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Prologue
May 2013
Florence, Italy
SHE WAS DYING
The Prince heard her heart stutter and slow and her breathing grow even shallower The young wo
The humans had smashed her skull into a wall No doubt her brain was injured The skin on her arms was pale, almost translucent Her face was bruised and smeared with blood
The Prince had seen goodness die, not once but twice He’d held it in his hands and seen the life ebb out of it, like sand sifting through his fingers
He would not let such beauty die
Out of sight of the other vampyres, he retrieved the illustrations he’d left on the roof He cradled the with the woman as he flew across the Ponte Vecchio to the other side of the Arno River With every step, he focused his ancient hearing on the sound of her heartbeat, worried it would fall silent before he reached the safe haven of his villa
He would have to give her a great deal of vampyre blood in order to heal her It was possible she was beyond help And it wouldn’t be his blood he would give to her Not even to save her life
The Prince quickened his pace, his figureup the hill When he reached the heavy iron gates that surrounded his hohtly With a cry, he leapt over the barrier, landing like a cat on the other side The woroaned at the movement, and her eyes flickered open
“Cassita,” he whispered, his gray eyeshers “Stay awake”
Her eyes rolled back into her head
“Sard,” he cursed, sprinting to the front door of the villa and barrelling inside
He didn’t bother calling for his servants; he had mereForever
To hisone of the volumes on the shelf A wooden panel on a nearby walla hidden door
Without hesitation, the Prince entered the absolute darkness that shrouded the doorway and descended a staircase, stepping nimbly until he reached the lower level He ran down the hall until he reached a heavy iron door He pressed a secret code into a number pad and waited impatiently as the door opened
The worew fainter still
He held her close, pressing her face into his neck, as if his strength could be passed to her As if, by his touch, he could keep her from death
He wound his way through row upon roine bottles, carefully stacked in tall, wooden racks that reached over six feet in height He moved to the very back of the wine cellar, where his oldest vintages were stored
Placing the woman on a wooden table, he put his illustrations to one side He’d attend to thee) later
The Prince chose one of his es, the blood of an old one he’d destroyed in the fourteenth century He uncorked the bottle and swept his finger inside, retrieving a black substance He placed his finger in the woman’s half-open mouth
It wasn’t the best way to feed her She was unconscious and unable to s He could only hope that the va off her imminent death
Within a minute, the woman drew a sharp breath
He withdrew his finger, noting it was clean He ja it withdarkness
He placed his finger in her ue moved A weak half-s follow
ed
He whispered old words in her ear, lapsing into Latin as he exhorted her
The woman’s heart skipped a beat, then increased its s drew a deeper breath He could hear her veins begin to huh her body
But these were reflexes—the body hungering for life while the mind remained unconscious
He fed her a little , her pulse rereater quantities than she could take orally But he couldn’t riskher until he was satisfied she’d survive the time it would take to set up a transfusion
The Prince cursed the animals that had attacked her
He fed her twice es fro them under his arm He’d leave the illustrations behind, for the present They were safe enough in his wine cellar Although the thief had taken them from his home before…
He lifted the wounded lark into his arms and transported her to the hallway He whispered to her as he cli her to hold fast to life
He was far from certain she’d survive the transfusion But for the sake of the goodness of her soul, he would try
Chapter One
August 2013
Florence, Italy
“THE HUMAN IS DEAD” Gregor’s Russian accent was far more pronounced as he spoke nervously to the Prince of Florence
The Prince had just regained control of his principality and was closeted with his for eyes and ears
“Dead?” The Prince’s stoic expression slipped
“Yes,to protect your pet and her sister when Maximilian killed him He came with the sister from America”
“Where’s the body?” The Prince abruptly unsheathed and sheathed his sword
“With the police There’s to be an autopsy” Gregor hesitated
The Prince speared his assistant with a look “And?”
“The huence network is concerned about a policeh he isn’t involved in the ation, he’s aware your pet and her sister have disappeared He’s clai a connection between all of this and the robbery of the Uffizi”
The Prince bared his teeth “An autopsy will expose us Instruct the network to claiive them further instructions”
The Prince strode toward the door of his study without a backward glance Raven and her sister would be devastated to learn that Daniel was dead That is, if they were still alive
He touched the handle of the door “Asse the borders Word of the attempted coup will spread It’s possible even one of our allies will take this opportunity to attack us We must be prepared”
Gregor bowed “Yes, my lord”
“Tell the loyal the treasury will be opened in order to reward them You and Aoibhe are to oversee the distribution, and I task you with keeping her generosity moderate”
The Prince placed his hand on the hilt of his sword “You and she are the last re members of the Consilium I’m sure you’re aware you cannot trust her It see with Ibarra, who is still alive and roa party to locate him”
“Ibarra?” Gregor’s eyes widened “But you executed him”
“I did” The Prince wore a grim expression “It seems he was…resurrected”