Chapter 47

I can’t believe they have already caught the guy. “What’s his name?”, I asked. Luca shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t care to ask. I wanted to know that you were going to be okay. We can find out together, after you have eaten and rested some more, especially since you don’t want any pain medicine”, Luca said, looking at me curiously. I accepted the bite of food that he held out to me, grateful for the distraction.

I avoided eye contact with Luca as I ate. “Mara”, Luca whispered. I peeked up at him to see sorrow and remorse swirling in his gray orbs. “Are you okay, piccola?”, he asked softly. I nodded gently, not wanting to put any strain on my body. Luca cocked his head to the side. “Are you sure about that?”, he questioned. “Yeah”, I muttered, accepting the next bite. Luca frowned, obviously able to tell that I was lying my ass off.

“On a scale from one to ten, what is your pain level?”, he asked. I inhaled sharply and whined, as I tried to adjust. Luca frowned as he moved the bed-table and helped me. “Honestly? I would say a six, maybe seven”, I answered. Luca’s frown deepened, “What can I do to help you?”, he spoke gently.

“You are already helping me. You are feeding me so that I don’t have to try and struggle to do it”, I smiled softly. Luca grinned and pulled the table back between us, to continue feeding me the last little bit of food. “Are you tired, principessa?”, he asked. I shrugged my shoulders and picked at the sheets. “A little I guess”, I whispered. “What’s the matter, piccola?”, he asked, pulling my chin up with his forefinger.

“I want to stay up with you. I missed you, and I was scared you were hurt”, I said. “I’m not hurt, baby girl. I promise”, he whispered, kissing my nose. “Get you some sleep, okay?”, he muttered. I nodded, “Okay”. I laid back and Luca covered me up before walking over to the wall to dim the lights in the room. He sat in the chair next to the bed and held my hand. He ran his fingers through my hair with his other hand, until I drifted off into sleep.

Gun shots pierce through the silent night. Screams fill the streets, as everyone around me scatters for cover. Something is missing. Where’s Luca? “Luca?”, I shouted, as I turned in circles. I could hear gurgling sounds from the dark alley way. I cautiously approached. My stomach was twisting with dread. “Luca?”, I croaked. Fear gripped my throat like a mad man. “Mara”, a gurgling sound reverberated through my chest. Luca. I ran through the dark straight to his side. The hole in his stomach was unrepairable.

I knew that I was losing him. The pain that ripped through my chest was unbearable as I stared at his gray orbs, watching the light leave them. “Mara”, he gasped. “Luca, please don’t leave me”, I cried out.

“Marabella”, Luca’s deep voice penetrated through my dream, bringing me too. I sat up with a gasp. The heart monitor was beeping wildly, matching my heart beat. “Bambina, I’m right here. Hey”, he cooed. “Luca”, I murmured, choking up with tears. “I’m right here. It’s okay. What happened, little one?”, he asked softly. I shook my head as I spoke, trying to beat my own sobs. “There was a gunshot and then chaos and you were-“, I choked. “I was what, bambina?”, he muttered, petting my face and head to calm me. “You had a h-hole in y-your-“, I couldn’t finish talking, as my hands immediately went to his abdomen. “In my stomach”, he finished for me. “Show me, p-please”, I stuttered.

Luca nodded softly, as he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off of his shoulders. Revealing his unscathed chest. My heart slowed slightly at the sight. I touched where the hole was in the dream. I released a breath of relief. “See, I’m okay. No wounds”, he murmured, cupping my face to make me look up at him. “You know who does have a wound, though?”, he asked, full of sorrow.I shook my head, “I’m okay, Luca. I promise”, I muttered. He groaned as he rested his forehead on mine.

“I’m sorry you had a bad dream, piccola. Would you like to go back to sleep?”, he asked softly. I frowned, “Will you lay with me?”, I asked, shyly. Luca grinned, “Of course I will, piccola”, he answered, kicking off his shoes and climbing onto the bed next to me. I rolled onto my uninjured side to give him room to lay on his back. “Do you want to lay on my chest?”, he murmured. I nodded, already in the process of laying half of my body on his, pretty much covering his chest. Luca chuckled, as I hummed and settled into place.

“You are adorable, piccola”, he muttered. “Luca”, I whispered. “Yes, baby girl”, he uttered. “Can you tell me a story?”, I asked. Luca brushed my hair off of my face. “What kind of story, piccola?”, he questioned. I half-shrugged, “Any kind”, I murmured. “Do you believe in magic, piccola?”, he questioned. I grinned, “Maybe”, I answered softly. “Well, it is said that the Italians have roots in pean beliefs. Fairies and werewolves are a big tale in our culture. So let me tell you the story my mother used to tell me”, he said.

“Many years ago, werewolves hunted the fairies, believing if they consumed a fairy they could also absorb their magic. The fairy population began to dewiddle rapidly. So, the goddess of fairies, Danu, pleaded with the moon goddess, Selene. Asking that they come to an agreement. Selene could see the sorrow in Danu’s eyes, as she had to watch her people be brutally murdered. So she agreed that something must be done”, he paused to take a breath.

I stroked his chest gently as he continued. “Selene suggested that they unite their people, effectively ending the war between them. Danu asked how they would accomplish such a task, to which Selene answered. “You know that each of my wolves has a mate. Someone they are destined to be with forever and love unconditionally”. “Yes, but my people do not have that”, Danu answered. “Well, maybe it is time to change that. My people have a king. And he is still without a mate. I have been looking for the right one for him. The only problem is, it is your princess”, Selene informed her.

“Together, they came up with an elaborate plan for the king and princess to cross paths. They decided they would put her in danger around where the king would be located, so that his instinct to protect her would override him and show the people how much he cared for her”, Luca’s words started to slip away from me. Falling into the background as I fell into darkness.