Gwyneth Stevens - Bella Mia Part 1

Book III: Daughter of Darkness.

Bella Mia.

By Mandy M. Roth.

Dedication

To the loyal fans of the Daughter of Darkness Series. You've not only stuck with the gang from day one, you've supported me both publicly and behind the scenes as well. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now, you, with the pitchfork and torches in myfront yard, you can go.

Chapter One.

"Check mate," Giovanni said, his voice smooth.

I stared across the chessboard at him and rolled my eyes. "There's a shocker!"

He'd beaten me three times in a row, somehow perfecting the art of annihilating his opponents in the shortest amount of moves possible. No surprise, he'd had almost five hundred years to master the game of chess. I'd had less than thirty. Guess who was better.

Twirling the end of his long, black hair, he gave me a wicked little smile. It was entirely too s.e.xy, as I'm sure he already suspected. "I could let you win next time."

I had a sneaky suspicion he had tried to let me win the last one, which had ended in much the same fashion as the rest-me as the loser.

"Oh, yeah, I want a pity win, thanks ... but, no."

He laughed and stood with the same grace he had in all his actions. He put his hand out to me, his gaze darting over my body as he pulled me up to him. My long burgundy, belled slacks gave the look of a skirt and the flow of a gown. My overly exaggerated b.r.e.a.s.t.s were pushed up towards him in the matching corset top. I looked like I could be starring in a late night soap opera.

For the supernatural and super h.o.r.n.y.

Giovanni glanced down at the mounds of white flesh and bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment of my beauty. No, I wasn't being c.o.c.ky. He'd done it so many times over the past four months that I was used to it. Trust me when I say getting used to being treated like a queen is friggin' awesome.

The first time he'd acted like that, I'd stopped and made a point to question his behavior. He simply explained he was paying his respects for being allowed to be near me. I laughed him off, thinking he was joking. I mean, come on, who would buy that response as the right answer?

Giovanni was one I was never able to read well. I knew all about him being a big-bad-vampire and I knew all about his role in killing me my first time on this earth. That was over two-hundred years ago. Wait, it gets even more confusing. He also played a key role in saving my life on two different occasions this time around.

Warning: Concentrating too hard on my own life could lead to an aneurysm.

Being reincarnated was hard enough to live with. Try adding the fact that ninety percent of the people I knew in my past life were immortal and still around. Apparently, I had a history, sometimes sordid, with each of them. Yeah, I was beginning to think I'd make a great movie of the week. If I was lucky, someone famous would play me. Doubtful though.

"Dance with me, Bella." He made no attempt to hide his accent like so many vampires I know did. Giovanni had lived most of his life in Italy and made no bones about it. He was what he was and that was that. I admired him for it.

"Who is this?" I was curious as to what composer I was listening to now.

"Busoni," Giovanni said, as if this one name declaration would sum it all up for me. I smiled and gave up trying to figure it all out. I decided to enjoy the moment. "Busoni, had a tremendous range of expression, would you agree? Not to the extent of many of the masters, but I enjoy him all the same. Pity he had to die. Such a mortal thing to do."

I nodded, unsure what, exactly, I was agreeing to and smiled again. I wouldn't know range of expression if it bit me in the a.s.s. I also found little shocking about his comment on mortals dying. It was a sad truth. Giovanni was full of many of those.

For the first time in a long time, my smiles weren't forced. Giovanni made me happy. Italy made me happy. It felt like home.

I let him put his hand on my waist and take my other in his. He led us across the marble floor in such a perfect, fluid motion that it felt as though we'd been doing it for centuries. Perhaps we had. My memories of my past life were sporadic at best. Whatever was happening between us seemed right.

My heels clicked along as I let myself be swept up in the moment. Giovanni had a way about him. He was sophisticated, yet full of humor and charm. He was so very different from the men I'd left behind four months earlier. He was also a great deal more dangerous. Maybe that was part of the lure.

He spun me around and around. Lifting me off my feet, he continued around once more before setting me back down gently. When he was finished, I was left dizzy, breathless, and clinging to him. I knew he enjoyed being this close to me. I enjoyed it, too. More than I should but it was hard not to appreciate the feel of his toned body pressed to mine. We'd been staying together for the last fourteen weeks and in that time he and I had never had s.e.x or even shared a kiss. h.o.r.n.y didn't even begin to cover my body at present.

There's only so much Italian stallion a gal can take before she's biting her lip and thinking of easing her own s.e.xual frustration.

