Bella liked this woman, she really did. She wasn’t afraid to ask questions and she seemed to have a genuinely caring heart. “No. But I was a mess at the time. You know my parents and older brother were killed when I was fourteen, right?”
She felt Amy Jo nod. “That must have been awful.”
She still couldn’t answer that one without breaking down. “What you probably don’t know is that Michael, Steven’s father, took in my brother and me. He raised us, trained us, sent us to school, kept us safe.”
“Sounds like a great guy.”
“He was. And when he was killed, I had a really hard time.”
“How’d he die?”
“He was a
grigorio
, a protector, like Diego. He was killed defending a young girl from the
Mal
. I was twenty-one, having a hard time adjusting to college and the real world. Then Michael died and Steven told me he was leaving, and he’d never see me again.”
Amy Jo’s hand tightened. “Well, that certainly sounds like a sucky period of life.”
Amy Jo’s tone was affronted and sympathetic at the same time and Bella laughed. “Yeah, actually, it was. And when the full moon came, I decided my life was going to change.”
“And that meant changing who you are.”
Bella nodded. “When I came out of the coma, my brother cried like a baby. Steven passed out cold on the floor. Stress. The next day, my brother told Steven to leave and never come back, so he did.”
“Sounds like your brother was hurting and Steven blamed himself for what happened.”
Yes, she knew that. Still… “For three years, I didn’t see or speak to the man I love. About a week ago, I got sick of waiting for him to come to me and I sent him a note. I told him I needed him and asked him to come to me.” Her gaze picked out Steven in the hanger with Diego and Marco. The men were huddled together, their hands going as they discussed their plans. “Someone tried to kidnap me two weeks ago.”
“So I’m not the only one.”
Bella smiled as she met Amy Jo’s gaze. “No, but these men didn’t want me. They wanted to use me to get to Steven.”
“Were these men from this
Mal
you keep talking about?”
“Yeah. Sorry, I keep forgetting you don’t know as much as we think you do. I can’t believe the
Mal
never came up in your research.”
“I wasn’t searching for anything other than you.” Amy Jo grimaced. “I was a little fixated.”
“The
Malandante
is an ancient secret society descended from the Etruscans. Their magic is the same magic we all possess—even you, now. But there’s something in their genetics that causes them to lean to the dark side.”
Amy Jo cocked her head and stared straight into her eyes. “So… What? They have a gene that predisposes them to evil, kind of like the gene that makes it more likely you’ll get cancer?”
“Yeah, kind of. And, since it’s awfully hard to fight genetics, when you’re born
Mal
, you stay
Mal
.”
“So why do they want Steven?”
“Because he was born
Mal
.”
Amy Jo’s jaw practically dropped to the floor, shock making her eyes huge. But as shocked as the other woman was, it would never match the gut-crushing despair that hit Bella every time she let herself really think about what it meant.
Steven couldn’t change what he was. Just as she couldn’t. But where she embraced her nature with open arms, Steven had to fight his every day.
“It’s the reason Steven won’t stay with me. He’s able to control his magic only because he shuts down all emotion. When he lets himself feel, he loses control of his magic. He’s afraid he’ll be seduced by it, that he’ll become what he hates most.
“Steven’s parents were able to hide his nature for years, shield him behind their own magic. When a new
Mal
is born, the others can sense him somehow. They’re drawn to them, like they’re born with a homing beacon. In the old country, they’d come and take the baby. Or the family would leave the child in the woods after its birth. The baby would either die of exposure or be collected by the
Mal
.”
Bella heard Amy Jo’s shocked gasp but didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop now.
“His mom tried to teach him how to harness that magic, to fight the evil in it. But when she died, part of him died, too, and he submerged his power, buried it. When his dad died, he buried his heart and cut himself off from everyone he loved.”
“Wow,” Amy Jo breathed. “This story sucks.”
Bella nodded. “Yes, it does.”
They sat in silence for several minutes, just staring out the window, until Amy Jo asked, “How did his mom die?”
