As soon as we entered back inside, I could feel the fog like daze start to recede. The dancing had stopped, although many people remained standing while in conversation. Adrianos stayed more closely to my side, which sent my heart into acrobatics. Many vampires approached me and introduced themselves despite the language barrier. I knew a little Italian, but I definitely wasn't fluent. However much activity had carried on that night, I started to feel worrisome. Like a small thought had suddenly blossomed into a sharp knife that sliced through my thoughts. More often then not, I felt as though it wasn't something to worry about. But for some reason Monticello's words ran through my head like a freight train.
"Stella? Are you alright?"
I calmly turned my head, seeing Adrianos' worried face. I nodded. "I'm fine."
He nodded in return and turned his attention back to an entourage of vampires in our circle. "What were you saying Bonifacio?"
The vampire, gulping down what must have been his ninth wine that night, grinned gleefully. He responded in a jumbled and slurred Italian tongue. I was feeling so out of place again. Hardly anyone here spoke any english except for my family and Monticello. Where was he anyway? I craned my head around the remaining party, searching for the familiar black clothed figure. He was right where I expected. Sulking low out of reach of the lights and in the shadows. His eyes scanned the crowd, never reaching mine.
A sudden surge of guilt built in my chest, filling my limbs. Why did I suddenly feel so at fault for something? The more I thought about it, the more I grew more irritated. How could he accuse Adrianos of such a treacherous crime? My eyes darted towards Adrianos again, watching as he spoke kindly and at ease with his friends. There was no way this kind hearted, charming, brilliant person a law breaker. He just wasn't.
But Monticello's words invaded my head once again, and I had to excuse myself from the group.
"Mi scusi." I was about to leave when Adrianos placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Are you leaving? The party has only begun!"
I eyed the nearly empty wine glass in Adrianos' hand, picking up on his slightly more unsteady speech.
"Um...just for a moment," I replied, picking up my dress in my hands. I had to tell Monticello why I thought he was wrong otherwise it would drive me mad.
Adrianos' face paled as he glanced behind my shoulder, his once gentle hand now gripping my shoulder. "Monticello...?"
I turned my head, noticing that Monticello had somehow crossed the entire length of the ballroom to our circle in a matter of seconds. His face was stern, fists clenched as his side and shoulders stiffened.
"Adrianos, I was just bidding Lady Baines a good evening," his voice seemed calm, but his posture said otherwise.
Adrianos nodded while throwing the hand on my shoulder around me, pulling me to his side. "Well, it was...a pleasure to have you at the party."
Monticello nodded, starting to turn on his heel.
"Wait! I...need to talk to you about a few matters."
Adrianos stiffened by my side, squeezing my shoulder gently. "It can wait can't it?"
I glanced around. Everyone was staring expectantly at me, as if they did want me to stay. I didn't want to feel guilty with leaving everyone when my family and I were the guests of honor. I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay a few more minutes. I could just talk to Monticello in the morning.
"Alright, I'll just...tell you about it tomorrow Monticello."
He nodded slightly, resuming his brisk pace towards the west side of the ballroom. I could feel Adrianos' breath brush against my ear as he spoke low. "We are taking a trip around the countryside tomorrow. We'll be out until dusk. If you're tired, you may leave."
My jaw moved up and down, not knowing how to respond. Wasn't he just saying that he wanted me to stay?
"Uh...no, it's fine. I'm not that tired really."
Adrianos grinned gleefully, taking the last swig of his wine and placing it on the table next to us. It was a total lie, I was exhausted. The thought of collapsing into a bed of soft pillows and huge comforter only made my eyes droop that much more. It seemed like this day had gone on far enough.
Adrianos' resumed his conversation with his friends in Italian. He must of said a joke because most of them burst out laughing. I just awkwardly stood there, not knowing if I should laugh too or say nothing. The next few minutes carried on just like that. Everyone seemed to be having a good time as they downed their glasses of Orenellaia Bolgheri Superiore and gleefully engaged in their conversations, completely unaware that I was there at all.
