Carpathian 10 - Dark Symphony

"That does put things in perspective, doesn't it?"
    Byron kept his touch in her mind light, a mere shadow monitoring her reaction. She absorbed what he said without judgment. She tapped her fingernail on the marble. "So you have fangs? Like a vampire in the books?" Antonietta held her palm over the pulse on her neck.
    "When I need to feed, yes, my incisors lengthen." He didn't take his eyes from her face.
    Antonietta turned off the water. "Do you have music in this room?"
    The question was so unexpected, he was startled. "Did you hear what I said?"
    "Of course I did. Here's the thing, Byron. Before we take this any further, I need to know some important things about you."
    "The fact that I have fangs might be considered important by some people, Antonietta,"
    he said patiently, wondering if he was losing his mind. He was beginning to feel frantic. She was so beautiful to him, so courageous. He ached to hold her. He had carefully planned the way he would break his heritage to her, the way he would lovingly reassure her, yet she didn't seem to be in need of reassurance.
    "I suppose so, but I'm more concerned with your choice of music. I can live with some things, but music is my life. If you had atrocious taste, I don't know, I'd have to reconsider this entire affair."
    He pushed his hands through his hair again with growing agitation. "That is another thing. We are not having an affair. In the eyes of my people, in my eyes, we are husband and
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    Dark Symphony
    Page 143 of 188
    wife. More. We are bound for all eternity. The binding ritual has already taken place."
    She turned her head then, her eyes finding his face unerringly, as if she could see him.
    "Where was I during the binding ritual? Because I don't actually recall such a thing. And while you're at it, you might explain it to me."
    Her direct gaze shook him. She looked serene sitting there on the edge of the Jacuzzi in her stocking feet and long skirt. "A female is bound to her life mate when he recites the ancient bonding words. The power of those words is imprinted on every male of our species before his birth. We are two halves of the same whole. When the words are said, the souls become one as they are meant, and neither can be apart for long without the other."
    "And this can be done without her knowledge or consent?" Her tone was mild. She dipped her hand in the water, created swirling patterns.
    "We have few women. Our race is nearly extinct. We found that a few rare women who possess psychic ability are born the other half of a Carpathian male."
    "So without their knowledge or consent, you bind them to you," she repeated.
    "The male has little choice in the matter if he chooses to survive. She is light to our darkness. We cannot feel emotion or see in color without her influence. Too many of our males have turned vampire or walked into the dawn because they could not find their life mate. It is our duty to see that our species survives. Life mates belong together."

She nodded her head, but he caught the flash of anger in her mind. "A male has a choice, Byron. There is always a choice. The reason I don't wake up until the sun is down is because of you, isn't it? And the reason my hearing and my ability to smell is so acute is also due to you."
    "We exchanged blood twice. Life mates often exchange blood during lovemaking."
    "Am I like you? Is that why Josef was so certain I could shift into a different form?"
    "Not yet. It takes three blood exchanges to convert a human. The human must be psychic.
    You are far more sensitive than most."
    "But that's why you brought me here tonight. You intend to convert me to be like you are. That's why you're so troubled."
    "I wanted to wait, Antonietta. I wanted it to be your decision."
    "What changed your mind?" She stood up, drew the silk blouse over her head in one motion. There was curiosity in her voice but no real censure that he could detect. And no real fear. In fact, she seemed very sure of herself. She folded the blouse and set it on top of his jacket, facing him in her blue lace bra, long swirling skirt, and stocking feet.
    Byron was distracted by her mild reaction. By her full breasts, a temptation in nearly transparent lace. He watched as she pulled the pins from her hair and shook the long rope free.
    Her