Matteo followed me in the boat as I moved forward. His strong arms grabbed me by my shoulders and he pulled me onto the boat. He sat me down on a bench in the corner and, retrieving a blanket from one of the cabinets, wrapped it around me, rubbing my shoulders as he did.
“We’ll wait here until he returns,” Matteo whispered, placing a kiss on the top of my head.
Normally I would have flinched at Matteo’s affection but right now, I found myself grasping for any comfort I could hold onto. I looked into his eyes and saw that he was earnest in his promise.
“But what if he doesn’t?” I asked, my voice shaking.
Matteo sat down next to me and breathed out deeply.
“I believe he will return.”
We sat in silence. The events of the last few hours seemed to be a blur as my mind was still trying to process them.
“So it was you all along,” I croaked. “It was you who caused Kiev trouble back at The Tavern. You who set Giles on Kiev in the tunnels. All of your friendliness was an act…”
Matteo nodded.
“I suppose I’ve never told you that I was an actor—part of a theater—before I was turned,” he said, his eyes downcast. “It sure as hell wasn’t easy, but I played my part well.”
“And the hawk? How did you—?” I asked.
“Perseus…” Matteo muttered, rubbing his forehead. “An old acquaintance. He betrayed Aviary many years ago and became an outcast. But I knew he was desperate to return. Once I’d managed to track him down, it wasn’t difficult to convince him that bringing Kiev back there would be the best way to win back Aviary’s trust.”
I realized now how rarely I had seen Matteo around the island recently. I had been too wrapped up with Adrian to notice it before.
I stood up and looked out toward the ocean once again. The sky was still empty. I turned back to Matteo, my voice starting to feel more constricted as each second passed.
“Are you really still considering provoking the vampires of The Black Bell, or was that just a guise?”
“How could we not still dream about claiming one of their witches?” Matteo heaved a sigh. “I don’t think we’ll ever be able to forget about it. But I’m not going to force Kiev to take part in the mission if he doesn’t want to.”
Silence fell between us and tears threatened to drip from Matteo’s eyes again. He brushed his hand against his face to catch them. I found my hand reaching for Matteo’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
“Something has changed in you, Mona,” Matteo said softly. I withdrew my hand from his shoulder in a flash. “Ever since that vampire entered your life, you’ve been behaving differently.”
I stood up and walked to the opposite end of the boat, clutching the blanket closer around my shoulders. I shivered as I looked out at the empty waters, which were beginning to reflect a deep orange glow emanating from the skyline. I continued standing there, away from Matteo. Away from the pressure to voice what I knew I couldn’t. I stood in the same spot until the tip of the orange sun peeked out from behind the horizon.
I don’t know myself any more.
I should be hoping that Kiev won’t return.
But with the dawn came Kiev.
Chapter 45: Mona
I gasped on seeing him drop from the sky—followed by the dead body of the hawk—and swim toward us. Matteo reached out and hauled him onto the boat. I could see that he was bleeding badly, but I avoided looking at his face. Now that the sun’s rays were breaking through the clouds, the two vampires sat beneath the covering at the center of the boat. They exchanged words in low voices as we headed back toward the island.
I remained standing at the front of the boat. I closed my eyes, hoping the wind would calm the flames burning me up inside.
When we arrived back on the island’s beach, a strong hand gripped my arm and pulled me beneath the covering. I didn’t need to look up to know that it was Kiev. Eyeing us, Matteo sighed and picked a large parasol. Careful to shield himself from the sun, he left the boat. I looked after Matteo with desperate eyes.
No, captain. Don’t go. Not now.
I trembled as Kiev held me.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered.
I felt my lips quiver as I continued to avert my eyes.
“For what?” I choked.
“For not telling you about my past… about Natalie.”
“You had no reason to tell me,” I said, trying to summon every bit of willpower I had left in me to not let him hear my voice break.
He breathed out a frustrated sigh.
“Look, I’m tired of playing games. And I’m damn tired of letting the past keep chains on me. I know you want nothing more to do with me now. And I’m glad. But I ask you to tell me one thing…just to put my curiosity to rest. Was it Mona or Irina I kissed?”
His words gutted me like a blade in a fish.
“Wh-what are you talking about?” I yanked my arm away from his grasp and turned my back on him. Closing my eyes tight in an attempt to lock in the tears, I swallowed, my throat dangerously dry, and said, “I’m sorry you ever had any confusion about that.”
I paused, breathing out deeply before attempting to speak again.
He walked up to me. His toned chest pressed against my back as he once again held my arm and turned me around to face him. This time, he reached for my chin and forced me to look up into his eyes.
I gasped.
Those eyes were my complete undoing.
Gone was that frightening red, and in its place was a breathtaking emerald green.
Bewildered, I couldn’t keep myself from spluttering, “Your… your eyes? Wha—?”
He looked as confused by my words as I felt. Turning around, he gazed at his reflection in a glass windshield. He stood frozen for several minutes. When he turned back to face me, he looked in a world of his own. His eyes had glazed over and his voice was hoarse as he spoke.
“Huh…”
I didn’t understand how it could have happened, or what it meant. But each second I remained staring into those beautiful green eyes of his, I felt myself sliding further and further away from where I knew I needed to keep myself. I had been trying to detach myself from him, but now I couldn’t find the strength to stop looking into his eyes.
“Well, I-I’m happy for you,” I said.
I flinched beneath his steady gaze.
“I’d just like a simple answer.”
“Why?”
He paused and I could see that he was choosing his next words carefully. It cut me to see how uncomfortable I was making this for him.