‘His mother…’ she began warily. ‘Does he ever talk about her?’
‘Never. The world could end tomorrow and he’d die with those memories locked in his soul. She was a manic depressive, you know? She self-harmed and…’ Seve blew out an anxiety-laden breath. ‘That’s why I hate him being in that mausoleum. Makes him blacker than night.’
Panic gripped her stomach at the thought of him hurting somewhere she couldn’t reach. ‘Listen, I need a couple of days here. So right now you’re going to go back there, tell him I’m fine—perfectly safe—and get him out of that castle for me. Aren’t you, Seve? Tell me. Give me the words.’
He gave her an incredulous look that said hell, yeah, which did a somewhat splendid job of easing the crush in her lungs.
‘Good. Okay. And after that I need a favour. Or three…’
A few days later. Christmas Eve.
He had the hangover from hell. Why Seve had ordered him to haul his ‘sorry ass’ out of bed and get in the shower he’d never know. That Thane had actually obeyed the man was even more incongruous. All he’d wanted was to sleep through Christmas. After that he knew he’d be fine. Great. Wonderful.
His groan ricocheted off the onyx marble as he braced his hands, palms flat, against the shower wall and dipped his head beneath the deluge. The cold water was like shards of glass, biting into his scalp and skin. And this was post eight shots of espresso. Some big tough warrior he was. He was just glad Nate wasn’t here to see his hero slide down the drain, and Luciana—
Ah, great. He’d just blown his ‘I won’t think of them for ten minutes’ pact.
The floor did a funny tilt—his cue to jump ship—and he stepped onto the rug, wrapping a towel around his waist.
Spying a bottle of headache relief on the countertop, he reached for it, his hand freezing in mid-air as a shard of light sliced through the dim haze.
‘Turn the damn light off, Seve!’ he hollered. Was he trying to split his head open?
‘Not Seve,’ said a delectable honey-drenched tone. ‘And, no, I don’t think I will.’
His heart stopped. His jaw dropped. And he stared at the door that was cracked ajar. Was he hearing her voice now? His mental state was seriously disturbing these days.
With a shake of his head that made him curse blue when his brains rattled, he turned back to the basin and picked up his razor.
‘Are you going to be in there all day? I’m gathering dust, aging by the second, out here.’
Clatter went the blade into the porcelain sink.
He watched his hand move at a snail’s pace towards the handle…fingers curling, gripping. Heart leaping, hoping, as he eased the door fully open.
Two steps forward and—Dios…
‘Luciana?’
Hallucinating or not?
Perched on the vanilla-hued velvet chaise longue, one leg crossed over the other, she rested her elbow on her bent knee and propped her chin on her fist. But it wasn’t the sight of that exquisite serene face that jolted his heart back to life, it was the seraphic vision she made dressed from head to foot in ivory-white.
The gown was pure Luciana. No fuss or bustles or froth. Simply elegance that sang a symphony of class. Straight, yet layered and sheer, with a sensual V neck and a pearl-encrusted band tucked beneath her breasts. Lace was an overlay that capped the graceful slope of her shoulders and scalloped around her upper arms in a short sleeve. And atop her head was a diamond halo from which a gossamer veil flowed and pooled all around her.
He rubbed his bare left pec with the ball of his hand where he ached—God, did she make him ache—and those hot needles pricked the backs of his eyes.
‘Luciana…’ Her name was an incoherent prayer, falling from his lips. ‘You look so beautiful. Like an angel.’
She gave him a rueful smile and spoke softly, ‘I’ve told you before, Thane, I’m no angel.’
Whether it was because he felt utterly broken inside, or because the sight of her had turned the gloomy morning into pure sunshine he couldn’t be sure, but his mouth opened and for the first time in his life he was powerless to stop what poured free.
‘But you were my angel. And you never stopped being mine—not for one minute. Even when I was furious with you, you were still my only light in the dark. And no matter where you are in the world that will never change.’
Down came long lashes to fan over her flawless cheeks as she bit down on her lips. Lips she now covered with trembling fingers.