Page 41 of Bite Marks

It did not matter to Lenny that Nunzio had the blessing of the Don. He would get his revenge either way.

“Still, you’ve gone soft over a woman.” He was still trying to taunt Nunzio. Nunzio wore a soft, black cotton shirt. Instead of removing it, he unbuttoned the cuffs.

“And? I’m quite fine with that.” Nunzio shrugged, pushing his shirtsleeves up.

“At least my mother will be proud of me.” Nunzio smiled at Lenny. Almost pleasantly.

Nunzio turned to Vanessa. The pleasant smile, she realized, was incredibly hard. His eyes were devoid of emotion.

Until he looked at her.

Then they softened.

“You’re my girl,” he was reassuring her. Affirming the time they had spent together. “And I protect what is mine, and this dumb son of a bitch will pay for everything.”

Sparks of fear skittered across Vanessa’s skin. Something had changed in her lover. His pleasant smile was menacing. His eyes flashed dangerously. His muscles flexed and stretched.

And then his smile turned into a snarl. Lenny wasn’t waiting either. The bear shifter leapt, shifting as he did.

Nunzio was also shifting, and Vanessa watched with fear-filled fascination as his body changed.

His spine lengthened and curved. His hands and feet became claws. His face stretched, hardened, and widened.

The two shifters met each other in a clash of claws and snapping teeth.

Vanessa staggered backward as Nunzio ripped into Lenny. The bear shifter growled angrily. Then, pounding forward, he swiped at Nunzio.

Nunzio gave a short, pained yelp.

Vanessa then became conscious of sweat trickling down her spine. Her heart raced unsteadily, and her palms were clammy.

She did not want to watch the fight. She did not want to see the two beasts tear into each other. She quickly looked around for places to hide. The place Lenny had brought her to looked like a cellar or basement.

It was dimly lit, but she inhaled deeply and looked around more carefully. There were a few blackjack tables and a roulette wheel against the far wall.

Blood and flesh went flying, and Vanessa suppressed the urge to retch. The sounds of snarling and tearing were enough to send her hurrying toward the tables.

As strong as she was, she was no match for a bear shifter. And Lenny wanted to get his hands on her badly.

As she dropped to the ground, kneeling beneath a table, Nunzio was leaping toward Lenny. The wolf was arguably smaller than the bear shifter. While Lenny was all bulk and brawn, Nunzio was smaller and more muscular.

Nunzio’s shape was lean and wiry. But his strength was obvious in the way he fought relentlessly. As Lenny advanced, Nunzio danced backward. Then, when Lenny was off guard, Nunzio pounced.

He closed his large muzzle around the bear’s right arm. The large bear squealed with pain. Lenny tried shaking Nunzio off, but the wolf held on. When Nunzio pulled away, chunks of flesh came away in his mouth.

As Vanessa watched the fight, every moment she had ever spent with Nunzio flashed through her mind. The first time they had gone to dinner together. The first time they had walked down a street holding hands. The first time they had made love. She was in love with him. And she hadn’t even told him.

Because, deep down, she had never thought she would fall for him.

When they first met, all she had felt for him was disdain. All she had seen was another mobster who wanted to lay claim to her. Like many other men had tried in the past.

And all she had felt was fear. Fear that their arrangement would end with her life in danger. Or his.

Like every other family in the mob …

As she sat beneath the table, trembling, her mind flashed to the women in her family. They had all experienced varying degrees of heartbreak. All because of the men they had married.

And yet, from day one, Nunzio had made it clear that he would put her first. And that was exactly what he had done.

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