Defying the North Wind (3 page)

Luca knew he should tell her to go. He should get far, far away from this fascinating woman. He could check into another hotel, regroup, and plan a strategy for going after his enemy. Oh, the burning need for revenge was already whipping his insides into a frenzy.

Except when he looked into cool green eyes the color of freshly cut grass that frenzy calmed. “Okay.” He moved up beside her. “Where to?”

“Come with me.”

They moved through the backstreets of Venice, neither one of them talking. They passed a couple perched on a railing beside a canal, caught in a passionate embrace. Lost to the real world and its hardships. For them, everything was perfect and shiny.

Luca felt a brief spurt of…something. He looked away and focused on Rayne’s slim neck and that hair the color of his favorite Chianti. Life had never been shiny or perfect for him, not since he’d hit his teens and become the Keeper of the North Wind. Not since he’d fought his everyday battle with the vice of anger. He studied the strong profile of Rayne’s face. Something told him her life hadn’t given her an easy path either.

They crossed a small arch of a bridge. He didn’t want or need perfect. He had his brothers and his duty. That was enough.

Rayne stopped in front of a terracotta-colored building wedged between similar ones, all painted in bright colors. Wrought iron, shutters and flower boxes gave the old buildings character. Rayne unlocked the door and waved him inside.

The décor inside was…feminine. The curtains were floral, the colors light and airy, and the furniture delicate twists of wood. He felt like the bull in the china shop.

“This isn’t your house,” he said.

She flicked him a glance.

“Not your style.”

“It’s an Aurae safe house. We have a few all around the world.” She pointed down the hall. “Let’s head to the library.”

When he entered the large room at the back, with windows overlooking a lovely little canal, he noted the frills and floral were gone. This room was all smooth, warm wood, and comfy suede couches, complemented by small touches of rich jewel tones. A cushion here, a vase there.

“This is yours.” He turned in a slow circle, studying the hundreds of books lined up on the shelves.

“It’s my favorite.” She walked to a cupboard and opened the door to expose a tiny refrigerator. “And yes, I decorated it.” She grabbed an ice pack from the miniscule freezer compartment. “Sit. Let me see your ribs.”

Luca dropped into an armchair and unbuttoned his shirt. “I thought you didn’t want me naked.”

She rolled her eyes and perched on the chair’s armrest. When she looked at his ribs, she let out a loud hiss. “Jesus, you’ve been walking around like that?”

He glanced down. Okay, the ugly mottling of bruises wasn’t pretty. It felt strange to have someone worry about his bruises. He’d lost his parents several years ago and even before that, they’d been loving but tough on him and his brothers. As WindKeepers, they couldn’t be coddled.

Rayne pressed a finger gently to the darkest area. “You might have broken some ribs.”

“I did. But they’ve healed now. In the morning, the bruises will be gone.” He watched the way her gaze drifted over his chest, down to his stomach. A burn ignited in him that had nothing to do with anger.

He watched her face, the bloom of color in her cheeks.
This
was the real Rayne. It was why the cool, efficient Rayne had bugged him so much. She’d been hiding the real woman.

He wanted her. Adrenaline from the fight still charged through him, leaving him with an edginess that needed an outlet. But it was more than that. She stood up to him like no one but his brothers ever had before. In the boardroom, in a fight, damn, even above his burning hotel and facing a Tempest Wind, even when Luca had been caught in his anger, she hadn’t been intimidated.

He reached over and touched her hair.

She stilled. “What are you doing?”

“Looking.”

“Look but don’t touch.” She knocked his hand away.

Someone had left her wary. The faintest tinge of anger twisted inside him. He wanted to know who.

Without warning, she pressed the ice pack to his ribs. He sucked in a breath. She shot him a tiny, pleased smile.

“Bitch,” he said.

Her smile widened. “Don’t you forget it.”

Oh, he’d have his revenge. But he knew revenge was always better cold, like the North Wind.

She shifted her weight. “What’s next? How will we catch Caecius?”

“I need a plan. I’m not waiting for the bastard to target more of my people.” Horrific images of the dancing flames and the screaming victims replaying in Luca’s mind made his shoulders tense. “I need to lure him out where I want him.”

“How?”

