While the ladies were tucked away in Natale’s workshop, the three brothers had a few moments to speak before Valerio took his mate to her dress rehearsal at the Zoo.

Valerio sat at the table, his gaze drifted time and time again toward the closed doorway, turning his coffee cup about when he turned back to the table.

He tried to ignore the looks Uberto was giving him from the kitchen Island.

When he reached the table, sitting down across from him, Valerio met the eyes of his younger brother. “You have something to say? Say it.”

Uberto shrugged and took a quick sip of his coffee. “I always have something to say. I don’t need your permission.”

Salvatore flared at him. “You might need my permission to say it,” his grin bared his teeth. “But this time,” he sat back in his chair and turned slightly to look directly at Valerio, “I agree.”

“No.” Valerio shook his head once. “We are not having this talk again.”

“We will have this talk until you see reason.”

Valerio leaned on the table, bracing his arm on the edge. “You are my brother and the leader of our family, Salvatore. But when it comes to my mate, I will do what’s best for her.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, brother.” Uberto slipped another sip of coffee passed his lips. “It’s not.”

“You should be concerned about what’s best for both of you, together.” Salvatore meant the words, but Valerio still balked at the idea.

“Her debut concert is in two weeks. After that is over, I will mark her. We’ve already discussed the issue.”

“The issue,” Uberto leaned back in his chair and stared right at his brother, “is that you’re denying what’s between you. It would be one thing if she didn’t want to be yours, but-”

“We already sense things from each other. What if I give her the mark and those feelings intensify?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Uberto was nearly tipping the table in his direction as he leaned on it. “She wants you, don’t deny-”

“I’m not denying anything!” Valerio was barely holding onto his temper. It didn’t help that inside of him, his bear sided with his brothers. “I just want you to listen to my wishes. This is important to her, the culmination of all of her hard work and I don’t want to be the distraction that ruins it for her.”

He looked at Salvatore, and felt a strange pressure in his head as his bear struggled for control.

The door opened and the men were on their feet as Natale and then Allegra entered the room. Salvatore growled with possessive satisfaction as his mate rubbed her hand over the swell that was their unborn cub. Beside her, Allegra walked confidently through the door. For the last few days, she’d walked around the shared areas of their penthouse and learned the distances and doorways that might cause a problem and didn’t need an arm or a guide unless she was going somewhere unfamiliar.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was at her side, reaching for her hand. She met him halfway, curling her fingers through his.

“Is everything okay?”

Worry darkened his features for a moment. Had she heard them through the heavy door? Or had she felt his anger? Either answer worried him and added more credence to his arguments with his brothers.

Allegra needed to focus on herself, and he would give her that opportunity, because he couldn’t do anything more important than take care of her.

* * *

Dress rehearsal had gone smoothly. The director of the zoo and the head of their charitable arm that raised additional funds for homes and animal care had proclaimed the upcoming event a huge success in ticket sales. The greater part of the group left after the main part of the rehearsal, until only Allegra, Essa, and Jane remained to practice the final piece of the night.

Jane walked Allegra to her chair on the temporary stage that they’d erected in front of the fountain, and set her hand on the back of the chair before brushing a motherly kiss on her cheek.

Allegra took her cello from its stand and placed the cello securely between her knees as she found the right placement for her feet. Reaching behind her she picked up her bow from the back of her chair and then rested it on her thigh until she could slide her fingers down to the frog and hold it at just the right angle.

A little shiver crawled up her arm and a smile tickled at her lips, she could almost hear the music waiting as if it stood in the wings, waiting behind a curtain, just as anxious as she was, waiting for the lights to come up.

And there, in the darkness, she felt the hum. Electricity rolling through the emptiness.

And then a light. A warm glow sitting off to the side, waiting, just like the music.

Waiting, like the swan she hears padding along the cobblestones behind her. It’s like she could see it, even through the back of her head, because she had seen it… years ago.

A flutter.

Wings took flight, just enough to push into the air to flutter down into the water.

