The Shades of Time
doubted
Stefano would take note when the object of his desire presented him
with such largesse, especially in his drugged state.
    Veluria had
urged the woman to keep her own mask, given that it encompassed her
face completely, unlike hers which covered the eyes only. Under the
influence of the aphrodisiac, Stefano would easily be led astray,
his mind focused on the coming pleasures to the exclusion of all
else. And once in the heat of passion she was certain he would
acquit himself with his usual fervor. Veluria was almost jealous of
the woman's opportunity to enjoy the young one's special talents,
especially with the 'enhancements' flooding his system.
    She eased onto
a narrow ledge that skirted the brackish canal. Glancing left, then
right, she determined that her most likely location was on the
Canale Della Giudecca. To the left she could follow it eventually
to the Lido, to the right the Piazzali Roma. Somewhere along this
route there would be a gondola to take her out of range of the Dark
One, the Demon de' Medici who, even now, was scanning the narrow
streets waiting for her to bolt to freedom. Before she'd
encountered this man, such awareness and near constant surveillance
would have been unthinkable.
    She sighed,
vexed at the unrelenting barrage on her senses. There had to be a
way to neutralize his abilities, or at least redirect them away
from her before he forced her off task. Too much was at stake in
her world to risk this kind of interference.
    She murmured,
sotto voce, "Help me Reverend Mother, your daughter accedes to your
everlasting goodness, lead me to the light, bestow upon me the
gifts of my womanhood that we may serve thee through time and space
for all eternity."
    Despite the
lingering heat, and damp, cloying air, Veluria shivered. She rubbed
her bare shoulders and arms vigorously, hoping to speed the blood
flow and dispel the residual essence of Antonio. Where he had
touched her, brief though it had been, she still tingled with
energies familiar and disturbing, though not all of it his. On this
matter she remained confused and not a little concerned.
    Her senses bled
softly into the stygian darkness. To the left, she pulsed energy,
testing and evaluating. That way led back toward St. Mark's Square
and potential complications with the Papàl Guard—and who knew what
all pursued her this foul night. Her better chance lay away from
the crowds and away from the faint source of energy that could only
come from the Council operative.
    She'd wanted to
ask the whore if she had any information from the Sisterhood but
the woman had been tasked with one job only—and that did not
include a dossier on the man who so baldly breached her defenses.
She spun right and tiptoed gingerly along the rough stone walkway,
ghosting silently toward her destination.
     
    ****
     
    Tonio leaned
against the bacarro's front entrance door, concerned that his
instincts, for once, might have led him astray. He was unused to
indecision, to not knowing. He'd not been surprised that his idiot
younger brother, a witless, charming ass, would be the one to lose
their quarry. That it was he who had laid the scenario for that
eventuality would mean hell to pay when he reported to Papà. The
old man was not so infirm that he couldn't do damage should he
choose to punish his oldest son and most trusted advisor.
    Kicking the door in irritation he bellowed, "Fuck this! Eduardo, find my ass of a brother.
Now."
    Eduardo, the
nearest guardsman, drew his short sword and pushed the heavy door
open. He turned to Tonio with a questioning look. "My Lord, what if
he's with…?"
    Antonio glared
at his man. "I don't care how many he's fucking. Bring him to me.
Naked if need be."
    " Sì, mio Signore.
Immediatamente. "
    Tonio rubbed
his temples, the old pain resurfacing as it always did when he
probed for too long. He'd been at it for hours, nibbling at her
edges, only to be rebuffed, shut out when penetration seemed
assured. He remembered the taste of her

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