Cortigiana (A Vamp Life Prequel) by Jez Strider Read Free Book Online

Sanuto has assigned me to protect you should you leave
the premises.”
    “ I… I do not think I need a
bodyguard.”
    “ What you think is of no
consequence. The Master’s word is law.” Her bulging biceps and
short haircut were out of place in my part of the world and in the
time period. In her leggings and tunic, she could hold her own with
any of the men in the household.
As shocked as I was by my new protector, I
immediately admired and respected the bodyguard. I’d never met a
woman like her. “Okay.”
    “ My name is Giulia. Come,
let me show you to your room and then you may explore the house
further.”
Since I was unnerved by the woman towering
over me, I did so with little protest. The room was at the end of a
long hallway. Giulia opened the door for me and I stepped inside.
“Are you sure this is my room?”
    “ Of course. I will leave you
now. Should you wish to leave the premises you can send a servant
to find me. I will not be far.” The bodyguard turned and left me
quickly.
I should have noted how inhumanly agile and
quick her movements were, but I didn’t. All my attention was
focused on my new chamber. The room dwarfed any room I had seen
before. It was like a miniature house within a house. I stepped
further inside, drawing in a soft gasp.
A voice from behind made me jump and turn
around. “This is the royal suite. Or was, I should say. I suspect
Dante will give future guests a different place to rest. Then
again, if they slept with you, it would be no different than the
days you are accustomed to.”
    “ Antonio,” I whispered. As
interested as I had been in the room, my focus immediately went to
the man that filled my daily and nightly fantasies.
He walked into the room with a disgusted
look on his face. “This is all pretty on the outside, but being a
possession of the master can be a dark, sinister existence. Any
sense of freedom is only an illusion. After a while, you will long
for escape, but a strange loyalty will keep you by his side.”
    “ What was I supposed to do?
I could not say no. He would never have allowed it.”
    “ He would not. You are
correct.” A flash of anger hit me full force when he locked his
amber eyes on me.
I stepped toward Antonio and rested a hand
on his shoulder to try to ease the fury. “I live here now. There is
no reason we cannot have a relationship without Dante’s
knowledge.”
Unexpectedly, Antonio grabbed me by the
throat and pinned me to the wall. “You are nothing but a young
plaything. You would sentence us both to death.”
    “ You are hurting me.” I
managed to say softly. My voice came out so low I wasn’t even sure
he could hear me.
    “ We are never to speak
again. If you see me in the halls or at the parties, or even on the
street, do not look at me. Do not smile. Do not wave. Never think
about me. Dante knows all.” Antonio’s grip loosened and his hand
slid to my cheek before stopping. Then his lips pressed to mine
roughly and hungrily before he stalked out of my room.
Heartbroken and confused, I flung myself
onto my lavish new bed and burst into tears. A kiss like that could
only mean goodbye.

One can only cry for so long before the act
exhausts them. I slipped out of my room and headed toward the
library that had caught my attention earlier in the day. It could
be my sanctuary. The worlds were limitless in the pages of the
books and I wanted to get lost in them. My desire to learn was
insatiable. I knew I could hold my own in a man’s world if given
the chance. It would be a long time before I would be able to prove
it.
The scent of the library relaxed some of the
tension from my body. From floor to ceiling, there were thousands
of books. To read them all would have taken lifetimes. A large map
spread across a table in the center of the room depicted the world
in a way I had never seen. The boot was Italy, I knew that. Asia,
France, England. Those I could point out even without the words
written on them. Across the water,