“We must prepare for war.”
Once again, the Consilium members murmured amongst themselves.
The Prince fixed his eyes on Niccolò.
“Send word to Venice through one of our spies that the mission was successful. Have the spy deliver one of the swords and say that the message is from Vincenzo, which is the name of one of the invaders I killed. Leave the true nature of the mission unstated, even to the spy.”
Aoibhe reacted immediately. “With respect, my lord, you’ll be informing our enemy that you’re dead.”
“Precisely.” The Prince seemed unperturbed.
Maximilian was the only council member who responded to the order with a smile.
Niccolò’s face was grave.
“My lord, even if the Venetians weren’t behind the attack, at the news of your death they’ll move to annex our territories.”
The Prince leaned forward from the throne.
“If our spy doesn’t know the nature of the mission, he won’t be able to offer it up under torture. The Venetians will only believe I’m dead if they ordered the assassination.
“If they didn’t, the intelligence network needs to identify those behind the attack before there’s another incursion.” The Prince gave Niccolò a significant look.
Niccolò’s body tightened and his gaze flickered in the direction of the place where his colleague had lost his head.
The Prince surveyed the council members.
“There is a foreigner hiding in our city. It’s possible he’s already discovered his brethren failed in their mission and informed Marcus of that fact. Let us hope that is not the case.”
Niccolò’s expression grew even more troubled.
“My lord, if the Venetians suspect your death, such news is bound to spread. We’ll be inundated with incursions from neighboring principalities.”
“Not if they think you have taken control of the principality and amassed a great army.”
Niccolò bowed very low, trying desperately to contain his enthusiasm. “It is too great an honor, even in jest. What about Lorenzo?”
“I have other plans for Lorenzo.” The Prince placed his hands on the armrests of his throne. “But be warned, Niccolò. You will be prince in name only. Any attempt to seize power and you’ll find your head rolling across my floor. Do you understand?”
Niccolò appeared duly chastened. “Yes, my prince. I am humbled by your confidence.”
“I’ve always admired your intelligence, even when you were human. Our rivals know you by name and will fear you. But I know you are prudent enough to play your role until it is finished without delusions of grandeur. I’d be sorry to be mistaken.”
“I swear continued allegiance to the principality and to its prince.”
“Excellent.” The Prince nodded, dismissing him.
“Until we find the remaining foreigner, no one must know I survived the assassination attempt. No one beyond the Consilium.” At this, he gave the other council members a significant look.
“I’ll go into hiding while you, Niccolò, appear to take control of the principality. Spread the news far and wide that your army is at the ready should anyone decide to attack us.”
Niccolò hesitated.
“What of the Roman, my lord? We’d incur his wrath by instigating armed conflict in the region. And he won’t look on our deception kindly.”
“I shall send Lorenzo to the Roman immediately so that he may reveal our strategy. It’s possible the Roman will choose to intervene but I doubt it. He’s content to let the principalities in his kingdom defend themselves. That’s precisely what I’m doing.”
The Prince turned his attention to the entire Consilium.
“While we wait to see how the Venetians respond to our spy, we shall begin preparations for war.”
“What about allies, my lord?” Aoibhe rose to speak, bowing first.
“What need have we of allies?” Maximilian interrupted, standing.
The Prince ignored his interruption.
“We don’t need allies to wage war against the Prince of Venice. He’s arrogant and weak. We’ll use cunning and our superior forces as our allies.”
“What if the Venetians aren’t the ones behind the attack?” Aoibhe pressed.
“Then our intelligence network and our new head of security need to make haste in discovering who is. Or there will be a need for new Consilium members.” The Prince’s tone was harsh.
The Consilium members stood and bowed as the Prince strode down the aisle and out the double doors to the hall. But as soon as he was gone, they gathered in a small circle and began whispering.
Chapter 7
“How does it feel to be dead, my lord?” Aoibhe addressed him in English as she entered his private rooms near the Council chamber.
He was seated in a tall wingbacked chair, perusing a leather-bound volume of Machiavelli and listening to medieval music, which he found soothing.
“A better question would be how does it feel to be dead again?”
Aoibhe laughed.
“There are many kinds of death. The littlest of them is my favorite.” She gave him a heated look.
He lifted his eyebrows but said nothing.
“I see you have yet to go into hiding.” She regarded his lavishly decorated apartment with appreciation.
“I wished to retrieve a few items.” He pointed to some books and a couple of manuscripts that he’d placed on a nearby table.
“When was the last time you fed, my lord?”
“Why?”
“I have procured sustenance for you. Someone lovely.”
“This is irregular.” The Prince’s eyes narrowed. “To what do I owe your generosity?”
“I’m glad you’re still alive.”
The Prince took a moment to examine her features.
She was beautiful and strong and very, very ambitious. He wondered if she resented Niccolò’s elevation. At the moment¸ it seemed clear she wanted something; he simply wasn’t able to discern what it was.
