Marco swore viciously before ringing Agent Bianchi.
“We need to get out of here,” Alexis whispered to Penelope. “I’ve got Zo getting us a boat. Phaidros and Aelia will track Thevetat’s follower.”
“We can’t just leave.”
“Yes, we can.” His blue eyes glinted dangerously. “There’s more going on than I can safely explain here.”
Agent Bianchi looked ready to explode as she pushed her way through the crowds. “Dandolo! Where are your men?”
“Clearing the building and searching for explosives,” Marco replied. “Yours?”
“On the roofs. They spotted someone fleeing the building before the alarms went off, but they lost him in the crowds. Doctor Bryne, tell me everything.”
Penelope relayed the story to the agent, including her attacking him with a knife.
“You’re armed?” Marco demanded. “Why didn’t you say something about this earlier?”
“Give me the knife, Penelope,” Agent Bianchi said, and Penelope reluctantly pulled the beautiful dagger from out of the folds of her dress. “If you managed to cut him, we could have the blood analyzed.”
“Is that an antique?” Marco asked, eyes wide.
“Does it matter?” Agent Bianchi replied. She put on a pair of blue surgical gloves and took the weapon from Penelope. She pulled out the blade and smiled at the smears of red. “Got you.”
“Once you have what you need, I’d like that knife back,” Penelope said firmly. “It is an antique, and it’s dear to me.”
“You’ll have it back when the polizia say that you can. We didn’t catch our man, but it’s only a matter of time,” Bianchi said. “At least the night wasn’t a total bust.”
“That’s one way to look at the situation. Another way is that Penelope was attacked again, but as long as you got what you wanted…” Alexis remarked, his voice half a growl.
“Thank you for your assistance tonight, Doctor Bryne,” Bianchi interrupted. “We no longer require you. I suggest you take Signore Donato home.” She turned and marched away giving orders into a walkie-talkie.
“She has the manners of a wolf,” muttered Marco. “But she’s right. I’ll get a police boat to escort you home.”
“Unnecessary,” Alexis said brusquely as a sleek canal boat pulled up beside the busy walkway. Zo was dressed in black SWAT gear, his face like a thunderstorm. “My security will take it from here.” Without ceremony, he lifted Penelope up and passed her down to Zo’s waiting arms.
“I’ll call you if we find anything,” Marco called down to her.
“Make it tomorrow,” Penelope said. “I’ve had my fair share of crazy demon worshippers tonight.”
Alexis jumped lightly into the waiting boat before Marco could argue. The inspector looked torn between concern and frustration at being so outmaneuvered.
Zo pulled the boat away and drove it expertly between the entertainment flotillas. Alexis helped Penelope inside the warm cabin, shutting the thick, red velvet curtains around them.
“That guy wore your face—” Penelope began but Alexis was already dragging her to him, his strong arms squeezing her tightly.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked, the anger in his voice dissolving into worry. His warm, calloused hands flitted over Penelope’s face and neck, checking her all over.
“I’m fine, Alexis. I figured out it wasn’t you pretty quickly.”
“How? He looked exactly like me. I haven’t seen that kind of magic since Atlantis.”
“Powers of observation. His hands were cold and smooth, and yours aren’t,” Penelope said. “And he smelled wrong. You always smell like cinnamon and firecrackers. I touched our knot, and he didn’t respond at all.”
“I did. I felt like the floor had fallen out beneath me and I knew something was wrong. Tell me what else happened.”
“He kissed me.” Penelope grimaced. “And then I pulled a knife on him because I definitely knew it wasn’t you.”
Alexis’s lips twitched, the tenseness finally leaving the curves of his mouth.
“You knew it wasn’t me because of kissing?”
“I only felt it with my lips and not the rest,” Penelope admitted vaguely.
“What is the rest?” he asked innocently. A loud tap on the glass roof above them made Penelope startle. Zo saluted to Alexis and vanished.
“He’s going to help Phaidros and Aelia,” Alexis explained.
“Then who is driving the boat?”
