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and ready to kill in an instant."

"When he was fighting the vampire?"

Skyler shook her head. "I think I could have been okay with that, but no, with Josef. Josef is-just Josef. He's sweet and funny and way smarter than anyone gives him credit for. He would have fought for me and Dimitri is-big, strong. You saw him. Still, Josef thought to rescue me."

"He should have called Byron and you should have called Gabriel," Antonietta pointed out.

"I know."

"Josef is going through a difficult period in his life. He spends far too much time interacting on the internet instead of with people. He needs better social skills. Meeting you and Josh after so many months of continual communication-it was like he had friends already."

Skyler found Antonietta more difficult to read than most, but she was certain the conversation was about her and the way she hid from life as well as being about Josef. "Well, at least I won't have to worry about the vampire. He's dead now, so I'm safe and everyone, Josef included, can breathe easier." She hoped the fact that Dimitri had destroyed the threat to her would keep Gabriel from being so angry.

She is very certain the threat to her is gone, Antonietta shared.

I very much doubt it. She was definitely targeted and this is the second time. Dimitri said the vampire had to have turned only a month or so earlier, that he hadn't grown into his powers. Most fledgling vampires are used as pawns by one far more powerful. We know they are in this area, and no fledgling would try to take on so many Carpathians. He was sent by someone else testing the waters.

Antonietta's hand fluttered gracefully to her throat. Then young Skyler is in more danger than ever. Surely someone will tell her. It is unfair to allow her to think she is safe. Really, Byron, I would want to know.

No doubt they will tell her when this mess is settled. I would not want to go up against Lucian and Gabriel, especially when they are united, but Dimitri has grown into a force to be reckoned with. He has taken on the Daratrazanoff brothers and invoked his rights. He wont back down at all, or give any concession. He blames Gabriel for allowing Skyler to be in danger, and truly, Antonietta, what can Gabriel say in response? It is his sole responsibility to keep her safe, as his daughter and certainly as Dimitri's lifemate. Whatever has taken place over the centuries, it has shaped Dimitri into a strong, lethal warrior. He means to force an order from Mikhail-or take her with him.

She's too young-too hurt. She needs time to heal, Byron.

I think Dimitri is aware of that. He's not pushing his claim to bind her, only that they comply with his every wish.

"You're talking to your lifemate, aren't you?" Skyler guessed shrewdly.

"Byron," Antonietta supplied. "Yes, he's sharing information with me. We have a partnership. He promised me he would always treat me as an equal, and he does even when others think he shouldn't. I am used to a certain way of life and Byron has never asked me to give it up."

"He makes you happy?"

"Very much so. I cannot imagine my life without him. I would have no life without him."

"So what is going on in there? They're all pretty angry. None of them are working very hard to block their emotions." Skyler raised her gaze to Antonietta's. The woman was looking back at her and seeing her-seeing more than Skyler wanted anyone to ever see. "It's because of me, isn't it?"

Antonietta's smile was gentle. She shook her head, drawing attention to the thick rope of hair plaited intricately. "It's because they are men. A vampire attacked one of their women and blame must be placed, strategy worked out. Mostly, it is a lot of hunters in close proximity to one another. They should just tell you they are going to have to guard you every moment and leave it up to your good sense to know they are right."

"But-isn't the vampire dead? I saw Dimitri incinerate the heart." Her pulse was pounding again. She was not facing another vampire.

"He was too easy to kill. That usually means another sent him out as an expendable pawn. If he got you, all to the good, but it is a distraction to draw our attention away from the real attack."

Skyler took a small sip of the orange juice. It was never easy to