[Author's Note: I'm sorry you guys for the long, long long long long long long loooong wait, it's only fair to finally post the end. I do suggest you start from the beginning to appreciate the end. Thank you for sticking it out with me. Thanks for all the love!]
*****
Durante let his wife and himself into the condo he had bought to house his son. Where was GianCarlo? Most importantly who had he left here? It was irrational to be angry with him since Durante hadn't called before visiting and only hours had passed since he'd feasted on Gian's liaison. From Christiano's own reports Durante knew it was far more likely to find him here than not. Yet his son was gone, the open space was filled with his scent, fresh. He had been here, and he had left a female here. She smelled young, as young as his son. Durant smiled to himself. The female's scent was faint, the two hadn't stayed there long. Durante's gaze slid to the bedroom door and then the sound of running water suddenly emerged from behind it.
'What now?' Analise's gaze asked him. She took a seat on the long plush couch. The next move was his to make. He could sit with his wife, wait until the woman finished her shower and emerged, question her about Gian, and then send her on her way. Durante did not possess much patience where mortals were concerned. With his mind, he reached out to the woman intent on extracting the information, finding out her potential as an underling, then proceed from there.
Durante frowned. He reached out again trying to understand what he read. This had never happened to him. Durante found that reading her was as simple as any other mortal but the content of her thoughts were indecipherable. They were a labyrinth of both languid and rushed language. A jumble of contradicting images, emotions, and intent.
Remarkable, this wasn't the mushed ramblings of a person with mental illness or maybe it was. It did not seem so, the woman's thoughts streamed with the rhythm of the sane. This essentially made her unreadable. Durante had heard that people like her existed, but so rare was it he had never come across it in his four thousand years. What if he could learn to read her like a new language? He could be the only immortal with this ability. Durante's mind raced with possible uses for her as an underling. Durante, rendered mentally powerless, would wait. His patience would be rewarded.
Delia shut off the shower, now certain of her next move. She had scraped together all she knew of Gian's parents, Gian himself, and vampires. She remembered that Gian's father was Durante and his mother Analise. They both were impeccably old, ancient compared to Delia and Giancarlo. Delia understood that Durante thought of her as a threat to his son's success based on the fact that Stefan had neither confirmed nor denied it when asked. Stefan had once told her that Durante had no clue what she looked like nor did he know her name. Durante's contact with his son, up until now, had been solely through the appointed liaison. Gian's current liaison was the one who had ordered the hit on her life. Gian had told her once that his father wanted to pass down his massive empire to Gian and in order to do that Gian must spend his time educating himself and preparing for a long apprenticeship to his father.
So that left one question. What brought Durante to Gian's door today? No doubt he had come here specifically to see his son and not for nothing. Delia believed with finesse and a dash of charm she could leave here with her life. She hoped. The plan was to get out that door then get to Stefan as quickly as possible, find Gian and get the fuck out of town. Yes, even if it was with only the clothes on her back.
Delia dressed, her mind focusing keenly on the task and not what awaited her in the living room. For this to work she had to appear calm and to fool a vampire she would have to be calm. Delia was deliberate when she dressed, putting on her good pair of skinny jeans, durable and comfortable in case she had to run. Where would she be running to? She couldn't afford to think about that. She put on an oversized black V-neck, knotting the loose ends to look like a rich hipster and not a girl on the run. Delia grabbed the only purse she had packed, an oversized tote bag. At the bottom she placed her pair of Louboutin heels the package of cash she had originally brought with her, two pairs of underwear, a toothbrush, a fresh shirt, a light dress and her book of Nikki Giovanni poems. Delia paused until she felt she could handle the bag with all its weight. She pulled it onto her shoulders, took a steadying breath then walked out.
"Oh," Delia said, applying enough shock to her voice to sound genuine.
It was easy enough, surprised as she was to find them so young. Probably no older than Stefan. They were all old world sophistication and modern style. They looked like a trending power couple and less like millennia old historical figures. Durante wore crisp chinos and a fitted woven button down, his wife a smart sculpted dress that hugged her petite toned body. She looked indifferent if not bored with Delia's presence.
