She lets out a tinkling little laugh. I have no idea what’s so funny, and I kind of want to punch her in the face. “Ordinary? You and Luca? You’re kidding, right? You’re two of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever met. I don’t have all the answers, but something about Luca must have made him the right man for the job. I wonder what he knows about his bloodline.”
I shrug. “You’d have to ask him. All he’s mentioned to me is that his biological mother was a maid who sold him to the Firenzes before he was born.”
“Right. Well, maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not. He only has the word of the Firenzes to go on. There could be something there. Something he doesn’t know about his lineage. Either way, he’s special. You must know that.”
“I thought I did,” I say. “But I there’s this whole pesky blood spell thing going on, so I’m not sure.”
“Well I don’t have a blood spell, and I’m sure. He’s the kind of man who pulls people toward him. A leader. He… makes you feel like whatever you throw at him, he’ll deal with it. I’m not the only one who thinks this. He has support at court too. Not the new guys, obviously, but the ones who’ve been there for years, watching Vincenzo go more and more off the rails. Nobody’s said it out loud, but Luca’s well-liked, respected, plus people are terrified of him. He could be a challenge to Vincenzo.”
I think about what she’s said and wish I didn’t have to. I hate that my life is now intimately tied up with Mafia vampire politics. It’s all so preposterous.
“Okay. Well, lucky old Luca, I suppose. It has nothing to do with me.”
“Don’t be silly, Rosa. It has everything to do with you. He isn’t bound to Donatella or Paola. He’s bound to you. You’re stronger than you know. If the theories were right, you might have the power of two Seers. I know this sucks to talk about, but did you notice any change after Serena died?”
Yeah, I think, I noticed a lot of changes. Like feeling lonely all the fucking time. Like being consumed with grief at the loss of my family while knives made of guilt stabbed me in the eyeballs every minute of every goddamn day.
That’s not what she means though. “I’m not sure,” I answer. “I mean, we were still young then, and we weren’t on active duty. I was certainly strong, but I guess I was angry and eager to get on with killing things, you know?”
“I can imagine. And since then, apart from the last few weeks, you’ve never really been challenged, have you? And your visions, I’m guessing, are stronger than the other Seers’ visions?”
I nod. No point lying; they are. And I haven’t ever really struggled with my kills, no matter how many vamps I faced or how vicious they were. “I’m not great at charming people,” I say weakly.
She waves her hand dismissively. “Pah. So what. In every way that matters, Rosa, you might be the most powerful Seer that’s ever lived—which means you’re the most powerful Vecchissime to have ever lived. Together, you and Luca could be a force to reckon with. I think the witch who cast that spell saw what was coming and did this to counteract it.”
“Great,” I say, standing up. I’m desperate to move, for action, for anything other than sitting here feeling like a pawn in some ancient game. “Well, let’s go get tested. Can you do it, or do we need, like, some kind of special witch?”
“That’s hurtful—I am a special witch, thank you very much. But yes, we can do it now. Let’s find Luca.”
She follows me down the stairs, and I ask, “What’s your deal, anyway? Witches don’t usually leave their own kind. You clearly despise Vincenzo. Why have you been with him for so long?”
“Well, that’s complicated, and maybe I’ll tell you over a beer some time. For now, just hold on to the part about me hating Vincenzo—because I do, with a passion.” The hard edge of her voice leaves me in no doubt about it. Her cutesy name, adorable hair, and petite frame are clearly deceptive. Minnie would make a formidable enemy that I would hate to find myself on the wrong side of.
The conversation in the kitchen trails off as we walk in, and Moonface runs over to woof at me in greeting. They’re all still sitting around the table, apart from Luca. He’s pacing the room, still wearing the same T-shirt I staked him through. The wound has healed, but the blood on the fabric is still glistening red and moist. I avoid his eyes and sit next to Donatella.
“Anything new?” I ask.
“Yeah,” says Pietro, pointing at his screen. “I found out that the Grand Ball Sack has bought an old camp up in the Catskill Mountains.”
“A camp?” I repeat. “As in where children used to go for summer, maybe by a lake, possibly haunted by the memory of a mask-wearing, knife-wielding mass murderer?”
“Exactly like that,” he says. “It’s big, lots of land, and he’s been building there. Basic sleeping accommodations.”
“Barracks?”
“That’s my thought. He’s here, and maybe part of his army is here. I’ve been doing some digging into possible purchases near the other Cosca HQs, and I’ve found something in Mexico. A former drug lord’s compound, now owned by the Grand Ball Sack. He was always good at logistics.”
I turn it over in my mind. He’s putting his pieces in place, getting ready for a big play.
“And I spoke to Paola’s father,” Donna adds. “Apparently, Tomasso has been on the phone with him several times, claiming he’s found a powerful new Healer and wanting to find out her location so he can send him to her.”
I wince. “That wouldn’t end well. I assume you already warned them not to tell him?”
“Of course. They were confused—everyone trusts Tomasso, you know that. He ended up hedging his bets though. Gave Tomasso a fake address and sent guards he trusts there to see what happens. If he sends anything other than a genuine Healer, they’ll know he was lying, and it’s game on.”
Except it isn’t a game, I remind myself. It’s a war—Vecchissime against Vecchissime, family against family. Coscas fighting back against the attack. Vamps and humans and everything in between will get sucked into the black hole of violence, and the innocent will suffer. More children will lose their parents; more kids will lose their sisters and brothers. Men and women will die in agony.
And for what?
