The Palace — Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

THE COUNT.
HE DIDN'T CHILL THE BLOOD OF HIS BEAUTIFUL VICTIMS.
HE HEATED IT.

Fifteenth-century Florence. The most dazzling and depraved city in the world. In this Italian capital of power and corruption, art and immortality, intrigue and evil, a stranger appeared, always dressed in black - handsome, sophisticated, charming, fabulously wealthy. No one knew for sure what unnatural rituals went on in his sumptuous palazzo, but everything about him was seductive, compelling, irresistible.

He called himself Count Francesco Ragoczy da San Germano, and as Florence exploded in a frenzy of violence and destruction, the Count used his icy intellect to conquer the minds of men, and branded with fiery passion the willing flesh of women - waiting for the one lover he could possess as his mate for all eternity...