Cortigiana (A Vamp Life Prequel) by Jez Strider Page A

to
look at the man. His extremities, fingers, lips, and nose, were in
an advanced state of necrosis. And he still wanted to buy my sex. I
seriously doubted he could manage what he was offering to pay for.
Tears flowed from my eyes and fell silently as I looked at what I
would shortly become.
    “ Sorry, I am
not….”
A plain, poor looking woman brushed by me
and stepped in front of the man with a hand on one hip. From behind
her, I could see by the motion of her arms she had tugged down the
front of her dress to show him her goods. “I will service you.” She
said, taking him by the hand, his blackened fingers entwining in
hers as she led him away for a bit of privacy.
She’s going to die.
I wanted to stop her and warn her, but she
had to know. Either she didn’t care or maybe she was already ill.
Instead of saying anything, I fled again. Only, there was nowhere
to go. If I went to my mother, she could contract my disease. Dante
hated me. And none of my previous lovers would dare touch me if
they suspected my illness. Antonio was gone. Not that I would have
put him at risk more than I already had.
Eventually, I collapsed to the ground from
the day’s traumas and exertion. It must have been hours before I
came around because it was dark when I weakly opened my eyes. No
one helped me. No one even looked in my direction. I crawled over
to glance at my reflection in the moonlit water of the canal. Black
Death shrouded me. The woman staring back at me was different from
the one I’d seen in the mirror that morning. I curled into a ball
as my muscles cramped and my body shook violently from the
chills.
    The superstitions are
true . I thought. Vampires spread this god awful ailment to punish us. My hand went up to gingerly touch the bite mark.
It had changed. The entire side of my neck was swollen and felt
like it would burst open. Disgusting and painful buboes appeared at
the sight of my lymph nodes.
    Time is up. Goodbye,
world .

At some point, hours or days later, I
managed to drag myself into a hidden nook in a dark passage. The
alley reeked of feces, urine, rotten vegetables, and death. Most of
the city was kept clean, but this area had deteriorated.
    The agony of my disease
caused me to pass out again. The next time I roused, someone was
gently stroking my hair away from my face. The touch comforted me,
despite the pain it caused. Had I
died? I wondered, but no, I knew I would
not be hurting if I was dead. Unless I was in Hell.
    “ Open your eyes, my dear.” A
soothing voice said. He sounded far away though his presence in
front of me told me he was close.
    “ I cannot. Far too heavy. Go
away before I give you the plague.” I turned my head away from the
caressing fingers.
    “ Do not disobey me. Open
your eyes.”
    Dante .
From somewhere deep down I dug up the
strength to open them and meet his gaze. The luminous color of his
irises and the flowing of the white locks of his hair made him look
like an angel. My heart leapt a little and I regretted ever
disappointing him.
    “ I am sorry, Master Sanuto.”
I said. My voice came out in a harsh croak.
    “ Why?” His tone massaged me
into relaxation, seemed to take the edge off the pain.
    For not loving
you .
    “ For being a foolish girl.
You gave me everything I could have ever wanted.”
He scooped me into his arms easily. My head
rested against his chest. Safety. His heartbeat began to lull me
into an induced coma. I could barely hear what he said. It sounded
like, “I forgive you.”
If ever I loved Dante Sanuto, it was in that
moment, during that embrace. The cruel monster he could be lay
dormant and, in his arms, I met the man he should have been. He was
my savior.

Somewhere in between consciousness, sleep,
and an unreal dream world, the moment that would change me forever
came. Disease would not take my life. A different affliction would
save it.
A scrape against my neck made me shift
uncomfortably. It was the opposing, less damaged side. Hands held
me