Fear and rage stalked my shadow as I tried to hinder myself from walking over to my tormentor and slap her. My family must turn in their graves at the the sight of me sharing the same room as their murderer.
Alessandro saw my pale face and followed my gaze to its source. He looked like he wanted to hurl his glass at his sister.
“What in damnation is she doing here?!” he hissed in a hushed voice at Carlo who looked grim.
“She was invited.”
“I can see that! By who?”
“Most likely, Caterina di Castellamonte. I have heard rumors of those two becoming lovers.”
Alessandro snorted. “Lucretzia has never loved anyone but herself but Paramours make excellent targets for manipulation.”
“How so?” I asked and watched a beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes but with pearly skin go up to Lucretzia. I could only assume that was Caterina di Castellamonte. She leaned in to whisper something in Lucretzia’s ear which made the latter laugh.
“This isn’t really for a ladies ears but Paramours need intercourse to survive. They drain their partners that way. Most mortals are in the risk of dying but an Ascendant partner will not. Which is why Paramours would do anything to get one. Even sell their soul to the likes of Lucretzia. No offense,” Leonide said the last part to Alessandro who snorted.
“It’s the devil who feels shame by being compared to the likes of my sister, not me!” Alessandro said and forced himself to ignore his sister who clearly tried to get his attention.
“No love for your sister, Signor Borgia?” A tender voice snuck up on them and they turned to meet the gaze of a raven-haired beauty with a long scarlet dress. The woman radiated power and dignity. She had a silver cigarette holder in her hand and watched them with an inquiring look.
“Signora Vittoria Palladio, if you had accepted the Herald position then Di Castellamonte would not walk around the city as they owned it,” Alessandro said with a silky voice but with condemning eyes. The woman named Vittoria Palladio chuckled.
“Blame me, do you? Well, if I had known that my rival’s father would get the title then I might have accepted it.”
“I know you enough to know that claim to be false, Signora Palladio. But where are my manners? Let me introduce my kin and heir, Valeria di Santis!” Alessandro said with a proud gestured toward me and I gave her a gentle smile. She perused me with interest.
“From what birds at the court told me, she is actually the child of Lucretzia. Some even whisper that you stole her.”
“He did not steal me. He saved me,” I exclaimed a bit louder than I first intended and immediately uttered the next words in whispers as interested parties tried to listen in.
“That woman is a monster and is no kin of mine.”
Vittoria gave me an empathetic smile. “I thought as much, that woman hasn’t a motherly bone in her body. It’s despairing to see turned children being abandoned by their parents. Especially in later days. When I turned, a child was something to be cherished, today they are neglected.”
“Paramours are like us. They can only have a child by turning a human,” Alessandro explained and I nodded as I looked down into my glass. I looked at the reflection of Vittoria and wasn’t able to hold back a gasp as the sight frightened me. Instead of her beautiful, youthful gaze, were a skull staring back at me with empty pits instead of eyes.
Vittoria laughed loudly as she saw my pale face as my gaze darted between the reflection and its source. “Never seen the true face of a Paramour? Beautiful like Helena of Troy but under the surface lies our true face. Reflections show what lies beneath it. A curse if any, when you are this beautiful but are never to relish it in the mirror.”
I apologized for my ignorance but Vittoria merely amusingly dismissed it as the ignorance of youth. We continued to chat the night away. Vittoria pulled me along as she whispered gossip in my ear. She told me about the white-haired Mage Clan called the La Strega. Whose weakness make them become addicted to their own magic. They ruled in ancient times as the Sovereign of Torino and as Roman Headpriestess of Hecate before the Lombards conquered the lands. Then Clepho di Lombardi and his Ursin tribe of bearshifters took over and enslaved the La Stregas. Causing the two families to feud even after the Monarchs took over and freed La Strega from their chains.
She whispered rumors of all the secret lovers, intrigues and ambitions in the Court of Torino. I have come to care for Alessandro, Carlo, and Leonide but I do miss a lady’s company. Then Vittoria told me something that caught my interest. Clepho di Lombardi had caused a ruckus when he arrived as he encountered a Therian from a tribe not supposed to be in Torino. An Avian shifter. Vittoria immediately saw my interest.
“Oh, did the young prince from Messina caught your interest, my dear?”
“Prince?” I said with a frown. I had never heard anything about him being a prince.
“It’s the title we usually give to the sons and daughters of a Sovereign. He was a prince to be exact. His grandfather was a Sovereign of Monastir in Tunisia but they were hunted out of there by the humans who could no longer sustain an Ascendant clan as it has lost its wealth,” Vittoria mused absently.
“Does it matter to us Ascendants?” I asked and tried to catch a glimpse of my mysterious prince.
“It might for some clans. The people were dying in Tunisia and that is dangerous for the Therians.”
I halted when I understood what she implied. “Has it something to do with their weakness?”
Vittoria gave me an allusive look before sighing. “I really should tell you this, not if you fancy the young prince but…”
I waited patiently for her to continue.
“Some might be repulsed by their weakness. There is a reason why the Therians keep to themselves.”
