Destiny Revealed (17 page)

I didn’t realize it until he rolled me over and pulled me
underneath him. Before I could scream, he put his hand
over my mouth. “Sofia, you are my love. Why can’t you
see how much I need you? I won’t live without you in my
life. That dog is not one of us. You need to be with
me
. He
will be with Gia soon enough and she will have his child.
Come to me, Sofia,” he whispered.

I couldn’t move. It was as if he had me immobilized.
He took his hand away from my mouth, but no sound came
out when I tried to scream. I was able to get out a small
whisper, “Ky, this is not love. Why can’t you understand
that? Love is not something that you can force on someone,
it’s something that happens on its own.”

He started to kiss my neck and whispered against my
skin, “You told me you loved me once. Nick will leave you
and I will be waiting. Always waiting.” I continued to try
and struggle against him as his mouth moved down to my
shoulder, but his spell was strong. Gia must have been there
helping him. He slid his hand up the inside of my leg and I
gasped. I couldn’t handle this a second longer; I focused as
hard as I could to get away from him.

I was finally able to scream and bolted straight up in
bed. It was a nightmare. There was no Ky there. Only me,
soaked with sweat and the sheet twisted around my waist.

The front door crashed open just then and Nick ran in to
our room panting. “Mannaggia, Sofia! What happened?
What’s going on?”

