Sensual Danger Read Free

wicked witch?”
    Dante laughed. “I’m afraid, Nico, you’ll have to at least consummate the marriage. Nobody expects you to enjoy it.”
    A cold shudder ran down his spine at the thought of bedding Lombardi’s daughter. If she had inherited any features from her father, she would be the ugliest woman he’d ever fucked, and that included some of the cheaper whores he’d frequented on occasion. Sure, he wasn’t all that choosey when it came to bedmates, but at least the few less-than-handsome women he’d been in bed with had made up for their lack of beauty with their knowledge of the carnal arts. Those women had sucked cock better than the pretty ones.
    He swallowed hard. “Easy for you to say. Your wife is beautiful. Who wouldn’t want to—”
    “Don’t say it,” Dante warned, his voice low and dangerous. “One word of disrespect toward Viola out of your mouth and I’ll toss you into the canal myself.”
    Nico’s eyes widened instantly. Landing in the waters of the canal was a death sentence for any vampire. Their cells were so dense and solid that as a result their bodies were much heavier than water and therefore sank like a rock. He would drown. “My apology.”
    “Apology accepted.” Dante nodded swiftly. Then his expression darkened. “Don’t think I don’t understand your plight. But we need this house. We need every single house on this block to build a sanctuary for us and our fellow vampires. The Guardians are on our heels, and without a stronghold affording us safety and security, our numbers will diminish. We need to be strong to fight them.”
    Nico understood only too well. The Guardians of the Holy Waters, a secret society of Venetian noblemen and merchants, had made it their mission to eradicate each and every vampire in their midst. They had killed many of his friends in the last few years. It was because of this ever increasing threat that the vampires had decided to band together and purchase all houses on the block where Dante and Raphael lived, and to connect them with secret walkways, creating in effect one large fortress in which they could move around safely.
    “Have we still not been able to glean any information from the list of names Lorenzo’s wife found?”
    “I haven’t heard anything about Marcello having found the cipher yet.” Raphael gave a hopeful smile. “But he’s a smart man. I’m sure he’ll find something.”
    Nico nodded. It had been very fortunate that Bianca, Lorenzo’s wife, had found a list with the names of the Guardians in her father’s house. It appeared that her late father had been one of them and prepared the list possibly in an attempt to use it to make a fortune. And for certain, any of his fellow vampires would have paid a pretty penny for it. However, it had turned out that the names were written in some sort of code that Nico and his friends hadn’t been able to decipher yet.
    “Good. I hope so. I’d hate for us to be sitting ducks, not knowing who our enemies are.”
    Dante let out a deep breath. “Patience, patience. But in the meantime, we have to continue what we’ve started. Enrico just bought the house at the end of the alley. Andrea is in the middle of negotiations for the house between ours and Lorenzo’s, and Carlo thinks he has a lead on another one. We’re making progress.”
    Nico picked up the gaze his friend sent him and read the question in it. Could he be relied upon to do the right thing and take over Lombardi’s house despite the burden it came with? Nico felt perspiration build on his neck and felt the urge to pat himself dry but resisted it. He didn’t want to admit to his friends that the entire situation caused him stress. Instead he looked away and changed the subject.
    “Maybe I should call on Marcello and see if he needs help. Four eyes see more than two.”
    “Suit yourself,” Dante said, sounding slightly annoyed. “But your time would be better spent returning to your negotiations with Signore