“What might be so horrible that they seek loneliness?” I inquired, while not really knowing as I was afraid that my affection for my savior might be affected but I needed to know. This was my world know and ignorance won’t let me live in it.
“Their weakness is that they might one day become the animal they can transform into. One day they might not be able to shift back into their human form. They counter this by-“
“By what?”
“Eating human flesh. By devouring humans, they can stay human themselves. Quite a conundrum. As you can imagine the Therians need a large supply of humans to feed off. Battlefields are quite the provider for human flesh but in the modern age, they can get human flesh from morgues. They still need to be in bigger cities where their feeding habits are not as easily discovered.”
I stared at Vittoria and awaited my own reaction. I felt… Nothing. There was no reaction. My mind didn’t even perceive the notion of devouring human as wrong. Maybe because my own clan does something similar, so the thought did not distraught me. What terrified me though was the thought of my indifference to this revelation. For the first time since I turned it occurred to me just how different I was from when I was a human.
Vittoria noticed my nonchalance and chuckled. “It seemed that I had underestimated you, mio caro. You have truly converted to our way of thinking. Normally it would take a few decades before the human morals vanish.”
She suddenly gestured to the corner of the ballroom. “It seems I found the Nomad Prince. I suggest you hurry up to get his attention before he flutters away to a distant land.”
I look at the corner and saw Lorenzo D’Amore stand there with a glass filled with what seemed to be water and watch the dancing people. He was dressed in a white costume which made his skin look darker than it had done in the alley. I stalked closer, a bit shy over the presence of my savior.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t given much contemplation over what to say before he noticed me. He golden, bird eyes looked at me and he tilted the head. Even though he still had a rigid posture, he seemed more gentle as he looked at me.
“Hi, remember me, Signor D’Amore?”
“Signora Di Santis if I’m not mistaken.” Lorenzo’s voice was as polite but absentminded as it had been in the alley.
“Sì, I’m glad you remember me, Signor. I wanted to thank you again for saving me.” I said while trying to keep my eagerness I check. To much interest might put him on the run.
“Though it was my pleasure, it was also not my intention. I wanted to capture the Anarchists and you just happen to be there,” Lorenzo persisted and I sighed. He did not want the glory that is for certain. I better change the subject.
“You bird form was very beautiful but I am sad to say, I do not recognize the species. What-“
“Red kite. I’m a Red kite from the Avian tribe.”
“Then Alessandro was correct. From what I heard, you are from Monastir but your name is Italian-“
“I changed it. My birth name is Loreniz din Amir,” Lorenzo said bluntly and his name did give the impression of him being an Arabian prince.
“I’m sorry I offended you,” I said politely as he didn’t seem amused by our conversation.
“You didn’t.”
I stared at him, holding back my discouragement as he seemed to avoid looking me in the eyes. Either he hated me or he was really shy. No, I have been through too much to be discouraged.
“Do you dance, Signor?”
“I-“
I grabbed hold of him and pulled him to the dance floor. I could see Vittoria chuckled while winking at me. Alessandro looked amused, Carlo facepalmed while Leonide looked sullen. Lorenzo looked neither insulted or shocked, he was merely rigid as I pulled him into position and forced him to move.
“Signora, I might not be acquainted with your customs but I’m relatively sure that the man leads in a dance.”
“Someone seemed to have clipped your wings, Signor! so I decided to aid you but you are welcome to take over… If you can that is,” I said with a challenge underneath my sweet voice and Lorenzo cocked an eyebrow.
My mother would have fainted at my rude comment if she was alive but being coy was not grabbing his attention so maybe a challenge would do it. I gasped as Lorenzo firmly grabbed onto me and almost lifted me up from the ground as he took command. I gave him a chuckle as I had no other choice than to relinquish my lead to him.
“Is there a reason why I must dance with you, signora?” Lorenzo asked as we swayed along with the music.
“I might not have insulted you but you surely insulted me. This is your apology for not giving me the attention I craved,” I mused happily.
A slight smile crept along Lorenzo’s face as he spun me around. “Ah, I beg your pardon. I did not know I addressed a princess.”
“I might not be a princess, Signor! But not giving a lady attention will only lead to calamity,” I reprimanded him with a light tone and he snorted.
“I will remember that the next time I encounter one,” he said and dipped me as the dance finished. He bowed politely and left me feeling flushed from excitement. I turned to Vittoria, Alessandro, Carlo, and Leonide who waited for me.
“Mio Caro, you sure know how to charm the prince,” Vittoria chuckled and I giggled embarrassedly as I thought of my prevíously boldness.
“Charm? I’m fairly sure that was called manhandling,” Alessandro said amusingly as Carlo groaned.
“Please behave, I don’t know how to explain such manners to his clan,” Carlo muttered while Leonide looked grouchy. He brightens after I offered him a dance too much to Vittoria’s amusement. The rest of the night past uneventful but it was still a night which would never leave my remembrance as my first ball as an Ascendants and my true introduction to the Court of Torino.
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