Page 19 of Little Sparrow

There is a small balcony overlooking the estate, the views of the ocean are beautiful, I long to feel the cold waters on my skin again.One day soon, I can.

It was only in the last few weeks that Leo brought me to meetings in public in the evening. He had eyes on me to make sure I didn't mess up. The guards will put a bullet in me as soon as I don't go by his script. He claims that I’m his long-lost daughter to avoid questions. I’m called a mafia princess of the Barelli clan now; although the question we always get is about my accent at the rare times I do talk. He tells them my mother is English and I had grown up there but when she passed away a few years ago so now I’m with him, but it hurts to speak about. I swear my eye twitches every time he says that, I don’t like to think of my mother dead.

The man I’m hurting tonight, I saw in someone’s memories. He did bad things to Leo’s docks to stop the trafficking of cocaine and now he needs to be punished for losing us half a million euros worth of product. That’s what I’m here for, to locate the money and drugs. I was born with these deadly powers. Some say I’m a demon. Others say I’m a monster. I suppose, either way, it doesn’t matter. I’ll be feeding off of them tonight—just one touch.

I dream little anymore. I never saw Dante again after our kiss, with the collar on. There was no way of seeing him, to beg for help, but I also don’t want to get him hurt. So I decided not to see him again. I couldn’t. If he knew what I became, he would probably hate me. I became unrecognisable to myself as I came into my power the more my body changed.

One night, not long after I had been bought here, my mouth had felt dry, a fever broke and I had rushed to my bedroom door, my hands were banging against the wood for the guard's attention. “Somethings wrong,” I shouted to the guards. “Please, help me.” I needed to strip off my clothes, my skin burnt from the inside, I clawed against it. Leo, the guards, and Maria had run in, she gave me a glass of water, I gulped it down, begging for more. Pain erupted over my body, and I collapsed on the ground. It had felt like hellfire consuming me.

“What's wrong?” Leo demanded when he entered.

“I’m on fire, it burns!” I cried, still clawing at my body as though peeling off my skin would make the sensation go away. I wasn’t able to stop the burn and feared that maybe I would eventually combust and turn to ashes myself.

A leather-gloved hand had wrapped around my ankle. Leo dragged me along the floor. When I passed through the doorway and onto the cold tiled floor, I faintly heard Leo say, “Get bags of ice.” Footsteps got further away. More leather hands grabbed at me and threw me into the cool porcelain of the shower tray. Someone turned it on, and cold water trickled over my burning body.

It felt slightly better, but not enough.

“Lay the bags on her body over as much as you can.” The ice slowly cooled me down, but my body still ached. They kept me in that shower over a weekend, continuous ice bags covering me whenever someone could get to me, and I had crawled out of it a woman.

Naked with wet hair, everyone stared at me when I stumbled out of the bathroom on shaky legs, regaining my footing like a baby deer walking for the first time. I touched my body all over, uncaring of who could be watching me. My breasts grew larger and my hips are curvier. Even my cheekbones felt more prominent. I stared up at Leo, hoping he had answers to what had felt like going through a brutal round of puberty again, but as he watched me, his nostrils flared and he turned to the guards. “No one touches her, anyone who does will suffer the consequences however I see fit. Do you all understand?”

A chorus of “Yes Boss” filled the room. Leo looked back to me, but spoke to Maria “She needs new clothes, I think black would suit her.” She tipped her head forward in acknowledgement “I’ll go to the city, Capo.”

Leo wrapped a bed sheet around me, his finger tilting my head up. His eyes traced my face, “Get clothes that suit what she is, less is more, effective with an enemy.”

I’m pulled from the memory, knowing that Dante will remember me as the innocent little blonde girl in pyjamas he kissed. Now I wear less to show more skin at Leo’s request, and it’s always black. Like I’m mourning myself. My first kiss and I'm not sure if it was real, so I try not to think about it too much. Only on lonely nights, I sketch him and then burn it in the fireplace in the library. A secret Leo can’t have from me, and I’ll keep it until the day I die.

