Carpathian 00 - The Scarletti Curse

fingertips, a small, almost tender caress. Her gaze moved over his face as if drinking him in.
    Giovanni shook his head and bent toward her so that his mouth was against her ear. "I think you may be the witch Margerita has named you, casting your spells to mesmerize a mere man." His breath warmed her skin and sent tiny shivers of flame dancing in her blood.
    For the first time, she wasn't afraid of the taunt. She turned her face so her lips moved tantalizingly against his. "I would not call you a 'mere man,' Don Scarletti, not ever." It was a brush of sinful, silken heat, their mouths touching as she whispered to him. Her body moved against his in restless need. Hot desire flared in his eyes, a firestorm of such intensity it robbed both of them of their ability to breathe.
    This time it was Nicoletta who moved away. She turned and walked slowly down the corridor, her hips swaying with feminine invitation. Don Scarletti could not be evil. It couldn't be so. No matter how many rumors flew about the palazzo and their don, she couldn't find it in her heart to believe him a murderer.
    Her head down, she wasn't looking where she was going, so she nearly jumped when someone grabbed her arm and yanked her into a small alcove.
    She landed against the wall and found herself staring up at the don's grandfather. He looked wilder than ever, his face twisted into a fierce scowl, his bushy brows drawn together into one frightening line. Over his shoulder she saw the two guards rushing forward. Hastily she shook her head at them, a warning to back away. They did so reluctantly, staying close enough to reach her should there be need. Their presence enabled her to relax in the old man's surprisingly strong grasp.
    "Signore Scarletti." She let her breath out slowly. "Is something wrong? Please tell me. I can see you are upset."
    He stared down at her. She could feel his body trembling with a terrible tension. "You must leave this place at once. Do not go near any of them. Any of us. Go while you still have your life!" His fingers bit into her arm. He even shook her slightly. "You are in danger. If you stay here, you will surely die!" He thrust her away from him and rushed off, swiping at the guards with his cane so that they hastily moved out of his reach.
    Nicoletta sagged against the wall, watching the old man as he hurried away. His voice had been hoarse with fear. He was warning her away from all the Scarletti men, even himself. What did that mean? Could she be so wrong about the don? Was there a strain of madness running through the family? Two sides to the men? Angel and devil? She rubbed absently at the finger marks on her arm. Where did the man get such strength? She had noticed that the don seemed abnormally strong. Did that run in the family along with madness?
    One of the guards approached her solicitously. "Did he hurt you?"
    She shook her head. "He didn't mean me any harm. On the contrary, he was attempting to be nice." She Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    knew the older man had bruised her skin with his terrible grip, but he seemed desperate to make her believe him.
    "I must report this to the don, signorina." The guard spoke quietly, knowing she would object. "It is my duty."
    She wrung her hands. "Must you? He really did not hurt me. I do not want him to be reprimanded, and the don seems very…" She trailed off, searching for the correct words.
    "Protective of you," the guard supplied. "I will take care in the way I word my report."
    "Grazie," Nicoletta responded, and she pushed away from the wall. More shaken by the encounter than she wanted to admit, she hastened along the corridor until she was safely in Sophie's room.
    The bedchamber was much like she remembered it but without the chandelier. In the light of day the room didn't seem quite so alarming. Nicoletta smiled at the waiting child. "Your zio Gino has said you may go to the courtyard with me, bambina."
    Sophie's face lit up. "I knew you would get him to say I could go!"
    Nicoletta held out a hand to the child, carefully avoiding looking at Maria Pia. The older woman knew her very well and would know something had upset her. "I cannot wait to get outside, either." She tried to be enthusiastic, but she was suddenly afraid.
    The eldest Scarletti had succeeded in terrifying her. Nicoletta tried to keep her racing mind under control, but it seemed impossible. Her imagination was running wild as they made their way