He cracked an ice pack, wrapped it in a cloth and applied it to her forehead after sweeping back her hair. “Drago, there’s an eye mask in the drawer right beside the bed. Would you mind getting that out for me?”
“No problem.”
Drago pulled it out and helped lift Nicoletta’s head so Taviano could slip the mask over her head to cover her eyes.
“You’re good, il mio tesoro. Just relax. We’re in the air. Your friends are fine. You’ve got a small nosebleed but that’s all. Not as bad as before, and you weren’t even sick.”
“Don’t say the word sick,” she cautioned.
“I’ll be more careful,” he promised, exchanging a relieved grin with his cousins and nodding when they indicated they would leave him alone with her.
He waited until both left the room before he removed his shoes and slipped up onto the bed with her. He was damned tired, and it was going to be a very long night. He had some explaining to do.
“I can’t believe how fast you learned, Nicoletta.” There was pride in his voice. “The entire family has noted how quick you pick up technique and retain it, but riding the shadows is something we learn from the time we’re toddlers. We start with simple games and progress from there, but you were just thrown in at the deep end and acted like a pro.”
“I threw up over and over, Taviano. That’s hardly being a professional,” Nicoletta protested, a note of sarcasm creeping in, telling him she didn’t like praise she didn’t feel she deserved.
“You don’t understand. Some riders train for years and still can’t take being in the shadows. They end up not being able to do the work because it’s too difficult. You’re going to be twenty-one in a few weeks, Nicoletta, and you were able to ride four times in the same day without training. That’s unheard-of. No one, to my knowledge, or the knowledge of our family, has done such a thing. If I lose my fucking career over this, I want you to know I’m so damned proud of you, and it was my choice to do it.”
He meant it, too. It had been his choice to bring her with him. It had been a risk, but he’d needed to bring her. He would have to answer to Stefano, maybe even go before the counsel. If it went that far, if Stefano insisted he be brought before the counsel, then he would be banned from riding, but he knew he would have done it all over again, because Nicoletta needed him to give her what she asked for. He might be able to make himself explain it to Stefano, but never to the counsel, so he hoped it didn’t go that far.
There was a small silence. Nicoletta put her hand to her head and slowly drew the ice pack from her forehead and then removed the eye mask. He could just make out her eyelashes fluttering as she turned her head to look at him. Ignoring the light, restraining hand on her belly, she sat up.
He saw what that movement cost her. There was a momentary flash of pain on her face. Her body hadn’t recovered from the brutal travel in the shadows. It wouldn’t for a long while. Still, she turned on the bed, pulling her legs up under her as she faced him completely.
“What do you mean, lose your career?”
He winced. He still hadn’t recovered from riding the shadows, especially with a wound. He should have guarded his words more carefully.
“I promised you I would explain things to you, didn’t I?”
Her eyes searched his face and then she nodded.
“You may as well get comfortable. I’ll get you something to drink. Something icy cold. I know from experience your throat is feeling parched.” It was true, but there was a part of him that was stalling, and he knew it.
“Yes, I need something cold to drink, Taviano, but before anything else, you need to explain what you meant. Why would you lose your career because you helped my friends?”
“Not because I helped your friends, Nicoletta.” He got up and made his way to the small bar there in the bedroom. It was fully equipped, just like the one in the other room. He got her a cold water. Like him, Nicoletta didn’t drink alcohol anymore. “Because I allowed you to see what we do.”
“I already suspected what you did. I had done it myself,” she pointed out, taking the bottle from him. “Well, I hid, sort of. But I still suspected you did something in the shadows.”
“That’s beside the point. You didn’t have a clue how to ride them. There are rules that all riders follow, and for good reason. Those rules are in place to protect all riders. All of the families, not just ours. If you were to tell what you know to an outsider, you could ruin everyone.”