Nicoletta Ch. 08

"Of course! She knew my presence here after so many years would cause Azazel to second guess their match!" She said taking no notice of me. "She has no intentions of marrying him!" As she slipped further and further from rational thought, Genie began rearranging the pristine room, taking up a stack of books and resettling them on a completely different table. "That little witch would sacrifice my very sanity to sever her own selfish desires!" She raged grabbing a vase of blood red roses, to take them to the bar sink. She emptied the vase of its water only to refill it again and reset the sweet smelling flowers.

"He wants me again, I could feel it! She knew he would!" Genie's angelic face had contorted into that of a crazed cornered animal as she took hold of the vase she had just reset and hurled it against a wall and so began a tantrum the likes of which I had never before witnessed. I squeezed my eyes shut and covered my ears as Genie began to scream and rage overturning tables, and throwing things all over the room. I hunkered down in the farthest corner I could find because Genie was out of control, and even with Azazel in the house Genie was the one I was most afraid of at this point.

All of the sudden I felt a cold gush of air fill the room as the door flew open and Luca burst in. He called for me. From my corner I yelled to him that I was alright. Once he saw where I was he immediately overtook Genie. She left him no choice but to pounced on top of her like a large cat would his prey. As they slammed into a painting on the wall, I hoped it was a just a replica of Waterhouse's "After the Dance" that was crushed under their weight. Luca said nothing as he pinned Genie underneath him.

"Obtenez l'enfer! Outre de moi!"

"Laissez-moi partir! Papa, S'il vou plait m'aident! "

Screaming in French, Genie seemed oblivious that it was Luca who restrained her. She scratched at his face, and pounded on his chest with her too small fists, so the blows simply bounced off of him harmlessly.

"Not again ... please" she cried helplessly...

"No, not again Love, never again ..."

Luca showered Genie with kisses, and he spoke in a tone I had never heard him use before. It was so tender and filled with compassion. With him on top of Genie the room began to calm. The last of the paper that Genie had disturbed fluttered to the floor as she sat in Luca's arms sobbing. I took my hands from my ears as I surveyed the damage to the room. Every table had been turned over or thrown into a wall. At least three paintings were completely destroyed. Scented oil was everywhere except in the several broken burners strewn around the angry room. Flower petals were ripped up and already browning on the floor.

I felt useless in the face of all of the destruction Genie had caused in a matter of minutes. Oblivious to what I was doing I got up and began picking up trash.

"Nicolette, forget about the mess. The maid will find a large bonus in her check at the end of the week."

Submitting to Luca, I walked over to the bed and sat down quietly and waited for someone, anyone to come get me and make some sense of what had just happened. Genie looked up at Luca through a river of tears, and it seemed that for the first time in all of the chaos she knew him.

About five minutes had passed when Alessandro came into the room. He came over to where I was and took my chin in his hands tilting my head upwards so that we were looking at each other. Neither of us spoke. I offered him a small smile, and in that he knew that I was ok.

He sat down beside me locking his hand into mine and waited with me. After a while Luca and Genie got up. He helped her to the washroom, opened the door for her, kissed her forehead and told her to clean herself up. When she clung to him he whispered that he would be right there when she was finished. Luca came over to the bed ran a hand through his hair and fell into a heap on the floor next to Alessandro and me.

"Ok ... what the hell was that?" I broke the silence. Luca and Alessandro both looked at me.

"Why did she freak out like that? Is she going to be alright?"

"Genie will be fine Nicolette; she just needs some time ..."

Luca sounded tired as he spoke, like he had been through this before and was at a loss as to what would fix the one he loved. In reality he was not at all sure if time was the only thing she needed. Alessandro wrapped his arms around me looking down at his brother.

"She will find out soon enough Luca. Shall I finish Azazel's story, or do you want to?" With Luca's silence Alessandro went back to the story of how Azazel became the fallen angel.

"Nicolette, do you remember the girl ... the one by the river?" Alessandro asked.

"You mean the one Azazel raped? Yes, of course I remember ... but what does that have to do with Genie?"

Normally it was not so difficult for me to put two and two together ... but this family was everything but normal.

"Amore, Genie is ..."

Alessandro hesitated as he looked to Luca. Luca's head fell forward desperately, and in an impossibly long breath Luca whispered...

"Genie is Genie Renau. Azazel is her angel. Something was broken in her the day Azazel came to her. She has never been the same person she once was. He spared her life at a cost remember? The cost was her life and her sanity." Luca was now furious and bitter.

"Nicolette, Genie was reduced to a half life when Azazel assaulted her ..." Alessandro tried to keep his voice level and calm.

"But ... but no ... you said she was executed after she was arrested. That girl died at the hands of the inquisition..." I breathed confused and becoming agitated at the implications posed by my Luca and Alessandro.

"Yes Love, Genève was executed back then, but she died long before the inquisition got to her. However, history says Genève Renau was hung by her neck until she was no more ... or so her executioners thought. But that evening our Luca had been in the crowd. He knew that Azazel had assailed Genie. He knew too that because of that assault Genève may have still had life in her, and he wanted her."