“Magic,” he replied. “Humans will see someone driving who isn’t real. I want Dorsoduro to be searched before I take you back to the palazzo.”
Penelope sat down in the wide-seated lounge. “Plenty of time for you to tell me what got you so panicked back in the museum.”
“You mean apart from someone I care about being threatened by a worshipper of Thevetat?” He sat down next to her. “Or the fact that you were plucked right from under our noses? That is embarrassing and frustrating.”
“You said that you hadn’t seen magic like that since Atlantis. You can’t blame yourself for that,” Penelope argued as she untied the mask from her face. “What else?”
“That voice!” Alexis pushed his hands through his wild dark hair. “The man, he was possessed by Thevetat. On Atlantis, there were certain priests the Demon could enter whose bodies he could use. They were called Vessels. It looks like he has found one again.”
Alexis pulled a small lever on the side of the boat, and a tray slid out with a selection of drinks.
“Yuck. That’s what he was mumbling about. He called himself a Vessel and said his hands were the Demon’s hands. Give me some of that water. If what you say is true, I need to get the taste of demon out of my mouth.” Penelope gestured at a bottle of Pellegrino. She didn’t normally drink champagne either and wanted both tastes off her tongue. “So the Acolyte’s a Vessel as well. I suppose it explains the threats in the petitions at the murder sites. Do you think the human he’s possessing has any idea that his body is being used?”
“Vessels have to offer their body in service. Like all demons, Thevetat needs permission to possess a body. Whoever he is, he’s been groomed for it.”
“Which means there are more of Thevetat’s priesthood alive than you imagined.” The weight of the realization pushed down on her. “This isn’t only about Venice, is it?”
“No, some other design is at work here. Venice might just be the beginning.” Alexis slumped against the back of the chair. “Nereus is going to go ballistic.”
“I can’t say that I can blame her. I knew I was bait, but we couldn’t have known he’d have magic. What can we do?”
“Right now? Nothing. We need to wait for the others to do their work. Thevetat wants you, tonight revealed as much. But I won’t let him have you.”
Penelope kicked off her shoes and moved so she could sit on the carpeted floor under the glass roof, her skirts flowing out around her. “There are worse places we could be waiting.” She looked up at the clear sky, the light of the city dimming the stars, but they were still visible enough for her to enjoy.
“It will be better a few minutes from now,” he said, his voice softening.
“Where’s the boat taking us?”
“To get a better view, of course.”
Penelope jumped as the sky exploded in bright gold and green fireworks above them. “Oh my God, it’s beautiful!” she said, staring up in delight.
“Yes, it really is,” Alexis replied, and something in his voice made her turn. He looked like a feral sea god given a human body for one night; his eyes dark with hungry desire. No one had looked at her that way before. His hands gripped the sides of his chair like he was unsure whether or not to touch her.
The air in the cabin grew hotter the longer she held his gaze, the spicy smell of his skin filling the air. Very slowly, she ran her hands up his legs, positioning herself between them.
“May I kiss you, Alexis Donato?” she asked, as politely as his reque
st had been two nights before. His hands found her waist, bringing her closer still.
“Yes,” he whispered as his lips lowered to hers.
When Alexis moved his hands to the soft skin of her shoulders, Penelope fought the urge to pull him to the floor with her. Sensing it, Alexis lifted her into his lap.
“Thank you for coming to my rescue yet again,” she said, her fingers tracing his sharp cheekbones.
“You were doing a good job without me, as usual,” he replied. “At least now I know how much of an impression my kissing has made on you.” She wanted to say something tart and clever, but he chose that moment to fasten his lips on the soft skin below her ear. Her whole body shuddered in response.
His lips smiled against her skin. “That was surprising.”
“Be very careful not to start something you don’t plan on finishing, Signore Donato,” Penelope warned. “My body can only handle so much teasing before it spontaneously combusts.”
“I plan on teasing your body in ways it can’t possibly imagine,” he said, lips moving along her exposed collarbone. The soft stubble of his beard raised goosebumps over her chest and along her breasts.