And she felt the breath of the bird as if it was her own and lifted her bow. She let it glide over the strings like wings controlling the rate of her fall.

It’s just the swan and the water, feathers and flight, longing and joy.

Until the last note fell from the string like a sigh and Allegra released the breath she held in her lungs. She took a moment to wonder if she’d actually managed a breath during the song, or if she’d been that rolled under by the music that she’d held it all in while she played.

Jane closed the lid of the piano behind her, protecting the keys from the elements and curious fingers and stood from her seat on the bench.

Allegra heard the soft steps walking up beside her and Essa’s soft chuckle.

“Brava, Allegra. Brava.”

“Thank you, Essa.”

“No no,” he touched the back of her hand and took the bow from her, “I did nothing but listen to you, my dear and it was a pleasure.”

“I agree.”

Valerio. And the trembling started all over again.

Her imagination told her that the light… in the darkness… that was him. Who else could it have been?

Who else would she want it to be?

“Mr. Nylund,” she felt a hand take her cello and she stood up from her seat, “this is-”

“Mr. Orsino, yes. He introduced himself to me the other day. One of our newest patrons. Quite an intelligent young man, really.”

She could almost hear Valerio flinch from Essa’s words.

“Sir, please-”

“No need to shy away from the truth. Why anyone with eyes-” Essa’s words died on his lips as quickly as new ones formed, “oh Allegra. I am so sorry.”

Jane gave her a kiss on her cheek. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”

“Really, I’m fine,” she laughed and felt Valerio move closer, “it’s nothing that I haven’t said over the years. It’s funny how much we just say an old adage or idiom and not think about it. Please, Essa, don’t worry about me. I’ve developed a thicker skin over the years. It is truly a pleasure to play at all, but to share it with others, it makes me happy.”

“Well, Jane has promised me a ride home,” Essa spoke gently to her, “and Mr. Orsino has promised to see you safely home.”

It took her a few tries to say the simple word, “Yes.”

“Get your rest for the event tomorrow night, Allegra.”

“I agree,” Jane added her own thoughts in, “but have fun you two.”

“I will do my best.” Valerio’s assurance was filled with a hesitation that she hadn’t heard before. Reaching out her hand she found his wrapped around hers as if it was second nature.

Then again, maybe it was.

“Well, good night then.”

Moments later she heard the soft turn-over of a car engine and the subtle spray of gravel as the car left through the service entrance. Leaving them alone.

And that’s when she felt the tremble starting again. Not in her hands or her head, not where the music was. No, she felt the tremble in her heart and in places she didn’t really talk about.

Okay, places she never talked about, no matter how much she wanted to feel. To replace horror with joy.

And with Valerio standing beside her, offering his warmth, she knew she was so very close to getting it.

She felt a hand brush through the hair at her temple and smiled. “You like doing that, touching my hair.”

He leaned closer. She could smell his scent and the bear beneath it. “I like touching you.”

“I really like it too.” She meant every word and feeling that came with it. “Maybe we can pack up my cello and go home?”

“It’s already in its case,” he told her. “I’ll put it in the car before we leave.”

“Oh?” That got her attention. “We’re not leaving yet?”

She felt the shrug through their joined hands.

“Not unless you want to.” His voice was as mysterious as it was sensual and she felt it all the way to her toes. “You said you used to come to the zoo.”

“All the time when I was in Julliard,” she remembered the time well. “The bears were always my favorites, but I wished they were back in the wild. The area looked so small.”

“That’s what we thought when we first came to New York.” Turning, he started to move and she walked on beside him. “So, a few years ago, we made a few changes to the enclosure.”

“Made a few changes?” She laughed heartily. “Did you just sneak into the zoo and bring hammers?”

His hand smoothed up and down her arm, both comforting her and awakening other emotions inside of her.

“We became-”

“Sponsors of the enclosure. You did, didn’t you?”

He cleared his throat but she could swear she heard him laughing behind it. “We wanted to help.”

She covered his hand on her arm with her own, enjoying the heat he shared with her. “That’s what I love about you.”

