She wasn’t afraid of Amy Jo. Hell, she didn’t think the woman had enough breath left to crawl away much less overpower her.
Moving to her side, Bella sat next to Amy Jo, put her arm around her shoulder and let her cry.
She’d only heard of two other people, like Amy Jo, who had been bitten during a full moon. They hadn’t survived the night. For this woman to do so was somewhat of a miracle.
Never having known another life, Bella couldn’t imagine how a regular human would cope with the physical changes of becoming something else. Something other than human.
This woman seemed to have made the leap without losing her mind. Amy Jo was definitely someone Bella wanted to know.
They sat there for several minutes until Amy Jo pulled herself together and took one final, shuddering breath before wiping her eyes.
“I’m sorry.” Amy Jo drew in a deep breath, held it then straightened her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to break down like that.”
“Sounds like you needed it.” Bella put her arm around the girl’s still-shaking shoulders. “I’ve got to tell you, I’ve never met another person who survived a bite on the full moon. Except for the fact that you attacked me with a hypodermic needle, I’d say you’re just about one of the smartest and strongest people I’ve ever met.”
Amy Jo snorted but didn’t meet her gaze. “Oh no, I’m a coward. For the past two months, I’ve locked myself in a cage every full moon. I don’t leave my house unless the paper boy misses the front porch. I have my groceries delivered because I’m afraid of what will happen if I get a craving for raw meat at the grocery story. I’m terrified that the men who did this to me will find me.”
Bella personally wanted a shot at the men who’d done this. Steven’s dad had taught her how to defend herself but Cole had taught her to be ruthless. How to use her claws and her teeth to kill. “And yet, here you are.”
“Yeah, here I am.” She sniffed, sounding ready to sob again. “But what am I going to do with my life now?”
“Why can’t you do what you did before?”
Amy Jo’s shoulders moved up and down. “I can. I mean, I have been, from home. But… I’m a werewolf!” she wailed. “Can I get married? Can I have children or will I have little wolf puppies? Will I want to tear my husband apart every full moon? What do I tell my mom?”
It should have been funny. It wasn’t. Bella had never had to worry about these questions. She’d known all her life what she was.
“Well… I wouldn’t tell your mother. At least not until you’ve learned to control your new instincts a little better. The blood lust will pass in about a year. You can get married. You will
not
have puppies.” She wasn’t about to tell Amy Jo that no biter had ever had children. “You can’t pass your change to your offspring since you’re not a hereditary
versipellis
.” Which was complete conjecture on her part but Bella figured if you couldn’t have kids, you weren’t going to pass on the spell that made you
versipelli
. “You will learn to control it. I can help with that. I promise.”
Amy Jo looked at her with awe. “Even after what I did, you’d be willing to help me?”
Bella thought about all that had been taken from Amy Jo by those malicious animals and vowed those men would pay with their worthless lives. She forced her mouth to produce a smile as she nodded. “We have a system in place for biters who ask for help. They’re paired with someone, kind of like AA, but for the furry.”
There, that raised a bit of a smile. “I don’t think I came across that information during my research.”
“Yeah, that’s something else we need to talk about. How you found out so much about me. But—” She held up her hand to stop Amy Jo’s response, “we can talk about that later. Right now, I need to know more about what the men who did this to you said that night. I know it’s going to be hard to remember and I apologize for that.”
Amy Jo went stiff as a board. “I never got a clear look at their faces. I was face down in the dirt most of the time.”
And that, Bella could tell, was all she’d get out of Amy Jo right now. She didn’t have the heart to push the woman any further.
“Well, if you think of anything, anything at all, I’d appreciate it. Any information might help keep safe the people I love.”
Amy Jo frowned. “Like Pretty Boy out there? Sister, I hope you’re not wrapped up with him. He doesn’t seem to have a soft bone in his body.” Her eyes widened as Bella began to grin. “Oh, wait. Now that just didn’t come out right, but you know what I mean.”