How did she answer that? “Somehow, the
Mal
found out about him and tracked him down. He used his power to defend himself against the
Mal
and somehow one of the
Mal
deflected it back at him before it killed him. His mom pushed him out of the way but the bolt struck her and she died instantly. Steven believes he killed her.”
Amy Jo’s hand tightened on her shoulder. “What? Why would he even think that?”
“Because Steven is a
fulminifex
. He can create lightning and draw storms.”
Amy Jo paused for several seconds before she said, “Holy crap. You’re kidding, right?”
“Wish I was. But Steven’s wrong. His dad told me his mom was trying to teach him how to control his power, possibly harness it to use in some other way. Steven believes it will never happen, that it’s his fault his mom’s dead. Steven won’t forgive himself.”
“Jesus H. Christmas, this story just never gets better, does it?”
Bella looked over her shoulder, a bitter smile on her lips, and found Amy Jo staring at her with compassion in her pale blue eyes. “Not really.”
Amy Jo sighed before changing the subject. “So, what’s in New Orleans? You said something about going there before I did my little, um, freak show.”
She ignored the comment about the freak show. They’d have time to work on Amy Jo’s perception of herself later. “The
versipelli
are having a meeting there and it’s also the home of a woman who can help you remember—”
Amy Jo pulled away, her mouth a tight line. “No. No, I don’t want to remember. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to know what happened that night. Not now. Not ever.”
Bella’s heart contracted at the pain in Amy Jo’s eyes. “I understand, but this woman can see into your mind and extract information. Information you may have and not know. And if you want, she can take those memories and erase them.”
Amy Jo shook her head but Bella wasn’t sure why. Then the other woman turned to look out the front window. “Looks like we’re ready to go.”
Following Amy Jo’s gaze, Bella saw the men walking toward the van. None of them looked happy, but then, Diego and Steven never really smiled.
Diego slid open the side door and stuck his head in to speak to Bella. “We can leave in about a half hour. How is she feeling?”
Her eyebrows lifted at Diego’s phrasing. His question and the fact that it was aimed at her was guaranteed to piss off Amy Jo. Sure enough, the other woman answered.
“‘She’ is feeling just fine, thank you very much. Well, maybe not fine, but well enough. And I don’t appreciate you talking around me like I’m not here. Where do you get off, mister?”
Diego’s mouth twisted into a grimace that he wasn’t fast enough to hide. Turning, he faced Amy Jo. “Obviously, we’re not getting off on the right foot. Please let me apologize for my behavior. I was only inquiring after your health from Bella because I thought you might still be incapacitated. Please allow me to escort you to the plane.”
Bella squelched a smile when Amy Jo’s mouth opened but no words came out. Then felt like applauding when the other woman frowned.
“Don’t think you’re going to get away with this,” Amy Jo scolded. “It doesn’t matter how pretty you talk, you still have a problem with me. Well, let me tell you—”
Amy Jo broke off, her eyes going blank as she inhaled deeply. Then her mouth trembled. “Oh, God, he’s here.”
Bella exchanged a glance with Diego, who shook his head.
“Who’s here?” they asked.
Amy Jo’s gaze flew around the van, as if trying to see all around her. “Oh, no, no,
no
. I’ve got to get out of here. He can’t touch me again. I won’t let him. I’ll kill myself first.”
Bella smelled fear coming off of the other woman in waves.
“Amy Jo, I don’t know who you mean. Who’s here?”
But Amy Jo never answered. She bolted for the door of the van but Diego caught her before she got far.
“No! Let me go. I’ve got to get away. He’s
here
.”
She fought against Diego’s hold, but she was no match for the bigger man. Still, Diego had a tough time confining without harming her and took a few flying elbows.
Bella took another deep breath…and caught a whiff of something. Another
versipellis
. Not Marco, but someone else. And, judging from Amy Jo’s reaction, someone she knew.
Amy Jo started to sob and fight harder. For a brief second, it looked as if she might win when she kneed Diego in the groin and his arms loosened just enough for her to squirm free.
But before she could get far, Diego cold-cocked her with a right hook. She slumped into his arms, unconscious.
