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

the
sheet fall from my grasp.
The love affair was over. I knew from the
pain in my chest that my dreams would never be realized. Something
had changed his mind. I didn’t know if he was scared of Dante. A
part of me hoped it all was a lie and he’d return to whisk me
away.
Footsteps outside my room put me on high
alert. Had he returned already? As I ran to the door, I wiped the
tears from my now reddened cheeks. I threw it open wide and smiled,
ready to forgive Antonio already.
    “ Dante…” I said, trying not
to sound surprised. A shriek threatened to tear from my throat, but
I held it back while keeping the smile painfully stretched across
my face.
    “ You appear surprised, my
dear. Were you not told I would be returning?” He removed his
gloves slowly and placed them on the dresser. An elegant sort of
cape draped over his shoulder and flowed to the floor behind
him.
Something came over me. Desperation, most
likely. I wrapped my arms around the man. I needed someone to hold
me, whether it was Antonio or not. “I missed you.” I lied.
He hugged me firmly against him, but his
embrace held no warmth. His touch had never been extremely gentle.
It was intense, like the man. He pushed me forward and I backed
into the bed, sitting down. I looked up at him. His white hair and
eyes appeared luminescent.
    “ Absence made your heart
grow fonder?” He asked without expression or emotion.
    “ Yes, Master.” Heart? The wretched organ
still beat even when ripped into bloody shards.
The corner of his mouth curled up a little.
“Well, let me give you a night to remember.”
To my shock, I almost forgot about Antonio
as Dante ravaged my body. The violent abuse was reminiscent of the
night before he’d left for his trip. There was no comfort to make
me forget Antonio, just pain, as Dante slammed into me and then
lowered his mouth to my throat. The slight sting I expected didn’t
come. Not this time. Instead, Dante bit into my throat roughly and
sucked on the wound. I had my suspicions that he might be a
vampire, but I was not sure. One thing I did know. He was a sick,
sadistic son of a bitch. Maybe the silver lining of the situation
would be Antonio’s freedom from Dante’s control.

My entire body ached when I woke up the next
day. When I turned my neck, I winced. Pain shot up the side. I
wrapped a sheet around me, but it did little to stop the chills as
I walked over to check my reflection. On the side of my neck, two
gashes made me step back from the mirror.
    No .
Scared, I check the wounds more closely. The
flesh around the tears was turning black. I lifted my hand to my
mouth, that’s when I broke into a fit of coughs. Something wet was
in my palm. Blood.
    “ Mistress Evelina, Dante
requests your presence downstairs.” Giulia banged on the door a few
times. Her mood had not improved.
    “ In… in a minute.” I dressed
quickly and covered the gangrenous looking bite mark. Seeing
Giulia’s bruised face caused me to gasp. “Forgive me for causing
him to punish you.” I ran downstairs before she could
respond.
    “ Sit and eat.” Dante ordered
and a servant pulled out a chair for me.
    My nerves shot, I twiddled
my fingers in my lap. That’s when I noticed my fingernails appeared
discolored. They were darker than normal, though not black like the
plague victims. Yet . I curled my hands into fists so I would not see them and
closed my eyes.
    “ Was I too rough on you,
dearest?” He lifted a spoon to his mouth without looking at
me.
    “ No, sir. I feel ill.” I
knew I had to tell him. Too many innocent people lived in the
house. Dante could be infected. Antonio could be… oh god, no .
    “ I am sorry to hear that.
Eat something and you will feel better.”
I stood up slowly and walked toward him. His
eyes lifted and his pale eyebrows along with them. “I need to tell
you something.”
    “ Go on.”
After taking a deep breath, I removed the
fabric covering the wound on my neck.
Dante cleared his throat and had a