“Really?”
“I feel I must warn you about Lucretia,” he said then. “Ours was not a love match, Betsy. I was given to her on the night I was made because she thought I would make an interesting plaything. She is a direct descendent from the family of Lupo, and a powerful boss in her own right.”
“A female boss?”
“Yes, it is almost unheard of, but she is a boss in her own right, and hungry for power.” he explained. “She goes about calling herself the Alpha female, and she believes it completely. Her obsessiveness was one of the main reasons we divorced. At the time, I told her that she could have half of my empire if she would just go away and let me take care of my own half without interfering. She agreed.”
“And so she moved back here, with her own family, while you remained back west on your own.” said Betsy with a nod. “I see. So, why the concern now?”
“There are many among our kind who feel that among the families there should never be a divorce.” he said with a sigh as he pulled out the door key. “Her father has insisted for some time that we are still man and wife. I am worried that he may have called me here to forbid our wedding, and that was one of the reasons I felt we should be married before we came.”
“You’re hoping to force him to let you out of that whole mess?” she clarified.
“I’m already out of it,” he insisted. “I’m just hoping to get it through his head.”
They stepped into their hotel room, and came face to face with a tall, red-haired woman who was pacing in their sitting area. Gabriel immediately set Betsy behind him.
“What are you doing in here, Lucretia?”
“Is that any way to talk to your own wife?” she asked in a pouty voice.
“You are not my wife, Betsy is.” he insisted.
“She’s what all the fuss is about?” the woman scoffed. “She’s just a little thing, Gabriel, and you haven’t even bitten her. She won’t even make a morsel.”
“I don’t suggest you continue with that line of thinking,” he told her with a glare that could have melted the ceiling.
“And what are you going to do about it if I don’t?” she wanted to know. “It’s not as if you could stop me.”
“Betsy, you remember what I said to you while we were on the plane?” said Gabriel pointedly. “That item could be pretty useful about now, eh?”
“Way ahead of you, Gabriel,” she answered. She slid her hand into the small bag she had slung on her arm, but she didn’t bother to pull it out again. Instead, she flipped off the safety with her thumb and slid her finger over the trigger, ready to shoot the she-wolf right through the bag just as Gabriel had instructed her.
“Oh, now Gabriel, don’t be like that.” Lucretia cooed. “You know I’ve always been willing to share. I had no problem with anything when I heard you’d got yourself a little whore. You could have kept her as your whore forever and I would have never cared. But calling her the lady of the house and making her your wife—doesn’t that make her the new Alpha in a way? Now, that I cannot abide.”
“You are not my wife, not the Alpha female of my pack, none of that crazy shit you’re always going on about.” he said. “I never loved you, never wanted to marry you, at all. You tried to make me into your plaything instead of your equal. But now, Lucretia, now I have realized you are not my equal. You’re not, because I’m better than you.”
“Don’t talk to me like that.” she growled. “My family made yours. I’m a goddess compared to you. And that little bitch is nothing compared to me!”
Just then, Lucretia lunged forward, trying to get around Gabriel. Betsy screamed, and her finger contracted around the trigger. The silver bullet went right between the angry woman’s eyes just as she began to morph. She only made it halfway to becoming a wolf before it hit, and she changed back again as she fell to the floor.
“I’ll be back, you little whore,” she told her before she closed her eyes and stopped moving.
“She’ll be back?” Betsy asked Gabriel, confused.
“She’s one of the old ones, Betsy,” he explained. “The bullet may have stopped her for now, but it won’t keep her down more than a day. We’ve got to lay low until you can receive the bite. I’ll not put you in even greater danger than this.”
“How can she come back?”
“The Amulet of Fenrir,” he told her. “It is said that once a werewolf touches it, they can no longer die from anything but Gordral’s lance. But most of us believe the items are nothing but a myth. It’s been said that Lucretia’s family keeps them in a crypt, hidden where the body of Lupo was supposedly placed.”
“Supposedly?”