My thoughts fizzle out as one soldier enters my room and I know it’s time to do what I am born to do. With one guard in front and the other behind, they take me to Leo’s office. Franco, his consigliere, opens the large, heavy door for me and follows after I pass through.

A small man with brown hair, sits at the large desk opposite Leo and turns towards my intrusion. “I’m not telling you anything.” the small man spits at Leo, how daring of him. The façade doesn’t suit him. A smile tugs at my lips.

His face drains of colour when he turns and sees me. He must have heard the rumours of me circulating, but I don’t recognise him from any meetings I had been allowed to attend though.

I sigh. “I’m so glad you said that. Now I get to do this.” His eyebrows furrow before my hands grip his face. I’m staring straight into his soul and sucking it out, searching through each memory he has stored. Burning holes in his mind as he screams. “Please! Please stop. I’ll tell you anything,” but we know he truly won’t. He’s just scared. They all beg. Especially when they realise they are about to become a husk of a person.

“Napoli,” I whisper as I see a man with slightly curled hair and a short beard accept money from Matteo as they laugh at taking over the city. Leo will know what I’m talking about when words pass through my mind and deals with the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, but first we need to go to Naples for something. Matteo struggles with keeping images away. I never know everything, only what I see as I travel through his soul before I collect it. The screams die down and I feel fulfilled.

“Well done.Passerota” Leo praises before walking out. He always calls me thatnow. I’m his little sparrow. My breaths even out, and I lick my lips. The taste of a soul, even a rotten one, is still satisfying. I decide not to tell Leo about the sad woman with Matteo, it doesn’t feel right getting women involved and hurt.

Leo grabs my arm with a gloved hand to pull me away. We usually avoid clean-up. That’s what he has a crew for. I rarely see them, but tonight they came faster than I expected. I'm not used to being around large groups like this, but I can’t step away or close my eyes. It won’t be long until his life is fulfilled as Don, he’s started dealing with Cosa Nostra already.

While I watch the body being hauled up over a guard's shoulder, I feel my collar fastened against my neck again. It seemed like it would be so easy to take off, but the amulet came from an Angel named Senoy. Rumours are that he tried drowning the mother of all succubi. At least, that is what Leo told me. He only makes me wear the collar when I’ve taken someone's soul. To stop my power from taking over me, even though Leo and Franco will be safe with their own rings. The Senoy amulet numbs my power. He always likes to make sure I won’t kill everyone else here.

No one looks at me as I’m guided back to my pretty prison, my hand glides along the smooth bannister as we walk back up the stairs. Just waiting for the next person in his office. Hoping one day it will be my mother waiting and she can hold me. Comfort me, make me realise that all this is worth it. For her.

Chapter sixteen

Dante

Napoli, Italy

Asofthandgrazesalong my cheek, pulling me from my sleep. In my haze, I see a beautiful blonde leaning over my chest as she kisses her way down and under the satin sheets. Her tongue glides across my hardened cock. A groan leaves my lips. She does it again, taking me in her mouth and sucking my tip before taking me deep. My eyes close as I enjoy her hot, wet mouth as the head touches the back of her throat. My hand fists her hair as her head bobs. She stops just as I want her to speed up.

“I want you to cum inside me, make me yours,” she asks, but I shake my head. “No.” Before I gently push her down again. She slaps my hand away, and I roll my eyes. Again with this. I have fucked her many times but never bare, and I won’t ever fuck without a condom.

“Why won’t you?” She asks with a huff. Like she’s deeply offended by my refusal. I just don’t want her beyond relieving the stress. I swear my eyes roll to the back of my head in frustration.

“We’re not like that. You knew from the beginning what this was.” I tell her while dragging myself from the bed away from her. She crosses her arms over her chest, stands too, and leans down to grab her clothes. Good.

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