But then her eyes rolled back in her head, and she fell upon the pillows of her bed, now stained crimson with her life essence.
I lunged toward Balthazar, ready to kill him. “You monster! What have you done?”
He easily caught me in his arms, crushing me to him.
I writhed and squirmed, trying to escape him, but he was too strong.
“I had to do this,” he said, kissing my hair. “Your father was poisoning your mind with lies. He’s filled your head with poison.”
He peppered my cheeks, nose, and eyebrows with kisses, but I tried vainly to resist him.
Now, at last, and too late, I could see him for what he was—a bloodthirsty demon.
“Everything I do is to protect you, my darling,” Balthazar said.
I squeezed my eyes shut. His words started getting to me, making me believe him over the horror around me. My entire family was slaughtered. Fat tears rolled down my cheeks.
Balthazar slurped them into his mouth.
My dying sister made a hideous gurgling noise like her spirit was slithering from her body.
I wanted to vomit, scream, and murder the man who held me so tightly. I became aware of Balthazar’s rigid erection pressing against my belly.
“I want to fuck you, Alina. I need to be inside of you.”
“Are you insane? You want to screw me after killing my entire family?” I struggled in his arms.
“I did this all for you, my sweetheart. I would do anything to protect you.” His eyes held hints of scarlet at the edges of the blue. “I can make this better. Let me love you.”
He lifted me, cradling me in his arms, and strode into my bedroom, which lay unsullied.
There he took me wantonly, savagely, fucking me like an animal.
I put up no resistance. I was too numb.
Afterward, I cried myself to sleep in his arms.
He kept kissing me everywhere, telling me he would make it up to me and that everything would be okay. But nothing would ever be okay after what he did tonight to my family.
August 21st, 1561
I awoke at dawn to find Balthazar already gone. I couldn’t face the sight of my dead family, so I climbed out the window and hurried to Giovanni’s house, keeping to the shadows lest I be seen.
I found Giovanni outside feeding his chickens. He appeared alarmed when he saw me.
“Your skirts!” he said, pointing.
That’s when I noticed I was covered in blood. I told him how Balthazar had murdered my entire family.
Giovanni held his head with his hands as if it might fall to the ground if not secured. “Oh, God in Heaven! This is worse than I could have imagined!”
His chickens scurried around his legs, clucking.
“What can I do?” I wrung my hands before me. “I believe you now. I was a fool not to heed your words.”
Giovanni scanned his surroundings. “Come, child. We must get you cleaned up and hide you somewhere safe.”
Not waiting for my response, he placed his hand on my back and urged me toward his house, where he led me down the stairs to his basement.
