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) (8 page)
“
This is….” For a moment,
Antonio appeared to be losing his quiet control, “This is more
difficult that I imagined it would be.”
none to comfort him. I’d spent every moment since my last night
with Dante wallowing in remorse. Antonio’s stare bore into me so
severely that I had to turn my back on the man I loved. Pleasing
many lovers as a courtesan had been easy. This was different. My
heart could not bear it. It was as my mother had warned me.
“
Evelina, I should not have
been weak. This affair is my mistake. The vibrant, young woman that
somehow touched my heart appears lost to me now.” His hands rested
on my shoulders from behind before carefully gliding around my
waist to embrace me.
“
Take me away, Antonio. We
will go far away to a place no one will ever find us.” I closed my
eyes as his face nuzzled against my hair.
“
It is impossible. We would
be found. Besides, this… this is my home.”
leave Venice and never look back again. “I have some money. We can
make a new home somewhere. Please. I cannot take another night like
that, not with him. Kill him if you must.”
Antonio turned me around to face him,
burying my pleas beneath his warm lips. He pulled my body into his,
keeping me close. Protected. The shame stayed, but somehow it faded
a little when we kissed. My lover accepted what I had to do to
maintain the lie. This made me realize, despite how perverse it
felt, I would do anything or anyone if it meant I could be with
Antonio.
“
Do you think he suspects
us?” He asked, briefly removing his mouth from mine.
“
No.” I whispered, once
again avoiding his eyes.
“
Look at me.” The words
didn’t form a question, but an order. I forced myself to do as he
asked. “We have a month, maybe longer, to live and love as we
please within this room and any other secret rendezvous spots we
find around the city. Forget everything else, but the time we have
together right now. Can you do that?”
“Yes.”
His hungry mouth touched mine again and he
picked me up, carrying me across the room to the bed and lying me
down carefully. On the boat, the need had been urgent, hasty, and
passionate. This time, he attended to my needs in a way my other
lovers never had. With the softest touch of his tongue and stroke
of his hands along my hips, I reached a plane of existence I never
knew was real. As I rode out each wave of pleasure, I struggled to
push his face away. It was too much. But, after each plea for
respite, I begged for more to counter the request.
By the time he was done, I collapsed and
sank into the covers beneath me like they were a fluffy cloud.
Antonio slid up from where he’d been working his magic between my
thighs and lay beside me. When I moved to return the favor, he
placed a hand over my stomach and held me in place. All he did was
hold me. He asked for nothing else. No man had ever done that
before. My job required me to fulfill fantasies, but this was not
work. This was love and I never wanted to give it up.
A whisper made me clench my closed eyes in
protest. “Evelina.” The forbidden, deep voice spoke again. If the
man were a dream, I didn’t want to wake up. His strong hand gave me
a little shake and I finally opened my eyes.
“
Antonio.” I sighed
breathlessly and smiled. “Mm, it was real.”
lap when I sat up. “You have slept late. The first meal of the day
has already been served.”
“
Sorry. Did you stay with me
all night?” I asked, using a silver spoon to gather some of the hot
soup. Also on my plate was a portion of pasta, meat, and something
to drink I had never had before.
“
Until morning, yes. There
were some things I needed to attend to.”
to barely listen. I picked up the cup with both hands and inhaled
the scent. The smell equaled heaven and my mouth watered. “What is
this?”
“
Chocolate. It is worth more
than gold or silver. No one else here knows about it. Another
secret between you and me.”
scent of the foreign chocolate, I lifted the drink to my lips and
cautiously took a sip. It was the beginning of yet another love
affair. One that would never end. The chocolate, rich and thick,
tantalized every taste bud. It would have been bitter, but I could
taste the sugar and vanilla beans that sweetened the beverage.
“
This is the best thing I
have ever tasted.”
Almost as good as
sex
. I thought, but wisely left that part
unsaid. “Where does it come from?”
“
The chocolate beans come
from across the ocean. I have a friend in Spain where the drink is
popular. They crush them up into a fine powder.”
introduced to many foods during the Renaissance feasts, but never
chocolate. “Thank you, Antonio.” Then, the wheels in my mind
started turning. “We should travel across the ocean to the New
World.”
Antonio shook his head and sighed. “Do not
start that again. The trip would be too much for a woman and it is
uncharted land. This place that they call America is far from ready
for you to explore.”
“
I could do it. Giulia is on
equal footing with every man here. There is no reason I would not
be fine.”
“
I will hear nothing else
about it.” He said.
“
Forget I said anything.
Living in the now.”
“
Correct.” Once again he
sighed, but stole a glance at me out of the corner of his eye. I
could see a faint smile despite how much I frustrated him and maybe
a hint of something else. An idea forming. “You would really
journey there with me?” He asked, after two seconds earlier telling
me to drop the subject.
“
Yes. Anywhere.”
worries from my mind. As my concerns faded, I nearly forgot about
the impending return of Dante Sanuto and the dire obligations I
would have to face. Nothing else mattered but Antonio. I was young
and in love in the greatest city in the world. Art and music
surrounded me. The fact that an outbreak spread across the city and
worsened each day evaded me.
“
Dance with me.” Antonio
extended his hand and I accepted with a curtsey.
“
There is no music.” I said.
We were sequestered in my room, as often was the case.
drifted from below and into my open window. I released Antonio’s
hand and ran to see where the sweet tones were coming from. The
notes reminded me of the song my music box played. Below, a lone
man in a boat skillfully glided a bow across the strings of a
violin to create the lovely sound. The man and the music were one.
