Chapter Nine

I couldn’t fall asleep. Restlessness had settled in my bones like a deep ache. For two weeks, I’d hardly slept more than two hours at a time. All my thoughts revolved around Amo. He’d marry in four weeks. I’d never paid attention to the arranged marriages in our world. Social events were something I avoided if possible but the countdown to Amo’s wedding day rang loudly in my head.

I slid out of bed and grabbed my favorite leotard, the material threadbare thin from wearing it so often. A small sigh fell from my lips, my body welcoming the familiar piece of clothing like an old friend. I had many leotards in my wardrobe, one for almost every day of the year, gifts from my family, or people who wanted to get into Dad’s good graces.

I rarely wore any of them, always circling back to my two favorite pieces.

Bear regarded me through bleary eyes from where he’d curled up at the foot of my bed. When I opened the door, he hopped off the bed, but Momo stayed curled up, which was probably for the best considering his tendency to run away. Once Bear was out in the hallway with me, I closed the door.

The mansion was quiet at this time in the night. I didn’t bother turning on the lights. My senses were tuned into every corner of my home. Even with my eyes closed I would have found my way downstairs. On the top of the stairs, I touched a small bump in the rail like I always did, rubbing my thumb over it in slow circles before I descended the staircase. My parents, siblings and I lived in the east wing of the mansion, while my uncles and their families occupied the other parts of the house. Only Adamo, his wife and their son lived in their own place.

I stepped out into the vast backyard, my gaze sliding toward the small house which was nestled to the right of the building and that harbored my ballet studio. Dad had built it for me shortly after I’d started dancing as a small child.

Through the windows small lights flickered up and out. I wasn’t alone tonight. After a brief moment of disappointment over not getting the chance to dance by myself, I walked toward my ballet studio. It was early for them to be back. They often lingered in my ballet studio when they came back from their nightly activities to calm down before they went to bed.

Through the glass door, I saw Alessio, Nevio and Massimo sitting on the floor of my ballet room in the dark. I opened the door and reached for the light switch but then lowered my fingers without turning it on. On nights like this it was better to leave the lights out. I knew what they were but it was easier not seeing it.

The glow of the cigarettes threw shadows on their faces, turning their beautiful features into frightening grimaces, a reflection of their true nature. I often lay awake worrying about them when they went off into the night—more than that, I worried about the people who’d encounter them.

Nevio’s head swiveled toward me and for the briefest moment, his eyes held a look he only directed at others. The moonlight was cruel tonight, revealing the truth I’d rather not see. Bear let out a low growl behind me. Goosebumps slithered along my skin.

A smile broke on Nevio’s face. It wasn’t quite the smile he wore during the day but it came close enough to make me relax. “Late night ballet again?”

I nodded and tiptoed toward them. Bear was close behind me, his claws clicking on the hardwood floor.

Massimo lay stretched out on the floor, cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth and his eyes following my dog. “Haven’t you gotten rid of that psychotic beast yet?”

I sank down between Nevio’s legs and he wrapped an arm around me. Bear’s fangs flashed.

“One of these days that dog is going to take your face off,” Massimo muttered.

Nevio leaned forward and stared straight into Bear’s eyes. At first, Bear’s growls grew in volume but then he stopped, tugged his tail between his hind legs and trotted into a corner of the room.

Alessio laughed darkly and took a deep drag from his cigarette. Beneath the scent of smoke lingered the subtle note of blood. The windows were open so I knew it had to be bad.

Nevio grinned. “Good choice, dog. I’ve taken off more faces than you.”

“That’s not funny,” I said softly.

“He wasn’t joking,” Alessio said.

Nevio rested his chin on top of my head. “Why do you save these deranged creatures?”

“For the same reason she bothers with us,” Massimo said as he held out his cigarette to me but I shook my head.

“One of these days we’ll lure you to the dark side,” he said with a shrug.

Alessio put his head down on my shins. “You overestimate our powers.”

Nevio shook his head with a chuckle. “Don’t listen to these assholes. Stay where you are. You belong in the light.”

My fingers slid over my tutu. “I belong with the people I love. I don’t fear the dark.”

Many people thought I couldn’t handle much because I was petite and quiet. It was true I got easily overwhelmed in certain situations, especially if I was surrounded by people I didn’t know, but my family’s darkness wasn’t one of the things that triggered my anxiety. Neither had Amo’s.

I banished any memory of him from my mind, worried Nevio might pick up on my treacherous thoughts.

“Happy birthday, by the way,” Nevio murmured.

“Happy birthday to you too,” I said with a small smile. “Your present is up in my room. I didn’t think I’d see you tonight. It’s early for you to be back.”

Alessio nudged my shin. “Things got out of hand for birthday boy. Happy birthday, Greta.”

“Happy birthday,” Massimo said.

Nevio motioned at a simple cardboard box in the corner that I hadn’t noticed before. “There’s your birthday present from all of us.”