Soon we were the only few people in the ballroom. My parents must have retired to their chambers and I was still here, feeling like an outsider. I needed to sleep otherwise it would kill me.
"Adrianos, I'm going to go to bed, alright?"
Adrianos must not have heard me over the other voices until I tugged on his dress jacket sleeve. He glanced down, as if surprised that I was standing there. "Oh, mi dispiace Stella, I've kept you too long! Mi scusi, mis scusi, miei amici my fiance is done for the night," he quickly took my hand, slapping the one named Bonifacio on the shoulder. I was surprised at his boldness as he guided us towards the two double doors, looping my hand through his arm.
"I'm sorry, Stella, I...I think I was being...d-disrespectful," a drunken hiccup escaped as he rubbed his chin, a slight pink color rising in his cheeks.
"Don't worry about it Adrianos. I enjoyed tonight," I tightened my hand around his arm, feeling a calmer, more peaceful atmosphere, despite him slightly teetered from side to side. It was a lot more quiet than it was inside the ballroom. Not even a staff member or servant was out and about. It must have been late.
"How many drinks did you have?"
A sly smile stretched his lips. "Ah, my dear, vampires don't normally get drunk unless...well, you have the right wine."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"
He sighed, rolling his shoulders back and then placing a hand against mine. "Our vampire blood isn't easily tainted with mortal alcohol. We have special wine for...special occasions. And-" he paused, another hiccup disrupting his speech. "-even then, you're not drunk for very long."
This was the strangest side of Adrianos I hadn't ever seen. Of course, I had only known him for less than a week. But it was strange nonetheless.
"So...where would I be sleeping for the night?"
A sudden flush of red colored his cheeks even more as he suddenly straightened. "Well...my family thought it would...be better...if-well..." he rubbed the back of his neck, sucking in a breath. "I had to convince my mother that you were to sleep...in you're own quarters...not mine."
He exhaled loudly. I could feel the anxiety creep into my chest as my heart raced. "Did...am I sleeping...with you?" I was barely able to get the words out.
He shook his head quickly. "No, no I thought that....would be inappropriate."
He seemed more coherent than before, I guess the wine really didn't last long. I felt relieved. If I had to sleep in the same bed as Adrianos...I didn't even want to think about it.
I darted my eyes away, careful not to meet his gaze. "Oh...good. I mean not, good, but...well-"
He chuckled deeply, rubbing his eyes. "Ah, everything seems to get more and more complicated."
His tone suddenly turned icier, as if something was bothering him.
"Adrianos?"
He caught my gaze, stopping us as he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry Stella, it's nothing, really."
He then ran a soft hand over my cheek, smiling as he tucked a stray hair away from my eye. There it was again, the same, strange, foggy haze. My racing heart relaxed and I felt more calm. "How do you do that?" The words escaped my lips before I could think about it.
"Do...what?" he asked, lips pursing.
"The...you just...I don't know, I feel calmer when I'm around you."
His lips parted slightly as he nodded. "Ah, that. Well...I don't really know. I guess...I feel better when I'm around you as well," for some reason his voice seemed unsteady. Before I could say something, he cupped the side of my face while planting a light kiss on my lips. Before I'd known what he did, he had pulled away. My mouth hung open. Unable to say anything, I just turned my head, dragging him along with me as I briskly walked down the corridor.
"Stella, your chambers are that way,"
I glanced behind my shoulder as Adrianos turned me around, pointing down the hall to our left.
"Oh...right, you'd know better than me."
He smiled again, taking my hand. We had only walked a few steps before he stopped before a single door down the hall. There was a guard further down, watching us carefully. That same scene from Hitch flashed in my head again before I stuffed it down immediately. This was no time to be distracted!
"Erm...well, thank you, again, for the wonderful night," I muttered. I didn't know what to do, but the bed from inside my room was calling to me, so I had to make this quick. "Well, goodnight Adrian-"
I was about to open up the door, when Adrianos' hand came down firmly on mine. I frowned, running my eyes from his hand, up to his shoulder and then to his face. He wasn't looking at me, he was staring down at the floor. What was he thinking? Was he going to kiss me again? No, stop, don't be such a girl and get all excited.
