Bella Vita (54 page)

“Wow.” That was my big come
back.

After several glasses of the most delicious
drinks I could've ever imagined, we stepped into the pulsing beat.
Waves of music washed over us. It was as though the melody was made
of my soul and was calling for us to rejoin. I watched Dom react
the same way. I secretly wondered if this was like heaven because
surely this place should be... it was hard to remember what we had
came for.

Every chance my mind touched back to what
brought us to the club, I checked to see if I could pick up on Issy
or any weres with the name of Jack. I didn't have any luck. Dom
looked like an avenging angel under the lights and the pulse of the
music surrounding him. My body seized with a yearning for him every
time I stopped to look at him.

Mia
bella
...
The
words touched my want and sparked it into a consuming
fire.

Dominic.
I knew that he could hear the want.

Not in this place. It feeds
on emotions. Ours will out us if we were to fully enjoy ourselves,
my love. I think it's time to go.
My head
spun with disappointment.

I don't wanna.
My lip shout out in a pout.

Believe me, I would never
turn you down. And if you still want to once we've returned to the
room, I'll happily oblige to fulfill your desires. But the spells
are working too strongly against you. Your natural sensitivity to
the undercurrents of the world are working against you. We must
go.
His voice was firm as though he was
talking to a small child.

Fine.
I huffed and allowed him to lead me back to the
tunnel.

As we walked further from the music and
atmosphere of the club, the pull it held over me broke, and I felt
truly embarrassed. I couldn't believe I had just propositioned him
in a club. My cheeks burned with my shame.

“
Mia bella
, don't feel shame or
embarrassment. You're special and that place manipulates the very
thing that makes you very special. I'd never take advantage of such
a situation. And I promise that you're not the only person that
gets that desire while in the atmosphere. The bottom level of the
club is filled with rooms for couples.” Shocked filled my
mind.

“If it's something that's
so common that they have rooms, why were you so concerned?” I
didn't understand.

“Usually it takes people at
least four hours of being in there to get anywhere near that point.
We were in there for two hours, my little Emma bird.” He laughed
and squeezed my hand.

My cheeks flushed deeper and I could feel
the heat climbing up my neck.

“Come, we shall go back to
the hotel now.” His hand was warm and soft as he led me from the
tunnel.

The cool night air danced across my hot
face- licking the warmth from me. I exhaled in relief. It felt like
a cooling balm on a hot sore muscle. I listened to the world around
us, in its sleepy state as we walked back to the waterfront. I
reached down for my bag and realized I left it back in the
club.

“Eh, Dom?” I felt like an
even bigger idiot.

“
S
ì
, mia
bella
...” His beautiful blonde hair danced
in the gentle breeze as he turned to me.

“I, eh, kinda left my
purse... ya know... back there.” I thumbed back toward where we
came from.

“Ah. I shall get it. You
stay here. I think it'll be better if you didn't return there
tonight.” Dom chuckled to himself as he kissed my
knuckles.

“Is it safe?” I was
surprised to hear the concern in my voice.

“Emma, my darling, if I
thought there was anything more dangerous than you out here I
wouldn't leave you unattended.” He smiled.

“I know, I forget... go on,
go.” I shooed him away.

“I'll be back before you
notice I'm gone.” His lips brushed my hand once more and then he
was gone in a flutter of light.

I stood and inhaled the night's breeze. The
world was quiet in the late night hours. I wanted to shout to the
world that it was too early to sleep, but I fought the need to draw
attention to myself.

Instead I walked to the water and watched it
lazily slide by. It brought back memories of the day on the bridge
when I died as a human and woke up as a vampire. I shivered as I
remembered the change taking hold of me just as I was drowning. The
fact that vampires weren't dead, but danced that line very closely
seemed to bug the very survival instincts that caused me to change
the rest of the way into a vampire. After all, survival was the
key.

The air stirred around me and brought with
it a scent I knew.

Issy...
I inhaled deeply.

It was her, I could smell Jack too.

Dom, she's here... I
haven't locked onto her location yet, but she's somewhere near the
waterfront or she was there recently.
I
shared everything I knew through our link and then pushed myself
back to my surroundings- I needed to find her.

I could feel Dom's distress as he was coming
back from the club, my bag slung across him. He was trying to
decide whether or not to stay by the club or come to my side.

Do as you need.
I sent and then shoved everything but Issy out of
my mind.

It wasn't difficult to find her energy. She
left a visible trail for me to follow once I had locked onto it. I
could feel the familiarity of the path she had taken. It wasn't how
Dom and I had gotten to the club, but I knew it like the back of my
hand.

Dom, this is it.
I sent one last image of where I was.

“Issy!” I shouted out to
the echo of the buildings.

I could hear the tapping of shoes in front
of me, the wind was sending me their sounds but blocking mine.

“ISSY!” My voice raised as
high as I could shout- she just couldn't hear me.

Isabella!
I tried to mentally hail her, but my words
bounced back into a loop.

Dom, they're spelled. We
can't reach them. I don't know what to do.
My legs itched as I prepared to run.

Follow as close as you
can... I'm coming, Em.
Panic was flooding
our link.

My steps clashed down on the ground as I
used my vampire speed to catch up to them. I stalked behind them as
though I was just a shadow. Every time I tried to get closer or to
touch them, I was repelled. My frustration lashed out as objects
moved and windows cracked. I wasn't a caster of any kind, I
couldn't get through the bubble that surrounded them.

