Page 39 of Light Fae's Love

“Come, Ariana,” Quinn says with a gentle nuzzle at my lips. “Our transference ends, and our task tonight is done. We must away to Rome.”

“One more minute,” I say, clutching him and Lucca, never wanting to leave our togetherness.

Lucca draws a deep breath and sighs, however, and I know our moment is broken. As Quinn and Lucca share a long glance over my shoulder, as if they both know battle must come before passion, Lucca pulls slowly away. Quinn helps me down to a seat on the bed now, as Lucca slides off it, pushing up to standing.

Quinn is silent as he goes to his walk-in closet and packs a modern suitcase for our sojourn to Rome. I head to the table to eat something, knowing it will help both my pain and agony at everything that just happened, as Lucca pulls out his phone, texting something to Alleno.

As Quinn dresses now in a modern Victorian suit of dark red rather than his simple grey one, this suit slashed and filigreed with black lace, he hauls on a black silk shirt with a high collar. He grimaces now, though, as he fastens his cufflinks. I feel his thoughts through our connection; how weak he feels without his usual level of power moving through him.

But Quinn says nothing as he hefts his zipped bag, beckoning me to the loft stairs. “Come. I’ve had Devi pack a bag for you, Ariana. You can dress in something more appropriate in the car for our arrival at Arturos’.”

Though I’m reticent to go, Lucca follows us now to see us off. As we spiral down the wrought-iron stairs to the main floor of Quinn’s apartment, I blink, realizing what Quinn just said.

“Car?” I glance at him as we exit his suite, navigating the underground halls of the Hotel to the nearest staircase. I frown that we’re not taking a manticore carriage or something, and ascend with him and Lucca all the way back up to the nearest attended parking drop-off. As we egress to the outdoor portico where guests are leaving the Hotel in a flood, thanks to this new threat from the Vampire Council, I spy a sleek black Maserati parked right in front of the Hotel’s steps.

Quinn turns, facing Lucca at last.

“Be safe.” Lucca reaches out, gripping Quinn’s shoulder.

“We will be. As much as we can be,” Quinn says with a dark chuckle as he sets his hand on Lucca’s shoulder as well. Though Quinn keeps me tucked beneath his arm, I feel the deep energy that passes between him and Lucca as they regard each other in the night. A hot blaze of passion rolls between them, as Lucca’s blue eyes blaze and Quinn’s dark onyx ones burn. They say nothing more, though, as Lucca steps in.

And takes up my hands, kissing them.

“Take care of Quinn, Ariana,” Lucca says, as he gives a small smile. “He needs watching.”

“You both do.” I lift an eyebrow at Lucca’s quip.

“Yes, but he needs it more. By quite a lot.” Lucca lifts a hand now, stroking my cheek and holding my gaze as he smiles.

His light is less bright than normal, however, most of it stored inside me now. Lucca nods to the car, saying nothing about what just happened. He just gives my cheek one last caress and steps resolutely back.

“Get thee to Rome,” he says in an old-fashioned way to Quinn now, lifting an eyebrow. “Go kick some ass.”

“You can be certain of it,” Quinn says with dark readiness. They watch each other a moment more, then with a nod, Lucca gestures at the car. With a nod back, Quinn turns, escorting me down the Hotel steps as a valet holds the car door open for me.

I climb in and Quinn takes over for the valet—shutting the door behind me.

Quinn goes to the driver’s side, closing his door and firing up the sleek sports car, as I get one last glance of Lucca standing before the Hotel in the night. As the dashboard lights come on with the headlights, though, and Quinn revs the Maserati’s powerful engine, we pull smoothly out, driving over the cobbles as if we glide over ice.

Leaving Florence.

And heading to Rome.

16

SOIREE

As I drive through the nighttime city of Florence, I carefully evade uneven cobblestones and potholes so my low-profile Maserati won’t bottom out. Ariana and I soon make it to a main road as we leave the Red Letter Hotel Florence, paved as it heads out into the countryside. As I roll down my window, I flash the crimson-onyx ring on my left index finger at an ancient, crumbling lamppost—and we flash between Realms with a terrible, high whine in my ears and a blaze of light.

Into the human world.

As that awful sensation of crossing Realms fades, leaving my gut in knots and my head ringing, I blink to realize I’m far weaker than I thought after transferring most of my power into Ariana and cutting myself off from my Dark Haven.

I feel almost human as I course hot and ice-cold, as if I have a fever. Pain grips every muscle, lancing deep into my bones as I pull out of a small, empty parking lot in the human world now onto a paved highway. Italian road signs grace the edges of the dark pavement, but my vision blurs as I try to read them; other cars’ headlights and taillights zoom by on the dark country freeway, leaving a glare in my eyes.

I floor the Maserati and pull out, joining the highway’s flow as I do my best to ignore how I’m feeling. I’ve had far worse, and it will not stop me from whatever we must do to be successful in Rome. As I check my mirrors and flick off the turn signal, Ariana glances out the window, watching a long swath of silver forest pass. The lights of human-world Florence recede behind us; intrigued that we’re headed to Rome via human means, she glances at me.

“Why are we headed to Rome in the human world?” she asks, curious.