“This is beyond what I expected, Niccolò, you are most gracious” I replied earnestly, pushing aside my self-mutilating contemplations.
“Well then, I shall give you a moment to settle yourself. Please, take as much time as you require and I look forward to your joining me downstairs when you are ready.” Niccolò smiled as he turned to go, closing the door quietly behind him, leaving me alone.
I turned back and stared in awe at the room for a long moment before carrying my bag to the settee at the foot of the bed and sitting upon it.
Upon unfastening my satchel, the heavenly scent of her swiftly permeated the air about me, carrying with it her beautiful memory. Flinging the contents of the bag all about me— all of which now were saturated in the same aroma, at last I came across the gown I had swiped from her chamber when last I was in her presence.
Lifting it to my face I let my eyes fall shut and breathed in long and slow. Her intoxicating aroma infiltrated my head, moving straight to my heart and shaking my soul, bringing the presence of her back to life. I moved to the bed, and laid down, clutching it against me and let the wave of emotion I had so carefully held back the past few days take over, the hot tears escaping down my cheeks.
Like leaves upon the Tuscan breeze, the years they passed by, though never did the memory of Giuliana fade from me. It remained just as strong as the day I last saw her, last held her in my arms. Always with me she remained, safe in my heart, every moment of each new day. I held tight to the faith that we would be together again. I just did not know when…
Niccolò and I had established a nice comfortable life together. Though I was his servant, never did he try to take advantage or push the limits of my comfort level, and he was always careful to make sure I was willing before requesting something of me. When first I arrived, in the fragile condition I was in, he required nothing at all of me, instead allowing me as much time as I needed to settle, leaving it to me to offer my blood to him. Because I felt absolutely no pressure from him, in little time I yielded my body to him. As a lover, he proved to be gentle and attentive, holding my needs just as highly as his own.
He truly was not only the most decent Vampire I had ever known, but more so, he was the most decent man I had ever known! Something which I had not previously thought possible.
Then suddenly one day, this female Vampire just showed up on our doorstep.
“Vincenzo,” Niccolò called me into the foyer, his tone joyous as was so typical of him. “I want you to meet a very dear old friend of mine!”
As I made my way into the foyer, there stood a somewhat disheveled woman with a head of wild red curls, a stark contrast to her pearl white flesh, her permanently anguished eyes an ethereal shade of topaz, shining like jewels.
“Ah Vincenzo,” Niccolò wrapped his arm about me as I positioned myself at his side. “May I present Aislinn MacAuliffe.”
She smiled and out of courtesy I took her hand and brought it to my lips. I stepped back suddenly, stunned that it was warm instead of the typical ice cold flesh.
Just what sort of creature is she?
She looked like Vampire. But never had I known a Vampire to have warm skin. Never.
And yet, human I was certain she was not either. So then, what was she?
“I am most pleased to make your acquaintance, Vincenzo,” the creature said in a lyrical voice.
“I have invited Aislinn to reside here with us,” Niccolò exclaimed, as though it were something for me to be excited about, as well.
A bit taken aback, I blinked my eyes several times before finding the appropriate words. I did not want some unidentified being living in our house with us! At least if she were Vampire, I would halfway know what to expect, but this thing… How could I know anything about her, what she was capable of? Alas, I did not have authority over such decisions.
“I see… how lovely,” I stammered, wishing it would go away. “And how is it you two are acquainted?”
Naturally, Niccolò was more than happy to offer the details. “I befriended Aislinn decades ago after meeting upon the streets here in Florence. On several occasions, we had some very lovely chats. At the time she was residing at the home of a pair of Succubi and I actually extended my offer to her then. However, extenuating circumstances rendered her unable to accept at the time. Then some years later, we ran into one another again at a Vampire Ball at the Villa of her then Mistress in San Gimignano. I reminded her that my offer still stood then and now here she is!”
