Free Raphael (The Immortal Youth Book 1) by Monica La Porta

their way to the Den of Rejects, but Raphael smuggled them out of the shelter without anyone being the wiser. After all, homeless teenagers weren’t known for staying still in one place.
    In the following months, Raphael went to visit the rejects every two or three weeks and checked on Carla. After realizing she wasn’t pregnant, she decided to join the den permanently and to help with the children. One Sunday afternoon, the five of them, Raphael, Angel, the twins, and Carla went to the lagoon. At the end of July, temperatures had risen to a record high all over Italy, and the den resembled a sweltering sauna. One of the warlocks, a guy named Caelum, who was a friend of the rejects, had insulated the cave walls by casting a spell. Magik made sleeping at night possible, but during the day even light activities took lots of energy, and the den usually relocated to the lagoon.
    “About that girl you asked me about—” Carla abruptly said.
    She and Raphael were sitting aside from the rest of the group. The lagoon was stormed by people engaging in all kind of activities, resembling one of the beaches along the Roman coast, too crowded and too loud with every bit of rocky ground covered by towels. The blue waters swarmed with rejects working out the steam. Some played water polo. Others preferred splashing everyone around. A few minded their own business and swam in long circles. Couples looking for privacy stayed out of the pool, and occupied more secluded spots.
    Raphael and Carla sat on a ledge overlooking the lagoon. Neither of them wanted to remove their shirts for different reasons. Until now, they had been silently watching their friends having fun.
    Raphael straightened up from his slouched position against the wall. “What about it?” Once, soon after Carla had settled in the den, he asked her if she had ever met Luisa on the streets. Carla had shrugged and told him she hadn’t.
    She pointed at the spot, several meters below, where Angelo and the twins were swimming. “I was talking with Patrizia—” Then she angled her body toward him. “And she told me that this girl is very important to you. Is that true?”
    “Yes, it is.” Raphael drummed his fingers against his thigh. “Why do you want to know?”
    Carla bit her lower lip, then lowered her eyes to her feet. “So, is it also true that you only saw her twice, and yet you’re in love with her?”
    The question took him by surprise. “Yes, that’s true. She’s my mate and I love her.” He waved a hand before her face. “Can you look at me?” She slowly raised her gaze to him, and he asked, “Why the third degree?”
    Her shoulders rose as she gave him a small smile. “Nothing—”
    “It’s not nothing.” He scooted closer to her. “Why do you want to know about Luisa?”
    At Luisa’s name, Carla winced. “I wondered why you never…”
    “I never what?”
    Carla’s smile morphed into a grimace, and she made circles with her feet. “I told Patrizia I thought you liked boys, and she told me you don’t, and how you rejected Angel because of a girl.”
    “It’s not that I like or don’t like boys. I already had a mate when Angel—” Frowning, he tried to connect the dots. A fuzzy picture emerged of the reason why Carla might have had that conversation with the twin. His head and his stomach hurt already. Not sure of what to say next, he waited for her to resume the conversation.
    Her feet stilled, her whole body seemed to freeze, and she averted her eyes once again. “I might know of her.”
    Carla’s whispered words hit Raphael like a shout. “What do you mean?”
    “I think I know where your girl is,” she said louder.
    “But you told me you didn’t know of her—”
    “When you asked me, you only mentioned that this girl lived in the streets and was a renegade—” Carla raised one finger to stop him from interrupting her, and continued, “Then, talking to Patrizia, a few more details came out about this Luisa of yours,