“Not sure yet.” But he was working on it. Luca didn’t like to admit it, but he and Caecius were not so different. They were both driven by anger. Luca just needed to figure out what would lure him out and the same thing would probably work on the Tempest Wind.

The thought had his temper spiking. To calm it, he looked at Rayne. “Tell me about the Aurae.”

“There aren’t many of us left. Few survived The Purge.”

Luca frowned. “The Purge?”

She stood and started to pace. “The last time the
Venti Tempesta
escaped, they didn’t just wreak havoc with their vices.”

Luca easily recalled that time, centuries ago. He possessed the memories of all the WindKeepers before him. Even now, he heard the screams and cries of the victims.

She stopped and looked at him, her face tense. “They targeted the Aurae.”

He blinked. “I know they are cunning, but I wouldn’t have thought them patient enough to carry out a plan like that.”

“They’ve had plenty of time to plan, trapped in the bodies of horses for centuries. They believed the Aurae were what were stopping the WindKeepers from succumbing to their vices and joining forces with the Tempest Winds.”

Could it be true? Luca steepled his fingers. Was that why he and his brothers were coming so close to giving into their vices? Because the Aurae had all but disappeared? Dante and Antonio had barely survived their vices…and only then with the help of two Aurae descendants. “What happened?”

“We’re not entirely sure how the
Venti Tempesta
did it, but somehow they poisoned the seasonal breezes.”

Luca’s eyebrows drew together. The WindKeepers controlled the cardinal winds, the
Venti Tempesta
the other winds, and the Aurae held the seasonal breezes.

“Aurae fell ill. Died painful deaths. At the time The Black Death was blamed but Aurae all over the world sickened and died.”

Her voice hitched. He saw that she too held her ancestors’ memories, felt their pain and suffering. He wanted to pull her into his arms. He frowned at the strange need.

“A few survived The Purge. Weakened, frightened, they went into hiding. Many hid and denied their heritage. My mother’s family moved to London.” Green eyes lifted to stare into his. “Our leader vowed we’d never sacrifice ourselves for the WindKeepers again. That we would not be their chattels.”

Luca slowly stood. “I don’t fight for myself. I fight to keep the world safe. That is my duty. Whatever role the Aurae play, it is not for the gratification of the WindKeepers.”

She looked away.

He gripped her chin. “Do you believe your leader’s words? Do you feel the same?”

Rayne shrugged. “Maybe it doesn’t matter what I think. The leader of the Aurae is my mother.”

***

Rayne pulled away from Luca’s touch and strode to the window, her insides churning. Talking about her mother always made her feel this way. Talking
with
her mother was even worse. Ariel Santini had always inspired both love and hate in Rayne.

Staring out the window, Rayne didn’t see the peaceful canal, or the dark gondola passing by in a slow, graceful slide. She sensed Luca move up behind her, saw his reflection in the glass.

“Why did you decide to help me today?” he asked.

“My mother is the queen of doing nothing.” Rage choked Rayne. “For too long, she’s kept her head buried in the sand and urged other Aurae to do the same.” She’d done the same thing at home and her daughters had paid the price. Skye had paid the highest of all. “Now the
Venti Tempesta
are free and we don’t have the luxury of thinking only of ourselves.” Rayne spun, her chest brushing Luca’s. He hadn’t re-buttoned his shirt and that glorious male chest filled her vision. Damn it, but she was tempted to touch him. “I won’t stand by and watch the world be destroyed just to keep myself safe.”

“Honorable. Brave.” He raised a hand and brushed his knuckles down her cheek.

Why did those quiet words from him mean so much? And why did such a simple touch leave desire coiling deep inside her?

She cleared her throat. “You should keep the ice on longer.” She reached for the pack in his hand. Even in the short time they’d been talking, his bruises looked better.

“I’m fine.”

With a nod, she took the pack and carried it back to the tiny sink tucked away near the refrigerator. Again she sensed him behind her even though she hadn’t heard him. The man moved silently.

This time he crowded in close, his body pressed against her back. He smelled like the cool North Sea.

“The more I learn about you Rayne, the more I like.”

She closed her eyes, his hypnotic voice working deep into her system.

Warm lips pressed against the back of her neck and she shivered. He ran a hand ran down her arm.

