Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

- - -

~ Italy, Genoa ~

My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself in my room.

"Ugh…", the headache was killing me.

"Miss, you are awake!", Maria exclaimed, and I frowned while holding my forehead.

"Sorry, sorry…", she quickly said, and continued in a hushed voice, "Are you thirsty? Is there anything I can get for you?"

I licked my lips and swallowed non-existent saliva. "Water, please…"

In a second, Maria was by my side, passing me a glass of water. It had a wedge of lemon in it to what I was grateful for.

With every gulp of water, my mental haze cleared up a bit.

Why was I here? I was supposed to be in London… I remembered the garage and Duke lying in a pool of his blood, and Aldus's angry voice.

"What day it is? Where is my father? Do you know what happened to Mr. Orsini?"

Maria raised her hand, to stop me from going further into panic.

"You were unconscious for three days, miss.", Maria said. "I'm not sure about the Master, he was not here for the last two days. Mr. Orsini is in the guest bedroom, recuperating."

Immense relief washed over me when I heard that Duke is here, and the word 'recuperating' was just what I needed to hear.

I was disappointed that Aldus was not present. He was always by my side, whenever I got into trouble. But I knew that he had a lot on his hands, and I was not concerned about his absence. He often goes to the lab and stays there for days. It's probably better that he stays there longer this time and cool off because I could already hear him scolding me for using my ability I was not supposed to use.

What if Aldus is not here because I disobeyed him? This time I really crossed the line. He told me that it's dangerous and not to use it, yet I did, and I fainted and I needed three days to wake up.

Does he hate me now?

No. No matter how big of a mess I made, Aldus was always with me. It must be something important keeping him from being here. What if there was another rogue attack or something important with the Council?

"Is Mitch here?", I asked.

Maria confirmed. "Yes. Should I call for him?"

I refused. "No need." I didn't want to see him.

The purpose of my question was to see if Mitch is here, because that meant my father was around. If my father went somewhere else, Mitch would accompany him.

Now I was confident that my father was in his lab, and he will find out I'm awake (if he doesn't know already) and he will come as soon as he can.

I wanted to see Duke.

"In which bedroom is Mr. Orsini?", I asked while scooting out of the bed.

"Miss, you should rest some more.", Maria pleaded. "Your complexion is still sickly."

"I'm fine, Maria. I need to check on him."

Maria exhaled helplessly. "Fine. But can you at least hold my hand?"

I entered the bedroom with Maria, and I had a mix of feelings when I saw Duke lying on the bed.

The steady beeping of the heart rate monitor told me he was alive, even though he was pale and unmoving.

Maria pulled a chair for me to sit next to the bed and she went to check on Duke's IV fluids.

When I came here, I thought that the staff consists of regular people. Only after some time of staying in this villa, I realized that all of them are special. Each of them has skills in addition to their official tasks such as cooking, gardening, or cleaning.

Maria looks like a woman in her mid-thirties, but she is serving my father for more than seventy years. She works as a maid, and she has skills that would put to shame any nurse from high-end hospitals. Oh, and she can throw knives with a precision of a ninja.

Maria is not a vampire. She is a human who is using special pills my father is creating with alchemy that prolong her lifespan and prevent aging from the outside. Her internal organs are still slowly deteriorating, but she has at least one more century to enjoy her prime.

These pills are not available for sale and are kept as a secret. If others knew about this, it would attract unwanted attention. Who doesn't want to slow down the biological clock and live longer?

Of course, Aldus hopes to improve his recipe because a century is not much (from his point of view), and it's difficult to find good help.

I held Duke's hand in mine and looked at his handsome face. Other than being pale, he appeared like he was sleeping.

"What can you tell me about his condition?", I asked Maria.

"Master removed a bullet that reached his heart. Mr. Orsini healed quite well, there is not even a scar on his chest. However, if you ask me, it's a miracle that he is alive. He was shot from close range."

A bullet? I remembered the scent of gunpowder.

There was no magic, no abilities, no fangs or claws or anything extraordinary. It was a bullet. I feared monsters and hooded creatures, yet this could be done by anyone with a gun.

It seems that Duke didn't fear that person either, otherwise he wouldn't allow him to get close. Or maybe he knew that person. In any case, he didn't expect to be shot, that's for sure.

I wanted to ask Maria if she knew who did it, because father definitely investigated it, but I left that for later. Whoever the perpetrator is, he is not going anywhere, and this is the time for healing.

I let out a shaky breath while remembering all the blood and my desperation while Duke's life faded under my hands. I thought I lost him. I really did.

The warmth of his hand comforted me a bit.

"It was not a miracle, Maria. It's lucky that my father got to him on time."

Maria agreed. "That also. The last ultrasound showed that his tissue connected well. Mr. Orsini lost a lot of blood, but other than that, he is fine. His system suffered a great shock, and he will wake up when he is ready. Until then, I'm making sure he is taken care of."

"Thank you, Maria."

"Miss, you should rest.", Maria said with concern in her voice. "If any changes happen with Mr. Orsini, I will let you know immediately."

There was no way I will move away from Duke, but my headache and sluggish body confirmed that Maria was right.

I got up from the chair and laid next to Duke. "I will rest here, Maria."

Maria smiled helplessly. "I will be back in two hours to replace the IV fluids. If you need anything, call me. Do you want me to bring you something now?"

"Some fruits, please."

Maria confirmed with a nod and left the room.

I snuggled closer to Duke and placed my hand over his chest. The steady thumping of his heart against my palm brought me peace.

"I nearly lost you, you dummy.", I grumbled. "Wake up, so that I can scold you properly. Why didn't you wait for me inside your apartment?"

My chin shook without control, and I stifled a sob as my vision blurred with tears.

I was scared. I was really scared that I will lose him… and I almost did.

He was ready to come here for testing, and we spoke on the phone about the future which included marriage, and then I found him lying in his own blood.

What would I do without Duke?

I read in some books how when mates are close to each other, physical touch brings various benefits, and one is faster healing. I was hoping that my proximity will make Duke's recuperation faster.

I needed him to open those endlessly blue eyes and look at me and tell me that things are going to be OK.

---

If you are not reading this at 'W e b n o v e l . c o m', then the content you're reading is stolen! Please support the author by reading this novel from the original source.