The Shades of Time Read Online Free PDF Page B

the cobbled stones, stopping here and there to
exchange banter or stare with admiration at the finery on display
all about them.
    Veluria took
Stefano's proffered arm, impressed at her captors' attention to
detail, the guards deployed discretely, yet within reach should
they need assistance.
    Their group
made a pretty picture: the tall, dangerous man, dark of visage, and
her attentive escort, wrapping her in an air of refinement and
gaiety. She surreptitiously arranged her gown to allow access to
the small totems sewn in the seams. Not that she needed them, but
Reverend Mother was ever insistent on certain … assurances.
    Veluria
tittered at an imagined jest, allowing her body to brush alluringly
against Stefano who responded with a quick hug. His older brother
tensed but ignored them, though she could sense his curiosity and
suspicion. Unlike Stefano, he would understand that her
co-operation came at a price.
    Keeping the man
off-balance would not be easy.
    Stefano wrapped
an arm about her waist and pulled her toward a gaggle of
well-wishers with Tonio hissing, "Stefano, no…"
    She was
inclined to agree with Tonio, they needed to move this charade
along. Her young lover seemed in no hurry to reach whatever was
their ultimate destination, whether out of fear for her safety or
something else wasn't clear.
    While Stefano
engaged in light-hearted banter, Veluria took a moment to assess
the man standing reluctant guard over them. At nearly six-foot-four
and powerfully muscled he towered over his contemporaries, a
mountain of a man, dark and menacing. A line bred Medici by all
counts, he sported the same aquiline nose and sculpted jawline,
square and unforgiving. Full lips set into a permanent grimace and
piercing dark eyes would put the fear of God into all who crossed
paths with him.
    For someone his
size he moved with surprising grace. That he was a fearsome warrior
and accomplished with a blade was well-established. But her real
interest lay in abilities she could only sense. He had done
something to her, something that should not be possible, not here,
not now.
    Why can't I
remember?
    Stefano bent
over a gloved hand, his lips brushing the soft cloth with a coy
wink at the tittering older woman. Moving off to whisper an
endearment or tease, he abandoned her to a quick stab of jealousy
and anger that jabbed like a knife-prick, sharp and insistent.
    Tonio? No, not him.
    Who then?
Where?
    Using the banter as an excuse, she spun, her arm sweeping
toward the Cathedral, her words, "Isn't it a lovely…!" ringing out
as she swept in a half-circle, desperate to pinpoint the location
of the attacker. The residual energy would dissipate quickly as the
festival of masked, bejeweled revelers undulated in waves all about
her. All intent on their own pursuits. Where was he? The crush of bodies
parted briefly as she stared toward the docks.
    There!
    Instinct
dictated she turn and move away from the assailant, yet she felt
strangely sympathetic and curious. This incursion was less
adversarial, yet the fact he was able to penetrate her defenses so
easily spoke volumes of the operative's abilities and put her in a
tenuous position.
    Without
thinking, she moved away from the group, only to be blocked as
Tonio moved into her path.
    "I have him,
M'lady," Tonio muttered. He reached for his brother's arm and
jerked him back, his voice cold and stern, brooking no argument,
"Stefano, now."
    With a wink,
Stefan o
said, " Scuse mio fratello rozzo ... " and bowing at the waist, he swept an imaginary hat low to
the cobblestoned surface. "We have a most urgent
appointment."
    If Tonio objected to being
called boorish, he gave no indication. Instead he instructed his
brother to take her arm and follow him as he pushed through the
crowd.
    Veluria was happy enough for
once to follow the Demon de' Medici's lead and to accept his
dubious protection. Through a quirk of
fate, she'd been placed in the hands of a man who had the potential
to step beyond the