"Stella..." he didn't continue for a few moments. I could tell there was something going on behind his eyes, an internal struggle. "I know...it may seem unreal for the moment, and that we've been casual but..."
Oh. Oh. Was he about to invite himself into my room? My room?
He sucked in a shaky breath, his eyes finally meeting mine. "But I want to remind you what we're doing. By the end of the month we'll be married and I'm not one to take such matters lightly. So I want you to understand what that entails, and I hope that you think about it thoroughly. The life of a vampire...is not an easy one."
His eyes suddenly darkened and grew sadder. I could feel my frown deepen, remembering that we had company down the hallway.
"May we...talk about this tomorrow?" I gestured behind me, and his eyes widened.
"Ah...yes. I'm sorry. I'll bid you goodnight for now."
He took the hand that he was holding, bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss to it. If my mom could see me now, she'd go on and on about her adult romance novels. As he straightened, he smiled gently, squeezing my hand and walking away.
I watched his back until I couldn't see him anymore. As his footsteps faded, I turned, opening my door and closing it firmly behind me. I stood there for a moment, staring at my shoes through the heavy darkness. I had almost forgotten what kind of commitment I would be making. A serious one, at that.
"Think of your family, think of your family," I chided, folding my arms across my chest. This was for the good of my family and my father's people. I wouldn't make the mistake of backing out of this. Neither would Adrianos.
"Feeling cold feet are we?"
I jumped, clamping a hand over my mouth before I could scream. I squinted through the darkness, knowing that Monticello was somewhere in it. I blinked, suddenly realizing that a lamp had been lit across the room. Monticello sat stoically in a chair across from the bed, near the window. One arm rested gently against the armrest while the other was fiddling with a silver knife.
"M-Monticello? What...what are you doing in here? And why are you alway surprising me like that?"
"I'm keeping watch. As always. Also, I'm not intentionally startling you, you're just extremely unobservant."
I straightened from my position, folding my arms across my chest once more. "You know, you really shouldn't be in lady's bedroom without her permission," the irritation knifed through my voice.
"I didn't need your permission."
I scoffed. "Get out."
His eyes darted sharply to me, running his fingers over the blade of his knife. What the hell kind of crap show was he putting on tonight?
"I don't have time for one of you're tantrums tonight Stella. Your father has explicitly demanded I keep a closer eye on you."
That caught my attention. "Why?"
He sighed, stealing away the weapon into a holster at his waist. Rising from the chair, he leaned against the window. "Italy is a much more dangerous place for the Baines family. Have you really not figured out the risk your family was taking when they came here? It's crawling with quelli scuri."
"Que---what?"
"Quelli scuri, in England you call them Turners."
My eyes widened. "They're here? In Italy?"
Monticello nodded. "Their population ratio is much higher, despite the geologic differences. They're out there tonight as well, in the hills."
He waved a hand motioning me to come over to him. I stared cautiously, making my way over towards the window. In the darkness, I could barely make out the hillsides in the pale moonlight.
"I can't see anything you know."
"Good. You wouldn't want to see anyhow."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not afraid of some daft vampires."
His expression remained stoic, although his eyes narrowed. "Don't take them lightly, Stella. They are the greatest threat to your family. These vampires aren't like normal ones. They're dangerous, they've-"
"Turned, yes, I know. I know what they're capable of." I hated how he acted like I didn't know anything. Despite the irritation, I felt my heart soften. He was right, I shouldn't take anything like this with a grain of salt. This was serious. "I'm sorry. You're right."
"I know," he turned on his heel, making a slow walk towards the nightstand. "I believe your betrothed has left you something as well."
I turned my head, noticing he was holding a small white box in his hand before he placed it back down on the nightstand. "I'll be outside if you need anything. There is also two guards below your window and a sentinel down the hallway."
I sighed lightly, picking up the box. "Thank you."
Monticello backed away, opening up the door and closing it behind him. He was such a pain in my arse sometimes. But he was good to have around, he kept me on my toes. I opened up the box, noticing a small note tucked inside. I unfolded it, trying to make out the chicken scratch against the paper.
