She took in his expression, his eyes, his posture. He was clearly earnest and unsure how he would be received.
She answered him by bringing their lips together.
He kissed her intently but reverently, his mouth desperately seeking their connection.
At length they parted, and he brought their foreheads together.
“I didn’t know what darkness was until I lost you.”
“You found me again. I love you, too.”
He kissed her, this time more passionately, his hands moving to press against her backside. Then, with a devilish smile, he tucked her under his arm.
“Hold tight,” he ordered.
She clung to him, arms wrapped around his neck. “Where are we going?”
“To celebrate by loving one another with our bodies.” He squeezed her waist.
She peered down at their perch. “Not here.”
He laughed. “Certainly not. Not even I am bold enough to join with you on holy ground.” He moved to whisper in her ear. “There is another venue I think will please you.”
He tightened his hold on her and they leapt from the dome, to a lower half dome, before descending the great stone structure.
Chapter Fifty-five
From the terrace atop the Loggia dei Lanzi, one can see the Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi, and the beautiful and spacious Piazza Signoria. One can also see Brunelleschi’s dome rising in the distance.
Not that Raven and William were looking.
They were in one another’s arms, passionately kissing against a wall.
“I can’t believe you’re in my arms,” he murmured, stroking her neck.
She hummed at his words, returning his embrace with eagerness.
William’s tongue teased her mouth, slipping inside before retreating. He enjoyed reciprocity, the way she responded to his touch.
Her back was to the wall, his body flush with hers. His hand paid homage to her collarbone, smoothing across her skin and tracing the neckline of her dress.
She shivered in anticipation and need, her mind and heart full of everything that was William—the one who truly loved her, all of her, as herself.
She tried to pour her love and affection into her eager touches, exploring his broad shoulders and the muscles that rippled from underneath his shirt before dropping down to appreciate the planes of his chest.
Growling, William brought their hips together.
She scratched his scalp, smiling against his lips at his guttural reaction.
He nipped her lower lip and kissed along her jawline, pressing himself more tightly against her.
“Are you cold?” He moved so he could see her face.
“It’s July.” She grinned.
He placed his palm to the wall beside her hip. “I don’t sense temperatures as well as a human. The stone must be cool against your back.”
“All I feel is you.”
With a tilt of her head, she exposed her neck. He brushed her black hair aside and pulled some of her flesh into his mouth, sucking gently.
“Feed from me,” she whispered.
His lips descended her throat, kissing a path to her shoulder. “No.”
“Why not?”
William lifted his head. Even in the semidarkness Raven could see he was conflicted.
“You’re exquisite. I want you. But what we share tonight is a different kind of sustenance.” He toyed with her hair, watching as the long strands spilled over his fingers.
“But I love you. I want to give you this.”
He kissed a lock of her hair before releasing it. His arm wrapped around her waist and he lifted her, winding her legs around his hips.
“Let me love you, Raven, with my heart.”
She blinked hard, if only to keep the rising emotion at bay. Now was not the time for tears, not when he was gifting her with everything she had ever wanted.
She kissed him deeply as his hand slid from her breast to her ribs and down to her backside. Raven held her breath as he lifted her skirt and placed his palm against the outside of her thigh.
He made a circle against her skin before squeezing her hip. A single finger traced the top of her panties before descending between her legs.
She moaned her appreciation as he touched her over the silk. In an instant, her underwear was gone and he was stroking her, testing her.
Her mouth found his ear. “Please.”
His hand moved between them, removing the barriers. Then, with eyes fixed on hers and an animalistic sound, he plunged inside. Raven clutched at his shoulders, focusing on the pleasurable sensation.
His movement wasn’t slow. He thrust deep, his hands underneath her backside, lifting and squeezing her. Raven flexed her hips, trying to bring him farther inside her.
She clung to him, their chests rubbing against one another.
He was rumbling in her ear. Her pants and cries spurred him on.
Deeper and faster, he moved at a feverish pace.
She couldn’t keep her eyes open, focusing only on the feelings he elicited from her, the way every stroke, every movement, sent her ascending higher and higher to bliss.
Her heels dug into his ass as she gripped him with her thighs, well beyond words.
Suddenly she was gasping and crying out.
Her body stiffened in his arms and still he continued, thrusting and swirling inside her. When she grew limp and buried her face in his neck, only then did he allow himself to climax.
Her name was the first word on his lips.
Raven was breathing heavily, her heartbeat racing.
William listened to the foreign and rhythmic sounds of his lover’s body, knowing with pride that he’d caused those reactions.
They stood for what seemed like an age, the young woman and the centuries-old vampyre, holding one another desperately on a rooftop that overlooked the Uffizi.
They were the most improbable of lovers. Yet it was manifest to both they were indeed a perfect match.
Raven’s heart was full, her mind relaxed, her body sated.
“Now that you’ve given me your gift, I must give you mine.” He stroked her cheek, his eyes alight.
Raven placed her hand flat against his chest, over his heart. She felt the strange rhythm under her palm, and the almost frightening silence.
“This is the only gift I want.”