“Thank you, Aoibhe, but I’ve a war to plan.”
She gestured to the book he held in his hand. “As you said, Niccolò is the master of the art of war. And besides, you’re dead.”
The Prince huffed impatiently. “What do you want, Aoibhe?”
She moved to stand before him. “I want to give you a gift. And I want to lie with you after you’ve fed.”
She placed her hand on his sleeve.
His gaze moved to her hand.
“We haven’t coupled in some time. Why the sudden interest?”
“Not sudden, my lord. You know you’re my favorite. I am always available for your pleasure.”
She leaned closer.
When he didn’t move, she pressed her lips to his. “She’s fresh and young and ready to be plucked.”
He smiled wryly. “Is that what they’re calling it these days? Plucking?”
“I believe the younglings use another word that rhymes with that one. I’m surprised you’ve not heard it.” She bowed and disappeared through the door, closing it carefully behind her.
When she returned, a young human woman was with her, her fragrance light and sweet. She was clad in a summer blouse and skirt and was blindfolded. From her movements and the way Aoibhe murmured in her ear, the Prince divined that she was under mind control.
He closed his eyes and inhaled.
“A virgin? I didn’t think there were any left in Florence.” He gazed skeptically at Aoibhe.
“It appears you were wrong. She walked into Teatro of her own free will.”
“How old is she?”
“She is of age, my lord, as you can see.” Aoibhe’s dark eyes were shining. “I haven’t forgotten your prohibitions.”
The Prince took a moment to examine the young woman in the flickering candlelight. Her hair appeared silky and fell to her shoulders in honey-colored waves. She had perfect, olive-colored skin and her figure, although slight, was decidedly feminine
.
She smelled delicious.
His eyes moved from the woman to Aoibhe.
He could feed from the girl, perhaps even delighting himself by fornicating with her. Then he could couple with Aoibhe for the rest of the day. Sex between members of their kind was also explosive and it had been some time since he’d . . .
He found his thoughts reverting to the Emersons and the passionate, affectionate encounter he’d witnessed at the Uffizi. He remembered Julianne’s face and her happy laughter.
The green specter of jealousy reared its ugly head.
He regarded the young woman, noting her vacant expression and unsmiling mouth. Suddenly, Aoibhe’s virgin lost her luster.
“Your offer is generous but I must decline.”
“We could feed from her together. Or you could watch.” Aoibhe stroked the young woman’s cheek before leaning forward to kiss her.
The Prince observed the two females embrace with undisguised fascination, but his mind was already made up.
He cleared his throat.
“I’m in no mood for diversions. Someone sold secrets to our enemies and colluded with those enemies to have me killed.”
Aoibhe pecked the girl on the lips before wrapping her arm around her waist and moving the girl’s head to lean on her shoulder.
“That is precisely why you need a diversion. You need to clear your mind by nourishing your body and finding release.”
“Soon, perhaps.” His eyes searched hers. “But not now.”
“See how pretty she is. How inviting.” Aoibhe began to undo the buttons of the woman’s blouse, exposing her breasts. “She is wholly unspoiled.”
The Prince was treated to a view of the woman’s perfect chest before Aoibhe embraced her once again, kissing her neck.
Inexplicably, his anger flared.
“I said that’s enough,” the Prince snarled. “Ply your seductive wiles elsewhere. I’m in no mood for them this evening.”
Aoibhe froze, eyes wide, as if his reaction truly surprised her.
“As you wish, my lord.” She bowed meekly and redressed the woman. “We’ll be retiring to my home, should you change your mind.”
The Prince answered with a growl and Aoibhe pulled her young charge through the door, closing it quickly behind them.
With a string of Latin curses, the Prince threw the book he was holding across the room.
Chapter 8
“I think this is the most comfortable bed in the world.” Julianne sighed as she looked up at the stars.
It was the evening after the exhibition opening at the Uffizi. She and her husband were reclined on a large, square banquette situated on the terrace outside their hotel room.
“I think the bed in there is much more comfortable.” The professor gestured through the open doors that led to their suite, before rolling to his side.
He rested his hand on his wife’s lower abdomen.
“We’re exposed out here.”
She turned her head to meet his gaze. “Exposed? That never bothered you before. We’ve made love out here more than once.”
Gabriel’s reaction was veiled.
“What is it?” She placed her hand over his and pressed.
He looked at the sky and took a moment to survey their surroundings, pausing as his eyes were drawn in the direction of the roof.
“There’s something in the air. I don’t know. Something—unsettling.”
Julianne laughed and rolled into him, bringing their bodies together. “It’s going to rain. You can feel it, that’s all.”
Gabriel shook his head. Once again his gaze traveled to the roof. From his vantage point, he couldn’t see atop it.
(Even if he could, the vestiges of the attempted assassination had been washed away.)
“Do you think that you can feel darkness?”
Julianne’s delicate eyebrows arched. “Me, specifically? Or people in general?”
His sapphire eyes met hers. “Either.”
