Page 68 of Sworn to My Heart
I finish washing myself, raising my hand once more, and all the water on the floor gathers into one big soapy water ball that floats in the air. I send it straight into the bathtub and release it.
Drying my body, I transform my tail back into legs and wrap myself in my soft towel robe before heading back to the room. I check my phone to see the time and realize it’s already ten to five. I quickly pull out a light blue summer dress from the closet that falls just past my butt and accentuates my chest.
I know these dresses drive Luca crazy, so I decide not to turn today into another battlefield and put on a pair of white shorts under the dress, pairing them with white summer sandals with tiny heels.
I hop downstairs excitedly, and Abert looks at me, still chuckling to himself. He must be imagining some epic fall I had in the shower.
I turn to my right, feeling Luca’s familiar, warm gaze on me. He smiles mischievously, and I immediately feel I made the right choice with the shorts.
Abert suddenly contorts his face and asks me to turn around. “Alin, you’re bleeding,” he says, and Luca immediately runs to me, grabbing my hand and turning my back toward him.
“Why are you bleeding?” he touches my back, his expression hardening, and I immediately flinch, suddenly feeling the sharp, burning pain his touch caused.
“I slipped in the shower,” I say, looking into Luca’s hard gaze, adding in a whisper, “Sometimes I forget I have a tail,” and I giggle in embarrassment.
Luca teases me and pulls me toward the large kitchen in the apartment. I am surprised to see his cook isn’t there working on dinner and wonder if he’s taking me out to eat. I watch him pull a first aid kit from one of the tall black cabinets in the kitchen.
“I don’t get it, with all the powers you have, how are you still so delicate?” he chuckles as he applies disinfectant with a cotton swab over the two cuts on my back.
I flinch again and bite my lip. “Luca, it burns!” I whine, and he feigns a frustrated sigh. “Now you’re complaining too,” he says, kissing my neck gently.
My blood heats with excitement, hoping my cheeks don’t betray me. He might think I’m a nympho, with my body reacting to him even when he’s treating my injuries. I feel his glance widen on my neck. Damn. He reads me. I sigh audibly, and he laughs, placing a small square bandage over each cut while I bite my lower lip at the sting of the disinfectant again.
I run up to the guest room, changing out of the blood-stained blue dress into a white summer dress. I notice its transparency reveals my chest too much.
I put on a white top bra underneath, cursing softly as it presses on the wounds on my back. I assure myself I’ll treat the cuts with water when we get back home.
I return to Luca, who leads me to the car. My curiosity growing.
“Where are we going?” I push for any hint but to no avail; he remains silent. It seems he’s set on keeping today a surprise.
The drive takes about fifty minutes, and Luca and I enjoy Latin music that I play through his car’s Bluetooth from my phone, just like Cora always does. I start singing along with the music.
Suddenly Luca’s phone rings loudly, interrupting my song, andI quietly curse as he answers Graham’s call.
“I’m behind you. Abert went to take care of what you asked for,” Graham informs Luca, who hangs up after confirming.
I quickly glance at the side mirror and recognize Graham’s car behind us. Isn’t today supposed to be just for Luca and me? Why does he need Graham for a romantic dinner? I wonder but know I won’t get any answers, so I turn the music back up and return to my car karaoke as Luca’s laughter echoes while he drives into an unfamiliar parking area, stopping the car.
I look out the window and see nothing but greenery — trees, grass, and a grand entrance made of large black marble circles set into the green lawn, forming the driveway to the massive villa in front of me.
I excitedly hop out of the car and onto the marble path outside. “What is this place?” I ask, and suddenly the smell of sea breeze mingles with the strong scent of grass.
My excitement rises, and I run to the impressive tall black doors at the entrance of the vila.
I look back at Luca with a questioning glance. He nods approvingly, and I quickly open the doors, which swing open like the entrance to a grand castle. I step inside.
The first floor is open and spacious, with light gray walls and glossy cream-colored marble floors, all illuminated by the colors of the sunset streaming through the glass wall opposite me, serving as a sliding door to the outside.
I ignore the rest of the house as my gaze lands on the breathtaking waves crashing on the beach visible beyond the glass door.
I quickly run to the door, sliding it opens easily, and realize where the sea breeze is coming from. It’s a private beach!
My feet step outside, and my small-heeled sandals sink into the warm sand now wrapping around my feet.
A blend of excitement and an inexplicable feeling of freedom washes over me. I feel like I could float on air with happiness.
I look back at Luca, whose satisfied expression shows he was waiting for this exact reaction.