“You have it.” He lifted her fingers and kissed them, one by one. “But you’ll want the other gift I’m going to give you.”
He extricated himself from her body, placing her on unsteady feet.
He righted his trousers and withdrew a handkerchief from the pocket. Supporting her with an arm around her waist, he lifted her skirt to press the linen between her legs.
Raven leaned into him and sighed. “This is my gift,” she said quietly. “The way you touch me, I can tell that you love me. But I’m still happy to have the words.”
“I love you,” he whispered. “Defensa.”
She smiled against his shoulder. “That’s a new name. I’m no longer wounded; I’m a protector.”
“You’ve always been a protector.” He kissed her forehead before tracing the faded scar that marred it. “You told me once that no one ever defended you. Tonight, I will.”
“What?” She pulled back, confused.
William tossed the handkerchief aside.
“I promised to give you justice. I keep my promises.”
A wave of anxiety passed over her. “William, what have you done?”
He smiled at her slowly. “It’s what I am going to do. Come.”
He pulled her tightly against him and they climbed to the roof, their bodies disappearing into the night like a wisp of smoke.
Glossary of Terms and Proper Names
(NB: This list contains spoilers)
ALLEGRA—Fifteenth-century woman and lover of the Prince.
AMBROGIO—William York’s servant.
ANGELO—Homeless man and friend of Raven Wood.
AOIBHE
—Pronounced “A-vuh.” An Irish member of the Consilium.
ISPETTOR BATELLI—Police inspector in Florence.
THE CONSILIUM—The ruling council of the principality of Florence. It consists of six members: Lorenzo, Niccolò, Aoibhe, Ibarra, Maximilian, and Pierre. The Prince is an ex officio member.
THE CURIA—Enemy of the supernatural beings.
GABRIEL EMERSON—The professor is a Dante specialist who teaches at Boston University. He is the owner of a famed set of Botticelli illustrations of Dante’s Divine Comedy, which he lent to the Uffizi Gallery in 2011. His story is told in the Gabriel’s Inferno trilogy: Gabriel’s Inferno, Gabriel’s Rapture, and Gabriel’s Redemption.
JULIA EMERSON—Doctoral student at Harvard University. She is married to Gabriel and the co-owner of the Botticelli illustrations.
FEEDERS—Derogatory term for human beings who offer themselves up as a food source to supernatural beings.
FERALS—Supernatural beings who live and hunt alone. They display brutal, animalistic behavior.
GREGOR—Personal assistant to the Prince.
HUMAN INTELLIGENCE NETWORK—Human beings who are contracted to provide information to the supernatural beings. They also provide security and perform specific tasks.
THE HUNTERS—Humans who hunt and kill supernatural beings for commercial purposes.
IBARRA—A Basque member of the Consilium and head of security for the principality of Florence.
FATHER KAVANAUGH—Former director of Covenant House in Orlando, Florida, and friend of Raven Wood.
LORENZO—A member of the Medici family and second in command in the principality of Florence. Also a member of the Consilium.
LUCIA—Ambrogio’s wife and servant to William York.
LUKA—Servant to William York.
MARCO—Servant to William York.
MARCUS—Also known as the Prince of Venice. Former ruler of the underworld principality of Venice, now deceased.
MARIA—A young girl with special needs who lives at the Franciscan orphanage in Florence. She is introduced in Gabriel’s Redemption.
MAXIMILIAN—A Prussian member of the Consilium.
THE MEDICI—Famous ruling family of Florence during the Renaissance.
GINA MOLINARI—Friend of Raven Wood, employed in the archives of the Uffizi Gallery.
NICCOLÒ—Famous Florentine and member of the Consilium. Head of intelligence for the principality of Florence.
OLD ONES—A special class of supernatural beings who, by virtue of having attained seven hundred years in their supernatural state, enjoy tremendous power and special abilities.
GIUSEPPE PACCIANI—A professor of Dante at the University of Florence. His backstory is given in the Gabriel’s Inferno series.
KATHERINE PICTON—Retired Dante specialist and former professor at the University of Toronto. Her backstory is described in the Gabriel’s Inferno series. Friend of the Emersons.
PIERRE—A French member of the Consilium. Oversees security and liaises with the human intelligence network as well as the police services.
THE PRINCE—Ruler of the principality of Florence, the underworld society of supernatural beings.
RECRUITS—New supernatural beings, formerly human.
THE ROMAN—Ruler of the principality of Rome and also the head of the kingdom of Italy, which includes all the Italian principalities.
AGENT SAVOLA—Interpol agent assigned to Florence.
SIMONETTA—Th e Princess of Umbria.
STEFAN—A supernatural physician of French-Canadian origin.
PROFESSOR URBANO—Director of the restoration project working on the Birth of Venus. Raven Wood’s supervisor.
THE VENETIANS—Supernatural beings living in the principality of Venice.
DOTTOR VITALI—Director of the Uffizi Gallery. He appears in the Gabriel’s Inferno trilogy.
PATRICK WONG—Canadian citizen and friend of Raven Wood. Works in the archives at the Uffizi Gallery.
