Chapter 20

The door opened with a gentle creak, spilling a long beam of light from the hallway into the shadowed chamber. The warm rays rushed over and caressed the contours of the sleeping silhouette which remained unaffected by the murmuring footsteps nearing the bedside. Ezio sat silently beside her, his nerves finally at ease upon seeing her calm form alive, well, and within reach. The pale and bloody stranger he had held in his arms just that morning bared no resemblance to the Alcina before him, making the unsettling memory all the more surreal. He wanted so badly to erase it from his mind, but he feared that the pale lips and empty stare would somehow remain crouched at the back of his thoughts and return to stain his nightmares.

He reached for her hand resting peacefully in a pool of lavender silk. His fingers gently grazed over her skin, her warm touch and steady pulse bringing a wave of relief through his system. He softly traced invisible lines over each of her nimble fingers, in awe of the fact that such fragile and innocent looking hands were dexterously practiced in the art of the kill. A faint hum stirred from the hand's owner as Ezio's eyes met with her own. Although there was no comparison to the corpse she had been earlier that morning, her sunken eyes were still surrounded by dark, sallow, rings, while her complexion lacked it's normal and fiery luster. He selfishly missed the energy and teasing spark that often stole his words as well as a few nervous heartbeats from his chest.

"How do you feel?" he withdrew his hand.

Her forehead creased in dissatisfaction of his retreat, "I don't feel much at the moment. He gave me something that he said would dull the pain."

"Good. The less of it you feel, the better."

"So," she sighed, "What happens now?"

"Tomorrow I will investigate the docks to see what I can learn of the Templar's trip to Cyprus. Perhaps there are more clues that have yet to be discovered."

"Va bene, I will join you."

"No," his tone suddenly scolding. "You need to rest. You may be feeling better, but you certainly are not well enough to fight off our opponents any time soon."

"I can take care of myself," she retorted.

"So I see…" he grimaced.

Alcina's eyes hardened, her first reaction was to be harsh, but she obstinately withdrew her words before they slipped from her lips. She did after all owe him her life... again. "Ezio, I know you may not believe me and I know it may not mean much now, but I had good reason for what I was doing." She swallowed, "You are just going to have to trust me."

Ezio brought his folded hands to his chin as he pondered her words in the silence. He remembered the sudden terror he felt when he realized she had disappeared, as if the floor had vanished from beneath him, reintroducing his heart to fear and uncertainty. He dropped his hands as he hunched forward in his seat, running a callused thumb over the fresh slice in his palm. His brown twitched from the slight uncomfortable sting as he scowled at the tender ravine in his flesh. The silence seemed to lag awkwardly between the two as Alcina waited for Ezio's response. "I'm sorry," was all he muttered.

This was not the answer she had expected, "What are you apologizing for?" she breathed.

He tightly balled his wounded hand into a fist, concealing the cut. "I'm sorry that I could not save your brother. I tried, but there was nothing more I could do."

Alcina felt a silent knot in her throat as she gulped back a wave of emotion. This certainly was not the conversation she had planned on having. How was she supposed to respond? She followed her first instinct by bravely reaching for his folded hands. The stretch produced a brief tug of pain from her stitches making her grimace momentarily. Her hand crossed the river of silk and timidly rested over his motionless intertwined fingers. He remained unresponsive to her consoling touch, lost in his sulking. The memory of Ezio and Donato fighting to the death was the image she wanted farthest from her thoughts, but for Ezio, she would revisit the nightmare. "Ezio, I hold no bitterness or ill feelings toward you for what happened. I blame you for nothing. You did everything you could."

"It wasn't enough."

"Why does this bother you? Finding and saving my brother has always been my burden, and mine alone. Why blame yourself for a failure that wasn't even your own?"

"Because I made you a promise cara, and I do not enjoy breaking my promises." Ezio's voice tensed with a bite of anger as he pulled his hands from beneath her resting touch. Alcina frowned; he was in one of his moods, the kind where he held the weight of the world on his shoulders and blamed himself for the unchangeable, and in most cases, undesirable shifts of time. From the moment she met him, it became all too clear that he had a habit of internalizing his grief and turning the blame upon himself. Her heart fluttered at the memory of her elating first impression of Ezio high above the city streets. His first few actions had spoken volumes about his character: a strong and defensive fighter, both cautious and intuitive. But beneath his resilient exterior she sensed a long buried catacomb of grief and perhaps even a strong clutch of guilt. Her fluttering heartbeat softened toward him as she witnessed the resurfacing of these very emotions from within his strong eyes, exuding coldly in the moonlight. She wanted terribly to console him but knew he would bluff his charming smile and bring light to the situation or possibly even ignore her words, then live to fight his demons another day. There was nothing she could do.