“If that’s your plan, I hope you know how to get me out of this ridiculous dress,” she said breathlessly.
Alexis’s warm hand found her bare leg under the mountain of taffeta. “I’m sure I will find a way when the time comes.”
The fireworks were still going off around them, unobserved. What was going on above Penelope seemed irrelevant to what was going on beneath her. She felt a delicious helplessness as his hand moved higher in frustrating slowness.
Penelope unbuttoned the top of his jacket, exposing more of the dark brown skin of his throat. She had seen what lay underneath the layers of clothes, and she wanted to explore every inch of his body, trace every groove, and learn what every tattoo meant.
His skin tasted as she imagined it would, like spicy cinnamon and sin. She couldn’t believe she had permission to touch him in such a way, that this ancient magician who had seen empires rise and fall would be interested in someone like her.
“Where are you?” Alexis asked softly.
“I’m here. I just can’t believe that you are, too,” Penelope admitted.
“Amore, what’s not to believe?” Alexis took her hand and placed it over his heart. “Am I not flesh and blood and spirit, the same as you? The only things that separate us are time and my ability to do magic, which is the culmination of lifetimes of learning. Don’t put me on some pedestal, Penelope, or lower yourself. What’s there not to love about you? You are courageous, intelligent, kind, and extraordinary. There’s nothing undesirable about you, and I’m honored that it is my arms you have chosen to be in, even if you only choose it for tonight.”
Penelope rested her face against his neck, too overwhelmed to look at him in case he saw how much his words had affected her. She listened to his heart beating, and as she did, the memory of his music mingled with it. She wanted him, not just for the night, but for as long as she could keep him. She wanted to spend long nights arguing over every subject imaginable, to explore the Archives with him, to hear all of his stories as if he was a palimpsest to read and learn at her leisure.
“Thank you, Alexis,” she whispered before kissing the top of his shoulder.
“Prego,” he replied before his lips found hers, the kiss gentle at first and then building in intensity. Her hands fought with the buttons of his coat, desperate to feel the heat of his body.
“Are you always this impatient?” he asked lightly.
“Some of us don’t have an eternity to wait. You’re a tease, I can’t help it,” Penelope replied. “Messing with a lady’s chakras and then leaving her to suffer for days is disgraceful.”
He grinned. “I promise to make it up to you.”
Penelope forgot what she was going to say as the hand under her skirts moved to lightly brush against the lace of her underwear. Heat seeped through her, and her breath hitched. He kissed her neck slowly, as if gauging every reaction to be sure it was welcomed. She moved softly and encouragingly against him, her hands sliding under his shirt.
“Let go, Penelope, let go,” he whispered as his hot fingers moved under the lace and stroked her. Hot, moist heat flooded her, and she could feel her wetness on his hand as she thrust against him. When his fingers moved inside of her, she bit down on the cry that rose inside her throat.
Alexis rolled her onto her back, his long weight resting on top of her, his hand not stopping. Her hands pulled his face to hers, their kisses muffling the helpless sounds coming from her. She came in full, body-shuddering gasps, the tenseness that had been in her muscles for days leaving in a rush of pleasure. She shuddered again as he slowly slipped his fingers free.
Alexis’s breath was warm as he kissed the tops of her breasts. “I think it is time I get you home, Dottore. Hold onto me.” She wrapped her arms and legs around him, earning one of his wicked smiles.
The boat and the lagoon vanished, and suddenly they were in his tower, Alexis holding her up in his arms. Candles and lanterns filled the space with a warm golden light.
“What about the boat?” she asked.
“Damn the boat,” he replied as he kissed her roughly. He carried her easily across his gallery of the fantastic, moving toward the bed with its saffron and royal blue sheets.
“For the love of God, get me out of this dress,” Penelope begged as he lowered her to her feet. She pulled off the sleeves in frustration.
“Easy, there’s an art to it,” he said, sitting down on the bed. “Stop fidgeting and let me show you.” His eyes glittered roguishly, and she humored him, letting her arms fall to her side. “Stay still.”
