Pretty Poison

Nineteen

"You were so close this whole time?...I knew it," he whispers, his eyes flickering away deep in thought. "You must've been hidden well, the militia men searched everywhere for you."

"I moved shelters every chance I got, sometimes never going to one at all, it's a part of my life I really don't want to remember," I say honestly, effigies of all those restless nights lying next to people who were empty and had nothing to lose.

"I can't imagine what it was like," Luca states, reaching across the table to place a gentle hand over mine. I flinch at the sudden movement.

I just bob my head, scrutinizing his hand on mine, taking in every detail of his skin, and what it feels like to have it on my own. The more I study him, the perpetual voice of his father returns to me.

You are below him.

"I-I'm sorry, Luca, this was a bad idea. I have to go back," I abruptly assert, pushing back the chair and standing, ripping my hand from his.

I came back to tell him the truth, to turn myself in, but I'm too much of a coward. I can't do it. And for that I don't deserve this.

I begin to walk away from the table but am almost immediately stopped by Luca's strong grip around my wrist.

"You left once before, I'm not letting you leave again," Luca says, his voice low and assertive.

I become fossilized in place, unable to escape his strong grip. His eyes seemingly darken, his retinas dilating a moment after. He lets go of his strong grip a moment later, my skin hot from contact.

"It's too dangerous for you to go back, and I don't want you there, Beatrice, let me show you that you belong here, please," he prays, standing up from his seat and stepping close to me, our bodies only a half a meter apart. "You will be safer here, Sergio is gone and so are his men, and if they ever come back I will do anything to hide you from them."

My voice left me, my body and heart completely lost. It becomes hard to breathe, my chest frozen mid inhale. I can't stop myself from admiring him, his face, his body, every feature is perfectly sculpted. I imagine myself doing unforgivable things...letting him do these things, but I push them away, doing everything in my power to suppress them.

"T-they will come back," I manage to breathe.

"And if they do, we will leave, we can go anywhere in the world, and if they come after us then we will find somewhere else; but I will not let you go back to that place in Venice, to wherever you hid for so long, it's not safe for you there."

He steps closer, the stars reflecting in his irises forming their own constellations. Guilt takes over me as he takes my hand in his once again, my skin tingling at the innocent gesture. It feels so strange, yet so good; I never knew that even the simplest touch could feel so pleasurable.

"I will give you a room here, alright, there's plenty of them. I will keep you hidden from sight, and I will make sure you have everything you need, I promise," he places his other hand over top of mine, cupping my hand with his.

I take in a deep breath, "Okay," I breathe out, and at that a wide smile paints itself on his face. His smile reaches from ear to ear, utter elation washing over him.

"Follow me, then," without a second more, he jaunts back towards the house, opening the door and waiting for me to come to him. "Come on," he says, waving a hand to tell me to move.

He nods at a servant as he passes them, and they do the same, as if they were secretly communicating. He walks through the hallway to the living room then up the stairs, I follow closely behind.

"Your room will be in the farthest wing, no one hardly ever goes back there, you'll be safe there," he peers over his shoulder to look at me as he speaks, "Plus," he adds, "It has a perfect view of the
gardens," he says smiling. A smile of my own forms, leaving me content, yet for some reason scared.

He flicks a light switch on, illuminating an expansive hallway with walls of black cracked marble. Near every other door, a one of a kind art piece hangs from the walls, complimenting the space.

"Here we are," he says, opening the door and gesturing for me to head inside.

I walk through the threshold slowly, taking in the phenomenal beauty that lays inside. Luca walks in behind me and observes my every movement as my eyes wander every inch of the room.

"I hope this will do," he says with a slight laugh, full well knowing that it will be.

"This is perfect," I answer, my voice trailing off as I continue to stare in awe and excitement.

I pivot on my heel to face him, my eyes involuntarily traveling his body head to toe then back up. His hands are behind his back, causing his shirt to be tightly pulled around his pecks, displaying his chiseled chest and defined muscular arms. It amazes me how much a person can change in four year. The last time I saw him he was skinny and barely had any muscle.

He turns to head for the door, but pauses before leaving, something coming to mind.

"One more thing, I must warn you about Vincenzo...he has changed too, but not in a good way. He's taken after my father...he's dangerous. Whatever you do, stay away from him at all costs, he cannot know that you are here, and I am dead serious, do you understand?" He says, his sweet voice flooding with acerbity.

I nod, "Yes, I understand."

"Good, then I will see you tomorrow then, if you need anything please don't be afraid to ask. I'll be awake for a while, so don't worry about that. And remember what I said, stay out of sight, I can only trust a few in this house and don't need everyone knowing you're here to risk your safety. Goodnight," he states, placing one foot out the threshold, his hand on the knob. "Sleep well," and with that, he leaves, shutting the door behind him with ease.

I listen as his footsteps begin to dissipate down the hallway. It is silent, no noises, no movements, I can hear my blood running through my veins, the pulses becoming louder and louder as I search the room again.

To say the room was large would be an understatement. This single room was larger than the apartment I lived in, in fact, two or even three times the size. The floors are a beautiful white quartz with sparkles and hints in shimmering gold specks. The walls are black marble, the same marble that carried on throughout the mansion.

A bed large enough to sleep three people is pushed up against the right wall, sticking out into the room with a wide black bench resting at it's foot. On either side, a bedside table stands with legs painted gold and drawers of black. Abstract pieces of art sit on the surface beside matching lamps.

The backboard of the bed is embroidered with gold pearls varying in size, and behind that stretches a mirror from floor to ceiling. The bed itself is spread with a gorgeous black comforter with a royal gold pattern, the throw pillows complimenting the spread perfectly. Across from the bed stands a large wardrobe reaching the ten foot high ceiling. The doors have gold trim work and black handles.

I stare at it in amazement, my eyes traveling up to see a large chandelier hanging down from the trey ceiling, and I can't help but feel out of place here. I avert my gaze downward, only now seeing the two large windows on either side of a door leading to the balcony. Black curtains hang from the large windows and are tied back with ribbons. I walk over to the window, unhooking the lock to open the glass to let fresh air in.

I exhale, relaxing my entire body and soul, savoring where I am now. It feels unreal, like a surreal dream that will end at any moment.

I turn from the window, making my way over to the bed and running my hands across the comforter, the fluff ruffling under my touch. I jump up, the mattress indenting slightly under my weight, and I instantly am engulfed in comfort. I lay down, and within moments, my entire body is taken over by sleep.