I searched their expressions to a hint of what was in there. Bear had gone over to the box and was sniffing at it curiously, which increased my wariness. I pushed to my feet and cautiously approached the box. I slanted them a look. “There’s nothing cut off in there, right?”

They chuckled, but they had played that kind of prank on Mom and Kiara before. It hadn’t gone over well. Usually they acted more considerate around me, but I still thought caution wasn’t unwarranted.

Nevio shoved to his feet as well and came over to me. “No body parts, promise.”

I squatted down and opened the box, my eyes growing wide at what was inside. Two bunnies. One of them was a lop-eared breed, the other had longer hair, which was mostly matted. They cowered in the box, pressed up to each other, their noses moving quickly and moist, because of their stress level.

“Where did you get them?”

“It was coincidence,” Alessio said, as he sat up. “The guy we paid a visit to tonight had them. They were obviously meant as snake food. The one with the hanging ears sat in the snake terrarium. The other was in a tiny cage that didn’t even allow it to lie down.”

My heart clenched as I peered down at the neglected animals. Bear sniffed at them.

“Back,” I ordered. I didn’t want to add to their stress level, which was why I didn’t try to pet them. They wouldn’t have appreciated it.

“Nevio saved the brown bunny from the snake pit.”

I smiled up at my brother. He shrugged. “You don’t want any bought gifts, so this is the best we could do.”

“It’s perfect,” I said and hugged him briefly.

Then I closed the lid again and picked up the box. “I’ll take them up to my room for now, until the vet has given the okay to keep them outside.”

“Don’t let Dad see them in your room,” Nevio said with a grin.

“It’s only until they’re ready to move out.” I waved at them and left them to their nightly cool down phase before I returned to my room, grabbing a bag of hay mixed with dried wild herbs from the basement. One room down there was devoted solely to the animals I saved and had food for almost every pet that might cross my path.

Bear was hot on my heels, sniffing excitedly. I had a big vacant enclosure at the backwall of my ballet studio where I’d kept two rescue rabbits until early this year when they’d died. The new bunnies could move in there next.

I took the bunnies into the bathroom and closed the door so neither Bear nor Momo could follow and terrify the poor creatures even more. After I’d laid out towels on the entire floor, I opened the lid of the box again. I put down a generous amount of hay for them to eat and a small bowl with water before I put the rest of hay and another bowl of water on a towel. The bunnies looked too terrified to come out yet. I dimmed the lights and went back to my bedroom to change into my pajamas then grabbed a blanket and slipped back into the bathroom. I huddled on the floor against the door, keeping an eye on the box in the dim light. If something happened with the bunnies, I’d be there to help or call Nino. Though it wasn’t his specialty, he’d learned to treat pets over the years until a real vet could come over.

Eventually I must have dozed off and I dreamed of Amo like I had almost every night in the last two weeks, but that wasn’t what woke me. It took me a few heartbeats to realize my phone was ringing. I sat up, seeing a bunny head peeking out over the box briefly before it ducked again. I fumbled under the blanket for my phone and frowned when I saw it was Aurora. She never called me. We messaged on occasion, but even that was rare. I didn’t particularly enjoy texting, especially Emojis completely freaked me out. People used them for a subtle conversation I didn’t understand.

“Hello?” I asked, hearing how awkward even that one word sounded from my mouth.

Aurora cleared her throat. “Hey, sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you?”

“You did, actually.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. It’s just…Can I come over? I can’t explain over the phone. I know it’s early and your birthday. Oh happy birthday by the way. So…uhhh.”

I blinked blearily down at my wrist watch. It was 7:48. Not really early. “You can come over. I’m in my bathroom.” I hung up.

The bunny with the lop ears peeked out again and this time it put its paws on the edge of the box. It tried to jump out but failed and the box fell over, both rabbits tumbling out. They both dashed under the sink after a moment of terror. Their muscles weren’t well developed. A bunny should be able to jump out of a box of that height without trouble.

I texted the vet I’d worked with for almost five years and asked him to come over as soon as possible.

A knock sounded at my bedroom door, and I quickly got up. I’d forgotten about Bear and Momo. They liked Aurora but I still preferred to be present when she entered my room. When I peered out Aurora was already inside, patting Bear. Momo hadn’t bothered getting up from the bed but Aurora went over to him for a quick cuddle as well.

“Hey, Greta.”

“Can you come into the bathroom? I want to keep an eye on the new bunnies.”

Aurora followed me back into the bathroom and raised her eyebrows at my set up.

“Nevio gave me two rescue bunnies as a present.”

“Oh that’s so sweet of him,” Aurora said, her cheeks flushing.

I shrugged. “He knows I don’t want a bought present.”

I sank back down, my back against the wall and Aurora did the same.

I wondered why she was here.

She gave me an awkward smile. “This might sound strange, but I’m not here because of me. I’m here because someone asked me to.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“Amo?” she said as if she wasn’t sure if I knew the name.

I didn’t say anything but my heart began racing.

“Amo Vitiello, you know him?”

I smiled. “I know him, yes.”

