to have them for dinner tonight? Have them wait a week or two."
"Tasha, they're visiting the area. You know very well I can't ask them to wait. You always wanted to be in the middle of a drama. We should invite the captain for dinner, too. It's the perfect opportunity. And I need to get dressed. I want to look special tonight. I don't want to ask Justine to help me."
Tasha caught Antonietta's hand. "Of course I'll help you. But don't invite Diego. I don't want him to see me like this."
"I haven't told Paul about dinner yet, and I need to talk to Helena. I want to check that everything is perfect."
"I'll ring Helena and have her meet us in your rooms. Paul's gone. He left right after Christopher arrived."
A chill went down Antonietta's spine.
Byron?
She reached for him, needing the comfort of his presence.
I am here, cara. I am always with you. Paul is often gone. It does not prove anything one way or the other.
Antonietta listened to her heartbeat. The fear beating at her subsided. Grazie, Byron. You always manage to say the right thing.
"We'll have to hurry." Tasha took another look at her face in the mirror. "It doesn't hurt very much anymore, but it sure looks awful. Come on before I change my mind. Let's go find you the perfect outfit."
Antonietta hurried through the palazzo and up the stairs, Celt at her side and Tasha leading the way. Helena was waiting at her door, doing her best to hide her exasperation with Antonietta's interference.
"I'm certain everything is fine, signorina."
"Fine then," Tasha snapped. "She was just checking, Helena. Go do whatever it is you do."
"That was rude," Antonietta said as the housekeeper hurried away.
"She was rude. She should know you never fuss. This must be important to you, or you wouldn't be so concerned."
"I am not fussing."
Yes you are.
Chapter 12
Antonietta opened her door warily, allowing Celt to go ahead of her. When the borzoi didn't give the alarm, she entered with more confidence. No one asked you.
His soft laughter poured over her.
"Toni, the window." Tasha rushed to one of the large plates of stained glass. It was pushed inward. "What happened?"
"That cat tried to get in. Byron's out looking for it now."
"How frightening. Did you call Diego?"
"No, I didn't even think about calling the authorities. I ran out of the room."
"We'll have to get this repaired. In the meantime, maybe we should have bars put up for safety." Tasha threw open the doors to the wardrobe. "Something feminine but not too sexy."
You are sexy in anything you wear. Not tonight.
She knew she wasn't really dressing for Byron's family. She was dressing for him. She wanted to look feminine and beautiful. She wanted to look the way the woman in the mirror had looked.
"Your long skirt, the royal blue silk with the little blouse and pearl buttons," Tasha decided. "It's the perfect image. Pianist, businesswoman, and yet ultrafeminine."
Long skirt, Byron. Not sexy at all. At dinner tonight I will be thinking of that little lace bra that does not cover a thing, and the thong. That wonderful little thong that preys on my mind my every waking minute. You worry me. But it worries me even more that I like the way you think. Did you find the jaguar? Paul isn't here, but Tasha and Franco both are. The cat has been prowling around the cove and down near the caves where the entrance to the tunnel is. The trail led away from the palazzo and back again. The water has removed all traces of the scent. Hurry now, and dress. Your housekeeper, by the way, is taking her ire out on the chef.
Chapter 13
The jaguar had deliberately used the water to confuse the scent. Byron could not find a clear trail leading from the cove. Many human scents were mingled together, impossible to pick out any that might have been a shifter. He masked his presence and soared upward to Antonietta's balcony, sending a quick reassurance to Celt so the borzoi wouldn't go on guard and alert the women. The damage to one window was enormous. The jaguar had tried to force its way into the room. It had definitely wanted to attack Antonietta.
Byron gripped the balustrade tightly. Antonietta was out of time. He could no longer afford to wait when such an enemy was stalking her. She had to be with him.
What is it? You're so sad. Come to me and stop thinking about