The Wind Dancer (13 page)

"Yes." His hand moved caressingly and she could feel the warmth of his flesh through
the coolness of the cloth. "I've never known a body as sweetly accommodating. You're so
small it was like handling a child and yet you're a woman here." He abruptly threw the
cloth aside, pushed her back on the bed and stood up. "Sleep. I won't want you again
tonight."

She looked at him in surprise. "I didn't think you would. Giovanni never took my mother
more than once a day."

"Then I fear your lot will not be as easy as that of your mother." He moved back to the
hearth to stare into the depths of the fire. "I told you I was different."

And she was learning those differences, she thought drowsily. He gave pleasure as well
as took it and, since she was to become his leman, she was glad it was so. Perhaps after
she learned the way of it she could perform this duty as well as she had the tasks she had
been given by Giovanni. It was important to have pride in your work.

Sleep persisted in closing in around her, but she forced her lids to remain open to ask, "I
did not displease you?"

He was silent a moment, gazing into the fire. When he spoke his voice was muffled. "No,
you didn't displease me."

"I'll get better at it." Her eyes closed and she turned and curled up on her side. "I learn
quickly. Show me how and I'll find ways to please you. Show me..."

She had drifted off to sleep. Lion didn't have to turn his head to know she was no longer
with him. His senses were still so acutely attuned to her physical responses that he
believed he was aware of the actual second when she slid from the state of wakefulness
to the depths of sleep. Why in Hades should this be so when he had never been similarly
attuned to any other woman? Yet, in some mysterious fashion, he
had
experienced her
pain when he had robbed her of her virginity, he had felt her yielding and then the first
stirring of response. It was as if he had somehow absorbed her into himself. Sweet Mary,
it was all madness.

Show me, she had said. His lips twisted in a mirthless smile as he remembered the plea.
There would be no question he would show her all the ways a man could take a woman.
Even now he was stone hard and yearning to be back in the tightness that had cradled
him and made him never want to leave. He desperately wished to wake her now and
move once more between her thighs. There was no reason he should not do it, he told
himself. She wanted to please him. She would not complain if he used her a score of
times this night.

She would not complain because she was not free to complain.

She wanted to please him because to please him was to survive.

He whirled and strode back to the bed. He lay down beside Sanchia, stretching out full
length, careful not to touch her. He stared straight ahead, his muscles locked, his groin
aching and heavy. Perhaps the soreness she was feeling would be gone in the morning.

He would lie beside her and think of all the ways he would take her tomorrow.

For he knew well that he would not sleep tonight.

"Solinari." Caprino's brow furrowed in a thoughtful frown. "You're sure he said
Solinari?"

"I'm sure." Giulia turned and lifted the lid of the exquisitely carved ivory box on the table
and dropped the five ducats into the velvet-lined interior. "I seldom make mistakes when
it means ducats."

"You waited long enough to tell me. I may not even be able to use the information now."

She avoided his gaze as she seated herself beside the table. "I was busy."

"Or soft?" Caprino suggested silkily. "It couldn't be that you wanted your ducats and to
give Andreas his chance too?"

"I was busy," she repeated. Her gaze lifted to his face. "You know who is lord of
Solinari?"

"Yes, and so do you. Francisco Damari. You should remember the name. We did some
business with him some nine months ago."

"Oh, yes, I remember Damari, it was the name of his palazzo I'd forgotten. You handled
the negotiations and the transporting." She grimaced. "If I'd known it was Damari, I
might not have summoned you at all. You promised me he'd send Laurette back in six
weeks. It wasn't easy to replace her."

"Accidents happen." Caprino shrugged. "You knew there was a risk when you let him
have her, but he paid enough for his pleasure to persuade you to take that chance."

"I notice you didn't send him one of yourwhores."

"Damari wanted only the best, as is common in these condottieri who raise themselves up
from the peasantry. He would have been insulted if I'd sent him one of my women.
Besides, I had none so uniquely qualified as your Laurette. Most women are regrettably
squeamish about having pain inflicted on them."