Allegra swallowed and waited to see how he reacted. She hadn’t planned on saying the words, but they fell out on their own. “I don’t know why I said that,” she hesitated, worried.

“And you bring me light, Stellina. You warm my soul.” They walked along for a bit before he spoke again. “And that’s why I wanted to show you the enclosure. It has a feature that I think you would enjoy.”

“Really?” She held his arm closer to her side. “Just spending time with you is pretty high up there on my list.” She laughed and lifted her face into the night air to take in a deep breath. “So, tell me. What’s this new feature?”

“It’s a sound feature. It uses the natural acoustics of rock to allow visitors to hear the sounds that the bears make, amplified naturally. There’s a whole chamber where you can hear different sounds if you stand in different places.”

A yawn found its way out of her body, bending her back into a gentle arch. She tried to hide it but she knew the moment Valerio felt it as well. He gathered her close. “We can come back another time. It might be better for you in the day.”

“No,” she smiled, “no need to wait. Daylight won’t do anything for me after all.”

He held her closer, and brushed a kiss on her temple. “I didn’t think of it that way.”

She touched his chest, reassuring him with the gentle contact. “I didn’t think you meant anything by it, but I would like to visit the enclosure while we’re here. Do we need to ask the keepers?”

There was a hesitation.

“This may sound strange,” she began, “but it sounds like you’re smiling.”

That got her a laugh. “Not strange at all, love. I was smiling.” Another kiss to her temple and a soft growl from his throat made her feel warm and loved. “We don’t need anyone’s permission to go to the enclosure. The renovations added to the enclosure, the new additional space, the added budget for their care-”

“Came from you and your brothers, didn’t it?”

This time when he leaned down toward her, she was the one that gave him a kiss and held him tight to her. Rubbing her cheek against his, she heard a satisfied growl vibrating in his throat. Laughing, she leaned into his touch. “I hope that doesn’t seem weird to you, but it feels natural to touch you like that. Maybe I’m just marking my territory.”

That got a reaction.

Valerio picked her up, his hands on her hips held her effortlessly as he sat her on a rock wall and covered her mouth with his. His tongue plundered her mouth and rubbed against her teeth as his hands wrapped around to grip her backside and pull her tight against him.

When he stopped the kiss, his chest heaving, his breathing ragged, he still held her close. “I told you before, Allegra. You can mark me any way you want to and I would revel in it. Hearing you speak of it, that I am yours, makes my heart swell.”

She wiggled against him and sighed. “Not just your heart.” His growl was anxious, increasing in its need. “I bet if I could see,” she wondered, “if I could see your eyes turn black, Valerio. Natale told me that your eyes would go black when the bear wants to see through you, when he’s right beneath the surface.”

He nodded and gripped her shoulders. “Yes, he wants to see you, Allegra, but later.”

She gasped as an idea popped into her head. “In the conservatory,” she asked with breathless anticipation, “would you change for me there? Let me feel you under my hands?”

The growl that met her ears was more bear than man. “Don’t give him ideas right now, Allegra. It’s not safe here and if you keep saying those words, I won’t be able to stop him.”

She sobered in a moment, her hand on him more gentle than explorational. “What’s wrong, Valerio?” He didn’t answer immediately, but when he did he almost made her want to give him a slug on the shoulder, if she could find it without help. Instead she scooted over on the wall and slid down to the ground. “Let’s walk and you can tell me while we’re headed for the bears.”

He didn’t argue with her. Valerio wasn’t like that at all. He could be stubborn, but he meant it when she said what she wanted she would get.

Except-

“Is this about the mark?”

He tensed beside her, but he didn’t stop moving. “We spoke about that,” he reminded her.

“I know,” she continued to walk, “I know, but I don’t think you have to worry about anything bad happening because of the mark.”

“So, I’ve been told.”

She heard the tight twist in his voice and swept her thumb over the back of his hand. “Is that what your brothers said to you?”