I closed my eyes briefly, losing myself in the beauty, before
returning to Antonio and taking his hand once more.
Although well-educated in the techniques of
dance, the delicate movement and soft embraces Antonio and I shared
could not be taught. Something deep down inside me resonated with
him as we flawlessly expressed our needs, desires, and dreams in
fluid motion.
“
You are an angel sent to
save me.” He whispered with a lightness of breath when he held me
close, then dipped me backward and let his lips brush down my
chest. Slowly, I was raised up to face him again.
“
Save you from what?” I
asked, as I was spun around and he pulled me close again, this time
with my back to his chest.
“
Myself.”
reverence his voice held for me nearly hid the hint of
self-loathing that accompanied it. Our bodies swayed back and forth
together, as if we had all the time in the world and yet none at
all.
Lighthearted and happy, I headed to my
mother’s for a visit the next day. Antonio had been gone when I
awoke and Giulia had said something about an important letter being
delivered. It had been difficult to leave the house without my
bodyguard’s knowledge, but with a little stealth, luck, and a
substantial tip to the gondolier, I succeeded.
“
Evelina!” My mother called
out and hugged me tightly. She didn’t look well, but once again, I
hardly noticed at first. I had been too self-centered.
“
How are you? I apologize
for not visiting lately. Everything has been crazy.” I said as she
led me inside.
smiled as we sat down. “I am well enough. Tired. Must be the
weather.”
“
I hope you recover
soon.”
With Dante? You are simply radiant today.”
Mother had warned me about the dangers the
hearts of men posed. I looked down at my hands and didn’t answer.
As hard as I tried, I could not find a good way to phrase what I
wanted to say.
“
It’s the other. The dark
haired, young one.” Her perception shouldn’t have surprised me, but
it did.
Dante has been out of town. Perhaps, I should tell him the truth,
but I’m afraid of him. Sometimes he is kind, but others, there is
something dark that I see.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her bite
down on her lip as she thought about it. “No. It would be a severe
insult.”
“
What do I do?”
“
Keep it a secret.” She
stated flatly. “You would not be the first girl to marry a man she
did not love and find happiness and true love through an
affair.”
wanted to hear. Nodding and exhaling a sigh, I reluctantly agreed.
“Antonio says the same. I worry that I cannot do it.”
“
You will because you have
to.” A fit of coughing caused her to reach for a cup.
“
Rest.” I said softly,
picking up the drink and handing it to her. Suddenly, I regretted
bringing my troubles home. “You are right. The love would no doubt
be less appealing if it were not forbidden.” I wasn’t convinced,
but I wanted to give her a reassurance.
“
I am proud of you, Evelina.
I know life is far from perfect, but you are smart and a good
woman. You deserve to be happy no matter what it takes.”
“
Thank you.” I reached out
and patted her hand. “I will come see you when you are feeling
better. Maybe tomorrow if you are not busy.”
“
I would like
that.”
vibrant and healthy. I knew I should have spent more time with her
instead of focusing on my life with Dante and now Antonio. How
could I have known time was running out on the relationships that
meant the most to me?
On my way home, I stopped by the alleyway
where I had seen the prostitute the first night I had stayed with
my aunt and uncle. I’m not sure why exactly. Maybe it was to
convince myself of how far I’d come since then. The filth in the
corridor, the lair of dark deeds, gave off a stench like
death.
Out of some weird respect, I headed to the
front door of the house. What I saw made me take a few steps back.
A large red cross marked the door. My hand went up to my mouth. The
force of my palm against my trembling lips did little to stop them.
I’d heard stories about the plague. This was a different era.
Surely, the red mark had to mean something else. As much as I had
disliked my aunt and uncle, I would have never wished such a
horrible death on them.
Lingering around a quarantined home was the
last place I needed to be discovered. I made my way back to Dante’s
mansion and went straight to my room. Giulia called out in her deep
voice from behind me, but I didn’t stop running until I was safely
behind my locked door. Hurriedly, I stripped off my dress and
tossed it out the window into the water below. Slowly, the fabric
became saturated with water and disappeared from sight.
“
Guilia!” I knew the woman
would no doubt still be fuming outside my room. “Will you send a
servant with items for bathing, please?”
“
You bathed this morn!” She
yelled back.
“Do it, now.”
In a huff, the bodyguard called out to the
nearest servant girl and ordered her to retrieve the necessary
items. “Do not think I will hide your behavior from the master of
the house.” Giulia said when she returned to guard my door.
“
Yes, I am quite certain he
will want to hear your complaints instead of enjoying the sensation
of my lips against his skin.” I slammed the door in her face while
she looked on in surprise at my behavior.
Being so fearful of contracting the Black Death, I nearly scrubbed
my skin raw. The chance had to be slim. I hadn’t been inside the
house. Not even that close, really. Better to be safe. One thing
was for sure. I was not ready to die a gruesome and painful
death.
Giulia spent the rest of the evening outside
the door to my room. The guard no doubt knew of the risks that
awaited me in the city. Poor districts suffered the most in times
of plague. Wealthy people tended to be cleaner and live in better
conditions. This helped them avoid contracting the illness. No
wonder Giulia been upset with me.
The hour was late and Antonio had not joined
me. Most of our days were spent together. Every night, his arms
circled around my waist as I slept. I decided he had found out
about my solo adventure. Being punished made me furious.