Giovanni was turning out to be someone I enjoyed spending time with. He'd been gracious enough to take me away from the chaos of my father's--King Kerrigan, Leader of the Dark Realm--home. My father had been well meaning in his attempts at throwing an extravagant engagement party for me, but he hadn't been aware that circ.u.mstances had changed. Caleb, the man I had agreed to marry, and I had had a falling out. My father especially liked Caleb, because he, like me, is a faerie. Being intimate with a faerie is a feeling that cannot be duplicated even with the most loving of partners. As much as Caleb and I seemed perfect for each other, the engagement went sour fast. He'd been running around town with other women and I'd been sleeping with other men. One man in particular that I'd chosen to share myself with had upset him- Pallo D'Alessandro.

Pallo happened to be a master vampire and longtime on and off again boyfriend of mine. Did I forget to mention that Giovanni sired him? You know what they say about the webs we weave.

"What would you like to do today, Bella?"

Giovanni had made sure to set it up so that I didn't have to do anything on my own if I didn't want to. It sounded very glamorous in the beginning, until two women showed up in my bathroom trying to clean me. I had had to draw the line and set limits then. After a two hour limit setting session Giovanni seemed to understand I didn't mind living my own life or bathing myself.

"I don't care. You decide."

"My dear, Bella, everyday it is the same. I ask what you want and you volley it back to me."

"Volley? My, aren't we the hip vamp? Are you taking notes on how to sound like you come from this century?" I batted my lashes. "Oh, I want to see them."

His smile widened. "Shall we try horseback riding again?"

I let out a long, exasperated breath. "The horses are scared to death of you. Why don't you get some sort of demon-breed? Maybe they'd be less skittish." The last time we'd attempted to go for a ride Giovanni had sent the horses into a dither. They were beside themselves with fear. They could sense he was a vampire and they were not cool with that. h.e.l.l, I wasn't always cool with it either. Couldn't really blame the things. Our planned night out ended up with me coaxing an upset horse back to its stable while trying to convince Giovanni that, no, I really didn't need his help.

"How about tennis ... would you like to play?"

This was going nowhere fast. "I don't know how to play. Maybe, if you did you could teach me."

Laughing, he threw his hands up. "Arrendere-I surrender. It is up to you, Bella."

"Can I ask you something?" I hedged, unsure how much I wanted to push him because I was positive his answer wouldn't be to my liking.

"Of course."

"Why is it you have a pool, a tennis court, horses and all this other stuff if you can't, or don't want to use them?"

A slight smile appeared on his handsome face. "I told the people who took care of this property that I wanted it kept up to date. They followed my orders."

"That part I get. It explains some of the stuff, but not the horses."

Coming close to me, he touched my cheek and his soft hands ran over my skin lightly. "Bella, it is you who liked horses. I simply continued to keep them around after you were gone. They reminded me of you. I used to watch you care for them and go for morning rides to see the sun come up. Though, I was not able to accompany you due to obvious reasons, I did so enjoy knowing you were happy."

I didn't know what to say. He'd kept a stable full of horses around for over two-hundred years because I'd liked them? It was too much even for me. I shouldn't have been surprised. He'd kept a room of the house stocked full of my old clothes. Over the years he'd picked up things here and there that reminded him of me, even though I had been long dead. It wasn't very endearing. It was weird.

"Giovanni, you're creeping me out again."

"I do have a tendency to do that."

A nervous laugh escaped me as I glanced around the large sitting room. It was beautiful. In fact, it was the most beautiful room I'd ever been in. It wasn't just that he had decorated it in antiques that seemed very touchable, it was how much time he'd put into every piece of furniture and artwork that went into his home. He seemed to have a thing for deep, rich colors in the main living area and more subtle ones throughout the rest of his home.

My gaze wandered to the fresco of Jesus tending his sheep. The irony of the devil having Jesus hanging on his wall was not lost on me. A vampire with the desire to have a holy figure depicted in his home-just another example of Giovanni's quirks. Part of what made me like being around him so very much. It was also something I'd miss.

I looked back at him with a heavy heart. "I'm going to have to go home soon."

There. I had said it out loud.

He moved his long black hair over one shoulder and began to take his jacket off. The man wore designer suits almost every day. I wondered if he wore designer underwear, too. Shocked to find myself thinking about him s.e.xually again, I couldn't pull my eyes away as his long, pale fingers unb.u.t.toned one of the three b.u.t.tons of the single-breasted black jacket. He casually tossed the jacket onto the sage-colored chair behind him. My cheeks flared red because only yesterday I had been picturing him nude in that very chair. The soft feel of the velvet and the ornate features matched him, so well. Having him waiting naked in it for me seemed like the perfect fantasy.