“What the
fuck
is going on?” Diego practically growled as he situated Amy Jo against his chest, staring down at the already swelling bruise on her chin.
“Someone’s here.” Bella climbed into the front seat and looked around. “Someone she knows. And, from her reaction, someone she doesn’t want to see again.”
Diego sniffed the air and caught the scent as well. “I don’t recognize the scent. Do you?”
She shook her head. “Which means we’ve got trouble or this is just a shitty coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in coincidence,” Diego said flatly. “Come on, let’s get to the hangar. I don’t want whoever’s out there to see her.”
“Wait, throw this over her.”
Bella grabbed the blanket lying in the backseat and arranged it over Amy Jo so she was completely covered. Diego moved to the side so Bella could get out of the van but before could, he stepped in front of her again.
Raking her gaze around the area, she saw the runway about a hundred yards to the left, where a small plane waited for takeoff. The nearest hangar door was closed, as were all the others. But a car approached from the road, headed straight for them.
“Marco, who is it?” Diego called.
Marco shook his head slowly, his gaze glued to the dark sedan. “I don’t know. Are you sure you weren’t followed?”
The look Marco gave Diego spoke volumes, but Diego ignored it. “No, I’m not sure.”
Diego set off at a flat run, Amy Jo against his chest. Bella followed at his heels, not questioning his instincts to get the hell out of Dodge as fast as they could.
As they began to run, the car accelerated.
“He’s going to cut us off,” Diego yelled. “Jump, Bella!”
She leaped over the car hood to the entrance of the hangar, landing hard on the ground. But even as she rolled, she started her change.
Diego couldn’t make the jump, not carrying Amy Jo. Instead, he pivoted and ran for the back of the car.
By this time, Bella stood on four paws, snarling and ready to attack. But they’d cut off Diego from the hangar entrance. He started to chant. Casting a protection spell. As a
grigorio
, he’d be able to deflect any bullets they might shoot. But he couldn’t ward off a hand-to-hand attack.
She heard Steven yelling at her to get out of the way, but she knew he couldn’t defend himself. He wouldn’t use his magic and he didn’t have a weapon—
Then again, maybe he did. She heard the ping of safeties being released. Marco and Steven had guns trained on the four men who piled out of the car. Men who also carried guns.
“What the hell’s going on?” Marco called.
She growled, low and deep, and all four men glanced her way before scoping out the rest of the crowd.
The man who answered smelled like
Mal
. He stood behind the other three men, using them as shields. Blond, blue-eyed and average height. A woman might think him handsome—if you didn’t notice the lack of humanity in his eyes.
“You’ve got something of ours, something we want back. Give me the girl.”
Marco’s expression was a carbon copy of Diego’s—hard and unmoving. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but I suggest you back the hell off.”
Bella wanted to tear into them with her teeth and claws. How could they have found her so fast? Had Marco betrayed them?
A quick glance at Diego told her nothing. But one sniff and she could tell Marco was just as confused as they were.
She snarled again and the three
lucani
acting as the
Mal
’s muscle glanced her way. She didn’t recognize them and cold fear wanted to consume her.
Who were they and why were they working for the
Mal
? And what the hell were they doing here?
When the
Mal
focused his gaze on Diego, or more specifically, on Amy Jo, Bella started to put two and two together and didn’t like her solution.
The man sneered. “We’re not here for you. And you don’t want to involve yourself in this. We just want the girl.”
“Not going to happen.” Diego’s voice sounded like a growl, guttural and dangerous.
The man’s gaze shifted again and, when he looked at Diego this time, recognition lit in his eyes. “Well, well. The famous Diego Falco. It’s an honor to meet you.” The man bared his teeth in an approximation of a smile and Bella shivered. Evil flowed off of him in waves. “You have something that belongs to us and we want her back.”
“Over my dead body,” Diego said. “Marco.”
One second, Marco stood next to Steven—in the next, he stood next to the
Mal
, one hand on his throat, the other pressing a gun to his temple.
Holy hell
—
A shot rang out then something hit her front leg, something that knocked her to the ground but didn’t hurt at first. She glanced down, saw blood begin to trickle down her leg.