He turned his face from her gaze, watching the shadows sprawl across the floor, disappointed in his failure. Alcina fixed her eyes on his chiseled features, his harsh emotion molded over his usually warm demeanor, turning his handsome face into a cold stare. The deeper she stared, the faster and louder her heart seemed to pound. She swallowed away another knot in her throat, a knot brought on by her own nerves. She shook her head momentarily and brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes, breaking the tension. "Ezio…" she reached tenderly for his hands once more. "You have not failed. In my heart Donato is my brother… but no matter how much I wish it..." she cleared her throat, ignoring the heartache brewing inside her, "things will never... never be as they were before." The tips of her fingers curled around his hand as her heart began to feel all the more heavy in her throat. "I wanted to believe I could save him, but he is not the boy I once knew. Time has evolved him into something I... I cannot change." Ezio titled his face toward her when he heard a faint break in her voice. "Rodolfo Salvatore is dead. The man I dreamed of killing my whole life is finally gone from this world… and my brother… Donato isn't back. What do I... I don't…"

His solemn eyes peered up from beneath his white hood as he waited for her to regain composure and continue. He could see the shimmering swells growing around her eyes as she gulped back the fighting sobs. "You don't what?" he whispered.

"Nothing," she exhaled loudly having won her battle against the now dissolving tears. "All I can say is… thank you."

"Thank you?"

"Yes, thank you."

Ezio's disappointed scowl didn't seem convinced.

"There are so many things that you've done for me, things that were my burdens, my fight, but you stayed with me and helped all the same." The truth was becoming harder and harder for her to spill as her voice gradually drifted into a whisper. "You've done… done so much for me. I've been so accustomed to being alone and taking care of myself that I sometimes forget what it's like to... to have someone who…" the tears began to strike again at her honest eyes as her words began to tremble. She pulled her hand away from his to shade her face, embarrassed by the sharing of her feelings. Ezio looked on, slightly worried by her struggle for words, and yet the innocent and fragile tenderness in her face enchanted him, pulling him in.

"What are you trying to tell me carina?"

She cleared her throat once more, swallowing a gulp of courage, "I've forgotten what it's like to have someone in my life that means so much to me..." Her face flushed with his favorite rose colored warmth while her eyes darted away from his own. A faint reflective trail glided down her cheek as the smallest tear glistened in the moonlight. Before he realized it, his hand had already closed the distance to her face, delicately wiping away the wet jewel from her soft skin, sparking an unexpected chill. The gentle tremor resonated through her body making her lower lip quiver to her embarrassment, melting his heart. His hand lingered to her face, tracing an invisible line down her jaw and toward her chin. His stern and angered look had all but vanished, his frustrations forgotten as his hand reached her quivering lips. His thumb lovingly brushed across her lower lip, pretending it was his own lips caressing hers. It was then he noticed how incredibly close he had instinctively leaned toward her, his body yearning to be closer. He waited patiently for her stubborn eyes to make contact with his own, eager to see some sort of sign that she was craving him as much as he longed for her. Their breathing stirred the silence as the lustful scent of lilac had already begun to cast it's bewitchment. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to…" Ezio silenced her worry by pushing his thumb against her full lips.

"It's alright," he murmured. She choked a sigh of mixed emotions; relief, sadness, and even passion. He tucked his hand beneath her narrow chin and drew it to his own, pulling her in and halting just before making contact with her lips. He closed his eyes, surrendering to his senses of touch and smell. His blood tingled and raced below his skin as he could faintly feel her thundering pulse reverberating off of her grazing lips. He rested his forehead against hers, tracing the tip of his nose against her cheek, smelling her subtle, ivory skin. The warmth of her breath invited him closer as it caressed over his lips, inviting the tip of his tongue. He held her there in that moment, simply waiting. Her lips ached for his as her fingers curled anxiously into the silk blankets. Ezio grinned at her frustration, chuckling as he teased his lower lip over hers, the soft touch of her skin electrifying his own. She muttered a faint sigh of anticipation followed by another rush of nervous chills through her body as she tasted the sweet heat of his breath. This was the sign Ezio had been waiting for. He pushed himself from his seat and lowered her gently onto the bed, drowning his fingers into her flowing brown hair, knotting it delicately in his grip. He gently distributed his weight over her frame, carefully making sure not to crush her beneath him. He gazed deeply into her large eyes, reading her emotions one by one, sensing her fear matching her desire, yet an edge to her seemed unreadable.

