Vampires of Falconhaven

Chapter One; The Making of Marco and Raul.

-Raul's POV-

Running through Venice's streets, I enjoyed seeing the colours of the ladies' dresses and their parasols, shielding their beautiful skin from the harsh sun. All looking like beautiful goddesses of love and happiness, strolling through one of the city's many markets.

Young ladies, beautiful creatures of sound and colour, all poured off their elegant gondolas and joined the rest of the crowds to shop for fine silk and spices with their handmaidens. I stopped my frantic rushing to admire the sight of a brunette wonder, all but falling over herself to get off the boat.

I offered her my hand and she took it gratefully, blushing and hurrying apologies toward me in a language I couldn't quite understand. I winked at her and kissed her hand and she blushed a brilliant crimson and we both released each other's hands and continued onto our day's activities.

I was on my way to the church; there was a wedding going on.

Drifting between the guests, I adjusted my wedding garb; an unattractive burgundy colour, with a scratchy white collar. Some giggled, some just scoffed at my flushed face as they'd seen me running to be on time for my father's third wedding.

I saw my cousins, Arrebella and Amelia, flirting with the wine boy in order for him to give them more pre-wedding refreshments. They leaned forward in order to display their non-existent cleavage. Oh, how I wished my younger brother Marco could see this!

~

-Marco's POV-

"Marco, amante, come back to bed with me?" Guinevere batted her perfect eyelashes at me in order to try persuading me. Kissing her forehead, I brushed her gorgeous red curls off her face.

"Scusa amore, but I must go. It is my father's wedding today, after all..." I sheepishly smiled as I looked out the window to see all of the guests and shoppers flow through the market to buy things and get to the funeral of my wealthy father's third wife.

I heard the town's clocktower strike. I was officially late, due to my... adventurous spirit, I was usually seen as the unruly brother out of me and Raul.

Unlike Raul's stocky build, I was more lean and agile. The only thing we shared were our last names. I had blue eyes, he hard dark brown-black ones. I had dark, long, brown hair, he had black hair and kept it short, as he likes to keep everything like it was a business ordeal. I also had paler skin and more luck with women, due to my willingness to smile at them, instead of treat them with barely contained disgust. But alas, although I loved women, I could never choose just one. Raul would be the one to follow in father's footsteps and join the town's political front to become mayor, but I would be expected to marry a wealthy young lady and settle into a family.

Something that I was very adamant to never allow.

Getting dressed into my green wedding attire, I climbed out of Guinevere's window and scaled down her home's walls and faded into the crowd, hoping my father wouldn't notice I was late.

~

-Raul-

"Where is he?! Why is he always so determined to make a disgrace of this family?! Why doesn't he ever listen?" My father, Giovanni, bellowed to his mirror as he did up his matrimony clothing. A middle aged man, Giovanni is still able to beat down his sons, as well as crush their spirits, finding it a sick sport to ridicule his youngest son, Marco.

And Marco chooses to revel in it, as it's the only attention he gets from his father. Unless they're at each other's throats, they chose to deny the other's existence.

Since our mother died of illness, Giovanni's been hunting for a younger, prettier wife, who's willing to do whatever she can for his riches and title. As frustrating as he can be, Giovanni always gets his way, so now he's choosing to marry Adrianna, who's the treasurer's daughter. At 20, she's 30 years my 52 year old father's junior.

Hearing yet another scowl, I considered trying to defend my brother's reckless actions, but then decided against it as it could mean tempering father before his wedding day. He pottered around, knocking his things about and grumbling until Marco barged in.

"Now now, whats with all this moping? It is a wedding, after all." His signature smirk spread wide across his sharp jawline.

"Well at least one of us can get married." My father turned and glared daggers at his son.

I attempted to laugh. "Well maybe one day we'll be calling him St Marco then, if he doesn't choose to be with anyone."

"Do not be late for this, sons." My father grunted and walked out to stand at his alter.

~

I grabbed a glass of wine and poured some for me and my brother.

"So who was it this time? A pastor's daughter? A maid?" I asked monotonously. I was getting a little tired of his escapades and rendezvous with every girl in town. I was also sick of their fathers and brothers insisting it was I who deflowered their family members.

"It was Guinevere." He shrugged.

All I saw was red.

I threw him against the wall, hearing it shudder under my force. He winced and struggled pathetically against me. We both knew I'd always be stronger than him, although he is getting better at defending himself.

"How could you?!"

A slow chuckle came from his lips as he tried pushing me off. "I had no idea, the great Raul has feelings?" I hit him and he fell into the desk.

"Relax, brother. There will be other girls." I slammed his head down onto the desk and kicked him in the ribs as he fell onto the ground.

"As pathetic as it may sound to you, brother, some of us like just the one girl." I said coldly as I walked out of the room.

Guinevere was a childhood friend who I'd always had an unhealthy attraction to. Although, sadly for me, not being able to confess my feelings has always been my downfall, as it clearly was the case for Marco and Guinevere.

~