"Alessandro, dear one, wake up." Alessandro's mother, Paola whispered through the gossamer bed drapes to her son, but instead, I woke with a start before he stirred.
"Jesus! This family has a lot to learn about privacy!" I whispered as I tried to pull the blankets further up over Alessandro and me.
"I apologize if I frightened you Nicolette, I did knock ..." She purred through half a smile looking us up and down.
"Mmmm, Mother what is it?" Alessandro's contented sleepy voice seemed to fill the room as he wrapped his arms around my body pulling me into his.
"You have forgotten about dinner tonight?"
"Ugghhh, yes, I suppose I did. What time is it?" he groaned as he nuzzled my neck.
"It is now six o'clock. Our guests have already begun arriving Angel. Drinks are at seven, and dinner is at eight, I suggest you both get up, now. The rest of the family is eager to meet your Nicolette. Oh, and Alessandro, do not forget, you and Luca are to be kind to Azazel tonight. Your father and I want him in this family. You will make a good impression." She said staring directly at me. Once again, the sweetness in her voice seemed to betray a threat in her words which I felt were somehow directed towards me.
"Of course Mother." He breathed rolling on top of me.
"Alessandro your mother is right there!" I shrieked in mortification.
"Son, you two do not have time ..." Paola chided. He took a cleansing breath bowing his forehead to mine.
"Later Amore ..." he whispered. Silently I thanked Paola as she took her leave. Don't get me wrong; as much as I hated the fact that I did, I loved sex with Alessandro. But, the more he and I were together, the more I wanted him, and the weaker I became. We both knew he was breaking me; but just then, there was nothing to be done about it, not as long as Paola was lurking anyways, and I was ever so grateful to the evil woman for that.
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"What is an Azazel, and why is he so important to your mother?" I asked Alessandro as I slowly pulled the chocolate silken straps of the evening gown Alessandro had chosen for me to wear up over my caramel shoulders. Without an answer he pushed his body into mine while pulling the zipper up to just above my bottom, where the backless dress stopped.
"I-is he a ..." I began to ask stopping before my lips were able to form the word vampire. I remembered the name Azazel from books my father had read me as a child. The Azazel I knew had been an angel, a fallen angel, one of the chief Grigori. He taught men how to make weapons and armor, and he taught women the intricacies of deception through use of make-up and body adornments. It is said that Azazel taught the people even the secrets of witchcraft. It was said he held a particular interest in human women, and that the ones he chose to lay with bore him progeny said to be giants. When my Father spoke of Azazel, for some reason my blood ran cold. Of all of the demons, and the nasties in Father's books, Azazel seemed to be the worst.
"Azazel is important to this family Sweet. He is a very powerful, very rich vampire; he is an ancient, vampire royalty and a terrific match for Donata, perhaps her last chance really." As Alessandro praised the 'terrific match' for Donata his words took a sudden edge of ice. "Nicolette, Azazel can be quite malicious when he wants to be, I want you to steer clear of him, do you understand?"