Sensual Danger (Venice Vampyr #4)

A few steps away from her, Giuseppe, the footman he’d inherited from her father, exchanged blows with a second man.

Not losing a second, Nico barreled toward them, his hands clenching into fists. He charged the man who was attacking Oriana, and, in slamming him backwards against the wall, broke his hold on the item he and Oriana were fighting over.

Behind him he heard Oriana scream once more, then he heard a crash. He swiveled, his hands releasing the thug, when he saw Oriana fall. Her hands were flailing as she tried to hold onto her balance, but she was still holding onto the apparatus as she fell backwards.

He rushed to her and reached for her, but all his fingers caught was a rod sticking out from the item in her hands. At the same time he noticed that the glow it emitted now changed to blue. He pulled on it, thus lessening the impact of her fall, but her head hit the wall behind her nevertheless.

“Oriana!” he screamed.

Her hands released the machine and it rolled to the floor beside her.

“Run!” he heard one of the thugs shout to his accomplice, and from the corner of his eye he saw the second thug push Giuseppe to the ground then run out of the alley, following the other one.

Fury coursed through him, and he was ready to kill those two, but there was no time. His wife was injured, and he had to take care of her.

Nico crouched down next to her, frantically touching her head and torso to feel for any injuries. He smelled no blood, a fact that filled him with relief.

“Oriana, my love, can you hear me?”

But she didn’t respond. He placed his hand on her chest, feeling for her heartbeat. It was as strong as always. He released the breath he’d been holding. Oriana was alive.

“Signore Angelotti?” the footman’s voice came from behind him.

He turned and glared at the man, pointing his finger at him. “You!”

How could his servant allow his wife to leave the house in the middle of the night?

“I’m s-s-sorry, signore. They c-c-came out of nowhere.”

“Not another word now! I’ll deal with you when we’re at home!”

He picked up Oriana in his arms and rose, then his eyes fell onto the contraption she’d fought over so bravely. Why?

“Giuseppe, pick it up. Follow me!”

“Yes, signore,” the servant answered meekly.

Listening to Oriana’s breathing and heartbeat, Nico carried her out of the dark alley.





13


After assuring himself that Oriana’s heartbeat was strong and she had no external injuries, Nico placed her on her bed and called for the maid to tend to her needs. His senses told him that the shock of the attack, together with the violent encounter with a wall, had knocked her unconscious. He picked up no other signs of a serious injury.

When he closed the door to her chamber behind him, he walked down the stairs. In the foyer, the footman stood, hanging his head, still holding the contraption Oriana had fought over in his hands. Only it wasn’t glowing anymore.

“Follow me. And bring this . . . thing!”

Nico marched into the parlor and heard Giuseppe follow him and close the door behind them. He turned slowly, fury still charging through his veins.

“Look at me!” he ordered, his voice building like a distant thunder.

Giuseppe raised his head, his eyes displaying fear. “Y-yes, signore.”

“Tell me what you think you were doing out there!” He pointed toward the window, indicating the dark streets past the safety of his walls. “Have you no sense? How could you take my wife out there in the middle of the night, subjecting her to the vermin that roams the streets at such an hour? How could you put her in such danger?”

The footman trembled. “I’m sorry, signore. B-but your wife, she demanded—”

“Demanded?” Well, Nico could picture only too well what it looked like when Oriana demanded something. He’d been subjected to her sharp tongue on their wedding night. “I don’t care what my wife demands! You should have come to me!”

“B-but, signore, you were o-o-out.”

“Ah, well, yes.” Nico took a quick gulp of air. “Then you should have made her stay until I was back! There is no excuse for allowing her to put herself in danger.”

“But the other t-t-times,” he stuttered. “Nothing happened before.”

Nico glared at the man. “The other times?” He took a step closer. “What are you saying? That my wife has done this before? That she goes out on her own on a regular basis?”

“Never alone,” Giuseppe assured him. “I’m with her a-a-all t-t-the time.”

Nico clenched his fist. “Yes, and we all know how well that worked out tonight! Had I not come upon her, that cutthroat would have seriously hurt her, maybe even killed her!”