A gift for you. Wear it tomorrow on our outing.
-Adrianos
I smiled, setting the note down on the bed and picking up a dazzling, simple necklace. It was small, but the diamond flower that sat against my hand was beautiful. I picked up up, holding it up to the light and watched as the many different facets caught the light. Being gentle, I set it back down inside the cushioned box and placed it next to the lamp. I was definitely going to wear it tomorrow. And possibly every day after that.
For hours, I had been tossing and turning. Despite the incredibly comfy and soft bed, I was unable to sleep in the slightest. As I turned on my side for at least the hundredth time, my ears picked up the distant click-clacking of footsteps down the hall. I sat up in bed, listening carefully. The footsteps were then accompanied by muffled voices, almost too hushed for me to discern. It was three in the morning, according to the time on my cell phone screen. Who would possibly be up at this hour? I slipped my feet into a pair of slippers that a maidservant had left me. Through the darkness, I groped the wall until I felt the handle of the door. It creaked open gently as I peered out into the hallway. To my right, an orange light caught my eye. It faded, carrying the voices and footsteps with it. I closed the door, noticing that Monticello was no where to be seen. Wasn't he supposed to be standing guard?
I crept silently down the dimly lit corridor, trying to control my breathing as the voices grew louder. Flickering light arose from around a corner, the heat from a torch warmed my skin.
"She needs to know the contract now! I don't care what Alistair has to say, this agreement must be addressed and soon before our enemy takes us by surprise again. Do you remember what happened in 1821?"
"Yes, I remember," I could feel my breath catch in my throat. Monticello? Who was he talking to? "But this time it's different. We only need wait for three more weeks, and the agreement will be in full."
What agreement were they talking about? Was Monticello hiding something from me?
"Monticello if we wait any longer then both our families will be in ruin by the end of the year. Do you want that to happen?"
"No, of course not," Monticello's voice was clipped, void of any emotion. Like always.
"Then we must let the girl and her family know now, before it's too late. I know it may seem like an awful thing, Monticello. But it can't be any worse then the blood of thousands of vampires on your hands."
"Rumis, please, we can't tell her just yet."
I could hear a slight exhale of breath. The man Rumis had sighed sharply. "Do you remember what your father had told you those many years ago? That on Stella's 20th birthday she would-"
My eyebrows knitted together as I held my breath. He stopped talking suddenly and I could hear the sound of clothing ruffling together.
"Is someone there?"
Crap.
My thoughts went wild for a possible escape out of here, but I didn't have one. Both corridors stretched for an extra few hundred feet on either side of me, and Monticello and Rumis were around the other corner. I was trapped.
Feet scuffled against the stone floor as the torch light grew brighter. I did my best to hide my strained breathing as my heart pounded against my chest.
"Uh...Rumis, why don't we go back to the banquet hall? I'm sure my father would be disappointed to see that his right hand man wasn't in attendance."
There was a pause, and the pit pat of feet gradually began to fade. "We'll continue this discussion later Monticello."
"Of course."
The man Rumis had disappeared down the hallway, but I could tell Monticello had not left his position. Had he found me out? What if-
"Stella."
My heart sunk a hundred feet as the breath I was holding was released. I could feel my hands shake as I peered around the corner. Monticello was standing stiffly, the torchlight casting harsh shadows across his face. He wasn't angry, or upset. Actually, I couldn't read what emotions he was feeling.
"You caught me," my voice didn't sound confident, just shaky. I quietly bit the inside of my cheek.
"What are you doing out of bed?"
"Well...I-just..." I couldn't find a proper excuse for my disobedience. I had none, like always. I inhaled deeply and exhaled, trying to calm my nerves. "I was curious why you weren't by my door. You said you would be if I needed anything."
"Yes. Something came up. This was an exception."
My lips pursed as I studied his expression carefully. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't depict what he was thinking. Always a mystery. "Why?"
"I had an urgent meeting with Rumis."
So damn emotionless.
