Thicker Than Water....

Chapter 20 - The Eve of The War

I felt a soft breeze brush over me.  It was warm, fragrant with jasmine and almond.  My eyes were reluctant to open.  I simply turned over and sighed contentedly.

   "Wake up, Sienna."  That voice.  Deep and seductive.  His voice.  My Vittorio.  My eyes obeyed, and I saw him, sitting on the edge of my bed.  He leaned over and brushed a wayward strand of hair from my cheek, then gently kissed my brow.  "I love watching you sleep."

    "Mmm," I mumbled.  "Same." 

He raised a quizzical eyebrow.  I confessed my indiscretion of when I'd crept down to the cellar in my house.  He smiled.  We held each others gaze for a while longer.  He was exquisite.  Handsome beyond compare.  And half-naked, Baby Si injected.  Yes, and he was mine!

   "We have to get ready," he said finally.  "There are people wanting to meet you."

Right now, I just wanted to lay in his arms and feel his skin next to mine.  I knew I had to get out of bed though, and so, reluctantly, I pulled back the sheets, slipped on one of the T-shirts which had suffered my tantrum of last night, and headed for the bathroom. Showered and dressed in ten minutes, I was ready. 

Vittorio was just finished dressing, when there was a knock at the door, and in walked Kula.  Her face was one of surprise when she first saw him, in his torn shirt, then her eyes followed the trail of scattered clothes and buttons.  She pretended there was nothing out of the ordinary and walked over to me, quickly rescuing and concealing a pair of my knickers off one of the statuettes near the windows.  I could not suppress a giggle at her feigned aloofness. She rammed the stray knickers into my hand.  "I t'ink we are wanted in dat room along de hall," she said.

Vittorio nodded a polite greeting to her.   Her eyes followed him as he quickly left the room. She turned to me, maintaining a matriarchal look on her face.  "I see he has once again drank from you?"

I burst out laughing. It was just such a  comical comment under the circumstances - clothes strewn everywhere, a case, half empty and dumped on the floor, stray knickers and a messy bed, yet she commented on the fact Vittorio was day-walking.  My mirth subsided as I realised she wasn't sharing it with me.  There was underlying sadness in her eyes.  I knew it was her concern for Peter.

The stately room we had been in the day before was now brimming with people.  The windows were still shuttered, keeping the room protected from the sun and the vampires from it's rays.  I wondered if the High Supremo and her councillors ever partook of the sacred blood.  The room fell silent as hundreds of eyes turned to us when we entered the room.  It was unnerving.  I felt like some kind of bacteria in a petri dish being scrutinised under a microscope. A path formed as people stood aside, granting us passage to the dais where the council awaited our arrival.  Calogera rose from her seat as she saw us approach. 

As well as the councillors from the day before, seven more individuals stood on the platform .  Vittorio was one; he smiled and winked at me.  The others consisted of four women and two men.  The men were clad in red leather and the occasional  glint of silver from their sides indicated weapons - daggers from what I could make out.  One of the women was dressed in the same way.  Warriors?  I pondered.  A woman warrior?  And why the hell not? Baby Si said. True, I agreed.  The remaining women were simply, but elegantly dressed in flowing white gowns, pinched at the waists accentuating their figures.  Damn, but they were beautiful!  One was oriental, the other two, Caucasian. They looked at me, with indifference.

   "Good morning," Calogera said as we drew to a stop at the bottom of the steps.

   "Good morning," I replied.  Kula did likewise.