“Lupo never died, Betsy,” he explained. “He is still alive. He is said to be the first bearer of the Amulet.”
“How can these objects affect a werewolf?” she wanted to know.
“It all stems back to alchemical studies.” he said. “But let us leave now. I can explain it better once we are in a safer place. I don’t know how long it will be until Lucretia is able to revive. I know just where to go. Come with me.”
“Don’t we want to tell Rico?”
“There’s no time, and we can’t even be sure if he remains on our side,” he told her. “Rico used to drive for Lucretia. We cannot take the chance.”
“But what about your meeting?” Betsy wanted to know. “Are you going to get into trouble for not going?”
“You are more important.” Gabriel insisted. “Andare, andare, we must hurry. I fear we’re going to have to walk, mi amore. At least as far as it takes to find a car.”
The pair of them left quickly, and started to trek along the side roads until they saw a flaming red sports car with the top down. Betsy glanced over at Gabriel worriedly, and her suspicion was confirmed.
“That’s a bad idea, Gabriel.” she pointed out. “Nothing like advertising exactly where we are.”
“Well, is it my fault the keys are still in the ignition?” he wanted to know. “Hop in, we’ll just take it for a little spin. We obviously can’t drive it all the way to our hide-out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a bit of fun along the way.”
*
They ended up in an abandoned warehouse somewhere in the middle of town. At least, that was how it looked from the outside of the place. Inside, it was a comfortable home complete with a living room and two bedrooms, and even a shower, all hidden beneath the floorboards of the basement.
Betsy looked around at the place curiously. “Does anyone else know that this place is here?”
“Only a few others, but we are not completely safe either way.” he admitted. “If Lucretia awakens, she’ll be able to track me by our blood bond. She bit me once, but I’m fairly certain it was just so she would be able to know where I was if she ever wanted to. Like I said, we didn’t exactly get along.”
“You don’t have to explain, Gabriel,” she told him. “You were married to her. Of course the two of you must have been intimate enough for her to be that close.”
“Not close, ma bella, only nearby.” he corrected. “A consummation was expected, and one was given. But only very few times did we ever indulge before we both knew it wasn’t going to work out.”
“Does she know where this place is?” Betsy asked him.
“I have never mentioned it to her.” he said. “Rico is aware of it, of course, but I am hoping he either won’t think of it, or if he does that he won’t mention it to her.”
“But you’re not sure of him,” Betsy said with a nod. “So, is there a way to make it more difficult to get in? Maybe we should be getting the place ready.”
“It is you I need to be getting ready,” he said. “I know that it is only the night before the full moon, and that it is very near to dawn, but I may be able to turn, at least partially, and give you a bite as we had planned.”
Betsy looked into his eyes and smiled, and her hand came up to cup his cheek. “You can try.” she agreed.
“Just remember, I can’t
guarantee your safety with this bite.” he reminded her. “It’s not going to change you. Only to mark you as my own.”
“Do it.” she told him then.
It was a fascinating event, watching as Gabriel slowly managed to transform into a partial werewolf. His eyes flickered with that strange light Betsy had noticed when they first met, only this time with far more intensity. His jaw and nose stretched out and his teeth grew longer, and she knew a moment of apprehension as she realized they were what he was going to use on her.
It was strange, too, that her reaction was similar to what she felt when she knew she was about to get a vaccination or a blood draw. A tightening in the gut and a slightly nauseated feeling, and a desire to get it over with a soon as possible.
Gabriel seemed to be of the same opinion in that matter, at any rate. Just as soon as his teeth were sharp, he grabbed her arm and bit it near the shoulder, making her wince with the pain of it. He didn’t let go immediately, but ran his tongue along the wound. She assumed this was so that the virus, or whatever it was that made one into a wolf, would get into her bloodstream.
Once he was finished doing this, he quickly let go of the wolf form and returned to his human self. Then he kissed the bite tenderly and went to grab a bandage for it from the bathroom. Wordlessly they sat together on the bed as he bound the wound, and then Gabriel took her into his arms and cradled her as a slight pain crept from the arm into her body, making her feel a bit feverish.