Giovanni was doing the most casual of things, yet I couldn't seem to tear my gaze from him. His matching black b.u.t.ton up dress shirt was open, down to his mid-chest. My toes curled at the thought of touching him. I was shaken. I'd gotten used to looking at men bare their chests to me since I'd known Caleb and Pallo. Caleb was a fan of the no-shirt look and Pallo liked to show his chest off through the wonders of designer clothing. Giovanni was a lot like Pallo in that respect, but he seemed to think more was better. I had seen him once in a mesh black shirt. It showed off his tanned and toned upper body, but I'd never seen him in anything quite that revealing again.

Moving onto my tiptoes, I tried to sneak a peek into his shirt. He caught me doing it and smiled.

"You have only but to ask me and ...."

I put my hand up to stop him from going any further. I'd been the one to insist s.e.x stay out of our relationship, but being next to an Italian stud twenty-four hours a day could make a nun second guess herself.

I'm certainly no nun.

"No. Really, I'm good. I was just wondering about something."

He walked over to the side table and poured two gla.s.ses of wine, keeping his back to me. I knew it was on purpose. His tall, toned frame and long hair made him slightly androgynous from the backside. Thankfully, his shoulders were wide and his face masculine or people would begin to wonder.

Giovanni turned and handed me a gla.s.s of red wine. As I took it, my body reacted to his touch, heating, tightening, aching for more. Yanking my hand away, I gave him a nasty look. "I thought I told you not to use your vamp-mojo on me."

His black eyes softened and the corner of his mouth dropped into a frown. "Bella, I am not using any mojo on you. I promise you that."

If he was telling the truth, then I was in deep s.h.i.t. Having feelings for him could be deadly. I knew that for a fact. I set my gla.s.s of wine down and walked towards the stairs. "I need some time to myself."

What I really should have said was that I needed to put distance between us.

He put his gla.s.s in the air and nodded to me. "Of course."

Chapter Two.

Entering my room, I looked around. As much as I loved it, I knew I'd have to leave sooner or later. The pale green on the walls always fit my mood. When I was happy it felt cheery and when I was lonely it had a way of joining me. It was a rarity to find a room that matched my insanity and it upset me to know I'd be leaving it soon.

Admit it, you don't want to leave him ... the room is secondary, by far.

Ignoring my own mental ramblings, I walked over to my wardrobe and opened it. I pulled the bottom right drawer out and poked around at its contents. I never could keep track of what my options were. Giovanni kept the garments rotating almost daily. I didn't want to think about the amount of money he was spending on me while I was with him. I got the impression from most of the two-hundred plus year old immortals I knew money wasn't really an issue any longer. I guess after earning it for so long, you ama.s.s enough to last a while, or maybe your decisions had grown wiser over the centuries. Seeking investment suggestions from them would be smart. I'd have to remember to do that.

I needed some alone time and Giovanni had no trouble giving it to me. That also made him different then Caleb and Pallo. They would have followed me around until I tripped over them. Even after that, they'd still have found a way to annoy me. It was a gift they both seemed to possess.

James, a vampire, and someone I considered my best friend, would have also understood my need for s.p.a.ce. Shortly before I'd left, James had confessed to having a bond of sorts with me. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I knew enough about myself to know acting on it would be a bad thing. For some unknown reason his body perceived me to be his mate. Our hearts and minds knew better. I couldn't risk losing the one man who I loved unconditionally and who shared my feelings. Our friendship could survive anything except s.e.x. Not to mention outside forces would no doubt end his life should s.e.x ever come into play. Pallo and Caleb wouldn't stop until James was dead and even if they did somehow decide to allow him to live, I'd only hurt him in the end. It seemed to be my MO.

Meet man. Fall in love with man. Crush man's world.

The night air was cool, so swimming would have normally been out of the question, but Giovanni's pool was heated and had wonderful underwater lights to make it feel warm and inviting. He also had a rocking hot tub, adjacent to the pool that was always toasty and good for relaxing.

I tied the sides of the Brazilian style bikini on my hips. For having next to no material it was surprisingly easy to get on. The top was a different story. Leaning, I let my long wavy black hair fall forward. I pulled the red strings up and tied them behind my head. When I flipped my head back, hair spilled all around me. I grabbed a red mesh wrap and tied it around me, as well.

Standing there looking at my reflection in the full-length mirror made me rethink leaving Giovanni's. My skin had finally begun to regain its natural sheen. My nails had grown back. My hair no longer seemed to lack its l.u.s.ter. Heck, even the unnatural sapphire blue of my eyes appeared deeper. Most importantly, I no longer had the look of being tired. Giovanni had managed to create a stress free environment for me and my body appreciated it. I appreciated it, as well. If I didn't have to return soon to sort things out with my father I wouldn't.

