I sighed. “It must have been quite shocking even with our attempts to blunt what they remembered with hypnosis.” Matthew was quiet, his expression asking the unsaid question. “He tried, but he didn’t succeed. I don’t know if that is because Lane pulled him off or if I had used the ka-tet to push him off. Lane didn’t say exactly and I was too embarrassed to ask,” I said and explained how Gregory had escaped.
He squeezed my hand again as relief washed over his face. “I am glad you are all right. We owe Lane for this.”
“I agree. There has to be something we can do to repay him for the kindness he’s shown. I just don’t know what.”
“We’ll figure out something. I think we should hunt here at the villa after all,” he said.
“Christina and I discussed that last night and came to the same conclusion. I also talked to Mary Anne.”
Matthew’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really? About what?”
I relayed our conversation to him. “I’m surprised Sandro admitted it. I thought he would stick by his lie to the very end.”
“I bet Samuel feels like a real idiot right now,” he muttered.
I nodded, but my thoughts were drifting. “Matthew, when I used –” I started, but was cut off by a knock on the door. I already sensed Christina and said, “Come in.”
“Have you heard the news? Sandro and Chiara are to go back to Florence,” she said as she closed the door behind her.
I nodded. “Mary Anne told me last night.” She looked surprised as I continued, “I was just briefing Matthew. I wonder why he confessed.”
She laughed. “David explained that to me. Kali wouldn’t leave Sandro alone. She disputed their version of events, exposing inconsistencies, and hounded him in his dreams by the sound of it.”
Matthew smiled. “Driven to confess by nightmares. I love her style, but I’m glad she hasn’t visited my dreams.”
“I feel fortunate that she is usually in a nice mood,” I replied. “So what do we do now?”
“If possible, I would like to join my brother in accompanying the other two back to Florence. I don’t trust them alone with him,” Christina said. “I don’t know if you plan to rejoin your ka-tet. I know there are some deeper issues there.”
Matthew sighed. “Gregory has us pinned down here, but we can’t stay here indefinitely. Ferdinando and the rest of the family will be returning to Florence within another week or so. Most of the guards and staff will go with them since they won’t be back for a while.”
“We should join them now that Sandro has been exposed. We’ll deal with our own issues later.”
Christina nodded. “I think I shall go procure us some ‘wine’ while you play the worried sister-in-law, Julia. I’ll be back soon.”
“Thank you,” I said as she left again.
“Julia, what were you going to say before Christina came in?”
I looked back down at him. “I shouldn’t bother you about it. I’m not even sure what I’m trying to ask,” I murmured. “You should rest.”
He raised an eyebrow and said, “I’m lying here, waiting for flesh to mend itself. I would love a challenge of figuring something out for you.”
I sat quietly for a bit, gathering my thoughts. “When Gregory invaded my mind, I didn’t realize it at first. I only heard, saw, and felt what he wanted me to. Somebody pierced through the sensations he had created and alerted me to what was happening.” I bit my lip and continued, “Obviously when I came to, I realized he attacked on both fronts and what I felt was real, at least some of it. Was it you who told me ‘psychic attack’? It sounded like a whisper.”
Matthew shook his head. “It wasn’t me, Julia. Was it Christina? That might have been why it sounded faint. She isn’t ka-tet so it might have been hard to hear her.”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t her or Mary Anne. When I connected with Mary Anne, she had no idea what was going on; she only knew we needed help. Her voice was clear just as yours had been. Could it have been Samuel?”
“If you could hear us clearly, you should have heard Samuel just as well if it was him.”
“Who could it have been?”
He looked thoughtful. “Kali.”
“She was across town,” I protested.
He smiled. “Think about how strong of a telepath she is. She first contacted you in a dream as a small child. She can deflect your power. If anyone outside the ka-tet can make themselves heard it would be her.”
I nodded. “That makes sense. I’m surprised she hasn’t talked to me tonight.”
“She might be busy with the Sandro situation. Or she might have seen or sensed something when she warned you that she doesn’t want to talk about.”
“Oh God, I hope not,” I replied with a shudder.
“I also hope that didn’t happen, but it’s possible.”
“Perhaps I should try talking to her later,” I said. I released Matthew’s hand and sat back in the chair. Yawning, I closed my eyes. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mary Anne use a gift either.”
“You have. It’s not considered useful in a fight. She’s very good with animals.”
“I see,” I murmured. I had another question I wanted to ask, but dozed off instead.
***
I startled awake, nearly falling out of the chair I was sitting on. “Calm down. It was just a dream.” It was Matthew’s voice. I blinked, gazing about in sleepy confusion. As the images and sounds from the nightmare faded, I saw him set down an empty wine glass. A full one was sitting next to it on an end table.
I ran a hand over my face. My nap had been plagued with the same nightmares my sleep had been. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Maybe an hour. Christina came in about ten minutes ago with our ‘wine.’ When she saw you were sleeping, she left yours on the table and headed out to entertain our hosts.”
I picked up the goblet and downed the blood that was in it. “I’m sorry, Matthew. I didn’t make very good company, falling asleep on you.”
