Sensual Danger (Venice Vampyr #4)

His mouth went dry. This was Oriana, his bride? He looked back up the stairs to reassure himself that no other woman was following the procession. But no, the female on Signore Lombardi’s arm was the only woman apart from his friends’ wives.

Once more he shifted, this time not because of nerves, but to adjust his stiffening prick—for his bride was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever set eyes on. Her hair was a dark chestnut color and was piled high on her head, leaving her graceful neck bare.

Temptation coiled through him. He could see himself taking out the pins from her coiffure, allowing her hair to cascade over her pale shoulders while he dug his hungry fangs into her neck and thrust his insatiable shaft into her quivering sex.

As he tried to find some semblance of composure, a question penetrated his lust-drugged mind. Why was Lombardi so keen on marrying her off by practically throwing her in with the sale of the property? For certain, a stunning beauty like Oriana had suitors aplenty. What was wrong with her?



Still seething about her father’s orders to marry a man she’d never met before, Oriana did not turn her head to look at her future husband and instead stared at the priest who officiated the ceremony. She’d had no choice but to bend to her father’s will. He owned her, just like her husband would own her the moment the marriage vows were spoken.

At least while she’d been subject to her father’s wishes, she’d been able to circumvent his orders often enough: in secret and with the help of the second footman, she’d been able to conduct her scientific experiments. This was her life’s work. It had started two years earlier: one night after a masquerade, she’d returned home accompanied by her footman. In an alley, she’d observed a man bent over a woman as if he were kissing her neck. At first she’d been embarrassed and had looked away, but when she’d glanced back, she’d noticed that the woman’s neck was bloody. Shocked to the core, she’d fled from the scene, her footman chasing after her, surprised at her behavior.

After a night during which she was plagued with nightmares about what she’d seen, she’d woken with a purpose: to prove that she hadn’t imagined the scene from the previous night. She had seen a vampire feeding from a human. For weeks she’d ventured out after dark, always accompanied by her footman, and had searched for the supernatural creatures, until one night, she’d seen one. She was certain now: vampires existed, and they were using humans without their consent. The far-away look in the eyes of the woman the vampire was feeding from was proof of it: he’d somehow drugged her so he could use her. Oriana had felt compassion for the young woman who was no older than herself. And then she’d recognized her: the girl was the maid her father had fired after a few pieces of linen had disappeared. Was she living on the streets now? Had she been easy prey? Her heart had clenched, and she’d searched for a way to help, but she’d been too afraid to approach, scared that the vampire would attack her too.

Ashamed, she’d returned home, and after a sleepless night, she’d woken with the determination to do what lay within her powers. She’d started devouring every scientific book she could lay her hands on and started her research. Now she was at a point where she had a machine which, if it worked, would alert her to the presence of a vampire.

When her father had found out, he’d been furious at first, claiming that it was no decent occupation for a lady. Luckily, he only knew that she was tinkering with scientific instruments—had he known she was trying to ferret out vampires, he would have locked her in an asylum for the insane.

Her father had started contemplating what to do to make her stop in her endeavors. Clearly, he’d found a solution: to marry her off to some rich gentleman, thus killing two birds with one stone. Not only would her father finally be rid of her, making her scientific interests her husband’s problem, he would also be enriching himself in the process, taking the money Signore Angelotti paid for her and the house to live a carefree life on the mainland.

Everything was working out perfectly, at least for her father and her new husband. She alone was carrying the entire burden. And as if the loss of her freedom wasn’t enough, she was certain her husband would insist on his marital rights and make her share his bed. The very thought of having to offer her body to a man she didn’t know and allow him to do whatever god-awful things he wanted was disgusting.

A shiver ran down her spine, and she felt herself sway. She was tempted to look at the man who now stood next to her, but she fought it. It would only increase her feeling of disgust further. Pushing down the bile that rose, she automatically answered the priest’s questions and repeated his words. She wanted no conscious memory of this ceremony and not be reminded of the moment her life would change irrevocably.