“Actually, yeah, I know what you mean, but no, he’s not the one. I’m talking about my brother.” And Steven. Did those men have anything at all to do with what Steven had overheard in Florida?
The
Mal
had been trying to get Steven to join them by any means possible for years. They’d killed his mother, secretly hired him to work for them and had tried to kidnap her, probably to force him to do what they wanted.
But why had they upped the stakes now? What, if anything, had changed for the
Mal
?
“So,” Amy Jo’s hesitant tone drew Bella’s attention back, “would I have to go somewhere, like a halfway house for new werewolves or what?”
Since the
lucani
didn’t have anything like that, that wasn’t an option. So what did she do with Amy Jo?
Well, that was a no-brainer, Bella decided. She liked this woman. Liked her a lot. And, though Bella had been trained since childhood not to be taken in by first impressions, this woman smelled like a friend.
“No. You’re not going anywhere. You’re going to stay with me.”
Amy Jo cocked her head to the side. “Like a handmaid or something?”
Bella laughed. “Where are you getting this stuff? Yes, I’m descended from royalty, but honestly, this is twenty-first-century America. We don’t live by a feudal system.” Well, not feudal though the
lucani
did have a distinctive way of governing themselves. “How about as a traveling partner for now?”
Amy Jo didn’t answer right away and Bella couldn’t decipher her expression. “With both of those men?”
Ah
. “I trust those men with my life. They’ll never hurt you. I’ve known Steven since I was fourteen. We met the day my parents and older brother were killed. Diego is a…protector.”
Of what
would be a conversation for another time. “He’ll give his life for yours if that’s what it takes to keep you safe.”
Amy Jo’s back straightened. “I don’t need anyone to save me.”
“That’s not what you were saying a little while ago.”
“I know it sounds stupid now but,” Amy Jo grimaced, “at the time, I thought it would work.”
Bella tightened her arm around her new friend’s shoulders. “It’s not stupid. All myths have basis in fact. But you’ve figured that one out already, haven’t you? Look, I know you don’t want to talk about what happened that night, but if you ever need someone to listen, I’m here. I can’t imagine—”
“No.” Amy Jo cut her off with a shake of her head. “You can’t. And I’d rather not talk about what they did to me. Not ever.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind, I’m here. I
am
going to have to ask you what you heard those men say. I need to know. It could be important to my family.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out, watched Amy Jo do the same.
“Okay. I think… I think it’s probably better if we do that now. Before I lose my nerve.”
Shaking her head, Bella laughed. “I don’t think that’s a problem you’ll ever have.”
* * *
“Do you believe her story?”
Steven broke the silence that had descended when Bella had kicked him and Diego out onto the concrete slab that passed for a porch at this third-rate motel off the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Diego didn’t turn. The
grigorio
looked wound tight enough to snap. “Yes. She’s telling the truth.”
Steven shook his head, amazed. “Then she’s a damn strong woman, to live through that.”
Diego nodded. “Those men are animals. We are not animals, though some may think so.”
Son of a bitch
. Steven’s hands clenched into fists at his sides as his eyes shut for a few brief seconds. That was the final fucking straw. He swore he heard it break somewhere in his brain.
He opened his eyes to see Diego watching him, calculation in his eyes.
“You know what, asshole?” Steven’s hands clenched at his sides. “I’ve had a fucking shitty day and I’m sick of your attitude. I’ve known Bella since she was fourteen years old. I was there the day her parents were killed. After my dad died, the only people left in the world that I care about are her and Cole. If anything happens to her…”
No. He couldn’t think about that. Not now. “Apparently you and I are going to have to work together. If we can’t do that, you’re going to have to leave, because I won’t. Not this time.”
Raising one eyebrow, Diego leaned against the rusted wrought-iron railing that delineated each room and crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t own the woman, Castiglione. And from what I’ve heard, you cut yourself out of the loop. So what the hell are you doing here? She doesn’t need you to screw up her life again. You’re no good for her.”
