Read Cortigiana (A Vamp Life Prequel) Online
Authors: Jez Strider
Tags: #romance, #vampires, #paranormal romance, #free, #venice, #courtesan, #romance 1500s, #jez strider, #vamp life
Cortigiana (A Vamp Life Prequel) (10 page)
The superstitions are
true
. I thought.
Vampires spread this god awful ailment to punish us.
My hand went up to gingerly touch the bite mark.
It had changed. The entire side of my neck was swollen and felt
like it would burst open. Disgusting and painful buboes appeared at
the sight of my lymph nodes.
Time is up. Goodbye,
world
.
managed to drag myself into a hidden nook in a dark passage. The
alley reeked of feces, urine, rotten vegetables, and death. Most of
the city was kept clean, but this area had deteriorated.
The agony of my disease
caused me to pass out again. The next time I roused, someone was
gently stroking my hair away from my face. The touch comforted me,
despite the pain it caused.
Had I
died?
I wondered, but no, I knew I would
not be hurting if I was dead. Unless I was in Hell.
“
Open your eyes, my dear.” A
soothing voice said. He sounded far away though his presence in
front of me told me he was close.
“
I cannot. Far too heavy. Go
away before I give you the plague.” I turned my head away from the
caressing fingers.
“
Do not disobey me. Open
your eyes.”
Dante
.
strength to open them and meet his gaze. The luminous color of his
irises and the flowing of the white locks of his hair made him look
like an angel. My heart leapt a little and I regretted ever
disappointing him.
“
I am sorry, Master Sanuto.”
I said. My voice came out in a harsh croak.
“
Why?” His tone massaged me
into relaxation, seemed to take the edge off the pain.
For not loving
you
.
“
For being a foolish girl.
You gave me everything I could have ever wanted.”
rested against his chest. Safety. His heartbeat began to lull me
into an induced coma. I could barely hear what he said. It sounded
like, “I forgive you.”
If ever I loved Dante Sanuto, it was in that
moment, during that embrace. The cruel monster he could be lay
dormant and, in his arms, I met the man he should have been. He was
my savior.
Somewhere in between consciousness, sleep,
and an unreal dream world, the moment that would change me forever
came. Disease would not take my life. A different affliction would
save it.
A scrape against my neck made me shift
uncomfortably. It was the opposing, less damaged side. Hands held
me pinned to the bed. The pain didn’t last long. It kind of gave me
relief, something different to focus on. I wanted to open my eyes,
but I couldn’t wake up. Each second the lips suckled on my neck,
the weakness in my body grew greater. The mouth left me at the
moment when my heart struggled to beat any longer.
When the person beside me came close again,
something fleshy pressed against my lips. Liquid instantly coated
and healed my dry throat. It tasted metallic. I didn’t recognize it
as blood in my state. All I knew was that I wanted more. My
rotting, plague ridden body healed with each gulp. Each sip gave me
energy and strength. The hair on my arms stood up as my skin
tingled. It was like each cell in my body sprang to life.
“
Beautiful once more,
Evelina.”
A guttural purr escaped me
and I opened my eyes wide to see Dante Sanuto. My nails had dug
into his arm until he was bleeding from the wounds, not just the
slit on his wrist firmly pressing into my mouth. He pushed me down
to the mattress after prying his wrist free from my grasp and I
knew he was going to take me. That’s when I let myself believe what
I’d done, that I had been
drinking
blood. This realization sent my eyes rolling back
in my head and I fainted.
about vampires, I discovered the Dante I thought I had met when he
rescued me had disappeared. He forced me to kill an innocent during
my first feeding and I did nothing to stop it. I was evil, blood my
addiction, and night my solace.
In those early days, before I had stopped
telling Dante I loved him, he would watch the stars with me as he
stroked my long hair with his fingers. He would tell me stories of
wars and places I had never been. Sweetly, I’d smile and nod, even
ask questions. We had fled Italy and were now living in France. If
being kept in captivity could be called living.
No matter what Dante said or did, in the end
I was a pampered prisoner… a slave to his whims. Worst of all, my
heart remained in Venice where I had loved completely for a short
time. Perhaps that was where it belonged because I was no longer
myself, just a cold shell of a woman.
Eternally miserable.
Vampire.
“
I love you, my
Queen.”
love you, Master.”
From the Author
To learn more about Evelina and her life as
a vampire, check out book one in the Vamp Life series, Vampire’s
Eve. Thank you for reading. Reviews are appreciated.
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