"I'm sorry" Delia said, "I didn't know Gian would be having company. He just told me to lock up before I leave." Delia gave Durante a chagrined smile as she casually yet deliberately walked toward the door.
Durante wasn't sure who would walk through those doors but it wasn't this long brown creature. When the bedroom door opened the smell of coconuts, joy, sex, anxiety, excitement, lust, and sorrow rushed out of the room to greet him. It was as foreign and exciting a mix as she was. Long limbs, round face, skin as rich and deep as coffee, features that looked innocent and eyes that did not. Her hair was a cloud of ink black coils the tips wet and hung like fruit. Her body was shapely and supple.
Durante's own taste in women was always petite brown woman with curls like Gian's mother. He had only expected his son's inclinations would lean thusly. Then again he was young and his senses were easily overwhelmed by the new, different, and seductive. Even Durante felt enticed by her difference. Unlike his son Durante would have control.
"Come have a seat. It seems like Gian won't be delighting us with his company, maybe you can tell us how he has been." Durante said, his voice was smooth and deep, his words perfectly annunciated despite his heavy accent.
"I would love to, but-" confusion flickered in his eyes briefly and Delia remembered.
Gian had told her about vampires and their tendencies to not only read but control minds. Gian couldn't read Delia and had told her that was because of a variety of reasons. He said it was less of an ability like sight and more of skill like playing an instrument. Durante had skills, but apparently not enough to move her. This, Delia realized in that one flicker of confusion.
"I guess it could wait," Delia's quick change in tone was enough to convince Durante that his persuasion had reached her.
Analise wasn't as convinced. Her eyes lowered a bit and flicked between her and Durante. Delia carefully put her purse down on the couch nearest to the door.
"So when was the last time you saw Gian?" Delia asked taking a seat next to her purse. She feigned an heir nonchalance. Her gaze pierced Durante, trying to connect with him through the prolonged eye contact. "Gian has never mentioned any family, or friends for that matter."
"I must admit it has been a long time since we've seen him, but we've been in contact. What about you? You must see him often." Durante took a seat next to Delia looking just as nonchalant. He leaned back into the corner of the couch to meet Delia's gaze. 'Almost twins, almost.' Delia couldn't help but think this as the same green eyes that Gian possessed stared back at her through his father.
"Yeah, a little." Delia said breaking the contact to throw Analise a shy smile. "We're study buddies, I know that it's a little lame, but we found each other through the college student boards. We both have the same major. Found out we don't live too far from each other, thought we can help each other out." Delia told her lie. Rather she weaved it as she went recalling the innocent nature of her and Gian's meeting. Study buddies, no, but they were lunch buddies, not going over facts and statements but burgers and fries. Delia smiled softly at her inner recollection.
"I see," Durante said knowingly.
It all sounded innocent but an inner intuition told Analise that there was more. She listened wordlessly as Durante bantered back and forth with the young lady. Smitten, yes, she could tell that her Mate was. Analise did not feel an inkling of jealousy. Durante's attention can be deadly to human girls and she pitied the girl for not realizing it. Though, something told Analise the opposite was true. Her intuition told her that this girl, Delia, was very much aware of how much danger she was in now and that she would court it for as long as necessary.
Analise used the time to read Delia and found the same thing that Durante must have. She wasn't dissuaded, for she knew that there was more than one way to read a person. Only the strong like Durante tended to rely on mental readings but millennia of experience had made Analise adept at reading physical cues and the slightly tensed shoulders and the way that Delia faced the exit said that the girl was ready to run. The big question was why, what was she hiding? What did she fear from them?
Delia sat and spoke with Durante for what felt like hours. It took a significant effort to not check the time and remain engaged in the conversation but she managed it. Durante asked about her parents, and their parents. He asked about her goals. Delia made something up on the fly and tried her best to keep conversation light. The way Durante looked at her made Delia feel like prey. There was no room for fear she was focused on surviving, and right now survival meant charm and finesse.
"I really enjoyed talking to you," she said once the conversation had lulled into silence. She noted that Durante didn't ask her much about Gian and his mother said nothing at all. Delia felt her gaze the heaviest.
