The Immortal Greek by Monica La Porta Read Free Book Online Page B

and the couple kept nocturnal hours since Diana was a vampire. Maybe they had already retired for the day and Marcus had shut off his phone. He was about to hang up when Marcus answered.
    “It’s important,” Alexander said before his friend could insult him. He had called Marcus as soon as he had left Samuel’s office and was now standing outside Castel Sant’ Angelo, at ground level, looking at the traffic slowly building on the other side of the bridge.
    “Okay.” Marcus was a man of very few words, but he was reliable and a true friend.
    “One of us, a young man, committed suicide in my house yesterday.” The boy’s death had affected him more than he would have liked to admit.
    Marcus swore. “And you want to know how he came in possession of the Immortal Death, right?”
    “Yes.” He slightly hesitated. “I’m sorry I have to ask, but do you or Diana know anything?”
    A year before, Marcus had been forced by Diana’s sire, the vampire Claudius, to drink the Immortal Death. Alexander had managed to get the Immortal Council involved to save the couple’s lives, but none of them liked to reminisce about the events that had led to that night.
    “I’ll pass the phone to Diana.”
    A low murmur followed a few seconds of silence, then a delicate, feminine voice greeted him. “Alexander, it’s so nice to hear from you.” She paused to instruct Marcus about the right way to use a brush. “Sorry. We’re repainting the walls of our bedroom since we had to move it to the basement.”
    “Hi, Diana. Forgive me. I know it’s bedtime for you, but I’ll be brief—”
    “It’s okay. The basement is light-proofed and now that I’m a year old, I’m much stronger and have a few minutes left. Anyway, Marcus tells me you’re looking for Claudius’s dealer?”
    “Yes.”
    “Unfortunately, nobody knows where Claudius is. He disappeared after last year and no one has seen him since. But, he has connections with all the European families, and he was very influential inside the Vampire Nation.”
    “Bottom line, he could’ve gotten the potion from anybody in Europe.”
    “Yes. I’m sorry I can’t be of any help.”
    “It was worth a try just to hear your voice. And remember, when you get tired of that crude Roman, I’ll be here waiting for you.” He heard Diana giggle, then Marcus grabbed the phone and after he insulted and threatened to emasculate Alexander, Marcus told him to find a woman and call at a more civilized time, then hung up with another insult regarding his Greek ancestry.
    Alexander smiled. He was happy for them. Marcus and Diana both deserved happiness and it was evident they loved each other senseless. Sometimes, he wondered if he could ever feel anything as deep toward another human being again. He considered himself lucky because he had found love and affection not once, but twice, but with Eloisa and Cherry, a part of him had also died.
    Bittersweet memories of the two women who had meant everything to him kept him company the whole way back to his house. He had noticed those introspective moments were more frequent now that his friend had found bliss in his unexpected marriage. Once back home, he went straight to his private apartments on the third floor. He hadn’t thought to tell the enforcer about them since they were accessible solely through an internal set of stairs known only to him, Pietro, and the maid, Pietro’s wife, Marta, who was the only woman allowed there.
    Walking toward his master bedroom, he entered his office first, a room with only one purpose: to commemorate Eloisa and Cherry. He didn’t have any other use for the antique rococo desk if not sitting behind it and spending hours looking at the opposite wall. He raised his eyes to look at the two paintings dominating the space. He had painted the oil portraits himself over the span of several decades and under the tutelage of four different artists he had hired to teach him the technique. The two images