“Can you believe we live there?” Luisa dropped a small kiss to his cheek as she lowered herself next to him.
“I still pinch myself once in a while.”
After leaving the hospital two months ago, it turned out that Alexander Drako and his companion Ravenna, the owners of the Fairy House, wanted to offer Raphael and Luisa permanent shelter. At first, Raphael had been too shocked to even thank them. But after a few days passed and he realized no one was going to send them away, he finally relaxed and even asked Alexander and Ravenna to let him work to earn his keep. Eventually they relented and proposed that he and Luisa watched after their triplets once in a while.
Living with the Drako family was a dream come true for Raphael. Not only because they owned the Fairy House, but because Alexander and Ravenna made him and Luisa feel at home from the very first moment. There were rules and regulations Raphael wasn’t too fond of, like having to sleep in a separate room from Luisa—Alexander caught him several times trying to sneak into her bedroom and sent Raphael back to his, as if the man had nothing better to do than check on them—or having to go to school.
At least, he and Luisa had been enrolled in the same high school. As private institutions went, Dante Alighieri wasn’t that strict and their classmates weren’t half bad. In fact, three of them were shifters with whom they had become fast friends. The only negative note was the amount of homework neither he nor Luisa were accustomed to.
Bending, Raphael put down the pencil and the sketchpad on the cobblestones, then turned to take Luisa in his arms. “Did you finish translating the Latin version for tomorrow’s assignment?”
“Not yet. I hate Latin.” Luisa shifted on the large marble edge until she sat with her back against him. “And Greek. I can’t stand it either.”
Raphael laughed. “Don’t let Alexander know or we won’t hear the end of it.” He kissed the crown of her head. “Good thing I’m an ace at both languages and I’ve already translated all the pieces for this week.”
“Okay. And I’m done with math, so you can copy the quiz results.”
“Thanks. I can’t wait for the scholastic year to end already.” Since Alexander had told them about his house on the Amalfi Coast, Raphael had been dreaming of spending the whole summer with Luisa surfing and bathing. The Drako family and their friends would relocate there in June for Samuel’s wedding, and he looked forward to seeing the whole group again. He had even promised to babysit the little ones to give the couples some adult time.
“Me too. Six weeks and we’ll be free from homework.” Luisa tilted her chin to lean her head backward and look up at him. “I was thinking about next year—”
“What about it?” he moved her around so they were facing each other. Although, thanks to the Drakos’ chef, she had gained some weight, she was still as light as a feather in his hands. Her hair was growing back though. She had stopped shaving it when she had also stopped cutting herself.
“I can’t believe we’ll be graduating.”
“Me neither. I never thought I would ever be in school again.”
“And we’ll go to college after that.”
“Even more incredible, isn’t it?” He couldn’t help but laugh. His life, their lives, had changed so much in one night and he was still trying to get used to it. To the fact that for once he wasn’t running away and that he was safe, among people who would never hurt him.
“Life is beautiful.” Luisa tilted her head and smiled.
“With you by my side, always.”
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Monica
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Acknowledgments
As usual, I must thank my kids and my dad for just being the wonderful people they are.
Claudia, because she is the beta reader any author dreams of, and she expressly asked for Raphael.
Lorraine, because after reading a rough draft of what later became An Immortal Valentine's Day, she too asked for Raphael's story to be told.
Ava K. Michaels, for being an incredibly supportive author and friend.
Katie, Kory, and Angela from my critique group, for their keen eyes in catching typos and their insightful comments. Raphael is way better thanks to you, magnificent ladies.
All my friends, who are always very supportive and don't complain when I disappear for days.
Roberto, because he is the true inspiration behind my heroes.
Persons of Interest
I wrote the book and created the cover
Roberto Ruggeri formatted it
You, the reader, hopefully had a good time reading it
Bio
Monica La Porta is an Italian who landed in Seattle several years ago. Despite popular feelings about the Northwest weather, she finds the mist and the rain the perfect conditions to write. Being a strong advocate of universal acceptance and against violence in any form and shape, she is also glad to have landed precisely in Washington State. She is the author of The Ginecean Chronicles, a dystopian/science fiction series set on the planet Ginecea where women rule over a race of enslaved men and heterosexual love is considered a sin. She also published two other series: the futuristic love story across the universe, Elios & Gaia, narrated in two books; and the paranormal romance/urban fantasy series The Immortals set in Rome. Stop by her blog to read about her miniatures, sculptures, paintings, and her beloved beagle, Nero. Sometimes, she also posts about her writing.
Monica La Porta’s blog: www.monicalaporta.com
Monica La Porta’s author page of Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monicalaportaauthor
Goodreads Author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5757332.Monica_La_Porta
Twitter: https://twitter.com/momilp
Table of Contents
Title
Copyrights and More Information
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Bio
Raphael (The Immortal Youth Book 1) Page 23