I was exceedingly disappointed, for I liked things the way they were with just he and I— besides the fact that I did not want another female around me trying to seduce me. After loving and leaving Giuliana, I wanted nothing to do with other women— and certainly not one like she, whatever that may be— which is why the established arrangement I had with Niccolò worked so well.
Aislinn was what most men would consider to be beautiful, I suppose, but in some way I could not quite figure out, she just made me feel uneasy.
Having been all too familiar with other Succubi from my years at Sanguelascivia, I kept myself guarded from her. For one, whether she truly was one or not, having been reared by those Succubi, she had never been properly introduced to the more civilized manner of Vampire existence. Not all Vampires must kill in order to survive. Rather, the highly refined ones, like Niccolò, cordially maintained blood servants to humanely provide for their needs.
Yet, gratefully, never did Aislinn attempt to make a move on me. As a matter of fact, I was beginning to believe that she had some kind of neurosis about men, for when Niccolò brought home a perfectly fine specimen of a young man to serve as a blood servant for her, she acted quite bizarrely, indeed.
And then, quite strangely, soon thereafter she sent Alonzo away. I was actually fond of him and thought it would have been nice to have another human guy around here with whom to become friends. I found it quite odd that she sent him away. I had been under the impression that she had liked him plenty well. But then she was the type who seemed perfectly contented to revel in her own self-inflicted torture. Perhaps he threatened to upset that fucked up equilibrium she had established. Or perhaps he just did not please her sufficiently. And then, perhaps she simply did not like the way he tasted.
And then not a month later, I overheard my Master and Aislinn discussing how they would soon travel to Venice to procure a blood servant for her. I had also managed to overhear that Aislinn preferred a female. My heart leapt. How badly I wanted to ask if they would indeed be going to Sanguelascivia, and if so, would they look for my Giuliana, if naught else, then just to report back that she is alright.
But, alas, I did not, as it was not my place to pry in my Master’s affairs. That would have been disrespectful, and Niccolò had been nothing but kind and decent to me, more so than I ever imagined any Vampire could possibly be. Therefore, I dared not ask. However, everyday that they were away, I prayed that fate would intervene to reunite us.
Chapter Nine
They remained away for only a few days, and yet it felt as an eternity, waiting to see if my prayers would deliver to me that which I yearned.
I was growing disheartened when a fourth night had passed without their return. At nearly dawn, I had decided to retire to bed to slumber as much of the day away as possible when I heard the rustling of a carriage in the street.
If that is indeed them, then they are racing against the sun. My Master has only moments to get inside.
Descending the stairs swiftly, I made it to the parlour just in time to hear the front door open. Niccolò stepped in, his customary smile lighting up the room, putting me at ease.
“Master, please allow me to help you—” I began, anxious to safeguard him from the rapidly emerging daylight. However, my protective greeting was interrupted midsentence by what I saw.
Through the door behind Niccolò strode in that Aislinn, hand in hand with my Giuliana! Like two schoolgirls, they were smiling giddily at one another. Though I had prayed relentlessly
for her to come back to me, I could not believe she was actually here and with her!
Upon seeing me, Giuliana gasped. As though fervent to reach out to her, my own heart leapt within my chest. I was elated to know that my memories had not betrayed me. She was still every bit the angel I had remembered her to be!
She threw her hands over her mouth, her eyes as wide in disbelief as were mine.
“Giuliana?” I confirmed, still unable to believe it was truly her.
“Vincenzo!” she exclaimed, I could sense her body ready to spring right into my arms.
But then noticing the puzzled look upon my Master’s face, quickly she drew herself back.
“Vincenzo… what a delightful surprise finding you here,” Giuliana said evenly, evidently striving to preserve her composure. Still, hard as she tried, her voice was still perceptibly shaky, at least to me.
“A surprise indeed, it is!” I replied straightaway, also endeavouring to inhibit the exhilaration in my voice, though I was sure, failing miserably.
