The Love of Vincenzo: Paranormal Erotic Romance (Anam Céile Chronicles) (8 page)

As I made my way into the foyer, there stood a somewhat
disheveled woman with a head of wild red curls, a stark contrast to her pearl
white flesh, her permanently anguished eyes an ethereal shade of topaz, shining
like jewels. 

“Ah Vincenzo,” Niccolò wrapped his arm about me as I
positioned myself at his side. “May I present Aislinn MacAuliffe.”

She smiled and out of courtesy I took her hand and brought
it to my lips.  I stepped back suddenly, stunned that it was warm instead of
the typical ice cold flesh.

Just what sort of creature is she?

She
looked
like Vampire.  But never had I known a
Vampire to have warm skin. 
Never.

And yet,
human
I was certain she was not either.  So
then, what was she?

“I am most pleased to make your acquaintance, Vincenzo,” the
creature said in a lyrical voice.

“I have invited Aislinn to reside here with us,” Niccolò
exclaimed, as though it were something for me to be excited about, as well.

 A bit taken aback, I blinked my eyes several times before
finding the appropriate words.  I did not want some unidentified being living
in our house with us!  At least if she were Vampire, I would halfway know what
to expect, but this
thing
…  How could I know anything about her, what
she was capable of?  Alas, I did not have authority over such decisions.

“I see… how lovely,” I stammered, wishing it would go away. 
“And how is it you two are acquainted?”

Naturally, Niccolò was more than happy to offer the
details.  “I befriended Aislinn decades ago after meeting upon the streets here
in Florence.  On several occasions, we had some very lovely chats.  At the time
she was residing at the home of a pair of Succubi and I actually extended my
offer to her then.  However, extenuating circumstances rendered her unable to
accept at the time.  Then some years later, we ran into one another again at a
Vampire Ball at the Villa of her then Mistress in San Gimignano.  I reminded
her that my offer still stood then and now here she is!” 

I was exceedingly disappointed, for I liked things the way they
were with just he and I— besides the fact that I did not want another female
around me trying to seduce me.  After loving and leaving Giuliana, I wanted
nothing to do with other women— and certainly not one like she, whatever that
may be— which is why the established arrangement I had with Niccolò worked so
well.

Aislinn was what most men would consider to be beautiful, I
suppose, but in some way I could not quite figure out, she just made me feel
uneasy. 

Having been all too familiar with other Succubi from my
years at
Sanguelascivia
, I kept myself guarded from her.  For one, whether
she truly was one or not, having been reared by those Succubi, she had never
been properly introduced to the more civilized manner of Vampire existence. 
Not
all
Vampires must kill in order to survive.  Rather, the highly
refined ones, like Niccolò, cordially maintained blood servants to humanely provide
for their needs. 

Yet, gratefully, never did Aislinn attempt to make a move on
me.  As a matter of fact, I was beginning to believe that she had some kind of neurosis
about men, for when Niccolò brought home a perfectly fine specimen of a young
man to serve as a blood servant for her, she acted quite bizarrely, indeed. 

And then, quite strangely, soon thereafter she sent Alonzo away. 
I was actually fond of him and thought it would have been nice to have another
human
guy around here with whom to become friends.  I found it quite odd that she
sent him away.  I had been under the impression that she had liked him plenty
well.  But then she was the type who seemed perfectly contented to revel in her
own self-inflicted torture.  Perhaps he threatened to upset that fucked up
equilibrium she had established.  Or perhaps he just did not please her
sufficiently.  And then, perhaps she simply did not like the way he tasted. 

And then not a month later, I overheard my Master and
Aislinn discussing how they would soon travel to Venice to procure a blood
servant for her.  I had also managed to overhear that Aislinn preferred a
female.  My heart leapt.  How badly I wanted to ask if they would indeed be
going to
Sanguelascivia
, and if so, would they look for my Giuliana, if
naught else, then just to report back that she is alright.

But, alas, I did not, as it was not my place to pry in my Master’s
affairs.  That would have been disrespectful, and Niccolò had been nothing but
kind and decent to me, more so than I ever imagined any Vampire could possibly
be.  Therefore, I dared not ask.  However, everyday that they were away, I prayed
that fate would intervene to reunite us.

T
hey remained away for only a few days, and yet it
felt as an eternity, waiting to see if my prayers would deliver to me that
which I yearned.

I was growing disheartened when a fourth night had passed
without their return.  At nearly dawn, I had decided to retire to bed to
slumber as much of the day away as possible when I heard the rustling of a
carriage in the street.  

If that is indeed them, then they are racing against the
sun.  My Master has only moments to get inside.

Descending the stairs swiftly, I made it to the parlour just
in time to hear the front door open.  Niccolò stepped in, his customary smile
lighting up the room, putting me at ease.

“Master, please allow me to
help you—” I began, anxious to safeguard him from the rapidly emerging daylight. 
However, my protective greeting was interrupted midsentence by what I saw.