Steven’s hands curled into fists, itching to slug the arrogant bastard. “You mean not good enough, don’t you? And you are? You just want her because she’s a purebred. Isn’t that right?”
If Diego’s expression was any indication, Steven decided he might’ve finally pushed the other guy far enough. Good. He needed to work off some of this excess energy and a fight would do it. Besides, if this prick dared to lay one hand on Bella, Steven would flay him alive and hang his pelt on his wall. If last night had proven anything, it was that she would always be his. No matter what.
Come on, bastard. Throw the first punch.
Diego’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You don’t want to go there. Not now.”
Steven bared his teeth. “Yeah, actually, I do.”
“No, you don’t.” Diego bared his teeth in an approximation of a smile and turned back to stare at the parking lot. “You just want to pound the shit out of someone and I’m handy. What we need to do is talk about what we’re going to do now. You know Bella’s in there making a new friend. We’re going to get stuck taking that crazy woman with us to New Orleans. And we need to figure out what the
Mal
wants with Bella.”
Steven knew what the
Mal
wanted with Bella—to use as leverage against him. And from the look Diego gave him, apparently he knew it, too.
Steven turned away. “I’ll take care of the
Mal
after we get Bella to Cole.”
“You and what army?”
Steven didn’t have an answer for that. And he was saved from thinking of one when the door opened.
Bella stood there, her gaze weighing the situation. “Amy Jo’s ready to answer some questions. Did you boys play n—”
Steven wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her flush against his body before she could finish her sentence. He had an instant hard-on as he dropped his lips on hers and kissed her until he felt her yield against him. His tongue pushed past her lips, but she was already opening for him.
His hand moved from her neck to her hair, threading through the strands until she couldn’t move without his consent.
She tasted so hot and so damn familiar that the lust he’d tried to keep under wraps exploded, raising his body temperature and threatening the hold on his
arus
.
With a groan, she returned his passion, her lips moving against his in a way that nearly had him ripping off her clothes and pushing her back onto the bed in the room.
Only the knowledge that Amy Jo and Diego were watching forced him to rein in that hunger. When he broke away, he looked into her eyes, searching for something.
He didn’t find what he was looking for until she smiled and warmth flooded her gaze.
“It’ll be alright, Steven.” She lifted a hand to cup his cheek, her skin warm against his.
He wanted to turn his head and press another kiss into the center of her palm. But over Bella’s shoulder, he caught Amy Jo staring at them with wide eyes.
He nodded. “We need to find out what she knows about what the
Mal
is planning and how
congress
works into it. Then I need to get you to Cole.”
Bella smiled as she shook her head. “I’m not leaving your side, not until we find out what’s going on. You need me. I fight better than you do and I know what’s been going on the last three years.”
She didn’t say it, but he knew the rest of that sentence was “since you left me.” Since he’d turned his back on his heritage and his family.
But he refused to put her in any more danger.
“This is my problem—”
“No,” she cut him off, shaking her head. “It’s not. It’s
our
problem. I’m not a child anymore, Steven. I’m a grown woman who’s been taking care of herself for years. Years you wanted nothing to do with me.”
That hit him low in the gut with the force of an Ali punch. He could deny that he hadn’t wanted anything to do with her. He’d thought about her every day. Dreamed about her every night.
But he couldn’t deny that he wanted to keep her in a safe little box, away from the
Mal
, away from all of his shit.
And he wasn’t sure he could concentrate if she was around.
Before he could open his mouth, she continued. “I’m not throwing that in your face to hurt you. Well,” she grimaced, “maybe just a little. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m not leaving your side. Get used to it.”
With a sigh, Diego said, “Then I suggest we take the rest of this inside. We need a plan.”
Chapter Seven
“We need you to tell us everything you can remember from that night,” Bella said. “Every word, no matter how trivial it might seem. I know this is going to suck big time but we need to hear it.”
Bella didn’t know the half of it, Amy Jo thought as they sat on the bed while the men stood against the wall. Not too close but in her line of sight. As if they knew she wouldn’t want them behind her.