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CLAUDIA

Claudia had no choice but to circle to the front door and enter quietly so Dominic and his brother could carry on their strange argument inside the kitchen. She assumed it was her fault, but she didn't know.

Giovanni's first impression wasn't good, and she wasn't sure how she felt about him. She washed up in Dominic's bathroom and didn't care that he seemed judgmental and conceited. She became nervous when she could barely hear their faint words downstairs.

By late Sunday evening, neither of them had heard from the doctor, so Claudia went downstairs to see what Dominic was doing. Giovanni's car started and left the driveway, so she knew he wasn't there anymore.

She reached the back patio as Dominic stood by the column with his hands in his pockets. He glanced at the night sky with his back to her. Clouds covered the few stars that shone.

Claudia stepped outside and looked at him. Dominic's head dropped like he'd strained a muscle. She asked, "What are you doing?"

His brows dipped low. After several seconds, his lip tipped up in one corner. 

Dominic took a deep breath. "I like to watch the clouds. There's something about them, you know." He looked at her and back up at the sky. "The sky is endless." His voice was roughly thick.

"Has your crazy brother stopped yelling at you for being with me?"

"For now. But Giovanni could always come back for more."

Claudia didn't know if Dominic was joking or if he was serious. "Well, I'm okay with missing the next argument."

"Yeah. So, what were you doing upstairs?"

"Doing what I always do while watching reality television."

"Oh?" he said. "Which one is it this time?"

She snickered a little as she stood next to him. "Keeping Up With The Kardashians."

"You've got to be kidding." Dominic turned and leaned against the post to look at her. Derision pinched his features. "You watch that nonsense? I haven't seen you watch it."

He made it sound like it was wrong to watch real-life TV. Claudia appreciated the drama that came with the show. She found the family to be entertaining.

"Yes, I do," Claudia replied. "Does that bother you?"

"No." Dominic clamped his lips together and shook his head. "The more I learn about you, the more I like the idea of all the reality TV you watch. Which show do you like more?"

She gave a sweet smile. "I like so many of them that it's hard to choose just one."

"Come on, Dia," he said, chuckling. "You must have a favorite." Dominic gave her a half-grin. "What do you find so appealing about them? The script? The drama? People who cheat on each other?"

"Haha, jokester!" She let out a sigh. "I like how the studio coaches the participants throughout the program."

"Are you okay knowing that most of them are set up? Possibly scripted?"

She burst out laughing at that. "It makes no difference to me. I just like to watch."

Dominic looked confused by her reply. "So you don't care if everything on a reality show is fake?"

"It's no different from what we're doing," she said as she straightened up. Claudia had gotten his attention now. "We have to act like the people on those TV shows, right?"

"You have a point. What do you like to do other than watch reality TV?"

"I like to read books."

"What kinds of books do you like to read?"

"All different kinds." She leaned on the post across from him and craned her neck to meet his steady gaze. "I mostly like paranormal stuff."

"Werewolves and vampires?"

Goodness. How many questions could he possibly have?

"Something like that."

"Ghosts and space aliens?"

"Ghost stories are fun, but I don't know about space creatures. ET is a little much for me."

One brow went up. "Why is that?"

"Because most alien books are about slimy green monsters," she said, her eyes locked on him. "But I like their talents."

"Which is . . . ?"

"Telepathy. And superpowers."

Dominic smirked as his neck slumped downward. "I get that."

"I also enjoy graphic novels and historical books."

"You like graphic novels?" His voice had a bit of doubt in it. Dominic asked, "Really?" and Claudia nodded.

"What's the big deal? Is it wrong for women to like comics and graphic novels?

"I find that interesting." He stared at her for a long time before turning his head toward the trees. "Would you like to come with me for a walk?"

"Uh, you know I'm bad at walking through the woods," she reminded him.

A grin emerged. It had a slant to it.

Rough. Attractive. "I won't take you through the woods this time. It's a small track. I'm sure you'll be okay."

"Shouldn't we wait for Dr. Harris?"

"We'll be back before he arrives."

"Why do you want to go out for another walk?"

Dominic made a long, sighing sound. "I don't know why. I thought it might be fun for us. But if you're going to question everything, forget it."

Claudia could tell by the look on his face that he was not happy. After what had happened with the lake earlier, she couldn't believe he wanted to walk at seven in the evening.

But she was dying of boredom and now was the perfect opportunity to clear anything up. "Okay," she said after taking a deep breath. "We can go."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, but she did it with a lot of stress.

