“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.
When she unlocked her apartment, once again Father Kavanaugh insisted on entering first. He searched the entire space, turning on every light, before allowing her inside. He closed and bolted the door behind them, breathing a slow sigh of relief.
“What just happened?” She stumbled to a chair, anxious to take the weight off her leg. She was without her cane because William had suggested she leave it at his villa before the motorcycle ride.
“Thank God you’re safe.” The priest hugged her as if she’d survived a war. Raven returned his embrace.
Father Kavanaugh was in his midfifties and was two inches taller than Raven. He was wearing a collar, a black shirt, and black pants. His hair, like his carefully trimmed beard, was white. His eyes were blue and usually happy. His hands were roughened from years of hard work with Covenant House in Orlando.
Once he’d released her, he placed the cross, the disk, and the holy water on the kitchen table. He pulled up a chair and sat facing her, his skin visibly pale behind his beard.
“What just happened?” she repeated, arms crossed defensively over her chest.
“We have to get out of here. Pack a bag. I’ll take you to Rome, where you’ll be safe.”
“I’m safe here.”
The priest shook his head. “The . . . man you were with is dangerous. You need to get away from him. Tonight.”
“He isn’t dangerous to me.”
Father’s eyes narrowed. He touched her chin, turning her face to the side so he could examine her neck. “No marks,” he muttered. “Thank God.”
She jerked away. “Tell me what’s going on. What were you two saying to each other in Latin?”
“I’m sorry to tell you this but the man you were with is not a man.” The priest spoke in a low voice, watching her reaction.
“I know that,” Raven huffed. “He’s a vampyre.”
Father sat back in his chair, eyes wide.
“You know?” he said at last.
“Of course. It’s obvious, isn’t it? I don’t know too many humans who can climb buildings and disappear into the night.”
“He’s feeding from you,” Father announced, reaching for his cross.
Instinctively, Raven’s hand moved to her neck. “It isn’t like that. He loves me. And I love him.”
At the sound of her words, the priest stood, holding the cross. “We can break the connection. Come with me. I’ll summon the others.”
“What others?”
“The Jesuits have a house near the Duomo. I’ll take you to them.”
Raven lifted her hands in protest. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Father Kavanaugh grew visibly agitated. “You don’t understand. Vampyres are possessed by demons. You’re obsessed with—”
“I’m not obsessed with anyone,” she interrupted. “William isn’t possessed. And neither am I.”
The priest examined her closely, paying special attention to her eyes. He inhaled deeply and breathed on her.
Raven scowled. “What are you doing?”
He pressed his lips together. “It was a test. Vampyres are human beings who’ve become possessed by a demon. They hate and destroy. When they attack a human being without taking possession, it’s called obsession.”
“William would never attack me.” Her tone was stubborn. “He loves me.”
“William?” he whispered, shock etching his features. “That was the Prince?”
Raven nodded.
The priest crossed himself again. “We have to get you away from him—away from his control.”
“I’m not under his control. Listen to what I’m saying.” She tugged on the priest’s hand, encouraging him to regain his seat. “William isn’t like the others. A few months ago I was attacked by a group of men. William saved me.”
“Vampyres don’t interfere in human affairs.”
“William did. He healed my wounds. I would have died without his help.”
“So you’ve fed from him?” the priest whispered.
“No.”
“Good.” He sounded relieved. “But you’ve
given yourself to him?”
Raven squirmed. “We are in love. It’s not what you think.”
“Raven.” His tone was a soft remonstration. “Did you know he was a vampyre when you gave yourself to him?”
“Yes.”
He winced. “Vampyres feed on human beings. They view us as prey, as objects to serve them and their pleasures. They can be seductive and charming, but they are liars. They can’t be trusted.”
His hand moved to her wrist, next to her bracelet. “Did he give that to you?”
She pulled her arm back. “Yes.”
“It’s a mark. You’re his property. His pet.”
“It was a gift. I’m not a pet.” She set her chin stubbornly.
He passed a hand over his mouth. “I arrived in Rome at the beginning of the month. Your mother e-mailed me, saying you and Cara had had a falling-out. I came to see if I could help.” He gave her an anguished look. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you’re a feeder.”
“Don’t call me that.” Raven’s green eyes flashed. “I’m in love with him.”
“Don’t you understand?” The priest’s eyes filled with pity. “They don’t love. They’re evil.”
“You don’t know him.”
“Yes, I do. I know all about the Prince of Florence.”
“How?”
The priest’s eyes locked on hers. “I’m part of a group that protects human beings from vampyres.”
Raven felt as if her heart stopped beating.
Father Kavanaugh moved his chair closer.
“I’m a member of a group called the Curia.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
“What?” Raven croaked, her mouth and throat suddenly dry.
“I take it you’ve heard of us.”
She nodded, trying to process his revelation.
“I was recruited to join the Curia shortly after I became a Jesuit. I’ve been serving them ever since. They just transferred me to Rome.”
“You’re one of them?”
The priest frowned. “I see he’s been filling your head with nonsense.”
“You kill them.”
“We free them.”
“A polite euphemism for murder,” she scoffed.
“We exorcise the demon, allowing the human being to be free of its control.”