Hidden Paths: Vampire Revenge

Chapter One

"I was born in 1520," Tony finally spoke. He paused taking a fortifying breath. "At least, I think so, time just blends together after awhile," he said with a nervous laugh.

He ran his hands through his short black hair. It was much shorter than it used to be. It had been at least a hundred years since he wore his hair long and pulled back in a ponytail, but he still missed it.

He picked up his wine glass and then set it further away from him. Anything for an extra moment to collect his thoughts.

He took a deep breath agsin and plowed forward, "I come from a wealthy family, who owned one of the largest vineyards in Italy. By the time I was sixteen, I was fully groomed to take over the family business. And to be married."

Tony got up from his chair to pace the floor. He noticed the shocked faces of his friends. He had never told them fully about his past. Especially not that he had been married. And never about...

His heart clenched. Not yet, he couldn't think of him yet. He must, but, for now, it must be about Eliana. And about Massi. How it had all began.

"I was betrothed to the daughter of the neighboring vineyard owners. Our parents had wanted us to merge the two vineyards with our marriage. We were nothing more than another business transaction. Our parents were forcing us to marry. It had been arranged since we were toddlers. Children had no say in their betrothals back then. I had avoided Eliana, for most of my life, because of this reason." Tony said, and stared blankly at the floor.

He tried to remain emotionless though he could feel the pain starting to creep back into his bones.

"As I grew older, I became what you might call a ladies man." Tony shot Jake a look warning him to not make the comment that he knew was ready on Jake's lips.

"Women flocked to me as if I was the greatest thing on earth. This pumped up my ego quite a bit. I loved all of the attention that I received from them. Of course, I still do." He said with an unapologetic shrug.

"My friend, Massimiliano, and I often competed for the ladies. It was a game to us, and we enjoyed it immensely. Some nights, Massi would walk away with the lady that we were competing for, and other times, it was me. My father grew tired of these games and he insisted that I stop the flirtations with women and concentrate on the vineyard. He said that I was betrothed to Eliana, so if I wanted a lady, I should just go marry her. I still refused to go see her. I felt that she was my future prison not a future companion," he paused again, taking another breath, preparing himself for the memories to come flooding back.

"One night, at a dinner party that I attended, I heard a discussion that Eliana had turned into a beautiful young lady and that her father had to threaten many men off of his land. This actually made me quite jealous, as Eliana belonged to me, and shouldn't be receiving the attentions of any other men. One night, I snuck over to their property. Through the dining room window, I was able to watch her eat supper with her family. And she was, indeed, the most beautiful creature that I had ever laid eyes on.

To my parents delight, I begged them to invite Eliana and her family over for a dinner party as soon as possible. My parents had already invited several other families to come over sometime the following month, so they included Eliana's family as well."

The memory of that night was as clear as if it had been the night before. The five hundred years of trying to repress those memories were fruitless. Tony let the memory rush at him.

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"Massi!" Tony exclaimed as he opened his front door.

"Antonio, it's good to see you old friend," Massimiliano said, shaking Tony's hand enthusiastically.