She lingered for only an instant. But he felt her love radiating toward him, around him, into him. Heard her voice, faint but so ardent that he did not for an instant doubt the sincerity of the words she whispered.
Ti amo.
Even as she drifted into ether, he felt this vision of her more strongly than anything he had experienced while awake in the past year without her.
But every dream must end. And every dreamer must awaken.
He awoke clinging to the memory of her, reaching for the feel of her. With the knowledge that, just as the dragon dragged up from the depths of the Venetian lagoon had no place in the everyday world, Luciana did not truly belong by his side.
And yet, he knew he would never stop looking.
I will cross centuries and traverse continents to find you. I will scale mountain ranges and swim oceans to be with you. I will wait. Until the end of time if I must.
He stood at the window from which she had once leaped with her dark, wild hair streaming in the moonlight. He looked up into the night as fireworks exploded over her beloved Venice. Brilliant colors rained down over him, directly overhead. Tinny speakers broadcast rich arias from the neighboring balconies and rooftops. One emerald flare shot high into the sky to fracture into a million glittering fireflies.
I will slay dragons to be with you, he promised silently. I will find a way.
Until then, he would listen for the whisper of her honeyed voice in his dreams.
* * * * *
Acknowledgments
Thanks once again to my own set of earthly guardians:
Valerie Gray, executive editor at Harlequin MIRA. This novel exists because of your persistence and creative guidance. The book’s dedication is a reference to T. S. Eliot’s dedication of The Wasteland, “For Ezra Pound: il miglior fabbro” (“the better craftsman”). My gratitude goes out to la miglior fabbra, the better craftswoman, for helping me and many others write stories that would otherwise only exist in our dreams.
The team at MIRA. To the art department, bravo! Another gorgeous cover—your work inspires me. To editorial assistant Michelle Venditti and the Sales, Marketing and PR Departments, thanks for your hard work and dedication to entertaining, enriching and inspiring.
Kimberly Whalen. Agent favolosa at Trident Media Group, your advice is invaluable.
Patricia, Garyen, Johanna. Parents and sister, thank you for your encouragement and support. Thanks especially to my mom for my first, wonderful trip to Venice. And for passing on your creative spark.
Friends, teachers, fellow writers. For your generosity of spirit and the lessons you’ve taught me, I’m truly grateful. Grazie mille to Linda Hutcheon for your unflagging belief in me, and for sharing your love of opera (and SO much more) with so many of your students.
Readers and bloggers. You have my most sincere appreciation, especially those who have reached out with kind words to welcome me into the romance community.
Dexter the pug. Thank you for bringing us so much love with your big pug smile.
* * *
My husband, Ed. Last of all, but first in my heart, thank you to my real-life Guardian. I’m constantly humbled by your commitment to excellence and your contributions to humanity. Every moment with you is truly a gift.
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ISBN: 9781459237803
Copyright © 2012 by Stephanie Chong
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Table of Contents
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
The Demoness of Waking Dreams (Company of Angels) Page 30