking happening.

For one, as soon as his jeans came off, his constant hard-on would make a grand entrance; and two, falling asleep beside the smart-mouthed little witch would be a complete impossibility.

“Ah, no.” He laughed. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be fine on the sofa.”

He walked out before she could argue and flopped onto the large piece of furniture, kicking off his shoes. Reaching behind him, he ripped off his shirt and then removed his jeans.

He dozed off quicker than he imagined until suddenly, his eyes flew open. “Shit, Bri, don’t do that. To me or any vampir—” He half sat, eyes bulging out of his head.

She was standing in front of him in her skimpy black negligee, holding a blanket from the bed.

A fucking negligee.

“Sorry, I wanted to give you a blanket and pillow.” She threw them at him and put her hands on her hips. “I’m just trying to be nice; you could try to be less snappy.”

He closed his eyes for a long moment.

“Christ. Okay, I apologize, but usually when someone creeps up on me, they don’t live long.” He let that sink in. “And new house rule. Cover yourself up or...” She raised an eyebrow in question, hands still on her hips. “...and stop standing like that because it pushes your boobs out.”

God, he wanted to reach out and push the material down while lowering his mouth over her nipples.

Bri looked down at herself and took her hands off her hips before stomping back into the bedroom. Craig flopped back down on the sofa, throwing the blanket over his now extremely hard cock, and tried to sleep. A minute later, she stomped back out into the lounge, and he opened one eye.

“What am I supposed to do all day if you are all sleeping?” She threw her arms up in the air.

Good question.

He sighed.

“You hungry?”

She nodded. Craig handed her a phone and told her to dial 888 and order whatever she wanted as he pushed her back into the bedroom. He grabbed the remote, turned on Netflix, and climbed onto the bed. Patting the space beside him, he waited. “Come on. When was the last time you watched Netflix and chilled all day?”

She hesitated and narrowed her eyes at him. Then, with a sigh, she climbed onto the bed, pulling the covers up. “A while ago, but we’re not watching boy stuff.”

He turned slowly. With dark eyes, he leaned down close. “Never confuse me with a boy, Brianna.”

Her flush thrilled him. As did the way she swallowed.

One eggs Benedict and three episodes of The Originals later—which he knew she’d chosen to irritate him—and he’d finally unlocked his jaw enough to ask if she wanted to watch another episode. Instead, when he looked down, he found her asleep.

How could someone so vulnerable and small have such a damn impact on him?

Craig shook his head and pressed the power button.

Thank fucking God .

He slid down the sheets and closed his eyes.