Through the door behind Niccolò strode in that Aislinn, hand
in hand with my Giuliana! 
Like two schoolgirls,
they were
smiling giddily at one another.
 Though
I had prayed relentlessly for her to come back to me, I could not believe she
was actually here and with
her
!

Upon seeing me, Giuliana
gasped.  As though fervent to reach out to her, my own heart leapt within my
chest.  I was elated to know that my memories had not betrayed me.  She was
still every bit the angel I had remembered her to be!

She threw her hands over her
mouth, her eyes as wide in disbelief as were mine.

“Giuliana?” I confirmed,
still unable to believe it was truly her.

“Vincenzo!” she exclaimed, I
could sense her body ready to spring right into my arms.

But then
noticing the puzzled look upon my Master’s face, quickly she drew herself back.

“Vincenzo…
what a delightful surprise finding
you
here,” Giuliana said evenly,
evidently striving to preserve her composure.  Still, hard as she tried, her
voice was still perceptibly shaky, at least to me.

“A surprise indeed, it is!” I
replied straightaway, also endeavouring to inhibit the exhilaration in my voice,
though I was sure, failing miserably.

Niccolò cleared his throat
then, drawing all eyes back to him.  “I presume you two are acquainted?”

I had to restrain the unabashed
smile that demanded to break forth onto my mouth.  “Yes, we are.  In fact,
Giuliana and I once worked together at
Sanguelascivia
.  She had only
been there a couple weeks prior to my departure to come here with you.”

Giuliana’s face altered as
she took in this information for the first time.

Would she ever be able to
forgive me for abandoning her as I did? 

“Yes, that is correct,” she coolly
substantiated my story, but her eyes searching mine.  “Vincenzo and I did have the
occasion to meet just briefly.”

I had to bite my tongue to
hold back from laughing. 

While too brief it may
well have been, we went far beyond merely meeting!

Raising a brow as he listened
to our story, I speculated as to whether Niccolò was buying our story.  Whatever
the case may have been, the sophisticated gentleman he was, he obligingly played
along.  At last, to my relief he simply proclaimed, “Well, wonderful!  Then no
introductions shall be necessary!”

Exhausted from the long
journey, and well past his fate inflicted bedtime, Niccolò headed up the stairs
to retire for the day, smiling at me as he did so.

Aislinn excused herself,
though I knew she would not be able to keep herself away.  I had a strong
feeling she was well aware of the truth about us. 

Perhaps Giuliana has
spoken of me to her?

The thought of Aislinn
possibly knowing our intimate secrets made my skin crawl. 

The moment we were satisfied
that Aislinn was out of our sight, we rushed into each other’s arms.  Oh, how
good it felt to have her within the safety of my arms once again!  

“Oh, Giuliana,” I avowed.  “I
have missed you every single day we have been apart!”

“And I, too, have missed you,
Vincenzo!  More than you will ever know,” she responded.  But then concern
washed over her face, her forehead furrowing. 

“What is it, my love?” I
queried, holding her tighter and searching her soft green eyes.

“It is just that after the
most incredible night of my life, you simply disappeared like it was nothing.” 
I could hear her struggling to fight back the emotion swelling in her voice.  “Did
it— did I— mean so little to you?” 

“No, Giuliana!  Please tell
me that is not what you have thought all this time?”

Dropping her expressive eyes
so that I would not perceive the pain in them, slowly she nodded her head in
confirmation. 

Nevertheless, the pain within
her heart was unmistakably perceptible to me. 

My heart shattered into a
million fragments right there within my chest. 

How could I have been such
a fool to ever leave her behind as I did?  Never shall I forgive myself!  How
could I have caused so much hurt to the woman I loved?

My arms wrapping about her
waist, I clutched her closer to me, wanting to just bury my head and weep into
the softness of her hair. 

“Oh God, Giuliana!  I am so
sorry!” I cried, yet the man in me unable to avoid breathing in the sweet scent
of her hair, letting it affect my body so easily as only she could.  

“Shh, Vincenzo, all will be
fine,” she murmured, stroking my head affectionately.  Her compassionate attempt
to soothe me only made me feel worse. 

She is the one due solace,
not this scoundrel that I am! 

“Do not for one moment think
that I ever
wanted
to leave, that you did not mean the world to me, Giuliana,
because you did… you do!  Can you ever forgive me for this deplorable pain I
have caused you?”

Appearing bewildered, she
sought my eyes, remaining silent for a long moment.  Too long.  My heart
seized.  I felt as though my whole existence hung upon what her answer would
be. 

Oh God, if she were to
turn me away now, what else would I have to live for?  The only thing has kept
me hanging on until now has been the hope that we would one day be reunited. 
And now that that day has finally come…

To my great relief, at last, she
spoke, her sympathetic voice like music to my ears! 

