Melina Caruso is an extraordinary human whose red lifeblood and gifted abilities brought unwanted attention to the world of immortality and ultimately sparked a race for blood, power and love.
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There is no reward for starting, only for persevering.
- Catherine of Siena (1347 - 1380)
My aunt's two-story house, with its grey and white wood frame construction, jutted pointedly into the overcast sky as the red car came to a stop in front of the driveway after nearly four hours of driving. Like many other American houses, the facades were lined with narrow, horizontally aligned wood, while small-format grey shingles covered the roofs.
"Beautiful... isn't it?" my aunt asked with a smile, and I nodded in agreement.
The gables and dormers gave each house in the street a different look and an unusual shape, a big difference from the rectangular stone buildings of Italy.
The slamming of the driver's door brought me out of my stupor before I slowly opened the passenger door with a deep sigh and got out. The cold, wet wind instantly caressed my legs and penetrated my thin grey leggings, causing them to shiver and shake. I pulled the zipper of my cardigan over my neck and covered my knuckles with the sleeves as I dodged the muddy puddles to the trunk.
I grabbed the suitcase's black handle and took my aunt's larger travel bag before following her down the sidewalk to the house.
The little green grass and bushes on both sides of the path had been badly affected by the many rain showers and persistent clouds. They were covered in large mud puddles and hollows. The towering trees let their bouncing, thick raindrops fall.
As soon as we reached the covered porch, I felt a wave of deep relief, and I could hear the keys jingling.
"I'm sure you'll be delighted with your room," my aunt said, opening the front door.
"A colleague's wife worked as an architect and was able to design and furnish your room before you arrived. She was very impressed by your acrylic paintings, by the way." She added and placed my last suitcase near the stairs.
"She seemed to find your painting of the Palazzo dei Priori in Volterra...very fascinating."
I flinched under her last sentence, and several images flashed before my inner eye like a looping movie. Demetri stood in front of my destroyed bed, and Demetri's tense body brought up the rear.
My hand, which was still gripping the handle of the suitcase, suddenly tensed up.
The little light from the daytime sun fell in thick rays through the small windows at the top of the wall, making the circular hall shimmer despite their diminishing intensity.
"How dare you...?" an angry, almost aggressive-sounding voice hissed through the room, cutting through the accumulated tension like a sword in battle.
The man with the silky blond shoulder-length hair leaned forward on his throne, his red, cloudy, milky eyes narrowed to slits. His translucent white skin wrinkled, leaving tiny blemishes and imperfections amidst his perfection. His lips pressed together, and he looked at the upright figure before his eyes. The fingertips of his hands clutched the backrest of the throne.
"Your uncontrolled and inexcusable behaviour towards this girl has brought us unwanted attention," the blond man interrupted again, not lowering his angry tone.
"The rumours of these pathetic humans already speak of a wild beast that has left the girl's room destroyed," the man beside him spat, once again increasing his volume, echoed back by the stone walls.
"As one of our highest-ranking guards, I certainly don't need to explain the most important of our established rules to you," he added, relaxing his fingers slightly from the splintering wood.
"Your behaviour disappoints us greatly, Demetri," the man on the middle throne said, his delicate features expressing disappointment.
"This girl's family is one of the most respected and respected families in Volterra. The loss of her parents a few years ago alone caused great grief and sympathy in the community, which led to months of inquiries and investigations," the dark-haired man explained further.
Demetri's red eyes were fixed on the man before he finally nodded.
"It won't happen again, Master," he said defeatedly, bowed his head.
A small smile appeared on the man's lips, almost sympathetic and comforting.
"Her blood will be yours, Demetri," he said, ignoring the angry looks of the blond and the bored ones of the other beside him.
"But for now... I'm afraid... you'll have to stay away from young Melina Caruso," he emphasized finally, and a thin line formed Demetri's lips as his brow furrowed in dissatisfaction. Slowly, the middle man rose from his throne and strolled down the few steps until he came to a halt in front of Demetri.
"It is not the beginning that is rewarded, but only the perseverance, my dear Demetri," he quoted Catherine of Siena, purring and with a broad smile on his lips.
"Melina...?"
"Melina...!"
I blinked several times and met my aunt's worried, almost panicked brown eyes. Her hand was on my shoulder while her nails penetrated my cardigan and dug into my skin.
"Are you all right, Melina?" she asked, startled, and I nodded wordlessly. Her eyes ran over my body, and I heard a relieved sigh before the pressure around my shoulder eased.
"Are you sure, little one? I could examine you..." she said doubtfully, looking around the hallway frantically. My eyes widened, and I shook my head in protest.
"It's nothing, Aunt Sofia." I squeezed her hand reassuringly, and a forced smile came to my lips.
"I'm probably just sore from the long journey... after all, it was a 15-hour flight and an almost four-hour drive." I tried to evade explaining. After hesitating, my aunt finally nodded and gave my hand an encouraging squeeze.
"You're probably right, dear," she said but couldn't suppress the worried undertone in her voice. Her hand went to her forehead, brushing some of her brown strands to the side.
"I think... it wouldn't hurt if we both rested a little. After all, it's been an exhilarating and exhausting day...for both of us," she said after a while and gave me an encouraging smile.
I thought back to my vision from a few minutes ago, which was both relieving and disturbing.
