Venetian Gem (Dani POV)
“I’ll meet you in the lobby in one hour,” Oliver said as he leaned down to kiss me. I watched with mischievous delight as he turned and walked to the bathroom where his bath waited. As the door closed behind him I found I was once again able to concentrate. I grabbed my purse from where it rested on the coffee table of our suite, gave myself one last glance in the mirror, and headed out the door.
I had just exited the elevator and was heading towards the coffee shop when a strong hand closed around my upper arm and hauled me into a private function room. I tried to cry out but another firm hand clamped over my mouth. The door behind me and my assailant closed with a slamming finality that scared me more than the possible abduction. I was spun around and urged down into a soft chair. I looked up at my assailant.
Her eyes were emerald green and she had golden curls cascading down from her head. Her pale skin looked like porcelain even in the low light of the conference room. “Dani, it’s me, Daemona.” I stopped my struggles when she released me. Oliver’s mother stood over me with sympathetic eyes. “I’m sorry to have frightened you. I’ve been trying to get a moment alone with you for the last few days.”
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“I need to speak with you.” She paused and looked around. “Without Oliver around.”
“You couldn’t have found a time while I was in Rome?” I snapped crankily.
She leaned back against the conference table and looked truly apologetic. “I really am sorry to have frightened you,” she said. She pushed off the table and pulled out a chair beside me and took a seat. “What I need to discuss shouldn’t take long.”
I sighed and nodded. “Very well.”
She pulled a small black velvet pouch from her purse and sat it on the table before me. “Oliver’s father was born a Vampire. As was my second mate who fathered the twins, Oliver’s younger sisters. What Oliver doesn’t know and very few people know, is I was born a halfling. My father was Vampire but my mother was Human. When his father and I were bound, I gave up my Human half to become fully Vampire. It was a difficult decision for me because I was raised Human. It made me a target while I decided, because my father’s house couldn’t protect me from others.”
I listened carefully to what she told me. I wasn’t entirely sure what it all had to do with me but it felt somehow reassuring that she trusted me with the information. “I’m honored that you trust me with this secret, but I’m not sure why you are telling me.”
Daemona shifted in her seat. “My son asked for the ring his father proposed to me with. He said he had found the girl.” She watched my face carefully. “I can see he hasn’t made his move yet, and he may not. I don’t know.” She opened the small velvet bag in front of her and pulled out a large magenta pendant suspended on a short ornate silver chain. Emblazoned in a smoky design within the gem was Oliver’s household crest. “This is the mark of our house. As long as you are with my son, Vampire or not, you are a member of this house. I can offer you the protection that was never given to me.”
I reached out and touched the stone. It seemed to pulsate and glow under my fingers. “I don’t understand.”
“I love my children more than anything. You aren’t even remotely Vampire, Darkling, or even Italian, but you make my son happy. I would never want anything to hurt my child. If you choose not to stay with my son, return the necklace, but as long as you are together, wear it,” she said firmly.
I nodded and didn’t resist when she lifted the chain and suspended it around my neck. “Oliver is going to see this and ask where it came from,” I pointed out.
“Tell him I gave it to you if he asks. He will see it as me giving my blessing.” Daemona stood up. “We’ve been long enough. Just remember Dani, you may not be a Vampire, but you are now family.”
I gulped and started to argue, but when I blinked she was gone. I quickly rummaged through my purse to pull out my phone. I was relieved to find that I still had almost half an hour to calm my nerves before seeing Oliver. I stepped out of the private conference room and back into the hallway. I headed directly to the cafe where I had every intention of buying something chocolate to sooth me.