I just stared at him for a second before saying, “How
did you know something was wrong?”
“I heard your scream. Are you okay? Was someone
here?” He rushed to my side and ran his hands over my
face, checking me for injuries.
“Did I really scream that loud? I hope I didn’t wake any
neighbors.”
“My hearing is more sensitive than a human,
remember? And I know your voice. I can hear you over a
distance. But tell me, what happened? You’re covered in
sweat.”
I didn’t want to tell him. I knew he would be angry if I
described the dream. I hesitated. “I had a nightmare. I’m
fine.”
“Are you going to tell me what it was about?”
“I would prefer not to. You’ll just get mad,” I shrugged.
“Just tell me. You know we don’t keep anything from
each other,” he reminded me.
“I know. It’s just that… well, it was Ky.” His chest
rumbled at the sound of Ky’s name like usual. “He was
here in the apartment. I thought it was you when he crawled
into bed with me.” Nick growled as I said it. “See, that’s
why I didn’t want to tell you.”
“Continue. I’m fine,” he lied.
“I was frozen and couldn’t scream. He told me that he
loves me and won’t live without me. He still thinks that I
should be with him because he’s a witch. He said you and
Gia would be together and she was going to have your
baby. And then…” I couldn’t finish.
“And then what?” he growled again.
“Then he started kissing my neck, down my shoulder,
his hand—”
He couldn’t listen to anymore and yelled, “Stop!”
“Nothing more happened. That’s when I was finally
able to scream, and I woke up.” He looked relieved. “But
Nick.”
“What now?” he growled.
“I think it was real-ish,” I said.
“What does ‘real-ish’ mean? Sofia, tell me what’s going
on,” he sounded angry.
Now he knows how I felt last night
, I thought to myself.
Out loud I said, “Well, it’s possible for witches to invade
dreams. It’s called astral projection.”
“Which means what exactly?” he was confused.
“It means that Ky really came to visit me in my sleep—
through a dream.”
“What the hell?” he yelled.
“Everything okay in there?” I heard from the front door.
“Yeah, Rene, we’re good,” I shouted so he could hear
me. Not that I needed to shout.
“Okay, the front door was open and Nick took off so
fast. I just wanted to make sure you guys were okay.”
“Thanks, everything is fine,” I assured him.
“K. Night then.” I heard the door close.
“Everything is
not
fine,” Nick said through gritted
teeth. “Explain more about this dreaming thing.”
“Well, when someone is relaxed enough, sleeping
deeply, a witch has the ability to visit them. I don’t know
how to explain it right.”
“Well try,” he said.
“Okay, so when you’re asleep, your mind is open. It’s
when you’re most vulnerable. As a witch, I could put
myself into deep meditation and visit you. My body
wouldn’t actually be there, but I would still be there with
you. It’s like it’s really happening. All the physical
sensation is real. It would feel like I was there with you,
touching you. Does that make any sense?”
“Sὶ. So, you’re saying that tool was here with you?
With his hands on you?” he looked ready to kill Ky again.
“Yes and no. In his mind and mine, he was really
touching me. His physical body wasn’t in our room, but he
was really touching me,” I tried again.
He started swearing in Italian and got up to pace the
room. “I’m not leaving you again. I don’t care if we have to
tie our wrists together, we are not going to be apart until we
find them and finish this once and for all.”
“But you need to go out at night. I know how hard it is
for you when you can’t shift for a long time. Remember
Mexico?”
“I went for a week. I can do it again. Hopefully by then
we’ll have them,” he stopped pacing and stared at me.
“But, Nick, even if you’re here next to me, he can still
visit my dreams,” I argued.
“Stop this!” he yelled. He had never yelled at me before
and I was completely stunned. I didn’t know what to say.
He realized that he hurt me and rushed to sit with me on the
bed. “Oh my Sofia. I’m so sorry. Forgive me,” he mumbled
into my hair as he squeezed me against him. I was silent
and he pulled back to look in my eyes. “I just can’t hear
any more. I don’t want to think about it. It hurts. It makes
me angry.”
“And you don’t think it hurt me to see Gia on top of
you last night? She was in her underwear, Nick! You were
undressed. And I had to
see
it! That was real! You are only
hearing about it. Don’t talk to me about anger. And mine
was a freakin’ nightmare. Not real life. So, don’t you shout
at me and tell me you can’t take any more,” I yelled. He
was stunned and his eyes went wide. “And you know what?
Go ahead and kill stupid Ky. I’m done with him. He has
officially ruined my life. But only if I’m allowed to kill
Gia,” I finished.
“Well, then. Remind me never to make you mad. You’re
kinda scary,” he smiled. I didn’t want to smile back, but I
couldn’t help it. “Did you notice the lights flicker?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“When you yelled at me. The lights flickered on a little.
Like they were on a dimmer. You honestly didn’t see it?”
“You’re crazy. They did not,” I argued.
“‘For reals’, as you would say. Stuff happens when
you’re mad.”
“I guess I need to have Luca help me learn to control it.
Nat mentioned that I did stuff at school without realizing
and I meant to ask him then, but I guess I forgot,” I said.
“It’s not like you had anything else on your mind to
make you forget.” He kissed me on the forehead and said,
“Let’s go to bed. You need to rest.” I didn’t argue. The
dream had completely freaked me out. Nick changed,
climbed in beside me, and wrapped his warm arms around
me tightly. I slept without any more disturbing visions.
The next morning, I texted Luca and Nat, “
need ur
help w/wards. noon?”
Nat was at the store
working and Luca didn’t answer. “He must be having a
nap,” I told Nick. “But, Nat said she could come over
around two when she gets off work. I guess I’ll text Luca
again and tell him. Hopefully, by then he’ll be up.”
“Don’t you need to go in today?”
“No, Mamma told me to take a few days off. She’s
worried that I’m overdoing it. Do you have to work?”
“Babbo said he needs me for a few hours. He wants me
to at least come in for food prep. But I won’t be there
alone, so do you think I’m okay to go in?”
“You should be fine. I’ll go to the pool. My tan is
fading. I haven’t been out in over a week,” I complained.
Nick showered, got dressed, and left for the restaurant. It
was only 10 a.m., so I took my time eating breakfast and
turned the TV on to some reality show for a while.
I went out to the pool around 11:30 and finally got a
text back from Luca. “
2 is good. c u then
.”
Mamma called while I was at the pool. “How are you
today, Piccola?” she asked sweetly. “Did you rest?”
I really didn’t want to tell her about the dream with Ky,
so I just said, “I’m okay. I’ve been better, but I’ll survive.”
“Yes you will. You are very stubborn, like your father.
You will make it through this.”
