Bloody City: Temptations

Chapter Fifteen

"At the time I didn't know, it seemed like the right thing in the moment, but now," she paused and I heard her move so I reopened my eyes so it wouldn't seem like I'd been anticipating a no that my heart was beating hard for the possibility of hearing her say those words.

"Now?" I puzzle feigning indifference when it was actually a very important thing to me. Whether she knew it or not her word was my personal law, because I wanted her to like being here in my villa.

"Now I believe that it's what I wanted, whatever you tell yourself about being a monster, I don't believe you are Alessio. I think you're a man with a life not many would want," she says and I could make out the sympathy in her eyes, and though I understood the look I wouldn't ask why she felt that way about me, why sympathy had been the immediate reaction when thinking of my past life. I could guess but I wouldn't, not when strength was the only thing I had.

"You never have to pity me Aria, I know what I am, and I'll never pretend to be anything else" I say and she just smiles up at me.

"You know you haven't taught me how to defend myself, and with that civil war threat it might be useful if someone ever tries to come after you," she says and I nod.

Arianna wasn't wrong, someone would inevitably come after me, I had enemies and I wasn't going to deny that. They would come for Arianna and I wasn't willing to risk that.

"Fine, I'll teach you," I say walking away to lead her to the gym in my house. Crossing the garden we walked back into the house and through the hallways that I had memorized until we got to the gym in the East Wing of my Villa stepping into the room with various weight racks along one wall, along with equiptment and a fighting arena in the middle of the room I looked to Aria who was looking around the room.

"I spent a lot of time here, Matteo does too when he visit's," I say walking into a small room that was meant for a change room and held benches for putting things, along with private showers, and a wood panelled sauna. The actual gym gave off the smell of the rubber mats that covered the floors and the cologne that I'd asked my house to be lightly sprayed with so that the whole house had a luxurious smell, not that it didn't look like it was a palace.

Pulling off my jacket I hung it along with removing my button up and folding it neatly same with my pants and shoes, before I took the training shorts and shirt I wore when training along with the hand wrap and gloves. Lining them along the bench I turned to find Arianna staring at me with her eyes wider then usual all while slowly approaching me.

"I thought the La Cosa Nostra didn't allow tattoos?" Aria remarks walking over to me and gently grazing my back with the ends of her fingers sending a small shiver up my spine.

"They don't it's to not have us stand out, mine is a vow. The words along the back of my shoulder blades are a pact I made with my siblings, we have them on us in different places. the tattoo artist was killed after giving us the tattoos for secrecy," I say turning to look at her.

"What do the words mean?" Aria asks as I pulled the black long sleeve athletic shirt over my torso.

"Blood bound till death. We make a vow to enter alive and leave dead. My siblings and I made one to stick by one another no matter what, that's our vow," I explain and she nods.

"You seem to want to be as dark a person as you can, why?".

"Because the Familia is all I have, and I have to be Don of the Familia, I made a promise to be in this family, and everyone across Italy knows that if they want to find themselves with a bullet in their head they come after the Salvatorini Familia," I say pulling on shorts and pulling a pile of clothing from a closet.