“Yes, Vincenzo, I shall
forgive you,” she expressed, her fingers caressing through my hair.  Her words were
the key needed to unlock the shackles which held my heart motionless while she considered.
“However, you must present me with an explanation.”

Though I received the
response for which I had hoped, still I stared at her in disbelief. 

Is this woman truly mine? 
She is too good for me… too good to be true!

“How on Earth did I get so
lucky?” I asked, running my fingers down the side of her lovely profile.  “God
knows, I do not deserve you, Giuliana.”

She looked at me admonishing. 
“Vincenzo!  That is not true.  I do not believe for one second that you are a
man undeserving of love.”  She paused a moment before continuing.   “Even
my
love.”

“
Even
your love
?”
I repeated incredulously.  “Giuliana, do you not understand what you are, how
much you mean to me?

No… how could she
possibly
know, you utter fool!

Though she did not answer,
the skeptical expression upon her face said it all.

Clutching her tighter by the
arms, I nearly shouted.  “
You
are without question, the
finest
woman
I have ever known!  Do not for a second believe you are anything less.  And to
have
your
love, I feel as the richest man on Earth!  Though I have,
undeniably, known countless women, never had I known
love
before.  And I
have not known another woman since that night with you.  And because of you, I
now know what love is, have had the pleasure of it touching my life in its
magical way.  And now that you have walked back into my life, I assure you, I
am the happiest man who ever lived!”

A profound smile blessed her
lips and she leaned her face in towards me for a kiss, when to my dismay, we
heard Aislinn descending the stair.

“Do not forget you owe me
that explanation,” Giuliana reminded me, elevating her brow and giving me a playful
jolt to the side.

“I would never forget, my
lady,” I replied suggestively, gazing significantly into her eyes one last
moment before being impelled to return to our necessary pretense.   

Her provocative smile tugged
at my heart, not to mention
other
parts of my anatomy.

Giuliana was sufficiently
exhausted after the long journey, as well.  However, the exhilaration of seeing
me once again served to energize her. She and I spent the day lounging upon the
sofas in the parlour getting reacquainted.  In no time, it was as though not a
day had passed between us, so at ease we were with one another!  Aislinn,
however, seemed rather uncertain about things.  But then, in all actuality, she
was not acting all that different from usual. 

It was difficult for us not to gaze longingly at one
another, especially after all the years we had been separated.  I had to wonder
if they could feel our immense attraction for one another, sense our history.  Vampires
are well renowned for possessing keen senses.  I knew we would have to be very careful,
so as not to let on to our Masters that we were lovers, for each of us were also
committed to being a lover to our Master and Mistress.

If we are to meet, it must be in secret…

I yearned to pull her into the washroom with me and ravage
her right then and there.  If she had been just any other woman and my body was
merely demanding for sexual fulfillment, that is precisely what I would have
done.  But that is not the sort of reunion she deserved.  I would not jip her—
nor myself— in that manner.  We both deserved nothing less than a long, devoted
session of unhurried lovemaking.  Though how that was to occur with our two Masters
right there in the house with us, I did not yet know.

But I was determined to find a way.

It was frustrating for me to know that my Giuliana had to be
bound to this woman, this creature who held some kind of claim over her.  It
infuriated me to no end that this
thing
felt the right to that which
truly belonged to me, to feed from her like a parasite, to sustain her life
with that of my love’s.  Thinking she owns her body!

Of course, I suppose it is no different from the
arrangement I have with my Master, Niccolò; although, he is different somehow. 
I only just got her back and she technically belongs to someone else!  We are
not even free to rush to each other, letting our passion overtake us as it
should have been.  Had they not been there, I would have taken her in my arms
and carried her up the stairs to my chamber and we would not have reemerged for
the good part of the day at the very least!  Instead, I was compelled to
restrain myself.  Oh, how incredibly difficult that was!  Moreover, I do not
know how long I shall be able to keep up that charade!

And one would think we would nonetheless have the benefit
of having from dawn to dusk to spend with one another alone.  Should we not?  No! 
That Aislinn insists upon remaining right there with us all through the day.  Just
what kind of
Vampire
is she, anyway?

Soon Aislinn began dragging Giuliana out nearly every single
day, to shop and carouse about with my Master’s wealth, so rarely was there
much opportunity left for me to spend any quality length of time with her
before my obligated time with my Master began upon his awakening.  Once he had awakened,
I could not risk letting him see
any
signs of anything going on between
us.  Though I felt I knew him rather well in the two years of being with him,
still, as a Vampire, some things about him remained entirely a mystery to me. 
And his reaction to my being disloyal to him definitely had the disastrous
potential of falling into the realm of being unpredictable.

Giuliana and I had to seize every possible chance we
happened to be alone, if only for a moment.  Otherwise never would we have been
able to exchange so much as a genuine word with one another.  However, we were
careful not to ever risk showing any signs of physical affection, which was
really beginning to wear on me!