"He had no right to kill her. As you say, she was unique." Giulia made an impatient
movement with her hand. "But I suppose there's no way to force him to recompense me
now. Solinari is where you sent her? I knew I'd heard the name before."

Caprino nodded. "Solinari is his palazzo, but he has lodgings in Pisa as well. The
question is where to find him now." He was silent a moment, thinking. "I'll send Santini
with a warning to the palazzo first, but if he isn't there, tell him to go to find Damari in
Pisa."

She looked at him in surprise. "A warning? When have you ever given a warning that
was not paid for?"

"Since you gave me no time to negotiate." A snarl edged Caprino's tone. "I'm not going
to forgive you for that, Giulia."

"If you have nothing to gain, why bother to send a messenger?"

"Oh, but I do have something to gain. Damari will be in my debt, and it's always valuable
to have a man who is on the rise in the world owe you favors."

Giulia laughed. "You trust Damari to honor a debt?"

"Perhaps." He smiled. "But if he doesn't, I'll still win if he captures little Sanchia. And
you'll win, too, Giulia. Rumor has it that you weren't pleased about your hulking lover's
acquisition of my little thief. What do you think Damari will do when he lays hands on
her?"

Giulia knew very well what a man of Damari's perverse tastes would do to a woman who
angered him. For a moment she felt a remote sympathy for Lion's slave. The anger Giulia
had felt toward Sanchia had vanished when she had set aside her attachment for Lion.
One emotion could not exist without the other, and she would allow neither to get in the
way of what was important to her. "You hate her so much?"

"Hate?" He looked astonished. "She's not worthy of my hatred, but she must be made an
example. If word got out that she'd bested me, it would cause endless trouble in the
streets. I'm not like Damari, who loves punishment for punishment's sake. For me,
revenge must have purpose or it's not worthwhile." He turned away. "I bid you a
profitless night, Giulia, and may the man to whom you give your favors have the same
tastes as Damari. I'm not at all pleased at your delay."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the man who occupies my bed tonight is gentle as an
untried boy and trembles at my every frown." She smiled sweetly as she stood up. "And
in the morning he will gift me with a jewel that will make you drool like a street mongrel
in front of the butcher's shop."

"Very different from Andreas." Caprino opened the door. "How fortunate for you."

He shut the door behind him, and she stood there a moment before moving her shoulders
as if shrugging off a burden. Caprino was right--she was very fortunate to be free of
Lion Andreas.

She strode briskly to the bellpull and gave it a sharp tug to alert her maid to send Messer
Gondolfo to her chamber.

No!"Sanchia sat bolt upright in the bed, her arms flailing wildly. "Cristo!No, don't--"

"Santa Maria, what in Hades is wrong with you?" Lion raised himself on one elbow, a
frown darkening his face. "Are you ill?"

Sanchia gazed hazily around the room. This chamber was firelit and clean, not dark and
vermin-infested. She raised her arms and dizzying relief soared through her. "I still have
them."

"Have what?"

"My hands." She held her hands out before her, flexing the fingers. "I thought they were
gone. I thought they'd caught me stealing and thrown me into the Stinche and chopped
them off. But they didn't..."

"A dream." Lion's voice was gruff as he lay back down again. "Go back to sleep."

"A dream," she repeated. She obediently lay down, but she didn't want to release the
warmth and safety of wakefulness and return to sleep where those hideous nightmares
stalked. She lay there, conscious of Lion beside her. How strange to be in bed with a
naked man. She supposed she would get accustomed to it in time. If she was given time.
Who could know how long Lion would choose to fornicate with her? Nothing stayed the
same in this world.

"Do you often dream of having your hands chopped off?" Lion asked in a low voice.

"Yes, I told you I wasn't very brave."

He was silent for such a long time, she thought he'd fallen asleep. "You cannot help your
dreams, and it's not cowardly to be afraid of danger. It's intelligent."

She laughed shakily. "Then I must be as wise as a seer. I'm almost always afraid. Ever
since I saw a thief thrown out of the Stinche, his poor, bleeding stumps of arms waving
as if begging someone to--"

"It will not happen to you."

"I hope not," she whispered.

