chapter FORTY-SIX
“One of Samuel’s talents is manipulating people’s thoughts. He can’t make them do things they don’t want to, but he can plant images in one’s mind so vivid the person will believe it is real. I trusted him completely, and there is nothing about me which he does not know. He knows my deepest fears, and how to use them against me. He knows what makes me angry.
“When I met him at The Chapel, he injected me with a sedative so I would not be able to effectively fight back. I do not know why they used the amulet on you and not me. It is a very powerful object, not easy to make. I suppose that shows us just how scared of you they are. In any case, I could not protect myself, and he was able to get deep into my mind and plant the most awful images of,” he shuddered, and I tightened my arms around him. “Of things that were being done to you.” He held me tight and stroked my hair, as if reassuring himself that I truly was safe. “I heard Kevin’s screams, heard you screaming in my mind, but was not sure which were real and which were Samuel’s manipulations. Finally, I heard you scream so primally I thought my heart would burst. It gave me enough rage to break free of Samuel long enough to get to you. I’m so sorry I couldn’t reach you sooner, Elena.” He gently stroked my forearm, absently tracing the fresh scars. “I am angry with myself for being so weak.”
“It’s not your fault, Vittorio. You got to me when I needed you. That’s what matters.” I cupped his face in my hands.
“But what if I had not reached you in time? What if Neal broke your mind?” Tears glistened in his eyes.
“Don’t think about that. He didn’t, and I’m fine. And you and Julian are talking again, so that’s a good thing, right?”
“I would rather not speak to him than have you injured.”
A tear fell on my arm. I looked up at Vittorio’s anguished face. I knelt in front of him and held his face in my hands, wiped away his tears, and kissed him gently. “Vittorio, I’m right here with you. I’m fine. It’s okay now.”
He held me tight, still crying.
Part of me wondered what images Samuel had projected in his mind, but the other part never wanted to know what would be so awful as to break a man as strong as Vittorio. I gently pulled back so I could kiss him again. “Let me help you forget.” I kissed the tears from his face, moved to his neck and collarbone. As I felt more tears fall on my cheeks, I returned to his face to kiss them away, then moved down his chest. I covered his entire body in kisses, always returning to his face when I felt more tears. Soon, he stopped crying, and I knew he had other thoughts on his mind.
When he tried to sit up to hold me, I pushed him gently down onto his back. I wanted to take care of him. I lowered myself onto him, and he cried out for me, his hands kneading my breasts. We moved as one, and our powers merged. I held the thought ‘take his pain’ gently in my mind as we made love, somehow knowing that was what I had to do to heal the damage Samuel had done. When I did, he looked at me in wonder for a moment, then we were pulled back to the physical. The thought stayed in my mind, tending to Vittorio’s mind as my body tended to his body.
We finished in a rush of power, and I collapsed on top of Vittorio, exhausted physically and mentally. His arms draped across my back and we fell asleep before our powers even returned to our bodies.
I woke on my back to see Vittorio looking down at me, smiling.
“How do you feel, mio amore?”
“I’m not quite sure how to describe it. I’m tired, but energized. I feel, I want to say a sense of accomplishment, but that’s not right. I don’t know. How are you?” I sat up.
“You healed me. You erased the images Samuel planted in my mind. I will no longer be haunted by them as he hoped I would. You are truly amazing, mio amore.”
“I’m glad it worked. Somehow, I just knew what to do. I wasn’t scared about doing it. It was the most natural thing in the world. Well, second most natural,” I grinned.
“Oh? And what is the first?”
“Making love to you.” I pulled him to me to kiss him.
We lay together kissing until we heard a knock on the door.
“Are you guys dressed?” Kevin called through the door of our adjoining rooms.
I groaned. “Kevin has the worst timing.” Louder, I shouted, “Go away, Kevin.”
“That is not very neighborly of you,” Vittorio teased. “We should pull ourselves out of bed. The day is wasting away, and we have much to do.” He turned toward the door. “Just a minute, Kevin. Elena did not mean it.”
“Spoil sport,” I pouted. He kissed me lightly on the lips, went to retrieve our robes from the bathroom, then let Kevin in.
“You should really warn someone if you’re going to do that power crap. What do you think the other guests are thinking?”
“Most people cannot feel the power. You seem to be sensitive, even if you do not have your own power,” Vittorio explained.
“Lucky me. What were you doing? No, never mind, don’t answer that. I’ll come back later when you guys are decent.” He went back to his room, slamming the door behind him.
“Don’t mind him,” I said. “He gets grumpy sometimes. I don’t blame him. After all we’ve been through, I’m healed and he’s still in a world of pain, and we’re next door having sex. I’d be upset, too, if I were him.”
“We should get cleaned up so we can start trying to figure out what is going on, and include Kevin.”
“Yeah, you’re right, though I’d love nothing more than to lie in bed naked with you all day. I’ll get a shower first.”
“You do not want to shower with me, mio amore?”
“I do, and that’s the problem. If we shower together now, we’ll never get anything accomplished. Well, nothing productive, anyway.” I went into the bathroom. “Would you order some food, please? I’m hungry again.”
“Of course, mio amore.”