"Well..." I averted my gaze, his stare was way too intense. Almost probing.
"What part of our conversation had you heard Stella?"
My frown grew deeper as I traced circles against the floor with my big toe. A nervous habit. "Just about there was something important about my birthday. And people dying."
Monticello exhaled a small breath. "Nothing before that?"
"No," I replied hastily, keeping my gaze down. He was silent for a few moments before he shifted his stance. I could see his boots in my peripheral as he moved closer.
"You should go to bed. Vampires are nocturnal and I wouldn't want you to be bitten."
I scoffed and lifted my head, looking him sharply in the eye. "You think I can't defend myself?"
"I know you can't," he replied quickly, his stare softening slightly.
"Just because I'm human now doesn't mean that I can't fend off some stupid vampire. Besides, that will all change on my 20th birthday right? I'll be...just like you," the last few words slipped cautiously out of my mouth. I knew that Monticello had asked me in the past to reconsider joining the Medici family as a fully fledged vampire, but my decision was final.
"I wish you would reconsider," he averted his gaze down the other hallway, avoiding mine. I knew my face probably looked a little pissed.
"Why do you always keep telling me that? What's so bad about being a vampire? I'd be faster, stronger, I could fight for myself," my voice grew hushed. "You wouldn't have to protect me all the time..."
Monticello didn't reply, but when I looked at him, the muscles in his chest and neck had gone rigid. His eyes scanned my face, the dark red irises catching the bright torchlight. "You think you could still defend yourself even if you were a vampire?"
"Yes," I said tautly, folding my arms across my chest.
Monticello's mouth turned slightly upwards in a smirk. Something I had never seen him do before. "I wouldn't be too confident, Stella. There are much stronger vampires then even I. You'd be no match to them."
I could feel the anger bubble in my chest. "You know, maybe if you weren't protecting me all the time I could actually learn to fight for myself. I wouldn't be the only weak one!" I knew that the outburst was childish, but I didn't care. I was tired of him thinking that I was weak. Even though I guess I was.
Before I could blink, and before I felt it, Monticello had dropped the torch to the ground, caging me in his arms as his hands gripped my shoulders. My breath caught suddenly in my throat as I had processed just how fast he was. Almost invisible.
His breath tickled my face as he spoke low in a whisper. "There are other beings than just vampires Stella. Some, that not even a pureblood could fight. To them, you're just an insect under their shoe."
I tried wiggling out of his grip, but he was impeccably strong. Why did he have to go so far to prove his stupid point?
"And to me..." he stopped suddenly, his grip tightening on my arms. "...you're not an insect Stella. Quite the contrary."
"Oh, so what then? A mote of dust in your eye? A grain of sand? Hm?" I was being a drama queen, sarcastic and rude. It was always a defense mechanism.
He blinked, his expression softening. "No...just..."
I frowned. Why was he acting so strange? "Monticello?"
The hands that were holding me suddenly loosened, and wound around my back as he pressed me closer to him. My heart started doing acrobatics in my chest as I could feel my bottom lip tremble. What was his problem? I wanted to break free, to push him away, but a part of me liked the closed proximity.
"If only you knew Stella, if only I could tell you..everything."
At this point, my brain was fogging and my limbs were frozen. It was almost as if he was...enchanting me. Keeping me frozen in the spot.
"What..." I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my thoughts. "...what do you mean?"
I could see him leaning down, his gaze pausing at my lips, and then to my neck.
"Monticello?" my voice was barely audible as he angled his head down to the nape of my neck, ever so slow. His breath fanned over my shoulder, making me feel lightheaded. What was he doing? I...I couldn't think. Was this what it was like to be captured under the spell of a vampire?
"M-Monticello," I weakly shoved against him as I could feel the heat of his breath against my ear. He was too close. Way too close! I could feel tiny pricks against my skin as my heart beat wildly against my sternum, making my head pound furiously. What did he think he was doing? This was so unlike Monticello, and I didn't like it. Despite how much I weakly shoved against him, his grip only tightened.
He....he was going to do it.
He was going to change me into people like him.
A vampire.