Listening to Alessandro, I was there in France, watching the last moments of Genie's life such as it had been. Bile crept up my throat as I imagined her standing on a macabre stage waiting to be murdered. I could smell the oil on several torches lighting the evening square. I could feel the energy of the people reveling in the tangible essence of fear rolling off of Genie's skin with her every trembling breath. And finally, when the executioner kicked the stool Genie stood on, the sounds of her attempts to preserve her own life resonated through my core until she choked her last jagged breath.

"She was beautiful even hanging from the gallows. She didn't move at all when I cut her down that night, yet she was still so pliable. I cleansed her body of the dirt, sweat, and rank urine from where she soiled herself before the stool was kicked from beneath her. I fed her wine laced with my blood and in the weeks that passed I was able to essentially bring Genie back to life, but the price had been paid, and it was hefty..."

Luca seemed to be as far away as I was as he recounted what had happened the night he saved Genie. I was afraid to ask if Genie had experienced outbreaks like this before. But judging from how it all came about I thought it would be safe to assume here now in Italy was not the first outburst in recent memory that Genie had flipped out over being in close proximity to Azazel.

"Every time I think she is getting better Azazel pops up and all hell breaks loose." Luca seemed to be speaking to someone who was not there. He was at a loss about how to fix Genève.

"Brother, the kinds of scars Azazel left Genie with sometimes cannot be healed ... All we can do is continue loving her" Alessandro said gently. But I could hear it in his voice that if it would help he would walk through the fires of hell to fix his adopted sister.

"But, how, why is she here? Tonight of all nights, why? Did you tell her about the party brother?" Luca seethed as he tried to piece together how the chaos began. My blood ran frigid as my hand tightened around Alessandro's. Confused at my reaction to Luca's inquiry he looked down at me as he answered Luca's questions.

"I do not know why she is here tonight. Though I had wished that she could be here to meet Nicolette and celebrate with us, I knew it was impossible ... but" He stopped speaking as he scrutinized the new tension garnishing my face.

"What?" I whined while trying to lose Alessandro's grip on my hand. I had no love for Donata, but at the same time I had no intentions on starting anything between her and her family. As far as I was concerned I had no intentions of sticking around long enough to take sides.

"Nicolette, tell me what you know ..." Alessandro said his beautiful fiery eyes narrowing on me.

"You are hurting my hand Alessandro ..." I said squirming and trying my best to avoid his gaze. But it was impossible. He released his tight grip on my hand only to take it gently in both of his. He said nothing, but he did not have to.

"W-we were j-just talking, me and Genie. In the garden while you were in the library, that's all ..." I stuttered. Alessandro said nothing, neither did Luca. They both sat stark sill allowing their silence to announce their dissatisfaction with my story thus far.

"Azazel came out, h-he said, he said he had missed her ..." I mumbled. Knowing the truth of how Genie had come to be at the party was on the tip of my tongue I stared down at my feet in a small effort at procrastination.

"Nicolette, what happened then?" Luca sighed impatiently.

"I did not want any of this!" I cried. "I don't want to be a part of your family squabbles; this is just none of my business!" I snatched my hand from Alessandro's now gentle hold as I stood and trotted out to the balcony.

"Nicolette!" I heard Luca call after me with a new edge to his voice. I jumped at his insistence, but I did not return to the room.

"Wait, let me ..." Alessandro said. He was in quick pursuit of me. I had nowhere to go, no way out save a graceful swan dive off of the balcony into the asphalt below.

"Nicolette, my love, this family is your business, now, as you are ours." He said from behind me. "I need to know what happened downstairs, I need to know what was said."

He stood so close behind me now I could feel his heat radiating into my back. It was such a delicious heat. I found myself backing into him slightly as we stood, and he finally closed the tiny gap between us to envelope me within his strong arms. I made no attempt at escape. On the contrary, somehow wrapped within the arms of my kidnapper, I felt safe.

"Tell me ..."

"I want to go home ..."

"You are home Nicolette. Tell me what Genève told you, why is she here tonight?"

"Why don't you just ask her Alessandro?" I begged squirming in his arms.

"You know I can't." He said at a loss. And he was right; right now Genie was a veritable basket case. She was in no condition to hold a conversation, she could not even form a rational thought based on what I had witnessed.

"It was Donata. Genie said that Donata contacted her and insisted that she be here tonight." I grumbled tensing up. "She said that Donata knew Azazel would not agree to the marriage if he saw Genie here tonight. Genie says he still wants her." My speech had become hurried. I felt like admitting to what Genie had told me had forced me to speak faster than the speed of light the way my words flew from my mouth.

"I see ..." Alessandro said with little emotion. His embrace tightened slightly as he kissed the top of my head.

"Was she right? Does Azazel want her still?" I asked. It seemed like an eternity had passed before Alessandro spoke again. He was tenser than I had seen him be in the short time that I had known him. I thought it sweet that he cared so much for Genie that is until he finally did speak.

"Donata has caused more trouble that she had expected ..." He said. Though he spoke to me, I could feel his thoughts were miles away from that balcony.

"Azazel ... wants you and Genève both ..."