It was eerily calm in the Medici mansion, a calm which threatened a raging  storm nearby but I couldn't point a finger at it. The sessions which Dr. Kimberly has been tiring at most and the loose threads of my memories still remain.

I wanted to confide in with Luciano of my progress yet with the recent developments of the war with Auditore's, it's least to say that there will be bloodshed and lives lost of our dear ones.

I finally managed to pry myself out of bed pushing away the quilt, I stand underneath the warm water bathing away the tiredness of my body.

Fog covered up the walls and the mirrors when a large hands snaked up my waist pulling me closer to a rock hard chest, it took me a minute to realize before the panic sinked in as I pushed away myself from him.

I wriggled in his hold unable to run with his strong grasp on my waist when he lowered his lips to my ear "Sshh it's me", almost as if a switched flipped in me as I immediately relaxed in his grip "Quite a fight you have in you" he chuckled earning a light hit his laugh grew more. 

Loosening myself in his arms I push my head back watching the water droplets make it's way to his lips. Buckling my hips to his groin he groans deeply into my neck tightening his hold further. His hands now traveling around my body.

"I missed you" peppering soft kisses down my face to my shoulders. This was home, in his arms away from the chaos the outer world holds. It was almost as if the last two weeks never took place yet it did. All of that happened but as of this moment I let the warmth of his sink into my skin.
His grip on my waist loosens as I turn to face him. The kiss deepened, urgent and desperate, as if he was trying to drown out the whispers of the past, the echoes of the war. My hands tangled in his hair, holding him close, desperately clinging to the illusion of normalcy. But the illusion shattered.

As Luciano pulled away, his eyes held a lingering sadness. I knew then that our fragile peace was hanging by a thread. The war at edge, the secrets of the past, were slowly creeping back into our lives, threatening to tear us apart.

"Luciano" the name sounded more like a plea for him to stay whatever it was as of this moment I wished it to momentarily stop. The growing tension in his eyes vivid but before he could press onto any details I shut him up with another kiss.

The steam from the bath swirled around us, a hazy curtain obscuring the world outside. Luciano, his eyes dark and intense, pulled me closer, his lips finding mine in a desperate, soul-baring kiss. I clung to him, burying my face in his neck, inhaling the scent of his skin, the familiar musk of him that always grounded me.

His hands roamed over my body, tracing the curves of my hips, his touch sending shivers down my spine. I arched into him, desperate for the contact, for the fleeting oblivion he offered.
He groaned, his hands tightening around me, pulling me closer still. "Alessia," he murmured against my skin, his voice rough with desire. "Forget everything else. Just… us."

And for a precious moment, I did forget. I forgot the whispers in the streets, the looming threat of war, the secrets that gnawed at me from within. I forgot the suspended lies, the long lost brother, the name that echoed in my mind like a haunting melody.

I lost myself in the sensation of his touch, in the heat of his body against mine. His lips moved down my neck, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. I gasped, arching my back, my fingers digging into his shoulders.
He pulled back, his eyes burning with a possessive hunger. "You are mine," he growled, his voice a low rumble. "Only mine."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that in this small, steamy haven, we could escape the turmoil of the world. But the truth, like a stubborn weed, poked through the fragile peace we had created. The secrets, the lies, the weight of the past threatened to pull us apart, to shatter the fragile illusion of escape.

Yet, in that moment, I didn't care. I clung to him, desperate to hold onto the fleeting warmth, the illusion of safety, the fragile hope that maybe, just maybe, we could find a way to weather the storm.

He leaned in, his eyes searching mine. "Don't think," he commanded, his voice a silken caress. "Just feel."

And for a fleeting moment, I did. I let go of the fear, the guilt, the uncertainty. I let go of everything except the feel of his skin against mine, the warmth of his breath on my face, the intensity of his gaze.

He kissed me again, a slow, deliberate kiss that stole my breath away. This time, there was no fear, no hesitation. Only passion, raw and untamed. We were lost in the moment, two souls adrift in a sea of desire, seeking solace in each other's arms.

The steam from the bath clung to us as we stumbled out, shivering slightly in the sudden chill of the bedroom. Luciano pulled me close, his arms wrapping around me like a warm cloak. I nestled against his chest, the rhythmic thud of his heartbeat a comforting counterpoint to the racing of my own.

"That was…" I began, searching for the right words, "intoxicating."
He chuckled, his breath warm against my hair. "Agreed. Though I think we should have more of these… distractions."
I smiled, the memory of his touch still lingering on my skin. "Perhaps."

A silence fell between us, broken only by the crackling of the fire in the hearth. I glanced at Luciano, his face relaxed in sleep, a rare moment of peace etched on his features.

Suddenly, I felt a pang of guilt. I had lied to him, withheld a crucial piece of myself. I remembered him from one of my  visions, the chilling familiarity of his eyes. It was… it had to be…
My breath hitched. I couldn't tell him. Not yet. Not when the truth threatened to shatter everything we had built.

Luciano stirred, his eyes fluttering open. "Thinking about something?" he asked, his voice husky with sleep.
I forced a smile. "Just… the war. And… my family and us."
He nodded understandingly, pulling me closer. "We'll get through this, Alessia. Together."

I clung to his words, desperate for the reassurance. But the weight of my secret pressed down on me, a heavy stone in my chest. I knew this fragile peace wouldn't last. The truth, like a venomous snake, would eventually slither out, threatening to destroy everything we had built.