AUTHOR'S NOTE: Flashback.
Dimitri POV
La Spezia, Italy, August 2001
Dimitri strolled the beautiful Public Gardens of La Spezia, admiring the lush evergreens. The peaceful atmosphere felt like a haven in the middle of the bustling city.
He put his arm around his latest companion, a vampire contessa named Sophia. Beautiful, spirited, always dressed in Armani. "I love this park."
"Me, too. I'm so glad you decided to join me for a day out." She kissed him. "Will your parents approve? Will they think I'm not noble enough?"
"You've chosen to live in a remote villa--"
"La Spezia is hardly remote!"
Dimitri stared out at the beauty of the sea. La Spezia was special indeed. Its churches, its archeological museums, its status as a naval city and port town. He'd always had a fondness for Italy. maybe he would settle here someday.
"I should just forget the whole royal nonsense and move here," he murmured. "I'm young. I'm hardly important in the scheme of things."