“WHAT THE FUCK! LET ME IN,
DAMMIT!” I shouted, a few lights came on in the upper
lofts.

I could feel Dom getting closer- he was
having a hard time locating us. I sent him mental images of where
we had been and where we were going.

Issy's blonde hair danced around a corner
and I heard the scream. I ran full blown into an invisible wall.
Dom was suddenly at my side.

“I can't get through!”
There was a small cut that bled into my left eye from me
falling.

“Up, my love. Now!” Dom's
words were a command as he used my energy and his own to power
through the spell holding us back.

Issy was covered in Jack's blood. She
clutched him to her chest. Her eyes were void and empty. She was
lost to this world and locked in the moment of what had
happened.

Shit!
My mind whirled as I heard the steps coming.

Let Michael know.
Dom told me.

Mike! Mike! A wolf has been
murdered and it's going to look like Dom's sister did it, but I can
swear she didn't.
I forced the words into
his sleeping mind, I felt him become instantly alert.

What? Emma, what's going
on?
His voice was sleepy but
concerned.

I can't tell you more than
I know. The evil witch people are at fault, but I can tell you,
your people are going to call for blood. I can sense them coming. I
will not let her go with them.
I had to
let connection snap as we were surrounded by shouting
wolves.

“My brethren, I know this
looks bad, but all is not what it appears.” I held up my hands in
peace.

Mia
bella
, get behind me.
Dom's voice was full of fear.

No. I will not look like I
need to be defended. Try to get her away from him.
I didn't know what to do.

“She has murdered our
brother!” A woman shouted.

“No! Jack has been slain by
the same people that have killed several vampires. I can swear to
this.” My voice was raised above the shouting.

“You say that to protect
your own! You don't care about us! You're just a stupid vampire!”
Words were thrown out as fast as knives... and soon stones were
cast.

I caught a sharp piece of glass that went
across my cheek and cried out in pain. My rage kicked in then.

“Dominic, pick her up if
you have to. We leave now!” I shouted behind me as I cleared a path
through the pack.

My waves of energy lashed out at anyone in
my way. The wolves moved back as I lit up like the Fourth of July.
My hair flew back in static. Dom came to stand next to me. Issy was
shrieking about leaving Jack. I shut down her mind and put her into
a silent sleep. I could feel the toll of protecting us beginning to
slow me down.

Dom, we have to run. I can
keep them off of us. But we need to leave now. I can get us to the
airport, if you can get the pilot ready now.
It was all I could do to create a plan.

Already done. Our bags are
on their way to the airport and the pilot is ready for us. You'll
have to drop the energy once we get there though.
He was being practical, but I could tell that he
was afraid of the mob following us.

We'll be fine.
We ran at the same time. Our bodies nothing more
than streaks of light. Some of the wolves shifted on the spot to
follow us- but most wouldn't change in the city. By the time we
reached the airport, the wolves were a few miles behind us. The
energy faded from me as we crossed into the plane's area. My body
wanted to collapse right where it was. An attendant came to my aid
and carried me into the plane.

“Your Majesties, your
luggage is stowed and I'll be traveling with you. Please, if you'll
allow me to take Miss DeDominico...” The tall blonde vampire held
out his arms for Dom to give him Issy.

“Do it, Dom. We have to get
out of here.” I had been placed in one of the seats.

Dom passed his sister to the vampire and
then came to sit by my side.

“
Mia bella
, are you okay?” His eyes
were clouded with worry.

“I'm just tired. You'll
have to call Michael during the flight. I don't think I'll be of
much use.” I could feel my eyes beginning to close.

“Your Majesties, Miss
DeDominico is in the bed, I'll alert the pilot to leave now. I'll
station myself by the door to the bedroom in case she needs
anything.” The man said.

“That won't be necessary.
She won't wake up until I've lifted her sleep. I don't intend on
doing so until we arrived safely at the palace.” I told
him.

“Then I'll sit up here, if
you need anything, please just inform me. I'm Mario Levingtons.” He
bowed formally to us and then went to make sure we could
leave.

After he left, my mind simply stopped and I
fell into a sleep I couldn't control.

Rest,
mia bella
. I'll wake you when we're
safe.
Dom's words were the last thing I
was aware of.

Chapter
thirteen

I was aware of being moved, but I just
couldn't get my eyes to open. Sleep held me in its intimate grasp.
The world floated by me as my body was carried inside another
setting. As soon as we crossed the threshold I knew we were back in
the palace.

We need to come up with a great name for this
place
. My
mind was trying to be logical.

His breath caressed my earlobe, “Emma,
mia bella
, wake up.”

It took all my control to focus enough to
get my eyelids up.

“
Much better. We're home.” His fingers rubbed my shoulder
gently.

“
How's Issy doing?” I blinked and sat up.

“
We don't know. She is still under whatever you did to her.”
He looked at me expectantly.

“
Oh, sorry.” I closed my eyes and focused on the state I had
placed her in- unweaving it was like pulling on an unfinished
sweater, all I had to do was pull the right string and it
unraveled.

“
JACK!” Issy's voice shrieked instantly.

Dom rushed to her side. He held his sister.
I wasn't sure if he was comforting her or restraining her.

“
Issy...” I let her name hang in the air.

“
Emma?” Her eyes seemed to focus on me.

“
Yes, it's me. Dom's here too.” I gestured to her brother
holding her.