The Immortal City by Amy Kuivalainen

Author:Amy Kuivalainen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, fantasy, contemporary, atlantis, magic, mystery, history, Venice
Publisher: BHC Press
Published: 2019-04-07T16:00:00+00:00

BY THE TIME Penelope arrived at their designated meeting spot early the next morning, Marco Dandolo had coffees and biscotti waiting. He closed his paper as she entered the café, looking at her with an amused and measured smile.

“You know what I love about Italy?” she asked as she sat down opposite him. “There’s good coffee wherever I go.”

Marco looked her over again, his smile getting wider. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”

“No! Why would you say that?” she said too loudly. “Of course I didn’t. I’m a little hungover, that’s all. Some friends arrived yesterday, so we had dinner and drinks and…fine! I kissed him, okay? Don’t give me a lecture because I don’t exactly know how I feel about it.”

Marco laughed at her nervous confession. “Penelope, you are hardly the first person in the world to kiss someone after they’ve been drinking. Half the Questura wanted to make love to Alexis Donato yesterday, so I’m impressed you stopped at just kissing.”

“I still don’t know if it was a mistake or not,” Penelope admitted, dipping her almond biscotti into the steaming espresso. It wasn’t only the kissing that troubled her; it was the chakra orgasm and the magic, too. She should have been concerned or afraid. Instead, she felt more comfortable with a group of magicians than she ever had with normal people.

“I think the paparazzi are more excited about it than you are,” Marco commented and handed her a paper. She couldn’t understand what the article was saying, but there she was, arm in arm with Alexis, wandering the streets of Venice.

“What the hell? Who took this?” she demanded. She tried to make sense of the sentence underneath the photograph. She and Alexis were both named. “What does this say?”

“Who cares? It’s just a gossip rag. Nothing to concern yourself with.” Marco tried to take the paper from her, but she tightened her grip on it.

“Tell me now, Marco.”

“Fine, fine. In English, it would translate as ‘Pseudohistorian spotted in Venezia with illusive bachelor, Alexis Donato.’ Really, Penelope, no one reads this garbage. I’m glad that you’ve stolen their attention, so they aren’t focusing on the murders.”

“Pseudohistorian! Those pieces of…God, I hope Alexis hasn’t seen this. He’ll be so embarrassed.”

Her nerves tightened as she remembered their intimacy the night before. Did she want to be involved with someone who could land her in the papers every time she left the house? She hated the thought people would think less of him just because he was seen in her company. And she loathed her research being classed as pseudohistory. All of her confidence from the night before fled as she shoved some biscotti into her mouth.

“Don’t let it bother you, Dottore. No one believes the media,” soothed Marco.

“Can we please just talk about the case? You look like you have been up all night. Were you trying to unravel the mystery that is Agent Bianchi?”

“Buffo. We can’t all succeed in getting our partners drunk like you, though if any woman desperately needs to get drunk and kissed, it’s her.

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