William swam to the side closest to her. He looked like a god, his upper body perfect in proportion and sprinkled with droplets of water. His powerful presence was barely muted by the water, although he looked up at her hesitantly.
“Are you joining me?”
“We’ll get arrested.”
William inclined his head to one side. “It’s a warm evening. We’ve taken a drive down a long, dusty road. I thought it would be refreshing to have a swim. Together.”
The tone of his voice changed on the last word and Raven felt it on her skin, like a caress.
“What if someone sees us?”
“I have excellent hearing and an exceptional sense of smell. The wind is blowing such that we won’t be surprised by anyone coming from the villa. Come, Raven. I want to see you.” His expression grew heated.
Nestled among the greenery in the semidarkness, the pool looked inviting. Even more so when coupled with the aqua-god before her. Raven balled her hands into fists.
“Fine.”
Carefully, she undid her leather jacket and placed it on a chair near William’s clothes. With as much speed as she could muster, she disrobed. Covering her breasts with an arm, she hobbled to the shallow end of the pool and crept down the stairs. She only relaxed when the water came up to her neck.
William watched the entire procedure like a hawk. He remained at the side, regarding her, but made no move to approach her.
Her cheeks flamed.
He extended his hand over the surface of the water. It was an invitation. Slowly, she walked over to him.
“How does the water feel on your leg?” His expression was almost tender.
“It feels good. Over the years I’ve done aquatic therapy and exercise. It helps.”
“But you haven’t been doing that in Florence.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“I’ll make arrangements.”
She was prepared to argue with him, but quickly thought better of it given his tone. “Thank you. I miss swimming.”
He lifted his hand, but instead of pulling her against his naked form, he gently touched her face and smoothed her hair. She placed her arms on his shoulders to steady herself. “The water is very warm.”
He nodded, still staring into her eyes.
She broke eye contact. “You’ve gone quiet.”
“Vampyres have excellent senses. When we feed or engage in intercourse, we become distracted. To ensure we aren’t surprised, I’ll have to forgo those activities.” His hand slid under the water to rest on her hip. “I’m finding it—difficult.”
She stepped closer, her breasts brushing against his chest. William closed his eyes and groaned.
“I think it would be rude for us to pursue those activities in someone else’s pool.” Raven kissed his neck.
Struck by a sudden inspiration, she licked a drop of water from his skin. William’s hands clamped on her hips, pulling her lower body against him. Without a word, he kissed her deeply.
“I’ll take care of it,” he rasped, his eyes like gray fire.
He wrapped his arms around her back and Raven forgot all about the owners of the pool.
Chapter Twenty-six
Later that evening, William piloted the motorcycle to a place near the front door of Raven’s apartment building. She waited for him to help her off the bike, finding her legs unsteady.
He chuckled as he removed her helmet. “Are you all right?”
“I’m perfect.” She smiled and lifted her face.
He captured her lips, pulling her against him. They kissed for some time, gently exploring one another’s mouths, before William withdrew. He pecked her on the cheek.
“Let’s get you inside.”
They walked toward the front door, holding hands and whispering about their activities in the pool. It was, perhaps, one of the most romantic evenings of Raven’s life.
As they approached the door, a figure stepped out of the shadows. William’s body grew solid and a loud snarl escaped his chest. Instantly, he pushed her behind him.
Raven’s gaze moved in the direction of William’s. Standing a few feet away, dressed in priestly black, was Father Kavanaugh. He was staring at William with a thunderous expression.
“Release her!” he commanded.
He removed a cross from his pocket and held it in front of him as he advanced, reciting what Raven thought was Latin. She tried to get around William’s body, but he pushed her back, cursing the priest in Latin, teeth bared.
“By the power of the Name, I command you to release her.” Father produced a bottle of what looked like holy water. Panic ripped through Raven.
She knew holy water had only a minimal effect on William. She also knew that he was at pains to keep this information secret. She couldn’t risk Father Kavanaugh throwing the water in their direction, only to learn that William was immune.
“Stop.” Raven managed to lean around William, making eye contact with her former mentor. “I’m fine, Father. He won’t hurt me.”
The expression on the priest’s face grew even more determined.
“Raven, walk toward me. Right now.” His voice was low as he continued to approach the angry vampyre.
“She’s mine,” William hissed, blocking her from the priest’s vision once again.
“William, stop it.” She grabbed hold of his arm and tried to push him, but he didn’t move. “This is Father Kavanaugh, the priest who saved me and Cara.”
William’s grip slackened for a moment and she managed to extricate herself. Limping to stand between the two men, she looked from one to the other.
“I’m safe. No one is going to hurt me. Both of you, just relax.” She lifted her hands, trying to keep them from shaking.
“Raven, come here. Now.” Father muttered words she did not understand. He fished in his pocket and produced a flat disk, which featured a red cross formed by two swords.
William grabbed Raven’s hand, pulling her to his body. He hedged her with his arms. “We must go. Now.”
“But he’s practically my father,” she protested. “I’m not going to run from him.”
William leveled angry eyes on the priest. “What do you want?”
“I’m not here to do battle. I came to see Raven.” The priest extended his hand in her direction. “Release her and we have no quarrel.”
“Stop it, both of you.” She extricated herself from William once again. “I’m not in danger. If you two would just come upstairs, I’m sure we can talk this out.”
“I am asking you now, Cassita, to come with me.” William’s tone caused a chill to ascend Raven’s spine.
“I need to talk to him. He won’t hurt me.” Raven tried to convince William with her eyes. William held her gaze, then his eyes shifted to the priest.
Father Kavanaugh had not relaxed his posture but he’d stopped moving, his pale eyes narrowed.
William spat on the ground. He turned and ran toward a nearby building.
Raven watched in shock as he scaled the wall without a backward glance, disappearing onto the roof.
He’d left her.
“We need to get inside.” Father wrapped an arm around her shoulders and surveyed the piazza. “There could be more of them.”
Confused, she allowed him to walk her to the front door of the building.
The priest insisted on crossing the threshold first, holding out a cross and reciting sacred Latin formulations. Raven was too distracted by her worries over William’s departure to pay much attention.