Demitri POV

Once we landed in Sicily after a terribly long flight and dropped a few people off at the hotel, I was half expecting to meet Alfonso Cortez, The Godfather, at a busted down warehouse like we usually do. But this time we met at one of his restaurants instead.

Intertwining my fingers with Riah's, we made our way to the host who was patiently waiting for something to do.

"Do you have a reservation, sir?" He asked in an Italian accent, scanning me up and down before averting his gaze to my mate.

"I'm here to see Alfonso Cortez." I spoke confidently. The moment the host heard Alfonso's name it seemed as if the color drained from his face.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan, right this way." The host was about to turn and lead us to the back, when he stopped and searched Alec and my gaurds. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cortex has requested I only allow you two to his table."

I could sense Alec get tense as he cleared his throat. Nodding my head to let him know to stand down, I turned back to the host and gave him an understanding smile. "Very well, my men will stay back."

Once Riah and I made our way through the lowly lit Italian restaurant to the back table, we allowed the guard to pat us down. 

Nodding at Alfonso, I sat across from him.

Riah POV

I've never met The Godfather before tonight. We've spoken on the phone many times, and I've met his underboss during a few deals here and there, but never seen him face to face.

And to say I was surprised by what I saw before me was an understatement. Sure, his thick Italian accent had been intriguing and such, but I never thought he would be so, I don't know, young. With his jet black hair, deep blue eyes and olive skin you'd think he was a model. Aside from the prominent wrinkles appearing around his eyes, he was nothing short from perfect.

It's not very cool of me to judge a man by his youth, as I am 18 myself, but to be The Godfather of a huge underground crime family at such a prime age was astounding to me. I mean, Demitri is like a thousand years old.

Of course, no one out of our main trusted members of The Bratva and the vampire population know that.

Clearing my throat, I put on the widest smile I could muster and reached my hand out. "Riah Sullivan. It's so great to meet you, Godfather."

Returning my smile with pearly whites, he gratefully took my hand in his and placed a soft kiss upon my knuckles.

"Riah Sullivan, so nice to finally meet you after months of doing buisness. I am a huge fan of your work. You are, how do you say, an astounding woman." His accent was far thicker than I remembered, and his charm was undeniable.

"But please, call me Alfonso. We are family, no?" His dark blue eyes were emotionless as he spoke.

I nodded in agreement, placing my hands on my lap and smoothing the silky fabric of my dress under my palms.

"So, Alfonso. We heard about this American spy who managed to infultrate your opperations." Demitri spoke up, placing his hands on the table and peering intently into Alfonso's eyes.

"I've always liked that about you, Demitri. Straight to buisness. Yes, an american has done just that. He managed to gain the trust of one of my men who operated a small trade system going on in one of my warehouses. That said man is gone, of course, but the American is very well alive. I haven't gotten much information out of him, but what I do know is his name is Israel Cruz and he's apart of the military. It's a shame he will die, he has a family back in America." He shook his head in disbelief.

I shuddered at the words Alfonso said, I know this world is ruthless but this man doesn't think twice before he speaks so harshly.

"May I see him?" I questioned, causing Alfonso to chuckle lowly.

"The American?" He asked curiously.

I nodded, unsure why he was so surprised. "Alfonso, I realize you may not be accustomed to me also being The Don, but I am just as succesful as my husband." I told him with confidence.

Riah, what on earth are you doing? Alfonso isn't just some small town gangster looking for drugs. He's one of the most influential man in the underground world.

Ignoring Demitri's warning, I squeezed his hand. I survived you, just trust me.

After a moment of silence, Alfonso smiled widely. "Your a hundred percent right. Through the months you have been Don, you have been extremely successful and I have no reason to doubt your methods. If you would like, we can meet tomorrow at my warehouse where I keep the American."

I could quite literally feel the rush of calmness wash over Demitri.

"But enough about buisness, let's enjoy some genuine Sicilian dinner."

After a satisfying meal and small talk, we parted from Alfonso and made our way back to our hotel. Deciding on walking back, we excused Alec and the gaurds as it was a beautiful night.

Sighing in satisfaction, I stared up at my gorgeous mate walking beside me. "You doubted me back there, Demitri." I stammered much to his surprise.

Widening his eyes, he shook his head viciously. "No baby, it's not that. I'm just not used to having a partner. I've had Alec by my side, but never one with the same authority as I have."

I nodded as I had an 'ah' moment. "Oh I see, your saying your having an issue sharing the thrown, much less to a woman."

But that only made him shake his head more and stop in his tracks. Turning to face me, he gripped my elbows to stop me.

"Riah, my queen, of course that's not how it is."

But I just waved my hand to cut him off and gave him a weak smile. "Demitri, I'm not mad. I was well aware of the gender roles when I agreed to step up as Don, and I plan on shattering the sexism of the underground world. Plus, it's good practice for when I become Queen Priestess."

The mention of me being Queen Priestess caused Demitri to hesitate for a moment, causing me to become confused.

"What?" I asked, placing my hand on my hip.

He shook his head, "Nothing love."

He was lying, and I was about to probe him further, when gun shots crackled through the quiet night, causing both Demitri and I to duck behind a car as if the bullets could really hurt us.

Pulling my gun out of the holster I had wrapped around my thigh, I shrugged at Demitri and gave him a guilty smile. "What can I say, I don't trust easily."

Chuckling, Demitri pulled the gun he got from Alec out of his waistband and signaled for me to make my way into an alley.
Shuffling towards the alley while still crouching, I waited for him to meet me there before I began shooting at whoever was trying to kill us. The kickback of the gun surprised me for a moment but I managed to overpower it and focus on the target.

After taking a few shots, I waited for a minute in silence to see if the man was still conscious before carefully jogging to him. I have a great shot, being vampire and all, there was no way he was still moving.

Checking if we were clear, I nodded at Demitri to let him know he was good to grab the body and dip. After taking a moment to stay back and scout the area for anymore shooters, I followed Demitri to the hotel.

Once we were safe in our room away from prying eyes, I locked the door and turned to Demitri.

"Who is it?" I asked, shuffling to the now unmasked man slouching in the chair. The blood from his bullet wound was dripping into a puddle on the shaggy carpet, making me curse at how long it will take to get it out. Ignoring the way my stomached grumbled, I silently thanked the goddess that I had control over my vampire impulses. 

He shrugged, "I have no idea, but he's not Italian."

Spotting the tattoo of a heart on the mans left hand, I noticed the English word 'Mom' across it, confirming he spoke English.

I huffed in irritation, "Who the fuck is trying to kill us? This isn't the work of the American government."

"I don't know, but he was using vervain engraved bullets."

Looking at Demitri with wide eyes, I watched him unload the mans gun and almost immediately smelt the poison in the air.

Thank the goddess we weren't hit.