All his life Ezio's charming nature had won him favor among the ladies and more often than not, he stole their hearts without guilt. Alcina Gavino however, held some sort of immunity to his charisma which he found enticing. The enchantress never strayed from his mind, intoxicating his every thought. He was far too proud to admit she had him under her spell… her effortless, electrifying, powerful spell.

The fear he had once noticed in her eyes departed as a calm, gentle smile upturned her lips. He all but gasped at her beautiful details cloaked in the moonlight. He had to have her... now. He lowered his face to hers, rushing toward her rose lips, eager to taste her crimson mouth as the intense perfume of lilac and auburn hair flooded his mind. His eyes opened in alarm as he felt the wall of her hand against his lips. "Merda," had he offended her somehow? The tips of her fingers touched his lips before he could open his mouth to speak. Her soft smile lingered beneath him as she traced her hand over his face. The confused creases melted beneath her touch as he welcomed her loving fingers against his skin. Her hand traveled upward until she affectionately pulled back his alabaster hood shadowing his face, revealing his olive skin and warm eyes. Her nails softly combed through the hair framing his face as she admired his shocked expression, having struck a nerve in his heart. Ezio's pulse leapt to his throat as he felt an unexpected feeling of vulnerability to the assassin in his arms. The simplest of actions had spoken volumes as she gazed up at him, the man hiding behind the facade. Ezio had never felt this way toward another person before, it was as if she saw the monster within him, and somehow accepted it. His chest rose and fell as he sighed heavily, realizing how the tables had turned in her favor. He was taken back to the early sunrise on the docks those few years ago where he boldly confessed that he had become weak to her, somehow that fact remained as true now as it had then. He swallowed away the thought as he cupped a hand to her cheek.

She looked up at Ezio from the flowing bed of lavender as a devilishly smile snaked over her lips, quickening his already loud breathing. Her message was understood. His heightened pulse rhythmically flooded his head as his hands traveled to her slender sides, grasping at her waist while crushing the full force of his body to hers. His mouth sneaked to her neck, devouring the curve of her shoulder and across her collar bone leaving behind a warm, wet trail from his mouth. She gasped loudly, curving her fingers over his shoulder blades, his armor blunting her grip. His hands eagerly traveled up her sides, adoring the shape of her body until they crawled underneath her and up her back. Her passionate breathing hissed sharply as her body lurched beneath him in pain. "Cazzo," he gasped, "Alcina I'm sorry, I was not thinking!" he quickly rolled to her side withdrawing his eager hands.

"I'm alright," she grimaced behind clenched teeth.

"Forgive me, I seem to have gotten 'carried away'."

She laughed nimbly, "So I see."

"Are you sure you are alright? What can I do?"

"Nothing, I am fine, giuro." She exhaled loudly before relaxing her tense frame and collapsing back into the bed. She sweetly nuzzled her face against him, her face buried beneath tangled hair and silk, "I'm sorry to have spoiled the moment."

He laughed gently and brushed the strands of hair from her face, "Perhaps another time," he smiled.

Alcina sighed and peeked up at his resting form, "Another time then."

"Only if that is what you want," he eyed her carefully.

She rolled her eyes and groaned sarcastically, "Oh Ezio, you always know all the right things to say."

"I speak only the truth belladonna," he collected her hand in his own and kissed her knuckles softly before sitting up beside her. He smiled her favorite smirk making her blush in the darkness. The only light in the room poured through the open window, glowing brilliant silver moonlight over his tall, sculpted frame and temptingly handsome face.

"You looked tired," he finally spoke. "You should rest."

"As do you."

He halfway shrugged, "Forse."

"Will you be here in the morning?"

Ezio had heard that question many times before, only to be followed with the usual and simple white lie; only this time, he found himself wishing it wasn't a lie. "Of course tesora, but do not worry about me, you should focus on becoming well again. There are plenty more Templars just waiting to be slain."

"Affascinante," she huffed.

"Sleep well Alcina Gavino. Si può solo sognare cose belle," he brushed his thumb tenderly across her cheek once more before exiting her chamber, still wishing his answer hadn't been a lie.

...

Translations:

Giuro- I swear

forse- perhaps

affascinante- charming

si può solo sognare cose belle- may you only dream of beautiful things