“You loved her,” Raven said quietly. “And, from what you’ve said, she loved you, too. You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

“She died nonetheless.” William struggled to continue. “I tried to avenge her death but couldn’t discover who had done it. In the interim, my father arranged to have me marry a girl from another Norman family. It was a political and economic alliance, as most marriages were in those days.

“I had no wish to marry anyone, let alone a spoiled aristocrat I’d never met. Angry and in despair, I fled my father and went to Oxford. I was there only a short time when the Dominicans took me in. I began my studies at Oxford and later went to Paris.”

“Was she beautiful?”

William squeezed Raven’s hand. “Very. She had red-gold hair. I’ve never quite seen its likeness. And she was kind and very sweet. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her.”

He cleared his throat. “When Alicia died, I knew my ability to love died with her. I became a novice with the Dominicans, taking a vow of chastity. My intention was to become a priest.”

His eyes lifted to Raven’s, a strange fire in them.

“When I saw you that night, pressed against a wall, those animals eating you, you reminded me of her—this beautiful, gentle girl. You were going to die because you’d been walking a dark street alone. I couldn’t let that happen.

“Aoibhe and some of the others found us. Your blood smells sweet and they wanted it. By then, I knew I wasn’t going to feed from you. I told them you were mine and took you away.”

“William,” she whispered, “thank you for having mercy on me.”

He stiffened. “I don’t think mercy is in my vocabulary.”

“But you acted mercifully. You honored her memory by saving my life.”

“I may have saved your life, Cassita, but I lost you just the same.”

The despair in his voice both wounded and irritated her.

She disentangled her hand from his. “You only lost me because you don’t love me.”

“You are mistaken.” He pulled her against him, his expression earnest. “This past month I’ve been waiting, thinking what I felt for you would recede. If my ability to love died with Alicia, or if it ended when I became a vampyre, I should have been able to forget you.

“I couldn’t. Every morning and every evening, my thoughts fixed on you—on your face, your smile, your very being. I found myself wondering what you were doing, if you were safe, if you were jumping between someone and his attacker.”

He took her hand and kissed it, running his thumb across her life line.

“Your name suits you, you know. Raven—the beautiful, fearless black bird. I’ve been in mourning for centuries but nothing has distressed me as much as losing you.”

“You aren’t the only one who was hurt.” She tried to swallow back the rising emotion.

“Forgive me.” He cupped her cheek. “I came to you tonight because I couldn’t allow the light of my life to be extinguished without seeing you one last time.”

“Then tell me,” she whispered.

His expression faltered. “I lack the words, in any language.”

“Just say it.” She reached up on tiptoe and placed her hand against his face. “Say what you feel, William. Be brave.”

His fingers closed over her wrist, holding her hand to him.

“When I spoke to you about hope the night I took you to the Consilium, my hope was that you could see beyond the callous contract I was foolishly trying to make. That you would stay with me and be mine because you wanted me as desperately as I wanted you.”

She gazed up at him sadly. “We’re from two different worlds.”

“Maybe we can create a new one.”

“Only at great risk to you and your city.”

He inhaled deeply, his eyes fixed on hers.

“What are a thousand cities to me if I am without you?”

Raven searched his eyes, which were dark and desperate. She felt his fingers nervously tighten around her wrist.

“Are you certain?” she asked, returning his stare.

“If I lose you, I lose everything. You are the only goodness in my world.”

“You’ve been alone a long time. You suffered a great loss. I’m sorry for that,” she said softly. “I can understand your reticence to tell secrets. But love isn’t secretive or one-sided.”

“It isn’t,” he said fiercely.

“Then tell me.”

He kissed her forehead. “Je t’aim.”

Raven savored the moment, letting the old words burn into her consciousness.

She took in his expression, his eyes, his posture. He was clearly earnest and unsure how he would be received.

She answered him by bringing their lips together.

He kissed her intently but reverently, his mouth desperately seeking their connection.

At length they parted, and he brought their foreheads together.

“I didn’t know what darkness was until I lost you.”

“You found me again. I love you, too.”

He kissed her, this time more passionately, his hands moving to press against her backside. Then, with a devilish smile, he tucked her under his arm.

“Hold tight,” he ordered.

She clung to him, arms wrapped around his neck. “Where are we going?”

“To celebrate by loving one another with our bodies.” He squeezed her waist.

She peered down at their perch. “Not here.”

He laughed. “Certainly not. Not even I am bold enough to join with you on holy ground.” He moved to whisper in her ear. “There is another venue I think will please you.”

He tightened his hold on her and they leapt from the dome, to a lower half dome, before descending the great stone structure.

Chapter Fifty-five

From the terrace atop the Loggia dei Lanzi, one can see the Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi, and the beautiful and spacious Piazza Signoria. One can also see Brunelleschi’s dome rising in the distance.

Not that Raven and William were looking.

They were in one another’s arms, passionately kissing against a wall.

“I can’t believe you’re in my arms,” he murmured, stroking her neck.

She hummed at his words, returning his embrace with eagerness.

William’s tongue teased her mouth, slipping inside before retreating. He enjoyed reciprocity, the way she responded to his touch.