A little color had returned to his face. He sat a little more upright and was now staring at me in concern. “Is this the longest you slept during the day as well?”
“By my best estimation, yes. I would sleep an hour or so each time before waking up.”
Matthew frowned. “I understand there’s more than enough reason to have nightmares but if you don’t get some substantial rest, you are going to be even more vulnerable to a psychic onslaught.”
“I know,” I said, setting down the empty glass. I felt my face grow warm as I said, “I have no idea how I’m going to face Lane again. He must think I’m a weak, helpless creature now.”
“Julia, I highly doubt he thinks that.” I looked at him in confusion. He continued, “Look at this from his point of view. He just witnessed a ‘human’ Hunter break out of a power he used on vampires. You said he told you he followed power to our location. That would be yours, Julia, with or without the ka-tet.”
I smiled. “You know how to make a girl feel better about such a compromising situation.”
He chuckled, then grimaced. “Laughing still isn’t a good thing,” he said and studied me. “There’s something else bothering you.”
I shook my head, but in truth, Gregory’s telepathic taunts hurt more deeply than the physical pain he had created. “Where is your savior now, Juliana? I don’t see Samuel anywhere . . . I couldn’t have done a better job of pushing him away.” I clenched my hands into fists.
Matthew observed the movement and said gently, “I can’t help if I don’t know what’s troubling you.”
Slowly I opened my fists and repeated the words that had wounded me.
“He said those things on purpose, Julia. He knew reminding you of the reason for Samuel’s absence would hurt you.”
“When I reached out to Samuel, I didn’t know if he would help,” I whispered.
“He did, though.”
I nodded, remembering the feel of his power when it coursed throu
gh me. “It was so strong, but he never said a word.”
Matthew rolled his eyes. “That was hardly the time for a heart to heart, Julia.”
“I know. I thought he would contact me tonight.”
“And what exactly did you hope he would say?”
His question took me off guard. “I – I don’t know,” I finally stammered. I had no idea what I hoped to hear. “Maybe I simply wanted to hear his voice.”
Matthew touched my hand. “He may not know either. The energy he gave should be answer enough right now. He didn’t abandon you. Now we just take it one day at a time.”
Chapter 26
Three nights later, Christina and I were deep in the gardens of Villa Medici, practicing sword fighting under Matthew’s watchful eye. It was the first time he had joined us in our late night practices since he had been wounded. He was not participating but I noticed he was armed anyway. He had taken great care to appear to be still healing to the humans even though his wound had mended days ago.
Now he called out instructions to us as we engaged in our taboo activity. If any humans were to see us, they would be mortified that two women were dressed as men and sparring with swords. Christina looked as excited as I felt as our swords clashed against each other.
“You’re quite skilled with the blade, Julia,” she gasped as my weapon slid off hers.
“Thanks. I owe that to Samuel,” I replied. I lowered my weapon as Matthew called for a rest. It was also a way to ensure we hadn’t drawn unwanted attention.
The young vampire looked at Matthew sitting on the nearby bench. “So explain again your insane plan to get us back to the rest of the group.”
“It won’t be pleasant, but if we leave in a carriage a couple hours after sunrise the Hunters should be sleeping. They would expect us to leave near sunset or later.”
Christina brushed some errant strands of brown hair out of her eyes. “I don’t even know if I can stay awake that long past dawn. This is the daftest idea I’ve ever heard.”
I smiled. “Most of the ka-tet has done it a few times. It takes a night or two to recover. However, I agree it is our best option to avoid what happened a few days ago.” Glancing at Matthew, I asked, “You’re planning on this morning, right?”
He nodded. “Mary Anne said they intend on leaving the night after. That should give us time to recover before setting off again.”
Christina smiled and said, “I wish I had a better idea, but I don’t. No one seems to be coming. Shall we get a little more practice in?”
I smiled as Matthew said, “You two are more eager to practice than my squire ever was.”
“Things are always more desirable when you’ve been denied them,” Christina replied as we resumed sparring. The silence was broken again by the sound of clanging metal and friendly catcalls. She smiled as we locked swords, each leaning into the other to force disarmament. When she nearly succeeded, I sprang backwards.
She came at me again, but I was seized with an unnerving sense of uneasiness. I raised my hand and said, “Stop!” She froze, looking confused. Instead of ignoring the feeling, I embraced it as I had been taught. The vision came with such startling clarity that it overwhelmed me. It was as if I was there, seeing and hearing everything that was happening.
Mary Anne sat in the kitchen of the villa across town with her head in her hands. David and Stephen were also in there, packing dried meat, fruit, and grains into three burlap bags. David looked at her. “Mary Anne, are you all right?”
She shook her head. “I have a headache.”
“With the arguing between Kali and the others, I’m not surprised,” David replied.
Mary Anne sighed. “At least Matthew and the other two are finally coming back. Stephen, did you fill the containers at the well?”
“Yes, I did that before sunset.”