The flash of a knife appeared in his hand, and with one swift slice, he slit the laces of her corset and it slipped off her and onto the floor.
“You see?” His arms came around her again, his cheek resting on the soft shift covering her chest. “There’s another bundle of laces hidden here if I remember correctly.” His hands searched the small of her back. There was a soft snick and mounds of fabric hissed to the floor as her skirts fell. “That’s much better.”
Without the armor of the heavy dress, Penelope felt strangely bare, her senses heightened. Alexis released her only so he could toss his jacket and shirt to the floor. In the boat, Penelope had been ready to pounce on him, but now encountering him in the privacy of his room, she wanted to take her time. Her fingers explored the hard ridge of his collarbone and down the grooves of his chest.
“You really are beautiful, Alexis,” she murmured, moving to straddle him. His torso was hot against the bare skin of her thighs. Her shift came up and overhead, goosebumps breaking out at the change of air temperature.
Alexis ran his hands down her spine, gripped her hips and rolled her onto her back. His eyes ran appreciatively down the length of her body, as he lazily stroked the curve of her stomach.
“You’re the one who’s beautiful, Penelope. You should see your aura right now. It’s…incredible.”
“Show me,” she insisted. He traced a symbol on her stomach, and her vision swam. They were both glowing in a sea of colors, like waves of heat over the desert sand. Where they touched, the light merged and changed, their energies mingling.
“Do you see the world like this all the time?” she asked, propping herself up on elbows.
“Not all the time. I can turn it on and off as I need to,” he replied. His hand slipped up her raised back and unclipped the back of her turquoise bra. She moved so he could slide it from her arms, and he bent his head to lay a kiss on the scar over her heart, making her aura flare.
Penelope’s eyes fluttered shut as his mouth left a hot line of kisses under the curve of her breast before he moved to suck gently on her nipple. The blind desperation from the boat was back, and her hands searched for the waistband of his trousers. He kicked them off before helping her slip off her underwear. His mouth was still busy on her chest, his soft
curls tickling the sides of her ribs. She buried her hands in his hair, fingers tightening every time he made her body twitch.
“Come here,” she said, and he shifted so his face met hers in slow, demanding kisses. His long body melted against hers and she smiled, tracing her fingers down his spine. When he moved inside of her, both of their auras flared brightly, and she could barely keep her eyes open. They moved together, bodies adjusting to each other as their energy did, creating something new together.
“Look at us,” Penelope managed. “Alexis…”
“I see it,” he replied, moving deeper inside of her, and causing her to shudder around him. “Stop trying to analyze and just feel.”
He rolled them over so she was now on top of him, and she steadied herself by placing her hands on his chest. Their auras, his body, the color of the bed sheets—her senses overloaded. She shut her eyes and let instinct take over, her body screaming to take what he offered as her hips moved in a demanding rhythm. She had wanted this, wanted him underneath her and deep inside of her from the moment she saw him. Wanted to claim every inch of him as hers, to be so close that she didn’t know where he ended and she began.
Alexis sat up, hands gripping her hips tightly, his lips kissing hers. “Look at me, Penelope,” he whispered, and she obeyed, opening her eyes to lock on his raw gaze. In them, she read the control he was losing, and her body convulsed. They climaxed together, their souls as raw and open to each other as their bodies.
After, they clung to each other, Penelope trembling in his lap, unable to let him go in case she shattered. His breath ragged, Alexis kissed her forehead gently before she buried her face in his shoulder, losing herself in him once more.
“Of Love the standard-bearer I; My hopes are ice, and glowing my desires. At once I tremble, sparkle, freeze, and burn…” — Giordano Bruno
PENELOPE WOKE IN a mound of sheets, the strong aroma of coffee teasing her eyes open. A colorful cup and saucer sat on the carved bedside table, steaming prettily in the Venetian sunshine. The roof above her was a stunning dome of marble featuring an intricate gold and blue mosaic of such dizzying design that it made her head swim. Her hand reached out along the mattress but found it empty.
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