CHAPTER ONE
“Over two months hiding in the baggage on some boat,” Betsy grumbled as she stretched her aching muscles. “I’m starting to feel like a vampire straight out of a really old novel.”
Gabriel smirked as he looked at his wife, saying, “Ma bella, you know that vampires do not exist.”
“Funny that werewolves do, and vampires don’t, isn’t it?” she answered as the two stood near the rail beside a lifeboat. The ship’s captain, looking highly irritated, was waiting for them to get off his boat and into the smallish vessel that would leave them stranded somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
“I am waiting,” he growled impatiently. “If it’s one thing I cannot stand, its stowaways.”
Betsy got in first, followed by Gabriel, and then the boat swiftly dropped and hit the water hard. Betsy bit her lip, making it bleed. Her husband glared up at the insensitive captain but he was already moving away from the rail and barking orders to his crew.
“I hope that guy doesn’t report stowaways in an online log book,” said Gabriel as he picked up the oars and started to row. Since it was sunset and he knew they wanted to go east, he put the beautiful skyline behind him as he went, affording Betsy a perfect view of its splendor.
“I think he’s more mad that we made it most of the way there than he is that he had to sacrifice this little boat on us,” Betsy said with a chuckle. “See, there are seabirds in the air already.”
Gabriel looked up, and sure enough saw the bird Betsy was talking about. He decided to follow them instead of guessing in the darkness, and after only a very few hours they found land. It was obviously civilized since they moored on a dock and walked up the long boardwalk to the road. The sign posted on the wall was written in Italian, making him smile to see his own native tongue.
“It looks like we’ve landed in Messina,” Gabriel told her. “We’re going to need to find another boat if we hope to cross the other half of the Mediterranean. Andare, we must find our way to the other side of this little outcrop they call Sicily.”
Betsy nodded as she followed him up a steep incline and out onto the highway. A car was driving past, but when Gabriel tried to get them to stop, the driver took one look at him and sped away. He and Betsy exchanged a confused look, shrugged, and kept walking. Eventually, they got someone to stop.
In Italian, the driver asked, “What are you two doing out here? Shouldn’t you be at the meeting?”
“What meeting?” asked Gabriel, confused.
“Aren’t you werewolves?” he wanted to know.
“Well yes, but we’re not from around here.”
“Get in the car,” he ordered. “Giovanni will sort you out.”
“I think we’d best get in the car for now,” he explained to Betsy. “But I don’t really like the sound of this. If I tell you to run for it later, just do it.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Betsy uncomfortably as she got in and looked at the driver uncertainly.
“ Americano?” he asked her, sneering slightly.
Gabriel said, “We both are, sir. I really don’t think we’ve got anything to do with this meeting of yours. We’re just trying to get across town to catch a boat to Africa.”
“No werewolf passes through here without speaking to Giovanni,” he told him. “If you don’t mean any trouble, he’s sure to send you on your way.”
Gabriel and Betsy sat nervously the whole way to Catania, where the driver said the meeting was being held. They felt like a couple of fish out of water as they stepped into the meeting hall. Betsy immediately spotted one of Lupo’s most trusted guards among the crowd.
“You know that part about running?” she whispered, pointing the man out. “I think now would be a good time for it.”
“No, no, my dear,” said the driver in broken English. “We were told to keep an eye out for you, and now here you are. I’ll be well rewarded for bringing you in.”
“Go!”
“Over two months hiding in the baggage on some boat,” Betsy grumbled as she stretched her aching muscles. “I’m starting to feel like a vampire straight out of a really old novel.”
Gabriel smirked as he looked at his wife, saying, “Ma bella, you know that vampires do not exist.”
“Funny that werewolves do, and vampires don’t, isn’t it?” she answered as the two stood near the rail beside a lifeboat. The ship’s captain, looking highly irritated, was waiting for them to get off his boat and into the smallish vessel that would leave them stranded somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
“I am waiting,” he growled impatiently. “If it’s one thing I cannot stand, its stowaways.”
Betsy got in first, followed by Gabriel, and then the boat swiftly dropped and hit the water hard. Betsy bit her lip, making it bleed. Her husband glared up at the insensitive captain but he was already moving away from the rail and barking orders to his crew.
“I hope that guy doesn’t report stowaways in an online log book,” said Gabriel as he picked up the oars and started to row. Since it was sunset and he knew they wanted to go east, he put the beautiful skyline behind him as he went, affording Betsy a perfect view of its splendor.
“I think he’s more mad that we made it most of the way there than he is that he had to sacrifice this little boat on us,” Betsy said with a chuckle. “See, there are seabirds in the air already.”
Gabriel looked up, and sure enough saw the bird Betsy was talking about. He decided to follow them instead of guessing in the darkness, and after only a very few hours they found land. It was obviously civilized since they moored on a dock and walked up the long boardwalk to the road. The sign posted on the wall was written in Italian, making him smile to see his own native tongue.
“It looks like we’ve landed in Messina,” Gabriel told her. “We’re going to need to find another boat if we hope to cross the other half of the Mediterranean. Andare, we must find our way to the other side of this little outcrop they call Sicily.”
Betsy nodded as she followed him up a steep incline and out onto the highway. A car was driving past, but when Gabriel tried to get them to stop, the driver took one look at him and sped away. He and Betsy exchanged a confused look, shrugged, and kept walking. Eventually, they got someone to stop.
In Italian, the driver asked, “What are you two doing out here? Shouldn’t you be at the meeting?”
“What meeting?” asked Gabriel, confused.
“Aren’t you werewolves?” he wanted to know.
“Well yes, but we’re not from around here.”
“Get in the car,” he ordered. “Giovanni will sort you out.”
“I think we’d best get in the car for now,” he explained to Betsy. “But I don’t really like the sound of this. If I tell you to run for it later, just do it.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Betsy uncomfortably as she got in and looked at the driver uncertainly.
“ Americano?” he asked her, sneering slightly.
Gabriel said, “We both are, sir. I really don’t think we’ve got anything to do with this meeting of yours. We’re just trying to get across town to catch a boat to Africa.”
“No werewolf passes through here without speaking to Giovanni,” he told him. “If you don’t mean any trouble, he’s sure to send you on your way.”
Gabriel and Betsy sat nervously the whole way to Catania, where the driver said the meeting was being held. They felt like a couple of fish out of water as they stepped into the meeting hall. Betsy immediately spotted one of Lupo’s most trusted guards among the crowd.
“You know that part about running?” she whispered, pointing the man out. “I think now would be a good time for it.”
“No, no, my dear,” said the driver in broken English. “We were told to keep an eye out for you, and now here you are. I’ll be well rewarded for bringing you in.”
“Go!”
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