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glanced back at where Max was pacing, but she couldn’t see his face.
    “Here’s what I don’t quite get,” Marcello was saying as he looked through his black bag for supplies. “What was it about Max that terrified you enough to start running?” He looked up at her. “Instead of just holding your ground and stating your case, I mean.” He gave his cousin a mocking look. “He doesn’t seem all that scary to me.”
    Yes, that was the slightly embarrassing element in all this, she had to admit. Should she tell him the truth? Would he laugh? Or think her a little looney? She glanced at Max again and his haughty reserve gave her the spark she needed to go on.
    “I’m sure you know about the legends attached to this castle,” she said. “I’ve heard them all my life.”
    Max stopped, though still in shadows. “What sort of legends?” he asked gruffly.
    She hesitated, knowing he was going to scoff. “Well, the usual,” she began, starting to wish she hadn’t brought it up.
    “I know what she’s talking about,” Marcello offered. “Village people love to think of their local prince as a modern day Casanova, seducing women and humiliating men.” He gave his cousin a quick grin. “And you’ve got to admit we’ve got a few rakes and degenerates in the older branches of our family tree.”
    Max shrugged and turned away, and Isabella bit her lip, then added something in a very soft voice.
    “Vampires,” she said.
    They both turned back to her. “What?”
    Her chin came up and her eyes sparked. “Vampires,” she said more forcefully.
    They gaped at her and she went on quickly, before they could begin to laugh.
    “There are plenty of rumors that your family has included vampires. I know it’s crazy. I’m just saying…”
    Max turned away again, shaking his head.
    “It was partly the way you came crashing at me in the middle of a storm,” she continued, raising her voice so that he couldn’t ignore her. “Like something dropped from a thundercloud. And on horseback!” She shook her head. “I thought…I thought…” She bit her lip and wondered if she really should tell them this.
    “Yes?” Marcello leaned forward, unmistakably interested. “What was it you thought?”
    She narrowed her gaze and put steel in her spine. “I…I thought Max was a vampire. Just for a second or two.”
    There. She’d said it. She looked up at where Max was standing and wished she could see what his eyes were revealing at this very moment. It was difficult to tell his reactions and that was driving her crazy.
    “Are you serious?” Marcello was another matter. His response was no mystery. “A vampire?”
    She tossed her hair back and tried to explain, addressing Max directly, even if he wouldn’t do the same to her.
    “Well, it was a logical conclusion to draw. After all, you came galloping out of the forest, dressed all in black with that cape and everything. The setting was perfect for it with the moon hidden behind clouds over your shoulder. From where I was standing, it was like something right out of a vampire movie.”
    Max didn’t move.
    Marcello’s mouth was holding steady but his gaze was rife with amusement.
    “Isabella, I think you’ve got it wrong,” he said carefully, as though teaching a lesson. “This is the Italian countryside, you know. As I understand it, vampires live in Transylvania. Am I right?”
    Of course he was right, but she wasn’t going to admit it so easily. “Oh, so you think an Italian can’t be a vampire?” she demanded.
    He shrugged grandly and almost rolled his eyes. “What do you think, Max? I’d say chances are slim.”
    Max didn’t answer, but she wasn’t giving up. She shook her head and threw out her arms. “They say there are vampires everywhere.”
    “I see.” Marcello was laughing at her again. “How many have you met yourself?”
    She gave him a quick, sideways look. “Well…not many, I will admit.”
    He nodded wisely. “Interesting.”
    His