A Foreboding Allure

Chapter 3 - Part III

-Notes from the Author- Wow. I've gotten a significant increase in the number of readers since the last posting plus several new regular readers, comments, and fans. Thank you all so so much for the support. You have no idea how much it means to me.

This scene goes back to Lucca's POV and just as a forewarning, it gets a little hot. Not R rated hot, but steamy.

Enjoy. =]

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The corridor was empty. There were no echos of footsteps from this hall or the next. All the doors were shut, rooms empty. All but one. That room was the room of Antoine Santoro. He had gone away to Rome again, leaving his "slave" Liana behind. After his summer away from home, Antoine had decided Rome would be his "go-to getaway" location. He had only been back for a week and a half before he'd decided to leave again. He didn't seem like he was upset with anything, but he didn't give a reason for leaving. No one questioned his absense. In my years spent at St. Morganne, I had determined several things about the Santoro family. Nadia and Lorenzo spent most hours in their room, the servants did they work without conversation, Dante spent most of his time in the library, and Antoine, was every where and no where, like smoke and mirrors. They didn't talk. Once in awhile Nadia would call for a family dinner, but it usually only occured to discuss business or if someone was leaving. So when Antoine left this morning,announcing to whoever was near that he would be back in a weeks time, no one cared much to ask why.

I, for one, couldn't have been more thrilled when I discovered Antoine had gone away. I hadn't seen Liana since her formal presentation to the family more than a week ago. I was warned by the sevants not to enter the room has Antoine had locked he and his girl inside and wouldn't allow but one or two servants in to clean. I had asked other questions too. Like if she had been bitten or if other activities had gone on but the servants only looked at me in disgust and shook their heads pitifully. I could barely go on with my daily duties out of worry. I had the sickest feeling in my stomach that more than just simple conversation had taken place. What could they be possibly doing in there for a week? I was certain he had taken her blood by now, probably even within the first two hours, but Antoine knew that it couldn't be a daily occurrence. Humans were delicate and their blood needed a day or two to regenerate enough to sustain consciousness.

Jealousy. It was a feeling I hadn't experience in a long while. I cared for Liana, more than I had let myself admit, and I couldn't bear the thought of Antoine taking her blood and her innocence. So today, when I found out Antoine was gone, I immediately went to his room.

His door, was identical to the eight other doors in the hall, except the door knob. His was tarnished brass; all the others were bright-polished. I stepped up to the door and rapped upon the wood twice without a moment's hesitation. I expected the door to be opened right away and for me to see Liana's face, beaming at me. But no one came. The door did not open. My heart began race. I had been too busy thinking about the possibility of sex to consider that perhaps he had gotten rid of her in the manner he had be rid of the others. My face hardened and I felt my stomach churning. She wasn't going to open the door, because she wasn't inside. She wasn't anywhere. I shut my eyes as tight as I could and tried to let the wave of sickness pass over me. I couldn't believe I'd let Antoine take her. I could've done more.

"Lucca?..." a frail voice said in a tone just above a whisper. I opened my eyes, to see Liana's emerald eyes peaking around the corner of the door. I exhaled loudly.

"Liana." I said, exasperated.

She opened the door wide enough for me to step inside and, after glancing about for spectators, I accepted her silent invitation and stepped in, shutting the door immediately behind me.

"I was so worried you'd forgotten about me, or that they'd done something awful to you for what you did that day they returned." Liana whispered sadness apparent in her voice.

I walked toward her, the plush, white, carpet sinking beneath my feet. "No one would let me in, they said Antoine was here with you all the time and I..." I trailed off, not sure what I wanted to say next. "I didn't want to think about what he was doing."

At that, she looked away from me, her eyes fixed on an invisible spot on the carpet. "I wish you would have told me the first night I came here." she said. There was no emotion in her voice this time, and it broke my heart. I felt my eyes start to water as I looked at her. All of her. She was wearing a simple, dark green dress. Her hair was draped over both shoulders, hanging free. She had lost weight. He cheek bones were more prominent, giving her face a slightly ghostly look. She could have looked worse, so I guess Antoine was taking care of her at whatever bare minimum he could, but she could have looked much better.

Her eyes were still fixed on the carpet, near the bed. I strained my eyes to see if there was anything she was looking at, but the white there was just the same as everywhere else in the room, stark, flawless. I put a hand gently her cheek and turned her to face me again. "Did he...?" I trailed off, unsure of what to ask.

"Bite my neck and drink my blood? I would assume so. Force himself upon me? Not completely, no. Hurt me? Well, I wouldn't really know how to answer that." Liana replied matter of factly. She looked me straight in the eyes. A fierce, questioning gave fire to the deep green.

In a split second, her lips were on mine. She was kissing me with the passion of fire and ice. Her lips and tongue caressing mine. I was stunned at first, not sure what was happening but when her arms were around my neck, fingers in my hair, I found myself and was able to act accordingly. I didn't hold back. I allowed myself to unleash the hunger I'd had for her since we'd met. It was the first time I'd really let myself feel anything at all for her. I hadn't known her long, but I felt like we were connected, like old souls. I kissed her, gently though. I felt like she was fragile after her week with the leech and was afraid to hurt her. We stayed like that for a few moments until I pulled away.

"Liana..." I began. I felt like her attraction was out of nowhere and I wasn't sure if it was some sort of confusion she was suffering from loneliness or loss of blood. "You don't...This isn't..."

"Shut up. I do. And it is." she interrupted, and grabbing my hair again and pulling my head towards her.

I briefly considered pushing her away, and walking out. This was too much, too soon. Not that I didn't want it, but I didn't think it was what she really wanted. She was with me out of spite, not directed towards anyone but herself, and maybe Antoine. Yes, I considered walking away, but I did not.

No, instead, I placed my hands on her shoulders and pushed her back to she was against the wall. Placing my hands flat on the wall just above her shoulders I looked down at her just as she looked up at me. He green eyes sparkled, teasing me. I went in for the kiss. This time I didn't care about being gentle. I kissed her, hard. And she responded, once again, by placing her arms around my neck. My hands left the wall and wondered up and down her body as I kissed her deeper. Our breathing got heavier, faster, and faster still. I wanted her, and she knew it. She moved her lips away from mine and began kissing my neck, slow, passionate kisses while my hands continued to explore her. "Luccaaa." She whispered, breathless, in my ear.

Then, there was a sudden flash. The door was shoved opened, and violently shut, in a split second Dante was beside us. He grabbed me by the arm and lifted me effortlessly off the floor and threw me out into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him.

My head was spinning and I was out of breath. I had absolutely no idea what had just happened.