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My eyebrows go from being knitted to almost reaching my hairline as I gape at him in surprise. How ridiculous. Taking a deep breath, I step out of my spot between Vito and Enzo, placing a stride or two between us as I turn on the spot and pin my gaze on them.
“My mother and father once left me home alone for the evening. Unbeknown to me, they had arranged a hitman, a trained killer to attack me in the middle of the night to see how I would handle it. To see if I was as prepared as they hoped.” My hands clench at my sides as I continue spinning slowly in a circle, making sure to catch their gazes each time. “I slayed that motherfucker on my goddamn bed. His eyeballs bleeding, his gut bleeding from the stab wounds at his stomach, and the gaping hole in his head staining my pillow.” My nostrils flare despite me trying to contain my emotions. “I rolled him to the floor, proceeded to change my sheets and laid in complete darkness as I stared up at the ceiling.” Enzo’s eyes widen as I scoff, shaking my head in disbelief as I add in the punchline, “I was eleven.”
“Fuck.” The raspy tone tells me that it was Vito, but when I turn to him, he’s swiping a hand down his face.
“So, if this is test number one, I think we’re good. Shall we proceed?” I can’t keep the sharp tone from my voice, but I’m pissed off. It’s not their fault they don’t know my past or believe the craziness that was my childhood, but they need to catch up, and fast.
“This scar on my face is from my father,” Matteo announces, his voice lower than normal as I turn my attention to him. “I know what an unstable household looks like, probably not as much as you, but you have to understand,Stellina, it’s not normal for us to find someone else like us. Someone who has been through as much as we have and survive. Someone who has perfected their armor and wears it with honor.”
My chest heaves with every word he speaks as I slowly nod in understanding. I know it’s different for me. Growing up within Featherstone, especially going through everything at the academy, you know everyone there is dealing with similar shit to you.
No matter what anyone says, it causes trauma, trauma we can’t escape or shy away from, so I choose to be at one with it instead of giving it a chance to consume me.
Relaxing my shoulders, I offer a tight smile to each of them as I head toward the open doorway. “I understand what you’re saying, and I understand it’s like that for most people. But Featherstone is made up of crazy-as-fuck families trying to survive. Everyone there has their own shit to handle, their own walls around themselves, and their own desires to chase. This lifestyle, though, yours and mine, it’s not one of choice, and it’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s destined for us, for our bloodlines, and once you see me as an equal in that way, you’ll understand that.”
I leave the room, giving them a moment to soak in what I just said. It’s weird for me to unload like that and feel lighter at the end of it, but I roll with it. I don’t actually have a clue where I’m going, so I head toward the front door, and just as I reach for the handle, I feel an arm band around my waist.
Enzo.
He’s gazing at me with a soft smile on his lips and something I haven’t seen before flashing in his eyes.
“You just might be the death of me, woman,” he mutters, pressing a kiss on my temple as he reaches for the door and escorts me outside.
I don’t respond, not really knowing what to say, but I’m also too distracted by what I’m seeing. There must be twenty men over to the left on the perfectly cut lawn, all dressed like the brothers.
Enzo moves me toward them without a word as I try to decipher what is actually going on. I notice two large circles, outlined with rope, in the middle of the grass, and what look like targets at the far perimeter of the trees that shield the property line.
Vito and Matteo are right behind us, both observing me with a sense of newfound appreciation as Matteo plants his hands on his hips.
“We’ve got three rounds set up, but something tells me this is no longer necessary,” he starts, and I lift my hand immediately, shaking my head before he can continue.
“You would be correct, but we’re here now so…”
He tilts his head to the side slightly, a smile teasing his lips knowingly before he nods. “I thought you might say that.”
I roll my eyes at him as he waves his hand toward the men lined up at the sideline like spectators, and the two that are standing in each one of the circles. “We’re going to do unarmed combat, armed combat, and see how you are with the firing range,” he explains, sending adrenaline coursing through my veins faster as excitement buzzes through me.
If anything, that little trip down memory lane in there has only fueled me more.
“Which one of you will I be going against at each stage?” I quirk a brow as I step out of Enzo’s hold, and he laughs.
“None.” I glance over my shoulder at him as he frames his face with his hands. “I can’t be messing this pretty face up,Bella, that would be ridiculous,” he says with a wink, tempting me to roll my eyes at him again, but I shake my head instead.
“Of course not. Is there anything else I need to know?” I ask, walking backward to the first circle as Vito’s eyes run over me from head to toe.
“I don’t think so,” he replies when his eyes meet mine, and I nod.
“Am I killing them or simply injuring?”
Vito’s eyes widen in surprise, the first reaction I’ve had out of him, which almost makes me laugh as he waves his hand around.
“No killing,Bellisima, no killing,” he repeats as I hold back a smile, butterflies fluttering in my belly. “Injuries aren’t even required, just a clear winner,” he adds, his raspy voice washing over me like a prayer as I give one final nod and turn to face the men I’m against.
I crack my neck from side to side as they assess me, underestimate me, while any hint of humor is long gone from my face.
“Can we place bets?” someone hollers from the small crowd to my right. I don’t pay them any mind, but that doesn’t stop Matteo from responding.
“Fuck off.” The grunt gets complete silence in response, and it impresses me. The power he holds, the leader that he is, fuck, I’m wishing I didn’t have an overwhelming need to prove myself so I could go back upstairs and recreate last night.
