The Raven (39 page)

His eyes lifted to Raven’s, a strange fire in them.

“When I saw you that night, pressed against a wall, those animals eating you, you reminded me of her—this beautiful, gentle girl. You were going to die because you’d been walking a dark street alone. I couldn’t let that happen.

“Aoibhe and some of the others found us. Your blood smells sweet and they wanted it. By then, I knew I wasn’t going to feed from you. I told them you were mine and took you away.”

“William,” she whispered, “thank you for having mercy on me.”

He stiffened. “I don’t think
mercy
is in my vocabulary.”

“But you acted mercifully. You honored her memory by saving my life.”

“I may have saved your life, Cassita, but I lost you just the same.”

The despair in his voice both wounded and irritated her.

She disentangled her hand from his. “You only lost me because you don’t love me.”

“You are mistaken.” He pulled her against him, his expression earnest. “This past month I’ve been waiting, thinking what I felt for you would recede. If my ability to love died with Alicia, or if it ended when I became a vampyre, I should have been able to forget you.

“I couldn’t. Every morning and every evening, my thoughts fixed on you—on your face, your smile, your very being. I found myself wondering what you were doing, if you were safe, if you were jumping between someone and his attacker.”

He took her hand and kissed it, running his thumb across her life line.

“Your name suits you, you know. Raven—the beautiful, fearless black bird. I’ve been in mourning for centuries but nothing has distressed me as much as losing you.”

“You aren’t the only one who was hurt.” She tried to swallow back the rising emotion.

“Forgive me.” He cupped her cheek. “I came to you tonight because I couldn’t allow the light of my life to be extinguished without seeing you one last time.”

“Then tell me,” she whispered.

His expression faltered. “I lack the words, in any language.”

“Just say it.” She reached up on tiptoe and placed her hand against his face. “Say what you feel, William. Be brave.”

His fingers closed over her wrist, holding her hand to him.

“When I spoke to you about hope the night I took you to the Consilium, my hope was that you could see beyond the callous contract I was foolishly trying to make. That you would stay with me and be mine because you wanted me as desperately as I wanted you.”

She gazed up at him sadly. “We’re from two different worlds.”

“Maybe we can create a new one.”

“Only at great risk to you and your city.”

He inhaled deeply, his eyes fixed on hers.

“What are a thousand cities to me if I am without you?”

Raven searched his eyes, which were dark and desperate. She felt his fingers nervously tighten around her wrist.

“Are you certain?” she asked, returning his stare.

“If I lose you, I lose everything. You are the only goodness in my world.”

“You’ve been alone a long time. You suffered a great loss. I’m sorry for that,” she said softly. “I can understand your reticence to tell secrets. But love isn’t secretive or one-sided.”

“It isn’t,” he said fiercely.

“Then tell me.”

He kissed her forehead. “
Je t’aim.”

Raven savored the moment, letting the old words burn into her consciousness.

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.

F
rom 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.

(NB: This list contains spoilers)

A
LLEGRA
—
Fifteenth-century woman and lover of the Prince.

A
MBROGIO
—
William York’s servant.

A
NGELO
—
Homeless man and friend of Raven Wood.

A
OIBHE
—
Pronounced “A-vuh
.
”
An Irish member of the Consilium.

I
SPETTOR
B
ATELLI
—
Police inspector in Florence.

T
HE
C
ONSILIUM
—
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.

T
HE
C
URIA
—
Enemy of the supernatural beings.

G
ABRIEL
E
MERSON
—
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.

J
ULIA
E
MERSON
—
Doctoral student at Harvard University. She is married to Gabriel and the co-owner of the Botticelli illustrations.

F
EEDERS
—
Derogatory term for human beings who offer themselves up as a food source to supernatural beings.

F
ERALS
—
Supernatural beings who live and hunt alone. They display brutal, animalistic behavior.

G
REGOR
—
Personal assistant to the Prince.

H
UMAN INTELLIGENCE NETWORK
—
Human beings who are contracted to provide information to the supernatural beings. They also provide security and perform specific tasks.

T
HE
H
UNTERS
—
Humans who hunt and kill supernatural beings for commercial purposes.

I
BARRA
—
A Basque member of the Consilium and head of security for the principality of Florence.

F
ATHER
K
AVANAUGH
—
Former director of Covenant House in Orlando, Florida, and friend of Raven Wood.

L
ORENZO
—
A member of the Medici family and second in command in the principality of Florence. Also a member of the Consilium.

L
UCIA
—
Ambrogio’s wife and servant to William York.

L
UKA
—
Servant to William York.

M
ARCO
—
Servant to William York.

M
ARCUS
—
Also known as the Prince of Venice. Former ruler of the underworld principality of Venice, now deceased.

M
ARIA
—
A young girl with special needs who lives at the Franciscan orphanage in Florence. She is introduced in
Gabriel’s Redemption
.

M
AXIMILIAN
—
A Prussian member of the Consilium.

T
HE
M
EDICI
—
Famous ruling family of Florence during the Renaissance.

G
INA
M
OLINARI
—
Friend of Raven Wood, employed in the archives of the Uffizi Gallery.

N
ICCOLÒ
—
Famous Florentine and member of the Consilium. Head of intelligence for the principality of Florence.

O
LD 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.

G
IUSEPPE
P
ACCIANI
—
A professor of Dante at the University of Florence. His backstory is given in the Gabriel’s Inferno series.

K
ATHERINE
P
ICTON
—
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.

P
IERRE
—
A French member of the Consilium. Oversees security and liaises with the human intelligence network as well as the police services.

T
HE
P
RINCE
—
Ruler of the principality of Florence, the underworld society of supernatural beings.

R
ECRUITS
—
New supernatural beings, formerly human.

T
HE
R
OMAN
—
Ruler of the principality of Rome and also the head of the kingdom of Italy, which includes all the Italian principalities.

A
GENT
S
AVOLA
—
Interpol agent assigned to Florence.

S
IMONETTA
—
Th e Princess of Umbria.

S
TEFAN
—
A supernatural physician of French-Canadian origin.

P
ROFESSOR
U
RBANO
—
Director of the restoration project working on the
Birth of Venus
. Raven Wood’s supervisor.

T
HE
V
ENETIANS
—
Supernatural beings living in the principality of Venice.

D
OTTOR
V
ITALI
—
Director of the Uffizi Gallery. He appears in the Gabriel’s Inferno trilogy.

P
ATRICK
W
ONG
—
Canadian citizen and friend of Raven Wood. Works in the archives at the Uffizi Gallery.

C
AROLYN
(C
ARA
) W
OOD
—
Raven’s younger sister. Carolyn is a real estate agent in Miami, Florida.

R
AVEN
W
OOD
—
American citizen and postdoctoral restoration worker at the Uffizi Gallery.

W
ILLIAM
Y
ORK
—
A wealthy Florentine and patron of the Uffizi Gallery. He appears briefly in
Gabriel’s Redemption.

Y
OUNGLINGS
—
Supernatural beings who have yet to attain one hundred years in their supernatural state.