Read Carpathian 00 - The Scarletti Curse for Free Online

Sophie into his arms in one smooth motion. "I do not want further injuries caused by bare feet on the debris. Gather her things, and we will go to the nursery."
    Where the child should have been all along! Why had Sophie been in that monstrous room?
    Nicoletta bit back the questions clamoring inside her. It seemed that no one paid much attention to Sophie. If anything, the child appeared to be in the way. Had the soup been intentionally poisoned? Or had it, perhaps, been intended for the don? Pud darsi. He had numerous enemies. Although his people were loyal to him—they were well fed, protected, and cared for—they also feared him, and fear was often a dangerous emotion. It was known, too, that the King of Spain had made an uneasy treaty with the don. The king had conquered other cities and states but had been unsuccessful in taking over Don Scarletti's lands. Could there be a traitor at the palazzo? Few would dare challenge the don outright, but perhaps they sought other ways to defeat him.
    She couldn't believe the selfsame don was holding her so close to him, almost protectively, cradling her in his arms, against his wide chest. Much like a frightened rabbit, she dared not move or speak. In any case, she knew with certainty that struggling wouldn't do her any good. Don Scarletti was a man who got his way.

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    The manservant who had shown them in arrived a little out of breath. His clothes were a trifle disheveled, as if he had dressed on the run. His eyes widened at the sight of Nicoletta and Sophie in his master's arms, but he was discreet enough not to comment.
    "See to the debris, Gostanz," Don Scarletti ordered, moving past the man without so much as looking at him.
    Nicoletta held her breath, still not daring to move or speak. The don's body was hard and hot and unspeakably male. As he carried her and Sophie through the massive halls, she noted ribbed archways and domes, automatically attempting to remember the way, but he was moving very quickly. Maria Pia was nearly running to keep up. The spiral staircase they ascended was wide and ornate, the banister shaped like a golden snake curled around a long, twisting, golden branch. Maria Pia was afraid to touch it, muttering a multitude of prayers as she climbed. Ordinarily Nicoletta would have found Maria Pia's superstitions amusing, but being in the don's arms, tight against his chest, unnerved her.
    The nursery was along another long, vaulted hallway, but the room had a smaller, less intricate interior.
    No sculptures of mythical creatures, no sinister gargoyles preparing to do battle threatened here.
    However, dark, heavy tapestries covered the wall from ceiling to floor behind the bedstead, and the room was cold, with no logs on the hearth. The don placed Nicoletta and her tiny charge carefully on the bed. He patted Sophie's head rather absently, his attention still centered on Nicoletta.
    "Look at me." He said the words very softly. His voice was a weapon, seductive, tempting, an invitation to something beyond her comprehension.
    She was uncomfortably aware of her own body, how soft and curved it had felt against the hard strength of his. And then there was that strange current that ran between them, arcing and crackling with a life she didn't understand. She only knew that his voice was soft and could move over her skin like the touch of his fingers, and that if she dared look into his eyes, she might be trapped there for all time.
    Nicoletta stubbornly shook her head, her eyes averted, looking resolutely down. The don, clearly exasperated with her defiance, caught her chin in firm fingers and forced her head up so that her dark eyes met his gaze. For a moment they stared at one another. His eyes were beautiful, black as obsidian, glittering like gems. Hypnotic. Fathomless. She felt a curious sensation, as if she might be falling. The feeling was so real, her fingers curled around the