“Good,” she said. David put down the food he was packing and walked to the doorway of the sitting room. Kali and Samuel stood next to the table in there, their voices rising sharply.
“If you had believed her, they wouldn’t have been across town when they were attacked,” she snapped.
“What do you want me to say? I was wrong to believe them over Julia? We discussed that a few nights ago. I don’t know what else you want.”
Kali sighed, running her hand through her long black hair. “It doesn’t matter now. The die has already been cast,” she replied, sitting down in one of the seats.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Chiara snapped as she and Sandro descended from the upstairs room.
She didn’t answer, folding her hands across the pale blue fabric of her gown. “She’s only a child. She’s just trying to scare us,” Sandro said with a sneer.
Chiara snarled something but my awareness was on another softer noise. It sounded like the breaking of glass. The sound was repeated again and then a third time. Seconds later, Hunters flooded in from the bedrooms at the back of the house. The three occupants of the kitchen were instantly prisoners as the front door was forced open and splintered all over the floor.
“Samuel?” Mary Anne asked in a trembling voice as one of the Hunters led her out into the sitting room, a stake pressed against the bodice of her dress. Another Hunter held a knife to Stephen’s throat, while a third held David against a wall of the kitchen.
The Saladino twins and four more Hunters came in through the destroyed door. Sandro looked at Samuel. “Let’s take them!”
“I wouldn’t advise that,” Donna Saladino told him. She smiled at her possessed brother.
“No. They’ll cut us down in a minute. What do you want, Gregory?” Samuel asked.
Gregory glared at him. “You know what I want, Samuel. I almost had her a few nights ago, but somehow you interfered. And your strange friend showed up.” A snarl contorted his face. “Since then my Juliana has been hiding among powerful mortals where I cannot get to her.” He swept his gaze over each person until he spotted Kali. “That ends tonight.”
He stepped toward her and Samuel tackled him. “Don’t touch her!”
Gregory fell against the table edge. One of the other men reacted, swiftly swinging a spiked wooden mace. It connected with the side of Samuel’s head and he dropped to the floor. The Hunter swung again. “Samuel!” Mary Anne screamed.
The possessed Hunter got to his feet, his hand against the edge of his mouth where a trickle of blood seeped out. “Don’t kill him yet,” he ordered as he walked the rest of the way to Kali.
She stood as he approached. Her expression was calm as she spoke. “Nothing you do to me will make Julia come back here.”
He backhanded her across the face. “Don’t be so sure about that.”
***
The images faded, leaving me gasping for breath on the Medici lawn. “Julia? Ciao!” Christina snapped, shaking me. She knelt beside me with a confused look on her face.
“Something’s wrong,” I muttered, getting to my feet.
“Yes, I nearly stabbed you! It would help if you would pay attention!”
I ignored her. “The others are in trouble,” I said, putting my sword back into its sheath. I knew what I had seen had either already occurred or was about to. “The Hunters found them.”
Christina stared at me in bewilderment as Matthew’s eyes flashed with understanding. “You saw something, didn’t you?”
I nodded, slipping the sheath holder on. “We need to go!” I said. Matthew nodded and headed for the gate. Christina sheathed her sword and we followed him. We were only a few seconds behind, but he had already hypnotized the guards so there wouldn’t be a commotion. We raced toward the other side of town.
We arrived at a dead run, which turned to an abrupt halt. All of the lower level windows and the door were broken. The three of us looked at each other. “I don’t think it’d be a good idea to just walk in,” Matthew said.
“Excellent deduction,” Christina said sarcastically. “Nor do I think climbing through the broken windows is a good idea.
”
I shook my head. “Let’s go through one of the upstairs windows, preferably one in back.” They nodded and we circled cautiously to the rear of the villa. We looked at the window of the loft, then at the tree beside it. Matthew tested a branch. “This is our way in. I’m going to break that window,” he whispered. Without waiting for a reply, he climbed up. Balancing carefully on a branch, he took out his sword, used it to shatter the glass, and climbed inside.
I glanced at Christina, climbed up, and jumped through the window. I landed with a thud that sounded loud to my ears.
“Shh,” Matthew hissed.
Christina followed, earning her own “hush.”
I was watching my vision come to life. Samuel was on the floor near the table. The man with the mace and one other stood over him. Most of the Hunters had their weapons trained on the others in the room. Gregory stood next to Kali. “I know you can talk to her, girl. Tell her to come!” he demanded. “If you value your life, you will do what I say.”
I glanced at Matthew, trying to weigh our options. Our only advantage was the element of surprise. He could use his power, but it was risky and we would lose our advantage. We could attempt to use the ka-tet’s power, but with so many foes with weapons ready, I wasn’t sure if it would take enough of the Hunters out without costing us heavy casualties. If I leapt down from my angle, I could knock down Gregory and possibly another Hunter or two. But Kali was in the way.
She glanced behind her as if judging her chance of escape. Finally she looked back at him and said, “Nothing you do to me will make her come back, Gregory.”
“Don’t be so sure about that,” he hissed, backhanding her. He pulled out a dagger.
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