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Chapter Sixteen ʜᴏsᴛᴀɢᴇ

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Chapter Sixteen
ʜᴏsᴛᴀɢᴇ

Present-day Romania, 1236

My hands are full of papers, trying to avoid getting rammed into on these crowded streets. My brother needs me by midday, and already, I'm falling behind.

I manage to get quite close to the house we're now calling ours before getting bumped into. I made some widow think she was homeless for it, despite the disagreeance from my brother. I reassured him no one was alive to miss her, and still, he whines about it daily. He doesn't understand that this is what's necessary to stay undetected.

My papers go flying, and my arm starts throbbing from the pain of the hit.

"My apologies," a voice calls. Deep and smooth; a man.

I freeze. The people are usually so cruel here, I wasn't expecting him to stop. That's one of the reasons we chose this city. But no, he stops and helps the papers that are now getting trampled.

I grab a couple of sheets that narrowly missed being muddied by someone's shoes. Standing, he hands me the last of them, a handsome smile on his pretty face. Very pretty face indeed.

"Thank you, Sir." I smile bashfully, holding my papers tight against my chest. Just some notes and lyrics that I'm not too keen on sharing.

His eyes were brown a moment ago, but now they're dark as he takes me in. "Of course, Mrs..." he trails off.

"Creed," I offer. Giving the man a nod. "River."

"Pretty as a River, you are." Oh god. He takes my hand, laying a kiss on it. "Luca Albu is what they call me. Though, I can't say I've heard of any Creeds."

More people shove past, all heading in the opposite direction as me. There's a wedding happening, and the whole small town of Tomis will want to be in attendance.

I huff out a breath, frustrated with my hair that's now blowing in my face. "My family and I are from farther north, Mr. Albu. My father decided he wanted a change in scenery."

The scenery being anything but my face. I haven't seen my father for almost six years now. I don't particularly mind not seeing my parents again, they weren't the best to me. But every so often Theo will mention something, and it'll make my chest hurt. I hate that I miss them. Even after they abandoned me—us.

"It's Luca to you," he says, smiling again. He suddenly pauses, pondering. "You aren't going to the royal wedding, angel? I would have thought that's where every girl our age would be. But you, your scurrying in the other direction."

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