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“I would beg to differ. After I told the one woman that I understood her pain she melted into my arms for a nice snuggle.”
“Her pain?”
He turned on the seat to face her, gesturing casually as he spoke. “When I touched her I got a flash of her life. I did not understand the images of her pouting over a mystery device such as you showed me and crying for days on end, but I knew it was painful for her. So, I worked with it.”
“You got a flash of her life?”
He nodded. “Same as when I touched you.”
“Huh. You never had that ability before? In your previous life?”
“No. Do you think it’s a condition of my new existence?”
“I’m sure it is. But whether or not it’s good, bad or ugly remains to be learned. How about we head west for the French border? If I drive all night we should gain Paris by morning. You can take a nap.”
“I don’t feel tired. But I do wish I’d have brought along that last bottle of wine. Might we stop by another tavern along the way?”
“Depends on how nice you are to me.”
He tilted a genuinely concerned look at her. “I have no reason not to be nice to you, Summer the vampire.”
“True. And I did give you a second chance at life.”
“Yes, well, at what price?”
She glanced at him. The guy tilted his head as if to say “You did this to me.”
And she could undo it. Maybe. No matter, he’d better be nice to her.
“You said you resisted the offer from the Big Guy?” she asked.
“The Big Guy—oh, er, the Dark One?”
Good. He was on board about not speaking Himself’s name too much.
“Of course I resisted. Wouldn’t you?”
“Yes. But power is not an easy thing to resist. And playing such an exquisite violin.”
“The not playing was the hardest part. But you know, the black violin that raised me from the grave was not mine?”
“That’s the part where I get confused. I thought your prized violin was on display in a museum.”
“Il Cannone?” Summer knew that was the nickname he’d given his prized violin. It referred to the explosive sound he had been able to produce with the instrument. “It is still around?” he asked.
“As far as I know, it’s still in a museum in Genoa. The Guarnerius?”
“Yes, made by Guiseppe Guarneri. I played that instrument for decades. It was my beloved. But after I fell ill I couldn’t make my fingers move as quickly or hit the right notes. I donated it to the city of Genoa as a means to put that torture out of my life.”
“So how does this other violin come into play? The black one I found?”
“It is the one the devil Him—er, the Dark One offered me. He told me I would be restored to health and could play again. Would have all the powers he possessed. Would become a god walking this mortal realm. He made me that offer many times over my lifetime.”
“Really? And you always refused? That takes a lot of courage and bravery.”
Nicolo shrugged. “I was talented by my own right. I did not need the dark evil. Nor would I ever accept. I did not want my son to see his father become a monster. But the Big Guy—as you call him—did not relent in his temptations.”
“I give you credit for resisting. I had a run-in with him once.”
“Is that so? What great temptations did he offer you?”
“None. I was just a baby. He kidnapped me and used me as bait to get my brother, Johnny, to come to him. He was trying to steal Kambriel’s soul, and Johnny was in love with her. It’s a long story. Suffice it to say, Johnny got me out of there safely. But ever since I’ve had an allergy to demons.”
“How does that affect you?”
“Whenever one is around I start sneezing. It’s weird, but kind of handy when you want to avoid the bastards.”
“I hate demons.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Really?”
“Uh, no.” She smiled at him. “That’s just an expression of agreement. So, I’m sorry. For the bringing-you-back-to-life thing. Because we don’t have any clue now if you’re going to go evil or—” Best not to make assumptions and make him feel worse than he must already. “I gave a witch friend of mine a call. She lives in Paris. I think if she touches you she might be able to tell us what you are. Would you be okay with that?”
“Yes, I suppose. I don’t feel evil. But I do feel as though I have so much to explore and learn now. I want to do it all, Summer. I have been given a new life, and I mustn’t waste any time in diving in.”
“Such as with the sluts back at the bar?”
“Sluts?”
“Women of ill repute. They were looking for a good time. And I had to pay for their wine.”
“I thank you for paying the bill. I ate fish-and-chips.”
“I guessed at the chips. What did you think of that?”
“Exquisite. They were crisp and savory. I have never seen a fish cooked in such a manner, but it was delicious. I want to taste all the food. I want to drink all the wine. And I want to hear music again. How I have missed it.”
“I can help you with that.” Summer tapped her cell phone, which sat in the dashboard holder. She scrolled to the music app. “This might blow your mind.”
“Is that similar to freaking out?”
She chuckled. The guy was sweetly innocent. Something that felt so refreshing in her life right now. “Same idea. This is what music has evolved into since your time.”
She flicked through the various playlists and decided to take the first song that came up. Thanks to her dad’s obsession, she’d grown up listening to a few of the country-music classics. Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” blasted through the car speakers.
Nicolo gaped and eyed her, then touched his ear as he tried to comprehend.
“Pretty cool, huh?”
“That’s—” He turned his head, checking around the inside of the car. “Where is that coming from? What sort of music is that? Is it magic?”
“Better. It’s technology. Let me find some rock and roll. With your background in music I think you might appreciate the head-banging stuff.”
“It comes from your tiny box? Surely that is witchcraft. And that thing is a witchbox.”
“Whatever works for you.” Black Veil Brides blasted through the speakers. “This is called heavy metal. The band actually incorporates a violin in some of their songs.”
Nicolo, while touching his ears intermittently and then touching the dashboard in seek of the source, gradually allowed a huge smile to trace his face. And when his eyes met hers, dancing with delight, Summer felt her heart drop.
The guy was a job. And before said job was over, she may need to kill him.
