“And this is the bitch we’re going to see tomorrow? This woman who tortured you?” Winter demanded through clenched teeth.
“Yeah. You can see why I didn’t immediately volunteer her name. She wasn’t exactly helpful when I talked to her years ago, so I’m not sure how helpful she’s going to be now.”
Winter’s arms tightened around Fox as pure, dark rage burned through him. How the hell was he supposed to get through this meeting without killing her? He wanted to drive there right this second and rip her head off. How could anyone try to hurt someone as sweet and kind as Fox?
“Winter,” Fox said in a warning tone. “You can’t attack her. She might be a total bitch, but she’s also very powerful. She can hurt you. Even with your powers, she can hurt you.”
“Maybe.”
“We also need any information she might have to save your family.”
Winter growled with frustration. This woman did not deserve to live. Part of him didn’t give a shit about what she might know.
“I’ll consider it.”
Fox reached over and pinched one of Winter’s nipples. A loud yelp broke from Winter’s lips, and he jerked away from Fox, who was glaring at him.
“Hey!”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me. You are not allowed to do something stupid tomorrow, or I will leave you here. I’ll take Marcus or Bel with me if I have to.”
Winter grabbed Fox and shoved him down onto the bed while he loomed over him. “You are not leaving this place without me. And you are definitely not getting within twenty miles of that woman without me by your side.”
“Then I guess you’ll just have to promise to be on your best behavior, because I will call your brothers. Do not fucking test me.”
Winter stared at Fox for a moment, and there was no waver in the determination he saw in his eyes. Fox wouldn’t hesitate to call one or all of his brothers if it meant protecting Winter from himself. As angry and frustrated as he felt, there was no denying that he was also warmed by Fox’s desire to protect him from the witch.
“I’ll behave,” he promised. Though he mentally added that he’d behave only so long as the fucking witch did.
“Okay. Now tell me about your mom.”
A bitter, cold chill swept through Winter, and he rolled back onto his side of the bed. He picked up the glass and swallowed the last of the blood as if to wash away the first flood of ugly memories. It was on the tip of his tongue to brush it off, to downplay it all. She was his mom, she was crazy, she tried to kill them, and then she was murdered. The end.
But there was so much more to it.
And Fox deserved to have the truth of it after sharing his past.
More than that, Winter knew he needed to talk about it, to finally release this horrible weight from his chest.
“My mom died when I was nine.”
Sorrow warred with confusion in Fox’s wide eyes, but to his credit he didn’t say anything. Didn’t ask any questions. He just gave Winter his full attention, waiting patiently for him to continue when he was ready.
“I don’t have a lot of memories of my mom. Beautiful. Happy. Ethereal, really. She loved music and always saw that we were well cared for. Marcus remembers her more. He was sixteen when she passed. Rafe and Bel were thirteen.” He stopped and picked up Fox’s hand, running his fingertips over his palm, tracing the lines just so he didn’t have to look up into Fox’s eyes.
“Aiden came into our lives when I was about eight. They fell in love and he was great. Treated us like he would have his own kids. I think they could have had a great life together even if he was a vampire. But she got sick and was going to die. I think my brothers and Aiden talked about it for a while before it happened. I was too young to be included, but it was decided that Aiden would try to save her by turning her. He warned us that it might not work, and he promised to take care of us always.”
“He changed her?” Fox asked. His hand closed around Winter’s fingers squeezing them as Winter nodded.
“He did. It…didn’t go well. The creature reborn in her body wasn’t really her. My mom was always a little crazy, but it was more of the quirky, eccentric kind. When she was a vampire…”
“Winter, you don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable,” Fox quickly said. He pressed a kiss to Winter’s cheek and then another close to the corner of his eye. “I’m always here for you when you’re ready.”
“No, it’s okay. We kind of all repeat that it wasn’t her. It wasn’t really Julianna Varik. That woman was dead. Had died in 1829. That…creature was violent and paranoid. She would attack us for no reason.”