“Maybe you should just go to your meeting, Gabriel.” she suggested. “I doubt anyone would come looking for me in here if you’re where you’re supposed to be.”
“No,” he said. “If it was just about me, Lucretia would not have come after us at the hotel. Clearly, they sent for me because of you. Leaving you alone would be foolish, indeed. I must stay here and keep you safe. As soon as the moon is full, I’ll bite you again. But that isn’t for eighteen hours yet. We’ve got a while to wait.”
*
About four in the afternoon, Betsy woke from a fitful sleep to find Gabriel staring up at the ceiling with great concern. He held a finger to his lips, and Betsy didn’t say a word. She tried to breathe as quietly as possible, lest the keen ears of whoever he believed to be there might hear her.
Nearly an hour passed, and still neither of them moved nor spoke, both just staring upwards in a state of anticipation. Finally, Gabriel relaxed his stance and drew Betsy into his arms. “I guess she couldn’t figure out how to get in.” he mouthed, and Betsy nodded. “I doubt she has given up, though. Lay still, Betsy. We still have another two hours to wait. I’ll find us something to eat. Just stay quiet, and hold your gun at the ready.”
Betsy nodded, too frightened at the thought of attracting unwanted attention to say a word.
As soon as Gabriel left her side, Betsy’s eyes riveted upon a shadow that moved on the other side of the room. She aimed the gun with deadly calm.
“I knew that you were here.” she said. “How is it that Gabriel did not?”
“That’s simple, my dear,” Lucretia scoffed. “I didn’t want him to know. If he bites you again, I’m sworn to kill you. You must know that.”
“But why?” Betsy asked. “I have no interest in being some Alpha or controlling a bunch of mobsters, and most certainly not the group you have out here.”
“Because I don’t like to share my toys.” she said with a smirk. “Because by letting you live, I would be conceding defeat.”
“But you don’t even want him.” Betsy pointed out.
“No, but I do not want to be perceived as weak.” she said. “Your only chance is to leave right now, or I’ll kill you just as soon as I am able.”
“I really don’t want to have to keep shooting you, Lucretia.” Betsy said in a reasonable tone. “But Gabriel belongs to me now. I will not give him up.”
“Suit yourself,” she smirked. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”
With that, Lucretia jumped back up to the ceiling and disappeared back into it again. Gabriel returned with a couple of sandwiches and set them on the bedside table.
“She’s gone, then?”
Smirking, Betsy nodded.
“You didn’t shoot her.”
“Not yet,” she said. “Maybe later, though.”
“Women,” Gabriel smirked. “How do men ever figure them out?”
“They don’t.” said Betsy with a chuckle. She was barely able to eat her food.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The moon was finally full. Both Gabriel and Betsy could feel it in their bones. Betsy’s heart was pounding erratically in her chest as she longed for him to get it over with. Yet still Gabriel waited. He transformed into a wolf and stared at the ceiling, waiting lest Lucretia come in again.
“She isn’t going to come in here until you’ve actually changed me.” Betsy pointed out. “Just do it, already. The pain is almost unbearable, Gabriel.”
“Sorry, mi amore.” he said as he rubbed the previous bite. “Get your gun ready. I don’t think she is alone.”
“Not alone?” Betsy groaned. “Who is with her?”
“Alphas,” he explained. “At least four of them. Her brothers, I think. They may intend to end us both.”
“Do you really think so?” she asked worriedly.
“Yes,” he whispered in his gravelly, wolfish voice. “They believe I have betrayed the pack. I should have seen this coming. I should have known better than to get you involved in all of this. I am sorry for being so very selfish, Betsy.”
“No, Gabriel, don’t say that,” she insisted. “I wanted this, too. Please, just bite me. We can get it over with. Besides, we may even be able to survive. I have at least ten bullets in the pistol.”
