Prologue
The water sprayed from the faucet that Gabriel Kovacs opened as he stepped into the shower. He sighed before he closed his eyes, feeling the cold water against his sore muscles. The flight from Lacul Rosu to Sicily was horrific as he was staying on the couch and was squeezed by two people who were invading his space.
Gabriel sighed before he looked around the en suite bathroom where he and Aaron, his cousin, were staying for their one-month vacation from the research facility that they went to work for. Gabriel did not know why he went to get some experience when he had lived for 250 years on this earth.
Maybe he was a little bored and wanted to have some excitement in his life. The hope that he would find his mate was eating at him and being a person who cannot stay still for a minute, he decided to get involved with the research center.
And he convinced his cousin to come with him as well.
Gabriel took a bar of soap and washed his body before rinsing off. Then, he closed the faucet and dried himself with a towel as he went out of the shower and walked toward the countertop. He wiped the foggy mirror as he was looking at his handsome face with tired blue eyes.
Women would consider him handsome by 21st century standards but he would not believe them since they were not his mate. And to have any word from his mate would be precious to him. For now, Gabriel will be stuck hearing the lies that the women tried to tell him just to get into his bed.
He sighed before he took a toothbrush and brushed his teeth. His fangs were hidden as he did not retract them from his gums and he could do it anytime he wanted. But for now, it was best to keep it hidden from the world that did not believe in the existence of Vampire.
Or what they were known by the term Blue Blood because of the blueish-red blood that flowed through his veins.
After that, Gabriel shaved his stubbles before he nodded at himself, satisfied that he had cleaned up well and would be getting some rest and a peaceful vacation afterward. They arrived in the morning at the hotel in Sicily Island, Italy and to think that he would be spending some time in isolation from his family and colleagues—
“What are you doing so long in the bathroom? I need to pee, Kovacs,” his cousin, Aaron, shouted as he was rapping at the door. Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes before he put on his jeans and shirt he opened the door and dried his hair with the towel.
“Can you please wait for another minute? I am almost done and right now, I don’t care. Who asks you to sleep when we’ve arrived here?” he said before Aaron glared at him.
Gabriel stepped away from the door as Aaron got inside and slammed the door. He chuckled before he was looking at the trays that were on the table.
At least his cousin has ordered food service.
“Do you want me to wait before eating our breakfast?” he asked Aaron as he was doing his business in the bathroom.
“Go ahead, I think I will be a while in here,” his cousin said before Gabriel shook his head and went to take a grape and popped it into his mouth. He went to step onto the balcony that was connected to the living room as he was looking at the dawn as the sun was starting to rise from the east.
He and Aaron will be sleeping all day before they go out at dusk since the sun will be hurting their eyes and skin, courtesy of the Darker Side that they have in the blood that had run for generations in their family tree.
Some resources said that the Darker Side can be found in the Forbidden Fruit that was found in exploring the pine forest himself and saw the evidence as well as holding it in his hands, he would not believe the lore that was told by their ancestors.
Gabriel turned to look at the town square that was gradually opening as he was feeling something in his gut. He always believed in his gut feeling for everything that led him to be in Sicily for his vacation was because of his gut.
And this feeling told him that something that belonged to him from the beginning was calling to him. Could it be the mating call from the woman that was destined to be his mate? Or was it because he wanted to believe so badly that a woman was waiting for him to claim in Sicily?
Both ways, he was here now and the only thing to do was to find out for himself.
“Woah! That was a relief,” Aaron said as his voice carried to Gabriel before he went into the living room and closed the balcony door. Aaron arched his eyebrow at his cousin before settling himself in front of the food trays while searching for a beef sandwich.
“Will you come and join me for breakfast? There was nothing to do except to go to bed later and we will be looking around the town square when the sun is set. So, come on, coz, eat your fill,” Aaron said as he was biting into the sandwich.
Most people would think that Blue Blood cannot eat human food. It was delusional since they could tolerate it but they also needed blood to sustain the food that they’d eaten along with it.
“Well, don’t mind me if I do,” Gabriel said as he was smiling at his cousin, taking a plate of omelets and setting it in front of him. Taking a fork, he ate the food as they were feeling the sun rising and filled the room with its warmth as they were concealed in the shadow of the dawn before they retired for the morning.
“So, what will you do for our first day in Sicily? I think I ought to check some locals and maybe get food if you like for us to cook instead of ordering food service,” he said before Aaron arched his eyebrow.
“You want to cook?” his cousin asked before Gabriel nodded.
“It’s not that we can’t have some food delivered to our suite but it will be better if we know what we’re eating ourselves and will not have any worry if someone might be putting something that can harm us while we’re here,” Gabriel said as he forked another piece of the omelet. Aaron nodded.
“You’re right. Perhaps we could avoid being poisoned with Hemlock while we’re here,” Aaron said before Gabriel glared at him.
“I am being serious,”
“So am I,” Aaron said before he sighed and rubbed his face, “Look, it’s not that the Order will be coming for us for they did not know that we exist and we’re away from Romania. You can turn down a notch on your paranoia for this month, okay?” he said before Gabriel sighed.
Even though most people will not believe that Vampires are no longer around to terrorize them, the Order of Holy, a group of hunters had been formed to protect humans from being terrorized by the Vampire, has been around as long as the Vampire and Blue Blood had coexisted.
Maybe they won’t know that Gabriel and Aaron, two of the Originals, were out of Romania and would find the time to attack them. Maybe they will be sending a hunter against them to take them out while they are away from their families. Either way, Gabriel will not have a chance to lie back and not be paranoid about being hunted.
“You do that. I will be on guard for the both of us since I know that you will not take that responsibility for both of us,” he said grunting at Aaron as his cousin just smirked at him.
“You’re grumpy when you’re tired. I cannot imagine if your mate finds you and decides that you’re too tough to live with when you wake up every morning as a grouch,” Aaron said before Gabriel was rolling his eyes at his cousin.
“At least I found my mate and I will not be grumpy anymore if I can wake up and do wicked things to her every morning,” he replied before Aaron was choking on his coffee. Gabriel smirked victoriously.
“Hell. You should wash your mouth with soap, cousin because I’m sure as hell that your parents did not just raise you to speak like that,” Aaron said before Gabriel shrugged.
“They’re not here and I am an adult now. I can curse or speak vulgarly if I want to. We’re Blue Blood for hell’s sake and believe me when I tell you it is normal for us to be talking like this,” he said before Aaron shook his head and stood up to head to his bedroom.
“Alright, I will be taking my sleep now. I think the housekeeping can come in if you’re asked the front desk but I prefer when we’re out,” Aaron said as Gabriel nodded. They cannot risk anyone being inside their room when they’re there and they will expose themselves if they’re not too careful.
“I think we can let them know later and for the trays, I think we can just leave them outside. Isn’t that how it was supposed to be?” he asked before Aaron nodded.
“Yeah, you do that. And hit the sack because tonight will be painting the town red, coz,” he said before Gabriel gathered their empty plates and rolled the trolley out of their room. He put the ’Do Not Disturb’ card on their doorknob before hitting his bed in his bedroom as he was looking at the window.
The gut feeling was still there and as Gabriel closed his eyes, he could imagine the moment that he met his mate for the first time as butterflies were filling his stomach as if in anticipation for it to happen at any time.