CAROLYN (CARA) WOOD—Raven’s younger sister. Carolyn is a real estate agent in Miami, Florida.
RAVEN WOOD—American citizen and postdoctoral restoration worker at the Uffizi Gallery.
WILLIAM YORK—A wealthy Florentine and patron of the Uffizi Gallery. He appears briefly in Gabriel’s Redemption.
YOUNGLINGS—Supernatural beings who have yet to attain one hundred years in their supernatural state.
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to Sandro Botticelli and the incomparable space that is the Uffizi Gallery. I’m also indebted to the citizens of Florence, who gifted me with hospitality and inspiration.
I’ve used poetic license in locating Raven’s restoration lab at the Uffizi, since it would have been undertaken at one of the labs operated by the Opificio instead.
Quotations from Lucius Apuleius’s “The Golden Ass” are from William Adlington’s translation, as presented in Project Gutenberg.
I am grateful to Kris, who read an early draft and offered invaluable constructive criticism. I am also thankful to Jennifer and to Nina for their feedback and support.
I’ve been very pleased to work with Cindy Hwang, my editor. Thanks are also due to Tom Guida for his wisdom and energy. And thanks to the copyediting, art, and design teams who worked on the book and its cover at various stages.
My publicist, Nina Bocci, works tirelessly to promote my writing and to help me with social media, which enables me to stay in touch with readers. I’m honored to be part of her team.
Elizabeth de Vos, Bee W., Elena, Becca, Ellie, Heidi, Tiffany, and Chris all contributed in their areas of expertise. Thank you.
I would also like to thank those who have offered support, especially the Muses, Erika, Argyle Empire, and the readers from around the world who operate the SRFans social media accounts.
Finally, I would like to thank my readers and my family. Your continued support is inestimable, especially as we return to Florence for a new adventure.
—SR
ASCENSION 2014
Books by Sylvain Reynard
GABRIEL’S INFERNO
GABRIEL’S RAPTURE
GABRIEL’S REDEMPTION
THE RAVEN
Novella
THE PRINCE
Keep reading for an excerpt from
the sequel to The Raven, the second
book in the Florentine series.
Coming soon from Berkley Books
William leaned over, bringing his lips to Raven’s ear. “Happy birthday.”
Raven stood, staring at the man in the cell, a feeling of horror paralyzing her.
William noticed her pale face, her pounding heart, and the obvious scent of fear that lifted from her skin.
“That is not the reaction I was hoping for,” he said dryly.
She lifted a shaking finger, pointing toward the cell.
“What’s he doing here?”
William frowned. “I should have thought that would be obvious.”
Raven’s eyes met his. She blinked. “What?”
“I swore I’d give you justice.” He extended his hand in the direction of the prisoner. “This is justice.”
“How?” she asked, her breath hitching.
“I brought him here so you can kill him.”
“Stelle Su Firenze”
An Outtake from Gabriel’s Redemption
“I think if we sat here long enough, the whole world would walk by.” Julia’s voice was wistful as she rested her head on Gabriel’s shoulder.
It was their last night in Florence. They’d spent the evening dining at a romantic restaurant overlooking the Arno River. Then they’d wandered the narrow streets before arriving at the Loggia dei Lanzi. From this vantage point, they could watch the Piazza della Signoria come to life after dark.
Tourists and locals milled about the Piazza or enjoyed a drink at one of the cafés. Nearby, a string quartet played Verdi, filling the square with a beautiful melancholy.
Julia watched in fascination as s
treet vendors launched glowing cylinders into the air, the toys sparkling like firecrackers against the inkblack sky. But always, the objects would fall to the ground, their brief foray into the heavens ended by gravity.
A strange sadness crept over her. “We try to touch the stars, but we always fall back to earth.”
Gabriel drew her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist. “That’s true, but it isn’t like you to despair.”
“I’m not in despair. I just don’t want to go back. Not after . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“I don’t want to go back either, but summer has to end eventually.”
He brushed a light kiss against her dark hair before pulling her to her feet. As the music continued, he walked her to the center of the piazza. Then he took her in his arms and began to sway to the music.
She closed her eyes, floating over the stone beneath their feet as he expertly moved them.
He tightened his grip on her waist. “I’m sorry we’ve been fighting.”
Julia opened her eyes. “Me too.”
“I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“You brought me here.”
“I’m the reason you’re constantly falling back to earth.” Gabriel’s blue eyes were earnest and searching. “I drag you from the stars—from where you belong.”
She gave him a sad smile. “It’s the human condition. We’re bound to fall.”
He stopped dancing, his eyes boring into hers. “You should never have to fall, Julianne.”
He kissed her gently and they continued dancing, stopping only when the last strains of Verdi no longer echoed through the night.
They returned to the loggia, sitting side by side on the stone bench. His fingers traced the folds of her silk dress in what he hoped would be a comforting manner.
“I wish I could sit in this piazza forever.” She gazed at the elaborate fountain nearby, and the elderly couple who were standing next to it, holding hands. “We could grow old here.”
Gabriel followed her gaze, the edges of his lips turning up.