“I know,” Saturnino said softly. He dug into her boot and withdrew the slim dagger she kept hidden within, the steel glinting in the sunlight.
Carefully, he cut through the fabric, and Ombretta leaped into his arms the second she was free. He caught her with one hand, a small smile bending his mouth. With his other hand he returned the knife to Ravenna, handle first.
She tucked it back into her boot as Ombretta’s symphonic purring filled the silence between them. Saturnino brushed his index finger under her chin, and then along both ears.
“I thought you didn’t like cats,” Ravenna whispered.
“I like this one,” Saturnino murmured.
She gave a shaky nod, her body teetering with a sudden, surprising discovery. “Me too, very much.”
“I know,” he said again, just as softly as the first time.
“You helped her because you care about her.”Because you care about me, Ravenna thought, marveling. But she didn’t dare say it aloud. Instead, she let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh. “A strange thing for a man without a heart to do.”
He froze, fingers tucked under Ombretta’s scruff.
Her voice was barely above a hush. “Could it be because you’re not as heartless as you want me to believe?”
Saturnino stared back at her, his expression curiously blank, and then he pushed the cat into Ravenna’s arms, stood, and let out another whistle. His horse bounded back to him; Saturnino took his lead, and together they walked back into the stables.
“Take her to the dungeons,” he called over his shoulder to the guards. They stood off to the side, giving the immortal a wide berth. “It’s time for you to work, Ravenna.”
His tone wasn’t remotely friendly.
The whole episode had lasted ten minutes, but in those ten minutes, Ravenna’s perception of the immortal had shifted in a surprising direction. He’d been gentle with the creature, cradling her small body in his hands as if she were made of glass.
Ravenna’s heart gave an unnerving, discordant thump.
Capitolo Ventiquattro
The night of the banquet arrived.
Ravenna looked out the window, staring down at the street crowded by a long queue of carriages and impatient horses flicking their tails. The sky darkened to the color of a deep bruise, the exact shade of her skin where Pietro had gripped her throat.
“Let me finish your hair,” Imelda said from behind her.
Ravenna stiffened, not moving from her spot. Her stomach coiled into an intractable knot as she observed the guests getting out of their transports. They were all glimmering under the rising moon, adorned in velvet and brocade, yards of fabric, buckled shoes that gleamed, and hands that sparkled from the many gemstones gracing their fingers. Ravenna gave each person a cursory glance, her attention flitting from one person to the next, searching.
The Medici might arrive at any moment.
And at some point during the night’s festivities, she would have to smile while she was presented to Lorenzo.Again.She would paste a smile on her face, even if it killed her. Thelastthing she needed was to give her true feelings away.
Not while the whole Luni famiglia watched.
“You can’t be late,” Imelda said. Her tone turned sarcastic. “You are theguest of honor.”
Ravenna forced herself away from the window and eyed her maid warily as she perched onto a velvet stool. She endured Imelda’s touch as she artfully arranged her long hair into a few braided strands that brushed against her neck, effectively hiding Pietro’s fingerprints.
“Good as new,” Imelda said, in the high, girlish voice that made Ravenna’s eyelid twitch. “Like it never happened.”
She sounded pleased with herself and Ravenna couldn’t help muttering, “Except it did.”
Imelda yanked on a braid and Ravenna winced. “None of that. His Holiness needs you on your best behavior,” she trilled.
“I wish you would stop pretending,” Ravenna said. “And you don’t have to speak like that.”
“Pietro says I need the practice,” Imelda admitted. Then she shrugged, shaking her head slightly. “He said he’ll have a carriage and a trusted driver waiting for you at the front of the palazzo. Make sure you and Signor Sforza are in it ten minutes prior to midnight.”
