The Prince removed his black jacket and hung it up before retreating to a chair and attending to his boots.
Aoibhe continued to watch him. “This is what I find so curious about you. You’re the most human of any of us in some ways, but the least human in others.”
“I’m sure there’s a compliment in there somewhere,” he said wryly.
“You’re our prince, but no one knows how you keep your fortress secure or who your maker was.” She lowered her voice. “Not even I know when you were brought across, although I surmise it was a few hundred years before me.”
“Is there a question?” His tone was gruff as he placed his boots next to the wardrobe, avoiding her probing gaze.
She lowered her voice to a soft, seductive whisper. “We’re lovers. Tell me your secrets.”
He gave her a pointed look. “We aren’t lovers, Aoibhe. We simply fornicate on occasion.” As if to emphasize the point, he stood and removed his shirt.
She closed her eyes and inhaled as his scent swirled in the room. “You killed a human this evening, but fed on another. I smell someone’s blood on you and a different one in you.”
“A fool surprised me while I was feeding.”
She opened her eyes. “Then why not enjoy dessert?”
“You’re losing your sense of smell. I don’t have a taste for rapists.” He removed a man’s silver Baume et Mercier watch from his pocket and tossed it to her.
She caught it and admired its elegant simplicity in the lamplight before dropping it on the nightstand. “A pity you were the one to end him, since you’re so indifferent to human affairs. I would have made him suffer.”
“He suffered well enough.” The Prince’s gray eyes twinkled. “You would have enjoyed it. He begged for his life, confessing his most secret sins. He even soiled himself.” The Prince smiled, exposing white and perfect teeth. “He said his name was Professor Pacciani.”
“The Paccianis produced a professor? I can hardly believe it.”
(The name Pacciani was shared by a famous serial killer who had haunted Florence for decades. Of course, the humans didn’t know that a number of the killer’s alleged victims had been contributed by Aoibhe herself, and the others of her kind.)
“You killed a rapist. You ended three men last week in order to feed on that girl. This is strange behavior. Why the sudden interest in humans? You let the serial killer prey on the city for years.”
He busied himself with his socks. “I interfere when it’s in my interest.”
Aoibhe rolled onto her stomach, exposing her beautiful back and backside. She tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“It wasn’t in your interest to dismember the men in an alley and leave the pieces to rot.”
The Prince’s gaze flew to hers. “Gregor disposed of the corpses.”
“You could have frightened them away or used mind control.” She gazed at him curiously. “Max isn’t the only one who found your actions peculiar. There’s been talk among the Consilium members.”
He leveled cold eyes on her, his expression menacing. “If Maximilian wishes to talk, he knows where to find me. He won’t like how that conversation ends.”
She shivered and looked away. “I spoke in your favor, of course. I would have done whatever it took to secure the girl, even if it meant dispatching the men. She was exquisite. And they were going to waste it.”
The Prince said nothing but stood, removing his leather belt with a resounding snap.
Aoibhe toyed with the sheet, watching him. “How did it taste?”
He coiled the belt in his hand before placing it carefully on the wardrobe shelf. “My appetite is never quenched.”
Once again, Aoibhe laughed. “You need to take a lover—a human pet to fulfill your needs, day and night. There are beautiful women and men at Teatro. You’d have your choice.”
He hid his grimace by closing the wardrobe door.
The muscles of his naked chest and arms rippled with every movement, and Aoibhe admired them, wetting her lips with her tongue.
“In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never had a woman for an extended period of time. Why?”
He turned his head minutely, spearing her with his gaze. “Humans aren’t meant to be enjoyed for an extended period. They lack resilience. Besides, I had you.”
“Our coupling has not been frequent.”
The Prince pressed a fist to the wardrobe door and clenched his teeth. “You took a new human lover less than a month ago. Where is he this morning? Dusting your palace on his knees, naked?”
She rolled to her back, breasts exposed, staring up at the ornate canopy overhead. “Human lovers lack stamina. I nearly killed him within a week. And he has to sleep, on occasion.”