“You won’t be able to reload without gloves once you’re bitten,” he told her. “Make them count.”
Betsy nodded as she cocked the gun. Gabriel moved forward and bit into her shoulder again, this time spitting into it instead of taking his time. The rafters began to shake, and the ceiling broke open as a group of six wolves burst through.
“Rico!” Gabriel growled.
“They made me tell, Gabe.” he said, and then he fell to the floor, clearly bleeding from one of his furry legs. He managed to crawl across the floor to join the other two. The three of them prepared to fight off the others with determined scowls.
“Hello, brother.” growled the largest wolf in the room. “I see you decided to elevate your whore. Big mistake.”
“Betsy is my wife.” Gabriel growled. “My only true wife. Not one forced on me by your father.”
“Do not disparage my father.” he growled in a warning tone.
“Don’t come any closer, or I will shoot you.” Betsy told him.
“You might shoot me, but you can’t shoot us all at the same time,” he scoffed. “Face it, woman, you chose to marry the wrong man, and now you are going to pay for it.”
Betsy didn’t bother to respond, since she knew the big, brutish wolf was going to signal to the others once he tired of their banter, anyway. She pulled the trigger and shot him right between his eyes. The others surged forward, and both Rico and Gabriel leaped to stop one of them, which unfortunately left two of them to try for Betsy. She couldn’t even tell which wolves were which, so she simply fired bullets into each one, and then fired two more bullets into the wolf Rico had in a grapple. None of the fallen wolves was Lucretia, meaning the last wolf standing had to be her.
“And now we dance, little one.” she laughed playfully as she skirted Gabriel and moved to strike at Betsy. She barely nipped Betsy’s ear, making her yelp in pain as she realized she, too, was beginning to transform.
“Oh, you want to play rough?” Lucretia grinned. “That’s good. I will wait.”
Betsy pulled the trigger, but she missed her mark, firing just to the side of Lucretia’s face. The she-wolf’s eyes grew round as she looked at her more closely.
“You’re a rather ruthless bitch, aren’t you?” she said as she swiped at her wit
h a claw. Gabriel caught her arm and yanked her backwards so that she fell on top of him. She turned and punched him in the snout. “I’ll deal with you later, darling. First things first.”
Gabriel was clearly dazed by the blow. He shook his head to clear it as Betsy watched the exchange. She did not hesitate to shoot again, this time hitting Lucretia’s shoulder. She hissed with pain and indignation, and lunged again, baring her teeth. Betsy shot her in the face, and she fell to the floor, unmoving.
“Is there anywhere on this bitch’s body I could shoot that would make her stay down, Gabriel?”
“No, mi amore.” he said. “Only a direct order from Lupo himself would make her leave you alone, I’m afraid. And she is his granddaughter.”
“Well then, I suppose we’ll just have to go and get him to give one.” Betsy growled.
“Are you crazy?” Gabriel asked. “You want to just walk into the den of Lupo the Wolf and ask him to tell his granddaughter to stop trying to kill you, when he’s probably the one who ordered the hit?”
“What’s the matter, Gabriel, are you afraid of a little negotiating?”
“No, by all means, let’s go.” he said. “Only be careful, ma bella, Lupo is partial to feisty women. He could very well decide to keep you for himself.”
“As if I’d allow it.” she growled as she flexed her newly strengthened muscles.
“Just because you’re strong does not mean you are invincible, Betsy.” he felt the need to tell her.
“Well, whatever we’re doing, we should probably go do it,” growled Rico. “This pack of hounds isn’t going to stay dead very long.”
“You’ve got that right,” Gabriel agreed. “Let’s go.”
*
Betsy imagined the three of them made a strange sight as they piled into the limousine with a driver, waiting outside the warehouse. They were all still in wolf form. She almost giggled as they passed a street bum seated near a garbage can who sat there with his mouth hanging open. She asked, “Aren’t you afraid he’s going to tell someone about us?”
The Real Italian Alphas Page 6
