She felt him shift her in his arms, hold her close to his chest. She ran her hands over his body. His hand moved to the nape of her neck, pressed her mouth just above his heart. There was power and heat. Her body flooded with energy. Fire blossomed in her belly, in her breasts, between her legs. His body was over hers, surging into hers with the same fire and power. There was a dreamlike quality to their lovemaking. The taste in her mouth was hot and tangy. Salty. His hands were gentle, shaping her body, holding her close. His lovemaking was tender and gentle, completely unlike his earlier passion, making her feel cherished and precious. With every movement of his body, she felt the tension wind tighter and tighter, felt him rising with her. Their release rocked them both, yet left her exhausted, resting against him, limp and drained but filled with a strange peace.
She snuggled against him, burrowing against his shoulder, closing her eyes. I’m so tired, Byron. I don’t think I can stay awake. If anything momentous is happening, don’t wake me up; just let me sleep through it. She wasn’t altogether certain if she had dreamt their joining. If she really had taken his blood. Her mind felt hazy, her body so limp she couldn’t move.
“Why did you say yes to me, Antonietta?” He kissed her eyelids, the corners of her mouth. “Why would you choose something so unknown over a life you enjoy that is familiar? Your courage is terrifying.”
She rubbed her face against his shoulder like a contented cat. “I think everyone wants to be loved, Byron. All of my life I dreamt of meeting a man who would really love me and want to share his life with me. I need to be loved. I look into your mind and I see that same need in you. It isn’t so courageous to grab hold of life’s opportunities when they come your way. Life is meant to be lived. I don’t want to sit on the sidelines and watch it go by. I never have. Being blind has taught me to take the opportunities I can, the moment they’re offered. With you it is easy. I see into your mind, and the way you feel about me is shattering.” Her soft laughter played over his skin. “It’s unrealistic, but if you want to view me as beautiful and wonderful, that’s okay with me.”
He wrapped his arms more closely around her, his touch possessive. “You already have certain abilities, and you are extraordinarily sensitive. It will be interesting to see how your gifts develop over the coming years.”
“But we will live at the palazzo,” she reiterated, wanting reassurance. “
Nonno
would not want me to leave. And no one understands Tasha.”
“She never says what she means. Most of the time I would scan her mind and read her intentions, not paying any attention to her words, but your family and even some of your servants have those strange barriers.”
“Will I be able to do that, too?”
“Yes. But in the case of your family, they would realize what was happening, and you would have to remove the memory. You learn, over time, it is better, if possible, to allow people the privacy of their own thoughts.”
“I found it intrusive and a bit frightening when I realized you could read my mind. Thoughts come and go randomly at times. I wasn’t sure I wanted you to see what I was really like.”
He laughed softly, feathered little kisses into her hair. “I find it better to scan Josef at all times, and you might want to remember to do the same. He looks innocent enough, and sounds it, but in truth he is a holy terror.”
“Do you think I’ll really be able to see?” She drew up her knees. There was a strange burning in her stomach. With each passing minute it had increased until it was painful. Moving her legs didn’t seem to help.
Byron slid his hand to her belly, fingers splayed wide to take in the expanse. His touch should have been soothing, but sharp spears of pain shot through her abdomen and down her spine.
“Byron?” Sweat broke out on her body. Cramps gripped her muscles. “What’s happening to me?”
“The conversion is taking place.” He merged fully with her, tried to shield her from the pain. No matter how hard he tried to block it, the burning ripped through her body. A convulsion lifted her up and slammed her back into the mattress, in spite of his restraining arms.
She felt something alive racing beneath her skin, itching horribly, trying to force its way out of her pores. She thought she screamed, but no sound emerged. A noise boomed in the room, annoying, hurting her ears. She couldn’t seem to adjust the volume.
Jacques. Jacques, what should I do?
Byron reached for the one man who he knew had been through such an event. The one man who might aid him in helping to shield Antonietta from the worst of the pain. It was easy enough to allow Jacques to share knowledge of what was happening to Antonietta.
There is little you can do until her body is rid of all the toxins. Then you must send her to sleep and give her body time to heal in the earth. It is a difficult time, Byron. If you should need aid in any form, I am here.
Antonietta gasped as another wave of fire burned through her body, burst over her heart and lungs and gripped every muscle in her body. She forced air through her lungs, realized Byron was breathing for both of them. She reached out blindly for his hand. Byron tightened his grip on her, wanting to hold her to him.
A thousand needles stabbed her eyes; fire burned her eye sockets. The ends of her fingers went numb, then burst, hooked claws emerging, then receding. Byron was forced to let her hands go to keep from being ripped open. Her body convulsed again, arcing, stretching, contorting. She was slammed back to the mattress.
“I had no idea, Antonietta. I would never have asked you to go through this.”
She rode out another wave, tried a small smile, but her face felt like it was lengthening. “Labor should be a piece of cake to Carpathian women after this.” Her voice was constricted, not her own. A soft growl accompanied her words. The noise in her ears increased to a deafening roar. “I’m going to be sick. Get me into the bathroom.”
Byron scooped her up, moving quickly. Tears burned in his eyes. Guilt rode him hard. “I should have known about this. Before I asked such a thing of you, I should have known what I was getting you into. I am sorry,
cara
.” He held her hair out of her face as she vomited repeatedly.
Byron had no idea how much time passed. It seemed hours. Endless. He was shocked at the pain, the terrible burning, a blowtorch assaulting her insides. He was grateful she couldn’t see as something raised her skin rushing through her body time and again. Several times he was forced to restrain her when she would have ripped her skin from her bones or torn her own eyes from her face. He tried everything he could think of to lessen her suffering, but all he could really do was hold her to him and watch that she didn’t harm herself. Exhaustion helped more than anything so that she rested between the waves of pain, holding his hand, keeping her mind carefully blank.
Byron was grateful the moment he sensed it was safe to send her to sleep. He issued the merciful command ruthlessly, and she succumbed without a murmur.
Chapter 15
Byron carried Antonietta from deep within the healing soil back to the bed in the villa. He made certain there was no evidence of having spent the day in the ground as he laid her on the sheets and curled up beside her. His heart was pounding, and he actually tasted fear in his mouth. Framing her face with his hands, he kissed her mouth. “Wake for me, Antonietta. Wake and embrace your new life.”
She stirred, her lush body moving beneath his, her breasts pushing into his chest, her hips providing a cradle for his. Antonietta stretched leisurely and opened her eyes.