She summoned her voice from her husky throat. “I told you I won’t be a warm body to soothe your vice.”

His hand cupped her jaw and tilted her head back until those blue eyes met her gaze. “I don’t want to tug those slick pants off you and put my mouth between your legs because I want you to soothe my anger.” His thumb brushed her lips. “I just want you.”

She couldn’t breathe. Her panties turned damp. She wanted him. She wanted this tough, elegant man, with his handsome face, his power, his dominance.

But then her gaze fell on his hands. She saw the scars on his fingers and dried blood. Damaged because he let his anger loose.

She couldn’t. She owed it to herself, to Skye. She couldn’t risk being with him and having that anger take over.

“We need to focus on Caecius.” She stepped forward and slipped out from under his arm.

Luca was quiet but she felt the intensity of his gaze. When she glanced up, those cobalt eyes made her feel naked.

She straightened her shoulders. “I have an idea for a plan. You need to lure him out, right?”

Luca’s eyes narrowed. “Go on.”

“I have the perfect bait. Me.”

Luca had known rage all his life, but never a fury as cold as what filled him now. “No.”

Rayne hitched herself up on a countertop. Crossed her legs. “I don’t follow your orders.”

“You work for me.”

She waved a hand in the air. “That’s my cover job.”

He took one menacing step closer. “I could make you do as I say.”

She shook her head. “I see everyone else bow and scrape to the great Luca Venti. I’m not joining that crowd.”

A part of him wanted to grab her and turn her over his knee, smack that shapely rump of hers. But he knew it wouldn’t be about punishment, though. It would be all about pleasure.

She jiggled one foot. “I think the best way is if I openly use my powers. That should get Caecius’s attention.”

“No.” Luca felt a burn of frustration. Usually that one word worked perfectly for him.

She paid no attention. “We can set up an ambush. Once he’s noticed me, I can lead him to you.”

Luca took another step, his hips bumping into her legs. “No.”

“You know I’m right. It’s not only a good plan, it’s the best plan.” She leaned forward. “Let’s end this. Send Caecius back to his prison before he hurts more people.” Her eyes darkened. “There’s enough violence in this world without the Tempest Winds adding to it.”

Luca nudged her legs apart and stepped between them. “Who hurt you?”

She pulled in a slow, shaky breath. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Luca lowered his voice. “Who hurt you,
cara
?”

Her eyelids fluttered closed. “It wasn’t me. It was my sister.”

“I’m sorry.” He loved his brothers. Watching them suffer as they hunted their tempest winds and battled their vices tore him apart. Now two were safe, but Luca knew his youngest brother, Soren, was spiraling into the depths of greed.

“My father left when I was young. Skye was only a few years old. My mother…met a man a few years later.” Rayne pressed a palm to her belly, trying to calm the roiling inside.

Luca grabbed her hand, tangled his fingers with hers. He wished he could go back and change things for her.

“He was nice enough at first. But then I started hearing him and my mother fighting. She tried to hide the black eyes and the bruises. A few years later, he started hitting me. I had a smart mouth.” Green eyes shimmered. “He hit me where no one would see the bruises.”

Luca fought to keep his touch gentle, but his gut was hollow. Did Rayne look at him and see the monster from her past?

“I tried to tell mom, but she wouldn’t listen. Then when Skye was around twelve, my beatings eased up.” Rayne’s hand gripped his, her nails digging into his skin. “I should have realized, but I was just so damned thankful not to limp to school every day. Skye had always been quiet, shy, but then she became completely withdrawn.”

Luca cursed.

Rayne’s lips trembled. “The bastard was raping her. In the room next to mine, for months, and I didn’t know. I didn’t protect her.”

Luca shook with rage. “Your mother?”

Rayne tossed her head back and swallowed. “She had to have known. If he wasn’t in her bed, where the hell did she think he was? But in her usual fashion, she ignored it.”

Luca cupped Rayne’s face. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Skye never recovered. I do everything I can to protect her. She likes her solitude, she’s so withdrawn.” Rayne lifted her chin. “Now you know why I won’t stand by and do nothing about the
Venti Tempesta
. It’s my duty to help as well. Please, let me help you catch Caecius?”