“No, they don’t. Suicide is the worst thing a human being can do. You shouldn’t even consider it.” William looked deeply into her eyes. “You say you don’t want this, but I saw you blush. You want me to touch you. You want to be in my bed.”
“No.” She spoke defiantly.
“Convince me.”
His gray eyes dropped to her lips.
He brought his body to within a hairsbreadth of hers, but didn’t touch her. His mouth hovered close.
Raven waited, expecting him to kiss her.
He didn’t.
She inhaled deeply.
Still, he didn’t move.
“Cassita,” he murmured. The movement of his mouth brought their lips in contact, but only for a second.
Then his lips were on hers and he was kissing her.
His hand sifted through her long hair, cupping the back of her head. He brought their bodies together, erasing the space between them.
Then he slowed the tempo of his lips to an agonizing crawl. He pressed against her, brushing his lips across hers as if the distance were interminable and he had all the time in the world.
She didn’t push him away, but she didn’t kiss him back. She was as still as a statue, motionless in his arms.
Then his lips were gone.
She opened her eyes and saw him staring at the door.
“We’re about to be interrupted.”
“Interrupted?”
No sooner had the word left her mouth than there came a knock at the door.
“Enter,” William called.
There was a click and a scrape of the lock. The door opened.
Ambrogio appeared. “Forgive me, my lord. An urgent message has arrived.”
“Place it on the table.”
If Ambrogio was surprised by the shards of glass and wine droplets he had to step over in order to walk to the side table, he hid it well. He put a white envelope next to Raven’s empty wineglass.
“Will there be anything else, my lord?” He ignored Raven and looked only at William.
“No. That is all.”
Ambrogio bowed and withdrew, closing the door behind him.
William released Raven, walking over to the table. He ripped open the envelope and scanned the written contents.
“Sard,” he cursed, stuffing the letter back into the envelope.
“What does that mean?”
“It means fuck.”
“In what language?”
“English.” He tossed the envelope on the table. “I had hoped to spend the day with you. Unfortunately for us both, business intrudes. We’ll continue this conversation later. In the interim, the villa is at your disposal. Lucia will prepare your meals and see that you have what you need. I’ll seek you out when I return, which may not be until tomorrow.”
He nodded at her and made for the door.
She followed him. “Wait. What’s going to happen to Bruno?”
William frowned. “Why must you keep mentioning him?”
“Because his grandmother is my neighbor. And he may die because of me.”
William’s demeanor cooled. “You won’t have to worry about her much longer. She has cancer and will die soon.”
“What?” Raven croaked.
“When I visited your apartment, I could smell the cancer from the hall. It’s very advanced.”
“How can you smell cancer?”
He pressed his lips together. “It’s one of our talents. We can smell disease. And death.”
Raven placed a hand on the back of the chair for support. “Why didn’t Bruno tell me?”
“It’s possible he doesn’t know. I didn’t scent any drugs in her system. Perhaps she declined treatment.”
“Can you help her?”
“I could, but I won’t.” His tone was matter-of-fact.
“Why not?”
“Using vampyre blood to help you has already exposed me. I’m not about to do it again.”
“But if I asked you to help her?”
A muscle jumped in his jaw.
“I’d still say no. The blood will heal her cancer but I’d have to give it to her in such a large amount, she’d end up much, much younger. It would attract too much attention.”
“Could you give her a little, just to ease her suffering?”
“Death is the only thing that will help her.”
Raven let out an anguished sound. “Please.”
“We don’t interfere in the lives of human beings. You were an exception.” His eyes glinted cold steel.
He turned his back on her and reached for the doorknob.
She swallowed hard as tears pricked her eyes. “William, wait.”
She cleared her throat.
“What if I begged?”
William kept his back toward her.
“My answer won’t change.”
“I tried to protect Cara,” Raven whispered. “I failed.”
Now William turned around. “Who’s Cara?”
“I am not going to watch this happen and do nothing.”
William exhaled loudly.
“It isn’t your responsibility to save the world. Let people save themselves.”
Raven let out an anguished sound. “If what you said about the relic is true, it’s my fault Bruno was hurt. If I’d been wearing it, no one would have bothered us.”
“It’s too late for regrets.” He reached for the doorknob once again.
“No, it isn’t.”
She approached him, standing a few feet away.
“You said I’d come to you and beg for help.” She lifted her chin. “I thought I was too proud to beg. But I’m not. I beg you for Bruno’s life and the life of his grandmother.”
William remained stubbornly fixed on the door.
“No.”
“Please, William. Please.”
He exhaled loudly. “As difficult as it may seem to you, we try not to draw attention to ourselves. You’re asking me to expose myself.”
“I’ll stay with you.”
William’s eyes flew to hers. “What?”
“If you heal Bruno and help his grandmother, I’ll stay with you. I’ll work on your art collection. I may even do . . . other things, eventually. I just ask that you don’t force me.”
William simply stared.
“Please,” she repeated. “Help them.”
William stood still so long, Raven worried he’d gone into a trance.
She wrung her hands, anxiety making her fidget.
His gaze moved to her hands and then to her face. “You’d live with me until I let you go? That could be decades from now.”