“I don’t know. By the time I felt darkness in the past, something bad had already happened.”
Gabriel muttered a curse and drew her tightly in his arms.
“Darling.” She lifted a hand to his face. “I know that something is troubling you. It’s been troubling you since we were in Umbria. But you can’t give in to the darkness. You have to rage against it.”
He gave her a half smile. “An oblique allusion to Dylan Thomas.”
“Which you identified easily, Professor.” She stroked the stubble on his chin.
“There’s something unsettling . . .” he repeated, his voice trailing off.
“Then let me settle you. We have this terrace all to ourselves and this beautiful, comfortable bed.”
She kissed him temptingly, teasing him with her tongue.
“Make love to me beneath the stars, Gabriel,” she whispered.
He pushed a lock of hair away from her face. “I would give you anything, just to make you smile. But tonight, let me love you indoors.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued, his sapphire eyes serious. “Please.”
She kissed him once again and took his hand, leading him through the terrace doors and into the bedroom.
Gabriel locked the doors behind them and pulled the curtains, proceeding to light candles around the room.
Julia retreated to one of the bathrooms in order to slip into something seductive.
They didn’t always have music playing in the background when they made love. Many of their couplings were spontaneous. But on this night, Gabriel chose to play the series of songs they’d listened to the first time they’d visited Florence together, when she’d given her virginity to him.
Julia heard the gentle voice of Matthew Barber fill the air as she admired herself in the mirror. She’d chosen a long nightgown in black silk. The gown had a slit on one side, which exposed a shapely leg, and she’d added thigh-high sheer black stockings.
Because her husband had a thing for her in high heels, she slipped into a pair of black patent stilettos before she exited the bathroom.
Her husband was reclining on the bed, shirtless, clad only in his favorite pair of worn, faded jeans.
She took a moment to admire his athletic form, the definition of his pectoral and abdominal muscles, the light dusting of hair on his chest, and the muscles of his biceps that flexed as he sat up.
“Here is an angel, fallen to earth,” he whispered, his blue eyes alight with erotic fire.
His gaze traveled from her eyes to her hair and down the length of her body, pausing to admire her legs and stockings before coming to rest on her shoes.
He licked his perfect lips.
She pushed her hair behind her ears. “I went shopping. Do you like it?”
Gabriel’s eyes blazed as he stood.
He strode toward her and placed his hands on either side of her face, bringing their lips together in a searing kiss.
“Like is not the appropriate word.”
He dropped to his knees in front of her, cupping her backside with his hands. He pulled her toward his mouth, pressing a kiss to the place where her navel lay hidden beneath the black silk.
“You’re breathtaking,” he murmured, looking up at her. “But I’m looking forward to peeling you out of this.”
She ran her fingers through his dark, tousled hair, pausing to kiss his forehead.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mrs. Emerson.”
He touched her ankle before sliding his hand all the way to the top of her stockings. He traced the lace before pulling the thigh-high down achingly slowly. Once he’d removed it, he replaced her shoe on her foot.
While he was repeating the same movements on her other leg, she rested her hand on his shoulder.
“A bit off balance?” He winked.
She floated her hand across his jaw. “In some cultures, you’d be worshipped. Instead, you’re my husband and you’re kneeling at my feet.”
He
paused his movements and glanced down at the ring on his left hand. He lifted it, watching in silent fascination as the candlelight shone over the smooth platinum.
“I long to worship you.”
She lifted his hand and kissed the place where the ring lay. “I long to be worshipped by you.”
In a flash, he was on his feet and she was in his arms, their mouths fused. He kissed her deeply, picking her up and carrying her to the bed.
There were no more words as he divested her of her nightgown and the thin scrap of lace that purported to be underwear. He kissed his way from the tops of her inner thighs all the way down to her high heels.
Then he, too, was naked and their bodies were tangling together in the center of the spacious white bed.
He pressed his hand to her hip as he adored her neck, kissing and tasting her smooth and perfect skin.
She reached for his backside, urging him forward and he complied, entering her swiftly.
She cried out immediately, in pain.
“Julianne?” He lifted himself on one arm.
She was grimacing, eyes screwed shut.
He withdrew from her immediately, panic washing over him. “What happened? Are you all right?”
She inhaled a deep breath.
“I’m okay. Something was off.”
His dark eyebrows knitted together. “I’m sorry.”
She pressed her hand on her lower abdomen, testing the area.
He sat back on his knees, watching her. “I thought you were ready. Forgive me.”
She smiled at him wanly. “There’s nothing to forgive. I invited you inside. I’m not sure what happened.”
Gabriel moved beside her, tugging her into his arms, his body tense.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and closed his eyes as his head rested back on the pillow. His face was pained.
She reached for his hand, interlacing their fingers. “It must have been the angle. We can continue.”
His jaw clenched and he shook his head.
Julianne brought their conjoined hands between her legs and encouraged him to touch her.
After a moment, Gabriel began to stroke her with a single finger.