Tasha is standing to your left.
He gave Antonietta the mental image of height to her face.
Her heart pounding, Antonietta closed her eyes and turned her head carefully to stare up at Tasha. She pressed back against Byron for comfort and opened her eyes. For a moment Tasha swam in front of her, distorted and out of focus. Antonietta persisted, forcing her brain to connect with her eyes. Tasha stared back at her. Antonietta couldn’t prevent the small cry of joy.
Tasha’s eyes widened in shock. “You can see me.
Dio
, Toni. You can see me. That’s not possible. How can you see me?”
Antonietta burst into tears. Tasha immediately began weeping with her. Byron looked at Paul helplessly.
“Is it true?” Paul asked as his sister and cousin clung to one another. “It was you, wasn’t it, Byron? You are like she is, you have the gift.”
“She has to be careful of light and movement, but we are hoping it will improve for her. Most of the time she keeps her eyes closed or she feels sick,” Byron explained.
“Have you told
Nonno
?” Paul asked the inevitable question.
Before Byron could answer, Tasha flung her arms around him. “I don’t care if you scare me to death.
Grazie
for this. You can’t imagine how much I’d hoped we could find a way to restore Toni’s sight. Our money seemed so useless at times. She’s always been so patient, but there were so many times she wanted a particular book and she couldn’t get it right away… So many things. Just
grazie
, Byron.”
He could feel the genuine love and gratitude pouring out of Tasha, and it made him feel humble. Antonietta’s family relationships were very complex, not at all black and white like his world seemed to be for so long. He thought in terms of enemy or ally. They were far more than that. There was so much joy radiating from Tasha and Paul at the knowledge that Antonietta might be able to see, that Byron wondered how he could have ever suspected either of them of conspiring to kill her, yet he felt he had to be certain. He couldn’t afford to take a chance with Antonietta’s life. .
Tasha and Antonietta began to laugh together, sitting on Paul’s bed, holding hands. “I think they’re hysterical,” Paul commented.
Byron waved his hand to still the room.
“I think you are right.” Byron glanced at Antonietta.
Forgive me,
cara mia
, I feel I have no choice but to be certain. I am certain.
Her protest was instant and adamant.
Byron ignored her and leaned down to stare into Paul’s eyes. He did the same to Tasha. Antonietta pulled out of his mind, her anger nearly tangible. “Neither is involved in the thefts or the poisonings, and if they can shape-shift, they are not aware of it. I do not like the way Tasha feels to me. I want to examine her. Merge with me.”
They found traces of poison in Tasha’s cells. Antonietta was outraged. “Who could be doing this? Christopher? He was often at dinner with us. He could have slipped something into
Nonno
’s drink or food. I can’t see, so it’s possible he could have with any of us, and I wouldn’t have known. Get rid of it, Byron. I know you did for me, so get it out of her. Hurry. It makes me sick to think she has that in her.”
“Paul did not eat anything today. We need to check the others. Even the children. Someone is introducing poison into food or drink.” Byron closed his eyes and sent himself seeking outside his body and into Tasha’s. Antonietta merged with him, watching how he separated body from spirit, became a bright ball of pure energy, and meticulously went through Tasha’s body, examining every cell, muscle, and tissue.
He showed her what to look for, how to maintain outside his own body while he worked, and the intense concentration it took. He seemed much weaker when he was through pushing the poison from Tasha’s body, staggering a little as he reentered his own body.
“What’s wrong with you?” Antonietta asked, alarmed.
“I have not fed this night, and we have used a tremendous amount of energy.” He added a command to her cousins to forget his invasion into their thoughts.
Your family has tremendous barriers. It requires a powerful command to keep them from knowing we have intruded. If you have no choice but to read them, remember to remove the memory. I told you they weren’t involved.
His weariness was beating at her. She couldn’t help herself. She laid her hand on his arm.
Go find whatever you need to be strong again. Or use me.
He laughed softly and leaned down to kiss her on her upturned mouth.
Thank you for the invitation, but I cannot touch you in front of your family. I would want to retire to your bedroom.
It was his voice, a velvet-soft symphony of seduction, that teased the color into her face. Before she could respond, Tasha hugged Antonietta again, completely unaware of the interruption. “Are there things you can do to help you see better? Glasses? Maybe an operation? The laser techniques are supposed to work miracles.”
“I’ve had my miracle,” Antonietta said. “Byron, you have that one thing to take care of. If you want to do that now, I’ll sit up here and visit with Paul.”
My tyrant lifemate.
He was secretly pleased that she was worried enough to be insistent he feed.
Antonietta tried to watch him leave, but the room spun, and the strangely shaped objects flew at her eyes. She closed them tightly. “Movement makes it more difficult. I have to look at something stationary to really see it. We think that will change with time and a little practice.”
“Antonietta.” Paul reached for his cousin. She responded immediately by threading her fingers through his. “Please make peace with Justine. I know you’re hurt by what she did, but I told her they were going to kill me. I laid it on pretty thick. She begged me to go to you. She begged me to lay low until she could get the money together herself. We had a terrible fight about it. I felt like such a lowlife, but I was certain she was involved in the theft ring.”
“Have you told her what you thought? Does she know you nearly died coming here and not going to a hospital? I couldn’t have saved your life, Paul. Byron was the one who worked on you and managed to keep you alive.”
“I feel different. And it’s strange, Toni, but I swear there was a noise this morning, this weird whirring sound. Justine tracked it all over the bedroom. It turned out to be a bug, and the noise was its wings. I just feel more alive, even though I hurt like hell most of the time.” He rubbed his shadowed jaw. “Justine is going to marry me. She was pretty angry with me, especially that I would think she would sell out our family, but I convinced her. It helped that I look pathetic right now.”
Antonietta sighed. “She really hurt me, Paul. I trusted her, and I depended on that trust for my confidence. She took that away from me.”
“I took it away. You know how I am. Tasha, talk to her, she always listens to you. This is important.”
Antonietta felt Tasha’s sudden stillness. “You do, Toni. You do listen to me. I always matter to you.”
“Silly. Of course. I love you. Your opinion has always mattered to me. You know how I think and feel. You know what’s important to me. What would you do? I love Justine, but I don’t know if I can forgive what she did.”
Tasha laughed softly. “Toni, don’t be an idiot. You forgive everybody, everything. That’s just how you are. You couldn’t carry a grudge if your life depended on it. Not with family. Whether you like it or not, Justine falls under the family umbrella, so no matter what, you’re going to forgive her. You’re hurt, not angry. There speaks undoubtedly die voice of true wisdom.” Tasha sounded self-mocking.