CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

BELLA

I wake to Nico holding onto me like I might disappear if he relaxes his hold. When I open my eyes, he’s staring into them, and wiping tears from my face.

“Was I crying?”

He nods and leans down, kissing my cheek.

“I don’t remember. Fuck. I hate this. I need-”

“What do you need, baby?”

I sigh loudly.

“Violence. I need violence, Nico.”

He watches me cautiously.

“Are you sure it’s not too soon?”

Raising an eyebrow, I ask, “Nico Bonetti, have you gone soft?”

His lips turn up into that delicious smirk that I love so much.

“For you? Softer than one of those fucking memory foam pillows. For the rest of the world? Not a fucking chance. You want to go kill people, living dead girl?”

I nod with a sigh. “I really do.”

As I sit up, he places his hands on either side of my face, and stares into my eyes.

“My savage little angel of death.”

His gaze drops to my lips, and he closes his eyes like he’s trying to control himself.

“I’m not going to, but fuck, baby, I miss you and I want to kiss you, so badly it hurts.”

“Kiss me, Nico,” I whisper.

He pops his eyes open. “Are you sure?”

I thread my fingers into the back of his hair, and pull his head closer to me.

“I don’t know that I’m ready for more yet, but yes, Nico, I’m sure. Fucking kiss me.”

Closing the gap between us, he swipes his tongue against my closed lips, and groans my name softly.

Sliding his hands from my face to my hair, he tangles his fingers in my strands and presses his lips to mine in a slow kiss. He slides his tongue against mine, and I moan into his mouth as he tilts my head to the side, as if he needs more. Even when I thought Nico was a monster, he always lit me on fire. From day one, there’s been this visceral connection between us, even when I wanted to deny it.

Pulling my hair, he forces my head back, and presses his mouth to my throat.

“Just kissing, nothing more,” he murmurs against my skin, as he alternates between licks, bites, and soft kisses with his lips.

“Nico,” I whimper.

If I said I didn’t want him, it’d be a lie, but I think it’s too soon. I’m afraid of how I’ll react, so we need to wait.

Sliding his arms around my back, he pulls me close to him, as he buries his face in the crook of my neck, and speaks low against my skin.

“Thank you. Jesus Christ. Thank you, baby.”

Climbing onto my knees, I kiss his neck.

“Thank you for being understanding.”

He chuckles softly.

“Are you ready to depopulate the earth?”

I pull back and smile at him.

“Let’s start at Walmart. I feel like there are way too many people there.”

He laughs as he pulls me off the bed.

“Fucking savage, living dead girl.”

He takes my hand and walks me downstairs, and I immediately feel embarrassed when I spot not only Athena and Bones, but his other brothers .

“Psycho, give me your knife.”

He arches his eyebrow and glares at him.

“Why?”

Nico holds his hand out to him, and says, “We’re going out, so living dead girl can let out some rage. She might want to make people bleed.”

Bones groans, as he holds his pregnant wife on his lap.

“Jesus Christ. This family is going to hell.”

Psycho lifts his gaze, and tilts his head at me with a questioning expression.

“You cut people, princess?”

I shrug. “I have. Only once, but I liked it. Blood makes it better.”

“A girl after my own heart. How’d you end up with the silent killer here?”

Nico clutches my hand with his free one and growls.

“Give me the knife, and get your fucking eyes off my girl, dickhead.”

He chuckles in response and hands him the weapon, and Nico spins me around to leave.