“Did you talk to Babbo about everything last night?” I
asked.
“Sὶ, he wants to talk with Renata and Enzo right away.
He is sure that they don’t know what Kajetan is doing.
There is no way they would allow it. He wants them to
con… con… What’s the word?” Every so often, she still
struggled with an English word.
“Confront?” I asked.
“Sὶ. He wants them to confront him and find out where
he is hiding Gia.”
“I’m not so sure he’s going to give her up that easily,” I
said. After my dream, I got the feeling that Ky was not
going to give in just because his parents told him to. I
didn’t know if his parents would go as far as spelling him
for the information.
“Do not worry, Tesoro. This will be over soon,” she
comforted. I didn’t want to argue about it, so I let it go and
we said our goodbyes.
Nat and Luca both showed up a little before two. I had
a purple candle for general protection and a blue candle for
protection during sleep out on the coffee table ready to go.
“What’s the blue one for?” Nat asked.
“Well, it’s sort of a scary, crappy story,” I answered.
She sat on the couch next to me while Luca plopped in
one of the white chairs by the window. “Crap, what
happened now, Sof?” Luca asked, concerned.
“I had a dream/vision, whatever you wanna call it. Ky
invaded my dream last night,” I frowned.
“Oh, snap!” Nat exclaimed.
“Yeah, it scared the hell out of me. He basically told me
I shouldn’t be with Nick, how much he loved me, and that
Gia would have Nick soon. Then he started to kiss me.”
“Bastardo,” Luca said as he sat up straight.
“Hence, the blue candle,” I finished.
“How did you get away from him?” Nat asked.
“Well, I couldn’t move at first. I couldn’t even scream.
But when his mouth started to go lower than my neck, I
screamed my bloody head off and woke up.”
Nat had her hand over her mouth in shock. “What did
Nick do?”
“He was out with Rene, but he actually heard my
scream. He flew in here ready to fight someone.”
“Did you tell him about it? I mean, like explain that it
wasn’t just a dream?” Nat asked.
“Oh yeah I did. Big mistake. He completely flipped out.
He wants to kill Ky,” I finished.
“
I
want to kill Ky,” Luca fumed. “No one messes with
my baby sister.”
“So, we should probably start,” I said, getting up. I felt
like showing off my new trick, so I lit both the candles by
blowing on them.
“Whoa, when did you figure that one out, Sof?” Luca
asked.
“That is so not fair,” Nat complained.
“It’s a recent trick,” I answered. “Okay, you guys
ready?” They both nodded and we started. We went in the
bedroom first and chanted a protection spell together. We
continued into the living room. After we finished, Luca
went to the front door and placed a ward around it to keep
Gia and Ky out.
“There, that should keep the monsters away,” he smiled
when he finished.
“Thanks guys, I owe you one,” I smiled.
“You owe me like fifty,” Luca grinned. “But no worries.
Hey, I gotta take off for work. Keep me posted. And let me
know when we’re going to kill Ky.”
“Hey, Luca,” I called over to him as he stood in the
doorway to go.
“Yeah?”
“I need you to work with me on controlling my magic.
Nick said I’ve been doing stuff again without noticing and I
can’t let that happen in public. We got into it a little after
the Ky thing and he said when I was yelling that the lights
flickered,” I explained.
“No prob. Text me when you’re free and I’ll let you
know my work schedule.” He left and closed the door
behind him.
“You yelled at Nick? Is there trouble in perfect land?”
Nat asked with a smile.
“He yelled first,” I started. Nat’s eyebrows went up in
surprise. “I was trying to explain how serious this dream
was and told him that even if he’s asleep next to me, it
could happen again. So of course, he didn’t want to hear
any more. I think he feels like he doesn’t have control over
the situation and he’s very protective.”
“Well, dur,” Nat said.
“So then I yelled back,” I continued. “I reminded him
that he was only hearing about Ky, but I had to actually see
him and Gia. And apparently, the lights flickered when I
yelled.”
“Yikes. You’re right. You definitely need to get that
under control,” Nat agreed.
“Yeah, he joked that he didn’t want to see me mad
because he was scared of me.” I actually chuckled a little at
the memory of Nick’s face when he said it to me.
Nat laughed and then asked, “Was Luca serious? About
the killing Ky thing I mean?”
“Not sure,” I answered. “Nick is serious about it,
though. At first, I told him that we should just let the coven
take care of him. But now, I don’t know if I care. I
seriously want to kill Gia.”
“Sof, you’re not a killer. You wouldn’t.”
I didn’t respond, but shrugged at her. She dropped it for
now. “So, if you don’t care, I’m gonna take off. Jack’s
already on his way home from work.”
“Oh sure, of course. How are things with the
newlyweds going anyway?”
“Fabulous,” she smiled.
I laughed. “Well, have fun. I think I’m gonna come in
to the store tomorrow. I’m getting bored and I’ve caught up
on my sleep.”
“Are you gonna be okay alone for right now? Oh who
am I kidding? The girl can light a candle with her freakin’
breath,” she rolled her eyes.
“Actually, I might go over to Aberto’s. Nick is prepping
right now,” I said.
“Okay then. Have fun, love.”
I followed Nat out the door and went down the stairs to
my car. I drove to the restaurant and surprised Nick when I
walked up behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist
and bit him playfully on the neck. He turned to face me and
picked me up. “What is my beautiful wife doing all the way
on this side of town?” he smiled and kissed me gently on
the mouth.
“Ugh, get a room you two,” Robby said from across the
kitchen. He was stuck helping out during the summer too.
He wanted to earn some money for a new cell phone. I felt
bad since he already worked there during the school year so
much. The kid deserved a summer break. But he was lucky
they were paying him this time.
I walked over to him and pinched his cheeks. “How is
my sweet, little Roberto today?” I teased. He backed away
from me and rolled his eyes, but I knew he secretly loved it
when I teased him.
“Ah, Sofia,” I heard the big, booming voice from the
kitchen entrance. Aberto walked up to me and kissed me on
both cheeks. “What is our principessa up to this
afternoon?”
It felt so good to be welcomed into Nick’s family so
warmly. Before I could answer, Daniela burst into the
kitchen to yell at Robby. She saw me and came over to kiss
me while still yelling at Robby for missing one of the table
settings in the dining room. They opened at 4 p.m. every
day and she was very serious when it came to having
everything perfect. “Bella Sofia. Come va?” she asked.
“Just came to see my cute husband. I got bored at the
pool by myself,” I smiled.
“Okay, you leave now, Nico,” she turned to him. He
was in the process of making gnocchi from scratch for their
chicken and gnocchi soup. “Go home to be with your
wife.”