"It will not. I must have the key, but no harm will come to you."

He was angry. She should try to placate him, but she was suddenly too weary to make the
effort. She turned on her side. "I'm sorry I woke you, my lord."

"Lion."

"I forgot." Oh dear, he did sound fiercely impatient. Perhaps it would be better to return
to the uncertain threat that lay waiting for her in sleep than face his displeasure. "I'll try to
remember. Forgive me... Lion."

His only answer was a low imprecation.

She didn't fall asleep for a long time, but as she finally drifted off, she realized Lion still
lay rigid and wide awake beside her.

"What are you smiling about?" Lion snapped at Lorenzo as he lifted Sanchia onto her
horse.

"Why should I not be smiling?" Lorenzo asked innocently. "It's a bright, clear spring
morning and I've had a good night's sleep. You should not be churlish just because you
can't say the same. I'm sure you had compensations I didn't enjoy."

Lion didn't answer as he swung onto the saddle and spurred the stallion into a gallop that
left the stableyard of the inn behind him in seconds.

Lorenzo sighed. "I foresee a day like yesterday on the horizon. I had hoped for something
better after Lion had appeased his lust for you." He kicked his horse into a trot. "Come
along, Sanchia, or he'll be half way to Solinari before we catch up with him."

Sanchia nudged her mare into a trot. "How did you--" She stopped. "You must know
him very well."

"Well enough to know he'd reached the end of his patience last night when I left you."
Lorenzo gazed at her objectively. "Lust can be a strong tie to bind a man, and you'll need
that bond to keep you safe at Mandara."

"Safe? Why should I not be safe?"

A faint smile touched his lips. "The situation there is complicated. Lady Caterina will not
be amused at your arrival."

Sanchia tensed. "Caterina?"

"The Lady Caterina Andreas, Lion's mother. She's a virago when she's displeased."

"Oh." Sanchia thought about it. "Then I'll have to find a way to please her, won't I?"

He chuckled. "You'll find Lady Caterina a challenge. There are still stories told of the
way she defended Mandara when Lion and his father were away fighting in Tuscany.
Nicolino, a condottiere who decided Mandara was a rich plum ripe for the picking, laid
siege to the city. Lady Caterina rallied her troops to repel the attacking army, then led a
foray into the enemy camp, captured Nicolino, and brought him back to Mandara. She
stood on the battlements and called down to Nicolino's second in command that if they
didn't give up the siege she'd hang Nicolino. Unfortunately, the officer didn't believe she
would do it and renewed the siege."

"What happened?"

"She hanged Nicolino. Then she lowered his body by a rope to dangle from the
battlements in full view of his condotti. The army retreated at dawn the next morning."

A sinking feeling fluttered in the pit of Sanchia's stomach. It wasn't enough she had to
please Lion; now she'd also have his warrior mother to worry about. "She sounds very
strong."

"Yes." Lorenzo glanced at her. "But you have your own strength. She'll respect you, if
you don't give in and let her ride over you." He smiled. "And if you do give in, you
deserve to be trampled and Lion will be well rid of you."

"I won't be trampled." Her brow furrowed as she considered this new factor complicating
her life. "For some reason you want me to fight her, don't you? Will you help me?"

"No. I merely position the chess pieces on the board; I don't interfere with the play
itself."

"Never?"

He met her gaze. "Never."

Sanchia's hands tightened on the reins. She felt very much alone. "He may not even take
me to Mandara. He's angry with me this morning."

"It's not anger. You'll have to learn to read him better." Lorenzo's gaze shifted to Lion's
broad back several yards in front of them. "He suffers the same malady that afflicted him
last night. It's not a horse he wants to be riding right now."

"You mean--"

"Exactly, my dear Sanchia." Lorenzo's tone was definitely more cheerful as he kicked his
horse into a lope. "Which gives me hope that we may stop before we reach Solinari after
all."

They halted at noon beside a tiny brook twisting through a forest glade.

One moment Lion was riding several hundred yards ahead of them on the trail, and the
next he was wheeling Tabron and galloping back to them. "We'll stop here until the sun is
less hot," he said curtly.