"Why are we going behind your house?" Claudia asked, seeing Dominic's route. "The lake we were in was in the opposite direction. Most trails start there." She pointed to his house's terrifying trees.

"Yeah, but there are shorter trails back here that will get you around easier," he explained. "Most locals know the main, crowded trails. There were a lot of boring days out here, but I found a few off the unbeaten path."

Claudia made a face. "How far off from the main road are we going?"

He chuckled. "Not far at all."

"Is this a baby trail? I'm sure you'll find this tiresome."

"It's great to get out whenever you can. We aren't going to walk to the closest store since that's a long walk from my driveway."

"Okay. Show me the way."

Dominic stopped to get a couple of water bottles and then walked with her for a few minutes in silence. "You're very trusting with people, Dia."

"It depends on the person." She walked a few steps behind him because his long legs made it challenging to keep up.

He looked over his shoulder without skipping a beat. "No one's ever said that to you before?" Dominic pondered.

Claudia maneuvered herself around a thick, prickly bush. "I've heard that from family and friends. But you are making it sound..."

His chin went up. "Sounds so like what?"

"I don't know if it's a terrible thing that I trust others." Dominic slowed down, and she went with him. "Everyone gets only one chance with me."

He laughed, then turned away. Her muscles tightened when she heard his sound.

She asked, "Why are you always laughing at me?"

Dominic grinned down at her, shaking his head. "I don't know. You just make me kind of laugh."

She stepped over a pothole and onto a cluster of tiny pebbles. "Okay. So what was Giovanni's deal? He gave off the impression that he didn't like me."

"It has nothing to do with that. He doesn't trust you," Dominic muttered his last words.

Claudia shook her head, puzzled. "Trust me with what? Your integrity?"

He chuckled, and it took him several moments to reply. "Yeah. He doesn't like pretty women who haven't met everyone in our family."

"Excuse me?" Claudia slipped on a sharp root.

Dominic caught her easily, and as soon as she was steady, he put her back on her feet. Because of the quick touch, her skin tingled all over her body. Before he let go, his hands were barely on her waist for a few seconds.

She asked, "You're joking, right?"

"Which part?"

"All of it!"

Dominic beamed at her. "No, Dia, I mean it. My family rarely likes it when I bring in somebody they haven't met."

"Because you're reserved?" She strolled beside him.

"Well, it's not as simple as that. Everyone is careful about who they let into their private and professional lives." Dominic stopped as he helped Claudia climb over a tree in the way. The storm must have brought it down. "This is... not what we usually do. It's new for me."

Claudia smiled. "This is new to me as well, Dom." She folded her arms across her chest. "It's not often that I hear I'm beautiful."

"I don't believe that." Dominic looked at how quiet she was. "Has a guy ever told you how attractive you are?"

He wasn't the first person to tell her she looked good, but she didn't think she had paid attention before. She liked the company of others, even if they weren't always sincere.

Even though her past boyfriends told her she was pretty, she never thought that could be a reason for someone to like her. She shrugged and turned away. "Rarely."

"Or perhaps you weren't paying attention?"

She gave another shrug and looked at the old tree trunks, getting ready to change the subject and ignoring Dominic's other statement. She didn't want to remember her past.

"Do you know what I've always thought?" he whispered.

Only the sounds of a few birds and crickets resonated around them as they stood on the path. A light breeze carried her voice away. "Do I even want to know, Dom?"

"I've always thought that the most beautiful people, inside and out, are those who have no idea how they affect others." He looked at her, and they stood next to each other for a moment. "Those who flaunt their beauty waste what they have. Their beauty is temporary. It's just a shell that hides nothing but obscurity and nothingness."

Claudia did the worst thing one could think of. She laughed out loud. "I'm sorry," she said, "but that was the most meaningful thing I've ever heard you say."

Dominic smirked. "I was telling you the truth, Dia."

"I know, but that was really... wow," she commented. And here she was, ruining what might have been the nicest thing he'd ever say out loud.

He gave her a nod and kept leading her down the slope. Dominic said, "We won't go too far," a few minutes later. "You enjoy history, huh?"

"I realize I am such a dork." She was also glad that the subject changed.

His lips twitched in response. "Did you know that early settlers used to hunt on this land?"

Claudia groaned. "Can you promise that we're not going to walk on any graves? Fresh ones, I might add." She didn't want to think about his mafia life or what he had done before they met, but that thought crossed her mind.

"Well, I'm sure that there are some graves in the area. Even though they were just passing through, it's not unusual that some of them died here."

