Page 45 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

“I’ll go anywhere with you,” she whispered, changing the promise into an invitation.

I leaned down to accept it with a kiss. “Then let me show you the world.”

Venice was a city trapped in time. Without the noise of traffic, it felt like we were under a spell. It was like we had traveled into the past. But as we sailed out of the mouth of the Rio Oscuro, the illusion shattered. Antennas rose from every roof. When we reached the canals that fed into the city’s sestieri, we spotted clusters of tourists with their cellphones. Another time that might have made me sad, today it was a blessed reminder that we weren’t stuck in the sixteenth century.

On the opposite side of the gondola, Thea, bundled up in the warm, winter clothes her enchanted wardrobe had provided, drank in Venice. I watched her, my oar slicing easily through the water. Her mind was silent. Still. But somehow I knew if I pushed myself below that calm surface I would find it churning. Her hair blew around her face, across her distant gaze. A few strands clung to her cheeks, her lips, and I imagined pushing it away so I could kiss her and wake her from this dream.

A hint of salt laced the air, the sea tasting of tears as if it, too, was mourning the normal life we'd lost as soon as we stepped onto Venice's stone streets.

But the farther we sailed from the court, the easier it was to remember our lives before. The veil that covered the Rio and its magic fell away until I found it easier to breathe.

“Where are we going?” Thea asked as if she was also coming out of a daze.

“Somewhere special.” Though the city held many of my darkest memories, I couldn’t deny the beauty that bloomed here either.

“Does somewhere special involve carbs because I’m starving?” She pulled the blanket she had over her knees higher and grinned.

“That can be arranged.” I angled the gondola toward an empty dock. “There used to be a place around here that served the best Bolognese.”

“You still think it’s here?” There was laughter in her voice.

I couldn’t blame her for doubting it. She knew it had been centuries since I’d haunted these streets. “Some things change. Some things don’t.”

I finished tying up the gondola before offering her my hand.

“Ohhh, playing the mysterious vampire now?” She placed her palm in mine, and I helped her out of the boat.

“Maybe.” I smirked as I climbed out beside her. “Playing the mysterious vampire seems to be working for me recently.”

“Oh yeah?”

“It got me you, didn’t it?”

She blushed, and I could smell her scent, sweet but rich and oozing with earthy magic. It was all I could do not to find the nearest quiet alley and feast on her.

Thea’s eyes widened as if glimpsing my thoughts. Her tongue flicked over her lower lip. “Hungry? Shall we get something to eat?”

“Famished.” The suggestion was all I needed. Taking her hand, I led her to a side street occupied only by shadows.

“You’ve got me all alone. What are you going to do with me?”

“Where do I start?” I raked my eyes down her, allowing my dark magic free. Thea’s throat slid as I opened my mouth to reveal my fangs.

“What big teeth you have,” she said breathlessly.

Her words decided for me. I smirked as I hitched my thumbs under the waistband of her pants and yanked them down to her ankles.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THEA

My breath caught as the bitterly cold air hit my bare skin. But I didn’t have long to think about how chilly it was when Julian dropped to his knees. I could only think about him, staring up at me with rapidly darkening eyes. His head dipped and I moaned as his tongue traced a line between my thighs. Suddenly, I wasn’t cold. I was on fire.

“Someone will see,” I moaned, already ceding my argument.

“Good.” He urged my legs farther apart and continued his oral exploration, sucking and kissing along my thighs and up toward more dangerous territory. Just before his mouth reached the throbbing pulse at my center, he whispered, “Do you want me to stop?”

“Please…don’t.”

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