Niccolo (Blood Brothers) Read Online Free PDF Page A

humorlessly.
    “But why did he leave you alone? Why aren’t you two together? I guess I’ll have to believe you when you say he wanted to keep me safe, but what happened between you and him?”
    She wrung her hands together nervously, wondering how much she should tell him. Upon looking at the bewilderment shadowing his handsome face she knew then he deserved the entire story. He was a man now and could handle it.
    Jagger watched her with fervent intensity as she spoke, his steady amber gaze never leaving her face. She hesitated for a moment because he looked slightly feverish; even his eyes looked a little pink, but that wasn’t possible because immortals didn’t get sick. She banished the thought and continued her story.
    “Since you’ve heard of the Grimaldis you probably already know what they do.”
    “Sort of.”
    “I met your father a little over thirty years ago. At the time I still lived with my family. Your father and his brother ... your Uncle Romeo ... came to our home on an information-gathering mission. They were on the trail of a rogue vampire their family had been chasing for centuries and thought my father would have some useful information for them. Papa invited them to stay. Romeo remained for a short while, but Niccolo, your father, chose to linger. I think I fell in love with him the second I laid eyes on him. In an instant I knew he was the man I wanted to spend all of eternity with, but ...” Sasha broke off. After all this time it still hurt her to think about how he’d spurned her, and talking about it was even more painful.
    Jagger squeezed her hand, giving her some measure of comfort. His need to reassure her even when he was the one who probably needed it more swelled her heart that was already filled with love for him. He made her so proud. She didn’t think she would have made it through the trying years without her him. “Take your time, Mama.”
    “You are a good son.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek which felt warm. Sasha frowned. “Are you feeling well?”
    “ Da . Please continue.”
    She studied his face for a moment still noticing that strange pink tinge to his face. She made a mental note to question him about it later. “As I was saying, I fell hard for your father, but my sister wanted him, too. You’ve seen pictures of her. Your Aunt Petra was a great beauty, but unfortunately she knew it too. She was used to getting what she wanted, and she usually got it.”
    “And he wanted her, too?”
    “In the beginning he didn’t seem to. For a brief time, I thought he returned my feelings, but I soon found that he was no different from any of the other men who fell at my sister’s feet. It tore me apart to see them together. When they announced they would be married, I think I died a little on the inside. In my heart he belonged to me, but I was so used to being in Petra’s shadow and stepping aside so that she could shine, I didn’t know what else to do.” She sighed. “My parents, my father especially, supported the match. I suppose I could have pleaded my case with your father, but I didn’t have the confidence or self-esteem to face him. My fear of getting my heart trampled on even more than it already had scared me more than you can imagine.”
    Sasha took a deep breath. Why did this have to be so difficult? “The Grimaldis have accumulated vicious enemies in their lifetime, and because of that, your aunt was killed.”
    “What happened?”
    “One night, Niccolo received an urgent message from an unnamed source; I never did find out whom. My family was away visiting relatives. Niccolo, Petra, and I were the only ones in the compound when he received that missive. He told Petra he would return as soon as he could. He hadn’t been gone for more than a few hours before four rogue vampires broke into our home. These rogues also practiced dark magic. Petra and I did not have enough power to fend them all off. One of the rogues knocked me out. When I woke up,