Page 25 of The Reaper's Bride
“Relax. As I understand it, you’ll survive.” Then, Alessio locks eyes with me and licks his bloody fingers clean.
“Oh, my god!”I shriek, disgusted. “You’re gross!”
He falls back on the bed laughing so hard he might pee himself over my reaction. I spring out of bed and see the tell-tale splotch of blood on white sheets, like the red rose petals on white carpet yesterday for all to see.
Looking through a suitcase for clean clothes, I ignore the asshole I married who’s still amused by my embarrassing predicament. I’ve barely started toward the bathroom when someone knocks on our door. I freeze, staring at Alessio like a deer caught in headlights.
“It’s just Bibi and probably a maid coming to collect our sheets. Looks like our fathers will get bloody ones after all.”
“OH MY GOD!”I shriek again, storming into the bathroom and ready to die there before I face him again.
14
Caterina
Despite the horrible events of the reception yesterday, that’s not all our conversation revolves around later that night when I meet with the girls in Sofia’s bedroom again. “Then what happened?!” Frankie asks, not bothering to hide her giggles. Sofia, the most ladylike of us, has her face buried in her pillow out of respect for my humiliation. Gia pats my shoulder with sympathy.
“I took the longest shower of my life and, when I came back out, only the maid was in there making the bed with fresh sheets.”
Frankie laughs more boisterously than any girl I’ve ever met, but she lays down beside me on Sofia’s enormous bed, hugging me as I cuddle Mr. Whiskers. I have no sisters. Father rarely allowed strangers in the house, never girls to have sleepovers with me. I think I like hanging out in the nursery as Alessio calls it. “It’s selfish of me but I wish we could all stay together here like this for longer,” I admit, wistfully.
“I’d gladly stay if Uncle Silvio would allow it. I hate being at Uncle Enzo’s with Rocco lurking around,” Frankie says.
“Yes, I wish we could stay here longer, Caterina. No matter how much he adores me, I’ll be lonely in New York once I marry Carlo. His sisters are so much younger. I wish the men in our world didn’t work all the time,” Sofia sighs. She’s very smitten with a man she’s only met a handful of times. I hope he may live up to her rose-colored view of him.
“I wish Ritchie would be gone even more than he is,” Gia mutters. “I’m glad you made it through your first time alright, Caterina.”
My cheeks warm, thinking of Alessio’s kisses and caresses. My wedding night wasn’t ideal but it was far better than what I’d expected. “I didn’t think it would be like that.”
“Didn’t it hurt when you two…” Sofia asks, observing my smile.
Nervously, I bite my bottom lip. I told them the tale of my period starting this morning but not that we didn’t have sex. “No, he didn’t hurt me.”
Alessio gave me the choice last night, but I don’t think he’d want that known. Nico told me what was expected of the men with the bloody sheets, and it wouldn’t be in my best interest to do anything to discredit and possibly anger my husband.
When I went down to breakfast at last, all the family was present except my mother and Nico who remained at the hospital. Alessio kept a certain distance, talking to the other men, but my father walked over and hugged me. I can’t even remember the last time he touched me until he led me down the aisle yesterday. He acted as if I’d been deathly ill instead of a freshly deflowered bride.“Your mother and I are proud of you, Caterina.”All I had to do to get a snippet of praise from him was lie back and take my husband’s dick, huh? It had given me a secret thrill knowing I’d defied him.
When I look up, I see Gia studying me shrewdly. She probably remembers her wedding night less than fondly. Does she suspect something?
“Did you go visit your brother and the babies today?” Sofia asks, gently.
I nod, grateful for the change of subject. Armando had offered to drive me to the hospital after breakfast. I hadn’t expected that, and it occurs to me that Alessio must’ve told him to. Even if we get along, my bodyguard doesn’t randomly offer to take me places.
“The little ones are so precious.” Amadeo and Lucia are fraternal twins, small but healthy. “Mother is going to travel home with Nico once the hospital says it’s safe to take them. It’s tragic that they’ll never know their mother.”
The other girls murmur sympathies, but it makes me wonder again what happened to Alessio’s mother. Did he know her at all?
“It’s going to be difficult for Nico.” I hate to say more – even if none of them act as though they were fond of Sil, Jr., he was their half-brother and cousin – but my heart hurts for my brother and his children. I’d never seen such heaviness in his gray eyes as I did today when he was holding his little daughter, trying to soothe her while clearly out of his depth. Not to mention he just lost his wife so unexpectedly. Even if Margareta said she hated him, I don’t know all of their story and they were married for nearly two years.
Our chatter runs on to other topics, namely, back to what happened at the reception yesterday when Bibi comes in. She smiles at her youngest daughter but seems less than pleased to see the rest of us. “You should get your beauty rest, Sofia. Carlo has an early flight, but I know he’d want to see you before he leaves. And, you two girls should be waiting for your husbands in your rooms,” she says to Gia and me.
“Mom, I’m twenty and married. I don’t have to go to bed because you say so anymore,” Gia says. “Besides, the Seconda Notte has just started. The men will be down at the guest house for several hours smoking, drinking and screwing around.”
Bibi’s lips twist downward. “That’s enough. Just because you can’t make Ritchie treat you well doesn’t mean you should upset your sister with such talk.”
Gia scowls and leaves the room. Thankfully, her mother follows a moment later.
“Should we go ask Gia to come back?” I ask. I hate the way Bibi treats her eldest.