This couldn't last forever.

That ever present thorn in my side, my inner voice, went and confirmed what I already knew. It was pointless to dwell on things I couldn't change. Giving in, I decided to walk barefoot down to the pool. The walk was short and the night was gorgeous. I headed out the doors in my room that opened onto a large balcony and down the staircase to the backyard. Pa.s.sing Giovanni's study windows, I spotted him sitting at his desk, talking on the phone. He glanced up, pulled the phone away from his ear and mouthed, "Just a minute." I gave him a tiny wave and continued downward.

He was never just a minute when he was dealing with business. He took a very hands on approach to running his many companies and I was fast realizing how hard the man really worked. He wasn't like Pallo. I'd only rarely seen Pallo handling his business affairs. Giovanni was always neck deep in work. I got the impression he liked it that way. He was beyond rich and had no need to work, yet he did.

Dipping my foot in to test the water, more out of habit than anything else, I smiled. I'd been in his pool at least twenty times since I'd been staying with him and the water temperature was always perfect. My fingers felt along the knot on my wrap and I loosened it. I let it fall to the ground as I put my hand on the rail and climbed down the stairs into the shallow end.

When the water level came up to just under my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, I gave in and slid under. I pushed off the bottom and moved my body towards the other end of the pool. Swimming came naturally to me, like dancing. I think many things I'd learned to do in my past life were coming back to me. Avoiding Giovanni just wasn't one of them. No, I felt no need to be leery of him. I wasn't sure what my mind had done with the memories of my previous death, but it sure didn't feel the need to release them for me to see.

Reaching the end of the pool, I stopped at the side, holding onto the edge while wiping water from my eyes. I knew I should wear the goggles Giovanni had gotten for me, but there was something so very unflattering about tiny round plastic discs secured to your head with the world's tightest cord. No thanks, I'd deal with red eyes.

Something moved in the bushes near me. I looked in the direction the noise had come from and saw nothing but knew someone was there. Pallo had been forced to try to make me a vampire to save my life. I'd decided to play the hero and took a ma.s.sive dose of Caleb's power into myself to save him. In doing so I'd caused my body to shut down and my heart to stop. Pallo had come to my aid, trying to turn me into a creature of the night. While he'd failed in that respect, he had succeeded in saving my life. I'd been experiencing some rather odd side effects since then. One of the side effects had been a heightened sense of awareness. Another was increased night vision. I was positive someone was out there. I just didn't know who or what.

I stared out into the maze of bushes again. This time I heard a snarl and caught a glimpse of something large and furry. Letting go of the side of the pool, I kicked back, making my way to the center of the pool. I kept my gaze trained on the spot where I'd seen the bushes move. Nothing was there, but I could still sense something near me. I kept swimming backwards towards the shallow end. Going to the side and trying to hoist myself out of the water seemed foolish considering I was pretty sure a yeti or some sort of hairy beast was running around the yard. Okay, a yeti was a stretch but with my lifestyle one never knew if a mythical beast would pounce on them or not. I'd rather face it head on while standing on my feet than to come up over the edge of the pool to find myself staring in the whites of its eyes.

Call me crazy, but that didn't seem like a good idea.

Continuing to visually scan the area where I'd sensed the beast, I could almost feel it there watching me-waiting for an opportune moment to strike. The telltale noise of something sniffing around, as if it were trying to catch my scent, sounded from the very spot I was sure I'd seen something. Being in the water must have acted like a buffer from it being able to pick up on me right away. I paddled backwards again. Better safe than sorry.

Something touched my shoulders and I screamed. Turning, I thrashed in the water at the source of the touch. Two strong hands grabbed my arms and pulled me up.

"Bella?"

I stopped and glanced up to find Giovanni holding me. Grabbing hold of him, I threw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. His hands moved straight out on each side of him. He didn't want to hug me back. I wrapped my legs around his waist and realized he was still wearing his clothes.

"You're standing in a pool that you hate, wearing a suit."

He kept his arms out to his sides, looking like a cross and I was affixed to him. Making a religious joke to a man who could never set foot on holy ground seemed cruel so I let it go. What I did not let go of was him. He tried to move his head to talk to me, but I was clinging too tightly to his neck. I eased up and tried to stand. My head instantly went under the water level. Giovanni is at the very least a head taller than I and that gave him extra play in the pool. He slid his arms around my waist and pulled me up to him. I met his dark eyes and searched for answers to the way he made me feel. While I didn't find them, I did find concern etched on his handsome face.