"Don't tell me about that, Dominic. I don't need to know." She gave him a light tap on his arm.

He shook his head again and gave that strange look. "All right, I'll get to the point of why I wanted to talk to you."

Dominic held up a large branch for her to duck under, her shoulder brushing against his chest as she passed before dropping it and taking the lead. "What do you want to talk about?"

"It's something I should discuss with you now that you're in my life," he said as he walked beside her. "About twelve years ago, I met Amelia in college. She was, well, different from anyone I'd ever met. At least during that time. We loved each other very much. We had planned for a big wedding with our friends and family, which we would have done at the Catholic church a few miles away."

As they strolled, Dominic moved his finger across the lower-hanging branches to move the thinner ones out of the way for Claudia. He continued, "But that day never came. An enemy of my family killed her while I was holding her. They poisoned her."

Claudia paused and used her thumb to wipe a tear from his face. "I'm so sorry that happened."

He stopped and stared at her. "You didn't do it. A rival of mine saw us picnicking in a park and put something in her sweet tea. I had no idea it would be my last day with her."

"The poison acted fast, huh?" Claudia asked, and he nodded. "Could you... Would you mind telling me more about her?"

"Amelia was amazing," he breathed. "In some ways, you remind me of her. She had a special glow that made any place brighter when she was there."

Claudia didn't know what to say about that. She finally understood why Dominic had stayed disconnected from her. Every time he saw her, Amelia would come to mind, which was very heartbreaking. She never knew how awful that was for him.

"Amelia had the kindest heart anyone could have known," he continued as he stepped over a large tree. While they walked down the narrow path, Claudia held his hand. "You know how you volunteered to work in my office a few days ago?"

"Yes."

A small smile appeared on his lips. "That's what Amelia used to do. She helped at the local homeless shelter and the children's hospital, reading books to them. When I was around her, a young girl once told Amelia that she was her role model. That she wanted to finish school and work with kids all over the world."

"Aw. That's great. I'm sure she grew up doing everything she wanted to do." Dominic shook his head, his gaze narrowing. "What is it?" Claudia asked.

He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "The girl died because of a rare heart condition; she never lived to be eighteen."

"Oh, how sad. At least she met you and Amelia, who gave her hope."

"Like I already said, you remind me of my late fiancée, Dia." Dominic pursed his lips and was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. "You keep the good and the bad in perspective. Everyone who knew Amelia loved her because she did a lot of good in the Maine neighborhood where she grew up. Giovanni always says I'll never find another person like her. He doesn't know, though, that I've found that person. I found you."

Claudia went speechless for a moment. "And what exactly is it about me that you admire so much?"

Dominic cast a downward glance at her. "It's..." His eyes suddenly got bigger. "Dia?"

"No, no. You will not be able to escape this, mister. Tell me."

He whispered, "Be still," as he looked over her shoulder. Dominic put his hand on the right side of her neck. "Promise me you won't lose your mind."

"Huh?"

Dominic took Claudia by surprise when he pulled her toward him. She put her hands on his chest so she wouldn't fall over. His whole body seemed to hum when she touched it. He murmured, "Have you ever seen a bear?"

Fear shifted through her body and swelled up. "What?" She jerked away from him and turned around, uttering, "There's a bear!"

Oh, a bear was there.

A big, black, and hairy bear stood roughly fifteen feet away and used its long, whiskered nose to smell the air. Its ears twitched in response to the sound of their breathing. It took a moment for the shock to wear off. She had never actually seen a bear. Only in zoos or in the media.

The animal looked like a king. How its muscles moved under the thick fur and how its dark eyes looked at them with the same intensity that they stared at it.

The animal came closer and walked under the streetlights that were shining through the trees. In the light, the fur had turned shimmering black.

"Don't move," Dominic said in a soft voice.

She didn't believe she could move even one step.

The bear was at least six feet tall. When it stood up on its hind legs, it made a sound that was half snarl and half grunt. The next sound she heard was a roar that gave her the chills.

That was not good.

Dominic cried out and waved his arms around, but the bear didn't care. The animal got down on all fours, and its huge shoulders shook.

The bear ran straight at them.

Claudia squeezed her eyes shut, unable to breathe because of the ball of fear that was smothering her. Being eaten alive by an animal was so horrible. When she heard Dominic swear, a bright light pierced her closed eyelids and stung her sensitive lashes.

The next blast of heat made her hair stand on end. The light came back, but this time darkness followed, consuming Claudia.

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