Page 37 of Sandro

“Do you truly believe he’s going to want to go to Russia?” Master Vincent asked. “Does he speak Russian?”

I shook my head because I didn’t know.

“The bigger issue is his father’s family. They want their heir, and they’ve been looking for him,” Marcello said.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “Emilio is dead.”

Marcello shook his head. “Not Emilio. They want Leo. Emilio and Sofia were killed because Alfio Mosca wanted his grandson.”

I felt the blood drain from my face when Marcello said those words. “Where will he be safe? Here? We can protect him here, no?” We were closer to Sicily here than he was in Rome. Perhaps moving to Russia might be the better choice.

“We will always protect our own,” Master Vincent said. “Security has increased here at the villa, but Leo won’t be allowed to leave the villa without at least two others at any point in time. Thus far, Alfio doesn’t know we have Leo. He left Rome through magic.”

“What about Franco? Or Pietro? Will either of them sing? They know who has Leo. We dropped your name when his lackeys were after Leo in that alleyway.”

Nicolo snorted. I glanced at him, and the smile he gave me looked sinister. It had to be the mustache because although the man was just as lethal as Marcello, he was actually quite a bit more approachable than the coven’s second.

“A visit to Franco and his brother has already happened,” Master Vincent said. “He and his pride will not be revealing where Leo is. They know it would quite negatively impact their ability to continue breathing if anyone in their pride were to do so.”

My beloved was the grandson of that Sicilian mafia family. That was sinking in. The name had sounded important, and now I knew why. “I have to wonder why Emilio and Sofia didn’t use a different surname,” I said out loud.

“We will never know,” Marcello said. “From what I was able to find out, Alfio Mosca found them by chance. They were spotted in Rome with Leo a few years ago. The only thing I can think of is that Emilio spotted someone, then he took his wife and son and hid in the pride. Their documents show that they were making plans to move to Russia when they were killed.”

I blinked. “Leo wasn’t with them though. He said they were out on a rare date night. Were they just going to leave him behind?” None of that made any sense.

“No,” Nicolo said, finally speaking. “They might have been doing just that. We have no way of asking. But Emilio had already moved the majority of his funds over to a Russian bank in preparation for their upcoming move.”

Master Vincent spoke next. “Those funds have been secured and are now in an account for Leo. There is zero chance they can be traced, so he has no need to worry about his grandfather being able to find him if he should decide to use them.”

“Has he considered changing his name?” Marcello asked. “Or at least taking your surname? It would be another level of security.”

I sighed again. “We’ve barely discussed being pregnant, let alone him taking my surname. I’ll discuss it with him when I do all of this.” I glanced at Master Vincent. “I can mention all of this to him, correct? Something of this magnitude is impossible to keep from my beloved. Especially when it pertains to him and his family.” He was raised to believe that his father’s family were human, and they couldn’t know about him.

“You can share with your beloved whatever it is that you feel he needs to know,” Master Vincent said.

“If he knew his father’s last name, how had he not ever bothered to look them up?” Nicolo asked.

I shrugged. “He told me he couldn’t be with his father’s family because they were human, and he couldn’t be around them because he was a shifter. There is nothing out of the ordinary about that. Humans, unless mated to a paranormal, aren’t supposed to know about us.”

“We will be here to help support Leo in whatever it is he wishes to do,” Master Vincent said.

“I appreciate that, Master. We’re still getting used to the idea of welcoming a baby into our relationship, and I’m not certain how this will fit into things.”

“I can tell you that you will never be fully ready for the baby part of things,” Marcello said. “But this other stuff?” Marcello shook his head. “If it were me, I’d avoid it at all costs. I simply wouldn’t worry about his family. They’re there, we’re here, and they don’t know he’s here with us. He has only ever been brought here through magical means. Even if they have someone watching every station in Rome, Leo has never left. As far as they know, he’s still there.”

How was I going to explain any of this to Leo?

“You look like you are walking the plank, so to speak,” Master Vincent said.

“I feel like it a bit. I’m trying to figure out how to explain all of this to him. He needs to know. Obviously, he can’t rejoin his family, but he needs to know who they are and the threat they pose to him and our child or children if we should be gifted more in the future.”

“From experience, and I know nothing about your beloved as of yet beyond what is on paper, but shifters like the outdoors. Take him for a long walk in the garden and tell him there. Abel loves the fountain in the eastern garden. Try there,” Marcello said.

That was a good idea. And Leo did love to be outside. He loved our hikes and the time on the lakes when we were in Banff. Perhaps Marcello was onto something.

“Thank you. I’ll give that a try,” I said. “Is there anything else I should know? No hidden prince in disguise or anything of that nature?” I asked, only just jokingly. It wouldn’t surprise me at this point.

“No, nothing else. Enjoy your time with your beloved,” Master Vincent said. “There will be a bit more presence around the villa though, so if you see someone out walking around the grounds, you will know them, and they are supposed to be there.”