Niccolò cleared his throat then, drawing all eyes back to him. “I presume you two are acquainted?”
I had to restrain the unabashed smile that demanded to break forth onto my mouth. “Yes, we are. In fact, Giuliana and I once worked together at Sanguelascivia. She had only been there a couple weeks prior to my departure to come here with you.”
Giuliana’s face altered as she took in this information for the first time.
Would she ever be able to forgive me for abandoning her as I did?
“Yes, that is correct,” she coolly substantiated my story, but her eyes searching mine. “Vincenzo and I did have the occasion to meet just briefly.”
I had to bite my tongue to hold back from laughing.
While too brief it may well have been, we went far beyond merely meeting!
Raising a brow as he listened to our story, I speculated as to whether Niccolò was buying our story. Whatever the case may have been, the sophisticated gentleman he was, he obligingly played along. At last, to my relief he simply proclaimed, “Well, wonderful! Then no introductions shall be necessary!”
Exhausted from the long journey, and well past his fate inflicted bedtime, Niccolò headed up the stairs to retire for the day, smiling at me as he did so.
Aislinn excused herself, though I knew she would not be able to keep herself away. I had a strong feeling she was well aware of the truth about us.
Perhaps Giuliana has spoken of me to her?
The thought of Aislinn possibly knowing our intimate secrets made my skin crawl.
The moment we were satisfied that Aislinn was out of our sight, we rushed into each other’s arms. Oh, how good it felt to have her within the safety of my arms once again!
“Oh, Giuliana,” I avowed. “I have missed you every single day we have been apart!”
“And I, too, have missed you, Vincenzo! More than you will ever know,” she responded. But then concern washed over her face, her forehead furrowing.
“What is it, my love?” I queried, holding her tighter and searching her soft green eyes.
“It is just that after the most incredible night of my life, you simply disappeared like it was nothing.” I could hear her struggling to fight back the emotion swelling in her voice. “Did it— did I— mean so little to you?”
“No, Giuliana! Please tell me that is not what you have thought all this time?”
Dropping her expressive eyes so that I would not perceive the pain in them, slowly she nodded her head in confirmation.
Nevertheless, the pain within her heart was unmistakably perceptible to me.
My heart shattered into a million fragments right there within my chest.
How could I have been such a fool to ever leave her behind as I did? Never shall I forgive myself! How could I have caused so much hurt to the woman I loved?
My arms wrapping about her waist, I clutched her closer to me, wanting to just bury my head and weep into the softness of her hair.
“Oh God, Giuliana! I am so sorry!” I cried, yet the man in me unable to avoid breathing in the sweet scent of her hair, letting it affect my body so easily as only she could.
“Shh, Vincenzo, all will be fine,” she murmured, stroking my head affectionately. Her compassionate attempt to soothe me only made me feel worse.
She is the one due solace, not this scoundrel that I am!
“Do not for one moment think that I ever wanted to leave, that you did not mean the world to me, Giuliana, because you did… you do! Can you ever forgive me for this deplorable pain I have caused you?”
Appearing bewildered, she sought my eyes, remaining silent for a long moment. Too long. My heart seized. I felt as though my whole existence hung upon what her answer would be.
Oh God, if she were to turn me away now, what else would I have to live for? The only thing has kept me hanging on until now has been the hope that we would one day be reunited. And now that that day has finally come…
To my great relief, at last, she spoke, her sympathetic voice like music to my ears!
“Yes, Vincenzo, I shall forgive you,” she expressed, her fingers caressing through my hair. Her words were the key needed to unlock the shackles which held my heart motionless while she considered. “However, you must present me with an explanation.”
Though I received the response for which I had hoped, still I stared at her in disbelief.
Is this woman truly mine? She is too good for me… too good to be true!
“How on Earth did I get so lucky?” I asked, running my fingers down the side of her lovely profile. “God knows, I do not deserve you, Giuliana.”