“He got my number from Aunt Aria and called me fifteen minutes ago. It was all very strange. Well, he asked me to go to you and call him again. Is that okay?”

I nodded.

Aurora picked up her phone then waited for Amo to pick up. “Yes, she’s beside me. You’re welcome.”

She handed me her phone and my pulse sped up even more. My mouth became terribly dry. “Hey?”

Aurora regarded me closely.

“Happy birthday, Greta.”

Amo’s voice was deep, low and growly with sleep, and my belly heated unexpectedly.

I swallowed, not sure what to say.

“I know this might seem stalkerish but I simply had to wish you a happy birthday.”

“You remembered?”

“I can’t forget,” he murmured, and I was sure I’d combust with heat any moment.

“Wasn’t your mother confused that you wanted to call me?”

“I lied. I told her I needed Aurora’s number because of the wedding.” The last word was quieter than the rest. The wedding. His wedding.

“Oh, that makes sense.”

Amo sighed, and I imagined he ran his strong fingers through his dark hair. “I know I shouldn’t say this, but I want to see you again.”

I stared down at my thighs, frowning. I should say no. I wasn’t sure where this was heading, only that it was a tunnel without a light at the end. “I have a dance rehearsal in New York in a week that I wanted to cancel but I could go.”

“Come.”

“Okay.”

“There’s more I want to say, but I can’t do it over the phone. One week.”

“One week.”

“Don’t take Nevio with you.”

I pursed my lips. My brother wouldn’t agree to stay in Vegas when I flew to New York no matter what I said. “I’ll try.”

“Can Aurora keep a secret?”

“Shouldn’t you have worried about that before you called her?” I asked with a hint of amusement.

“I did, but my desire to call you was stronger than caution.”

I closed my eyes. “She can.”

At least from almost everyone, except for Nevio. For some reason she seemed unable to lie to him.

“Good. See you in a week.”

“Okay.” I hung up and took a deep breath, wondering what had just happened. What was this?

When I opened my eyes, Aurora was watching me with an open mouth. “What’s going on?” Her voice was hushed, shocked.

“I don’t know.”

She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe it. “Amo’s going to marry in a few weeks.”

“Don’t tell anyone about this, okay?”

She blinked at me. “Okay.” I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

“Not even Carlotta or your parents, and definitely not Nevio. Swear it.”

“Greta—” A growl sounded, followed by a sharp shhhh.

The bathroom door swung open and Nevio stepped in, messy bed-hair and only in low hanging boxers. He paused with a coffee cup against his lips, eyes narrowing when he saw Aurora beside me. “Girl talk?”

He handed me another cup of coffee and as he bent over me, I caught Aurora checking him out with a look in her eyes I finally understood. It had never quite made sense to me, but since I’d met Amo I could feel it deep in my belly. Our eyes met briefly and she jerked to her feet and almost knocked Nevio’s cup out of his hand. Some of the hot liquid spilled on his naked chest and boxers, causing him to hiss. “I’m not into fire play,” he snarled. I didn’t understand, neither did Aurora from the look of it. She grabbed a towel from the floor and awkwardly patted Nevio’s chest then seemed to think better of it and thrust it at him, her head turning a deep red. He caught it with cocked eyebrows.

Aurora looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. Anxiety was something I was intimately familiar with so I recognized it immediately.

“Can you give us privacy?” I asked my brother.

He seemed taken aback. I never did girls talks. He shrugged. “Sure. Come over later.” With another skeptical look at Aurora, he turned to the door.

“Happy birthday!” Aurora practically screamed at him.

One corner of his mouth lifted in a dubious smile. “Thanks, Rory.” He reached out and ruffled her blond hair, then he left.

Aurora stared at the closed door, her lower lip trembling.

“You okay?” I asked carefully. I could see that she wasn’t.

“No,” she said miserably and sank back down beside me. She covered her face and I worried she’d start crying. I wouldn’t know what to do then. Maybe call Kiara. Instead of crying, she let out a muffled scream against her palms then peeked at me through the gaps between her fingers. Her blue eyes were moist but she wasn’t crying. “Why do I act so stupid around him?”

I didn’t have an answer to her question. She had definitely acted very curiously.

“Maybe because you are in love with him?” I suggested.

The color drained from Aurora’s face. “Shhhh. I don’t want him to know!”

I wouldn’t have been surprised if he did know. Nevio was better at reading people than me. Even if he didn’t care about their emotions, he filed them away in case he needed them. He probably just chose to ignore Aurora’s crush because he wasn’t interested in her for various reasons and out of respect for Fabiano.

I had never talked about Aurora to him.

“Don’t tell him, okay? I swear I won’t tell anyone about Amo, but please don’t say anything to anyone about Nevio.”

“Okay.” I wouldn’t have told anyone anyway. Aurora’s emotional state was her personal affair, not anyone’s business. Her feelings for Nevio didn’t hurt anyone.

My feelings for Amo? They had the potential to leave behind wreckage. And yet, I’d go to New York in a week to see him.