Free Cortigiana (A Vamp Life Prequel) by Jez Strider Page A

servant returned.
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.
After waiting until I could no longer keep
my eyes open, I fell asleep. Later, a noise at my window woke me.
Darkness filled the room, but I could make out the silhouette of a
man. I started to scream, but he had crossed the room and covered
my mouth with his hand before the sound could escape.
    “ Shh. It is Antonio.” He
removed his palm.
    My eyes squinted to see him
as he lit a candle on the bedside table. The flame flickered,
revealing his form. “Why did you sneak in? How did you sneak in?”
    “ Giulia is camped out in the
hallway. She is terrified of what Dante will do if he finds out you
left.” He reached out and touched my cheek. “I did not want to
raise suspicion so I climbed down from the upper level and came in
through your window.”
    “ That is far and there is
little to hang onto.” I held his other hand with mine.
    “ I know, but I needed to see
you one last time.” Briefly, his voice cracked and he looked
away.
    “ What do you mean by that?”
I spoke calmly, but only barely.
Antonio bowed his head. He started to speak.
Stopped. Tried again. “I received a letter from Master Sanuto. He
requested that I leave immediately to handle his business out of
the country. His arrival is set for tomorrow. He missed you.”
    “ Wait. Dante will be home
tomorrow and you are leaving? When?”
    “ Now.”
It would have hurt less if Antonio had
curled his large hand into a fist and punched me in the stomach or
face. “How long will you be gone?”
Abruptly, my hand was released and my lover
stalked across away to the window he’d entered the room through.
“Never.” His back was to me. He didn’t have the decency to say it
to my face.
    “ Surely not forever?” I
refused to believe what he said.
    “ This affair has always been
temporary. I cannot stay with you.” That’s when he turned to look
at me with an expression that held no tenderness.
    He was leaving. I ran forward to stop
him. I grabbed his arm and held on as hard as I could. “Please. One
last time, I beg you to take me away. I love you.”
    “ It is over. I cannot love
you. Goodbye, Evelina.” Easily, he freed his arm from my grasp and
disappeared out the window.
I leaned outside, scanning the darkness. It
appeared that he had jumped, but I saw no sign of him when I gazed
down. There had been no splash of water to indicate he’d landed in
the canal. When I turned my gaze upward, he was nowhere in
sight.

    “ I hate you, Antonio.” The
pillow beneath my face choked the continuous sobs along with my
words. Tears wet the soft fabric. My nose stuffed up and I had to
lift my head from the pillow to breathe.
    I should have known better
than to trust him . For maybe two seconds the angrily thought words halted my
tears. But, his scent surrounded me on the bed where he’d taken
me, claimed me as
his own, loved me.
Growing frantic, I slid out of the bed and
grabbed the manly, sexually aromatic sheets and tugged them off the
bed. I struggled to tear them apart, shred the torturous reminder
of Antonio to pieces. Frustration caused me to growl when I
couldn’t rip the fabric. Limply, I lowered my arms and let