She looked at me admonishing. “Vincenzo! That is not true. I do not believe for one second that you are a man undeserving of love.” She paused a moment before continuing. “Even my love.”
“Even your love?” I repeated incredulously. “Giuliana, do you not understand what you are, how much you mean to me?
No… how could she possibly know, you utter fool!
Though she did not answer, the skeptical expression upon her face said it all.
Clutching her tighter by the arms, I nearly shouted. “You are without question, the finest woman I have ever known! Do not for a second believe you are anything less. And to have your love, I feel as the richest man on Earth! Though I have, undeniably, known countless women, never had I known love before. And I have not known another woman since that night with you. And because of you, I now know what love is, have had the pleasure of it touching my life in its magical way. And now that you have walked back into my life, I assure you, I am the happiest man who ever lived!”
A profound smile blessed her lips and she leaned her face in towards me for a kiss, when to my dismay, we heard Aislinn descending the stair.
“Do not forget you owe me that explanation,” Giuliana reminded me, elevating her brow and giving me a playful jolt to the side.
“I would never forget, my lady,” I replied suggestively, gazing significantly into her eyes one last moment before being impelled to return to our necessary pretense.
Her provocative smile tugged at my heart, not to mention other parts of my anatomy.
Giuliana was sufficiently exhausted after the long journey, as well. However, the exhilaration of seeing me once again served to energize her. She and I spent the day lounging upon the sofas in the parlour getting reacquainted. In no time, it was as though not a day had passed between us, so at ease we were with one another! Aislinn, however, seemed rather uncertain about things. But then, in all actuality, she was not acting all that different from usual.
It was difficult for us not to gaze longingly at one another, especially after all the years we had been separated. I had to wonder if they could feel our immense attraction for one another, sense our history. Vampires are well renowned for possessing keen senses. I knew we would have to be very careful, so as not to let on to our Masters that we were lovers, for each of us were also committed to being a lover to our Master
and Mistress.
If we are to meet, it must be in secret…
I yearned to pull her into the washroom with me and ravage her right then and there. If she had been just any other woman and my body was merely demanding for sexual fulfillment, that is precisely what I would have done. But that is not the sort of reunion she deserved. I would not jip her— nor myself— in that manner. We both deserved nothing less than a long, devoted session of unhurried lovemaking. Though how that was to occur with our two Masters right there in the house with us, I did not yet know.
But I was determined to find a way.
It was frustrating for me to know that my Giuliana had to be bound to this woman, this creature who held some kind of claim over her. It infuriated me to no end that this thing felt the right to that which truly belonged to me, to feed from her like a parasite, to sustain her life with that of my love’s. Thinking she owns her body!
Of course, I suppose it is no different from the arrangement I have with my Master, Niccolò; although, he is different somehow. I only just got her back and she technically belongs to someone else! We are not even free to rush to each other, letting our passion overtake us as it should have been. Had they not been there, I would have taken her in my arms and carried her up the stairs to my chamber and we would not have reemerged for the good part of the day at the very least! Instead, I was compelled to restrain myself. Oh, how incredibly difficult that was! Moreover, I do not know how long I shall be able to keep up that charade!
And one would think we would nonetheless have the benefit of having from dawn to dusk to spend with one another alone. Should we not? No! That Aislinn insists upon remaining right there with us all through the day. Just what kind of Vampire is she, anyway?
Soon Aislinn began dragging Giuliana out nearly every single day, to shop and carouse about with my Master’s wealth, so rarely was there much opportunity left for me to spend any quality length of time with her before my obligated time with my Master began upon his awakening. Once he had awakened, I could not risk letting him see any signs of anything going on between us. Though I felt I knew him rather well in the two years of being with him, still, as a Vampire, some things about him remained entirely a mystery to me. And his reaction to my being disloyal to him definitely had the disastrous potential of falling into the realm of being unpredictable.
The Love of Vincenzo: Paranormal Erotic Romance (Anam Céile Chronicles) Page 7