Chapter 5 (#u221af7d0-0de6-5385-baf8-290a41e727d3)
The sound—where was it coming from? Nicolo rapped the dashboard of the carriage, then sensed the sound was also coming from somewhere in the door. And the song had changed from one sung by a male vocalist to a female.
“So loud,” he remarked. “Yet her voice, it is tortured. What is this violent yet delicious music?”
“It’s called hard rock or heavy metal,” Summer said. “You like it?”
He met her daring gaze with an unsure nod, which then changed to a more positive shake of his head. “I think I do. What is she singing?”
“Song’s called ‘Welcome to the Gun Show.’ The band is In This Moment. I love her voice. So raw and raunchy. But I know something that will be even more interesting to you.” She turned down the volume using the radio dial.
“Don’t do that! I want to hear this.”
“I’m going to switch songs.”
“But you are moving too fast for me. I like this song. I want to put this into my brain.”
His enjoyment must have given her a kick, for she chuckled at him again. Such a bold woman. He attributed that to her being vampire. Or perhaps the twenty-first-century woman had evolved to a sort of exotically aggressive powerhouse. He liked it.
He liked Summer.
“A little David Garrett might surprise you,” she said. Tapping the witchbox, she said to it, “Play David Garrett’s ‘Paganini Caprice No. 24.’”
“Did you just ask me to—” Nicolo paused when the surprising first notes of the violin caprice carried over the speakers. “Mio Dio! This is my composition! But it is...”
“Given a hard rock edge. It’s awesome, isn’t it?”
Despite the fact he’d never appreciated when someone had attempted to play his compositions—because they could never achieve the perfection he had mastered—Nicolo found himself shaking his head to the dashing allegretto scale. “It’s different, but I do like it. The violinist even manages the harmonics. How were you able to command it to play a specific song? Does this vehicle know every song ever composed?”
Summer laughed. “No, it’s in my, uh...witchbox.” She tapped the tiny device. “More stuff you’ll have to learn about if you want to survive in the twenty-first century.”
“The twenty-first century.” He leaned an elbow on the vehicle door and caught his forehead in hand. “Who would have thought? And I am being conveyed in a horseless vehicle with no fear of running off the road. It is a marvel. And such a smooth ride.”
“Shock absorbers.”
“We had the like in my time. Just those springs were not so smooth as whatever is under your carriage.”
“It’s a car. Ah, I love this part.” She turned up the radio.
And Nicolo closed his eyes to take in the composition. It was well played and even more rapidly than he had once managed. The violinist was an expert. But he could not get beyond the marvel that the music was right there, at the literal touch of the vampire’s fingertip. She could call up any song she wished with her witchbox. A song that summoned many wonderful memories. Life had been beautiful when standing on stage. To be adored and respected had mattered to him. He’d had a lovely son and many lovers.
Could he have that again?
“We’re driving through a town,” Summer informed him.
“Ah.” He opened his eyes. “Keep your eyes open for a tavern.”
“They are usually referred to as bars nowadays. I see a liquor store. With luck, they might still be open.”
After Summer had bought a bottle of wine for Nicolo and explained how money was kept on small plastic cards, he decided he wanted one of those cards. They stood outside the car, and she handed him the wine. He bit the cork out with some difficulty.
He asked after swallowing a good draft, “They issue those plastic cards to everyone?”
“Yes, but you have to pay back the money. It’s not free money. And I’m pretty sure you are penniless.”
“You said my violin was on display in Genoa? If I sold that I would have thousands.”
“More like millions,” she said. “The Guarnerius Paganini is worth a fortune.”
“Just so?” She nodded at him and took a quaff from the bottle. “Then we should drive right to Genoa and demand they hand it over. It is mine, after all.”
“And how are you going to explain who you are? The whole rising-from-the-dead part?”
“I will leave that to you. It seems zombies are common in your modern world. You carry pictures of them in your witchbox.”
“I didn’t take that picture. It was from The Walking Dead. A TV show.”
“I know what a tee-vee is!”
“Good for you. I’ll have to find a music station for you to watch. Until then, I can do this.” She stepped alongside him and held up the device before them. “Smile.”
Nicolo could not figure what she was doing, but he smiled on command. Of course, he was distracted by the sweep of her hair across his neck. She took liberties with their proximity. He liked that, as well. The device clicked and after adjusting it, she turned it to him for inspection. Their images had been captured. Just now. The two of them standing together. It was...
“More than witchcraft,” he said on a tense whisper. “Is this the devil’s magic? Is it you who has come to tempt me this time around and see me play the black violin?”
He backed away from her. Tried to recall the way to hold his fingers to ward off the damned, but making a cross with two fingers was not it, he was sure of that.
“Nicolo, don’t worry. And we vamps are not repelled by the holy unless we’ve been baptized. Which I am not. Anyway, the last thing I want you to do is play that violin. A few accidental notes may have raised you from the dead, but I don’t think it was enough to make you evil. I suspect you actually have to play it to get the power promised to you by Himself. You uh...don’t want that power, do you?”
“The brimstone bargain.” He shook his head. “Never. I swear to it. It is vile. Monstrous. I would become like him. That is the last thing I want. I will not play the black violin, I promise you. But I must know how did you get it to Paris so quickly? If you found it back in Parma?”
“It was in Cella Monte, actually.” She shrugged, and Nicolo sensed a lie would follow. She looked away from him when speaking a mistruth. “We have our ways of making things happen.”
“We? That’s right, you said you worked for some organization that retrieves things.” Apparently they could transport items rather quickly. It surprised him, yet it should not, seeing that the world had changed so drastically. “Why was it decided you needed to locate the violin now?”
