Bones of a Feather - Carolyn Haines [32]
“Surely you can see whether they’re the threat or not.” He was scaring me, but I refused to show it.
“No, I can’t. I can only see darkness hovering over you. The source isn’t evident. But I had to warn you, Miss Delaney. Take care.” He stood, bowed slightly, and then walked away.
I sank back into the chair as though someone had sucked my spine from my body. Don Cipriano might be a crank, a kook, or a manipulator, but he had presence and personal power, and he had succeeded in frightening me. I had no desire for another injury, physical or emotional.
* * *
My room had been cleaned and the bed made. I shed my clothes and stepped under the shower’s stinging hot spray. Weariness made my shoulders droop, but I wanted to interview Kissie McClain before the afternoon got away from me.
And I didn’t want to think about Don Cipriano.
I let the water sluice over my head, hoping to wash away the thoughts of him.
When I turned off the shower, I thought I heard someone in my room. Grabbing a towel, I opened the bathroom door. Someone wrapped in a white sheet held a bow and arrow. The figure stood perfectly still at the foot of my bed.
“Who are you?” I blinked water from my eyes.
“The hunt is on. Beware the prey doesn’t turn into the huntress.”
“Jitty?” What in heaven’s name was she up to now? I blotted my face to clear my vision. The sheet was actually a toga that draped gracefully over her athletic figure. She wore a crown of laurel leaves.
“I am the daughter of Zeus and Leto, conceived in passion and born on Delos, a floating island, because jealous Hera refused my mother a haven on earth.” She came toward me. “There are times when virtue is the only path.”
I’d been a theater major in college, and Greek mythology had been one of my favorite studies. I reviewed the hierarchy of the gods and demigods. “Artemis! She was the daughter of Zeus and Leto.” I tried not to smirk at my knowledge.
“No sun shines on those who betray true love.” Jitty was the voice of gloom.
“Are you talking about Don Cipriano?” Had Jitty buzzed from Dahlia House to the Eola to warn me to steer clear of the Gypsy? If so, it was wasted effort. I had no intention of falling under Don Cipriano’s mesmerizing spell.
“You’re drawn to him.” Jitty sat on the foot of the bed. When she crossed her leg at the ankle, the entire goddess effect was totally ruined. “Stay away from that man, Sarah Booth. He’s trouble. A mistake like him can’t be hidden or undone.”
“But he looks so virile, Jitty. And I’m ovulating right now. I hate to miss this chance to snare a sperm.” Oh, this was delicious. Jitty, who’d preached bed and bred for the past two years, was now hoisted on her own petard.
“You got the very devil in you, Sarah Booth Delaney.”
“Artemis. Goddess of the hunt and wild things.” A rare opportunity to torment Jitty presented itself. “And I sure am feeling wild for one tall, dark, and handsome stranger. Fact is, now that I’m all cleaned up, maybe I should ring his room and invite him for a game of ride the bronco.”
I don’t think I’d ever seen Jitty at a loss for words, but she was momentarily stunned. “I don’t know what’s come over you, Sarah Booth, but I’m gonna find Tinkie. Either that or them men in white jackets. You’re talkin’ crazy.”
I dug underwear and a pair of jeans out of my suitcase and pulled them on. “There’s no call to rile Tinkie or anyone else. I’m finished having fun with you.”
She circled me. “The Gypsy man didn’t get his hooks into you?”
“He’s compelling, but I’ve made a commitment to Graf. Disloyalty isn’t one of my many vices.”
“Lord almighty, Sarah Booth, you ’bout sent me into cardiac arrest.”
“Impossible. You’re already dead. So what’s with the Artemis getup?”
“I considered Athena.”
“The Goddess of War?” Thank goodness for Professor Brent and his love of all things Olympic. Athena sprang fully formed from the head of Zeus, her father. Grossly enough,