WALPURGIA ✔️

Extra part 2 - A visit into Baldwin's past

Florence, Spring 1509

Italy, Renaissance

Baldwin stretched fully in the foreign bed, the hands of his last night's affair sneaking over his body. "Finally awake?", the human woman traced his arms with kisses.

Baldwin had long perfected the art of fake sleeping around humans, and even behaving as one.

When she had slept, he had drawn some blood from her. Yesterday he had told himself he would leave first thing in the morning, but as her mouth took in his manhood, he decided to enjoy her one last time before he went back to his own home.

He was purely here in Florence because he had been ordered to come – he hadn't had any intensions of taking any women on his visit, but three of them had already made him break his own promise.

In just two weeks.

"Leaving already?" The woman sounded distraught. The sheet slipped of her body, but she didn't care. Baldwin may have succumbed under her touch, but the sight of her naked body wouldn't make him weak. Her body was the same as the others - nothing special.

"I have business to attend to", Baldwin slipped into his hose. The Italian red-haired beauty handed him his pants without complaining.

What was her name again? Cecilia? Maria? Claudia? No, Cecilia had been the first woman.

It just came to Baldwin they all had been redheads – his brother was right, he had a weakness for them.

"What do you have to do?" "I cannot tell you", Baldwin let her button his shirt.

His father had sent him to talk to the head of the Medici and to the Borgia, to suggest cooperating in marriages, money and power. The Pope had called for the vampire to aid him in holy wars – also something he had to hold secret.

The woman – Isabetta, it now came to him – rested her hands on his chest.

"When will I see you again?", her lips brushed his.
"That, I do not know yet." 

The brown eyed Lady laughed. She was of higher status, beautiful and elegant as every Italian woman he had met so far.

Her confidence had drawn Baldwin in – one night wouldn't hurt. And she lived alone anyways, might as well take her profoundly.

"When I met you in the streets last night, you behaved exactly the same, until I would let you have me. Do I need to offer you my body again for you to stay?"

Baldwin pressed her against her, kissing her hard. She melted with a sigh. "It does not matter how many times you offer me your body and act submissive, this was only a night to satisfy my needs." The others had been hurt by these words – Isabetta's brows were raised and she laughed at the vampire.

"Oh please, Matteo! Like you, I have my needs", Isabetta Rosso wouldn't give up so easily, her voice amused. She bore a lovely smile. "Like yours, they will return and crave touches to our pleasure's release."

"I will search for you then", she had been the most satisfying woman so far, able to keep up with his ruthless taking. She had also been perfectly submissive, something he needed in his sleepless nights.

"I will lend you my body as often as you like", Isabetta kissed his cheek. "Because yesterday showed me you need a woman to take care of you."

"I was in my best form."
"I don't want to know what you are like when angry – will I survive your approaches in the bedroom? Or will I come out with passionate bruises?"

Baldwin – or Matteo Farnese – stopped dressing bewilderedly. He may take his woman roughly, making them cry and scream in pleasure, but he had never hurt them. Baldwin couldn't forgive himself if he made women suffer only for his sexual desires.

"I do not harm my woman."
"No, you make them orgasm and melt in your arms", Isabetta led his hands to her bare body. "Are you sure you don't have time for another round? I promise I'll be louder than yesterday. I know you enjoy that."

"And let us be the talk of the city? Forget it, Isabetta."
But he couldn't hide a smile. "You are impossible."
"I hear that often", she kissed him several times. "I see you soon, I take it?"

"Do not lock your door tonight", he had let her win – she felt too good to be discarded this easily.
"I'll await you naked, my love", Isabetta put his hat on.

"Handsome, like the woman in this street had gossiped."
"Already?"
"Foreigners are always the talk of the city, dear."

"I told you to hurry up", his father wasn't all to happy to see him. "Took you long enough to return with news, Matteo. If you concentrated on your tasks rather than on women and booze, I would be less prone to heart attacks!"

This had been a century where Baldwin's needs had returned strongly after centuries of nothingness. He felt almost ... alive, especially after Isabetta's sharp mouth. He felt the need to explore, go out, talk to others – he felt like existing.

"Aren't you happy I'm out the house, father?", Baldwin bowed jokingly, handing him the letter.

"Let him be, Paolo", his mother firmly told him, struggling to call her husband by a wrong name. "Let the boy have fun." She was always on his side – he needed to thank her later.

"Have you visited Leonardo like you promised us?"
"Yes, father."

"How is he fairing after his father's death?"
"He's better, but he does not let his sadness seep through."
"You've commissioned the portrait of your sister?"
"Raphael is delighted to paint her", Baldwin had gladly accepted the position of messenger in this era – it meant he could explore the city.

Once his father stopped his pestering, Baldwin had gone out their little home and went straight to his friend Lorenzo. He had promised him they would explore the churches of the city together, and would climb each one of them.

Baldwin usually didn't bother with vampires who were way younger than him, but Lorenzo had been a breath of fresh air. Adventurous, curious about the world and easy going. They often had led philosophical talks late into the night, and the younger vampire had often questioned him about the holy wars in his time. Not even Alexander was as interested in him as Lorenzo was.

When Matteo Farnese wasn't busy with browsing the city for people of his father's interest, he laid with women, speculated with philosophers and visited universities as the patron of education. He loved this era.

The people had awoken, had gotten lively and valued life and its gifts more.

This era would do him good. He would blossom, he would awaken. He would get out of his depressing zone.

He could breathe – for a century at least.

Maybe, just maybe, he would find his mate soon.

Not the Italian women he had met so far, but maybe one who is still waiting to be discovered.

A bright smile spread on the vampire's face. 

Soon - he could feel it.

Soon.