“They expressed their concerns,” he answered back, his tone and enunciation stilted, “I gave them my decision. They understand that I will mark you as mine, I just want to wait until you can take time away from your work.”

Allegra laughed and heard some of the animals moving about in the dark. “Will it be so tiring, you think?” She sighed and swung their joined hands. “I think I could survive being loved by you.”

“You’re already loved by me, Stellina. That’s why I want to wait.”

“But your bear isn’t so understanding, is he?”

An answering growl told her how close the bear was to the surface, how demanding he could be.

“Then why can’t it happen tonight or tomorrow. We have the weekend to worry through all of these changes that I don’t think will happen. Valerio, please-”

A soft roar was heard in the darkness and Allegra slowed her steps.

“What was that?”

Valerio leaned closer. “A lion. We’re just a few steps away from the bear enclosure.”

“Good, I think we should spend a little time here and get home.” She felt his hand squeeze hers. “And then maybe I’ll convince you to mark me tonight.”

“Allegra,” his tone was warm but there was a warning in it, “let’s not talk of this anymore. My bear is close enough to the surface without you calling to it.”

She sighed and he answered it with a chuckle.

“It hears your words and…” he slowed a little, bending closer to her. She could feel his heat, especially in the cooling fall air. “He can smell your arousal.”

“Well,” she returned, “I bet he can since that’s all I can feel when I’m around you, Valerio. I feel like I’m a live wire just waiting for someone to complete the circuit and you’re holding back on me.”

“I’ve told you my reasons.”

“I know but I think you should-”

Valerio froze in place, his hand tugging her closer to his side.

Through his physical connection she felt the chill that rolled through his skin, but somewhere under it all she felt worry and fear in her heart and knew that they were his emotions, coupled with her own.

“Allegra?”

She opened her mouth to answer him but never managed to get the words out.

Valerio dropped his hold on her hand and wrapped that arm around her body, flattening her against his larger frame, moving her around to the other side of his body.

Before she could ask for an explanation, a noise rushed from the darkness. An engine eating up gas from the sounds of it, but even that thought was a moment too late.

They were moving, and her head struggled to make sense of it.

An impact.

The physical impact sent a shock through their joined bodies.

“No!” She felt it, even though it was a ghost of its actual power because she knew that Valerio had taken most of the hit himself.

And down they went, like the old Coney Island rollercoaster when it seemed to drop straight down, but Allegra knew that at the bottom of this ride, there was only a hard stop.

And it was.

She landed atop Valerio, one hand trapped between them the other cracking hard against stone.

The impact wrung a cry from her, but she heard nothing from Valerio.

When she could summon up the energy to try to move a limb she turned her head so she could easily be heard, instead of face first in his chest. “Valerio? Say something.”

Silence met her ears.

And he lay still beneath her.

“No,” she twisted in his embrace and managed to pull her arm close enough to use it for leverage. “Don’t you go all stoic on me. Come on!”

Leaning her cheek on his chest she forced herself to remain silent until she could hear something in his chest. It was there. Deep down and very soft, but it was there.

“Come on now. Wake up, because I have no idea where we are, okay?”

Valerio remained motionless beneath her for a moment before she had a flash of something other than panic. “Your phone. Yes! Your phone.” She mumbled an apology in case she happened to touch something she shouldn’t. Grabbing at his coat she started to smooth her hands over the fabric and instead of admiring the cut or the work, she shoved her hand into one pocket after another and then closed her hand over his cell phone.

She found his hand and activated it with his thumb on the pad.

That was all good and fine and then she remembered she couldn’t see the screen to call anyone. Voice recognition might help but-

A sound reached her ears and sent her heart into overdrive.

When it happened a second time she began to quake. A growl. Twice.

And she knew exactly what kind of animal it was. She’d listened to enough of those National Animal Channel documentaries to know at least the bare-bones species. It was a bear.

A real-live, not-her-bear shifter kind of bear.

“Just my dumb luck.” Pushing at Valerio’s chest she started to pray out loud, interspersing it with begging. “Please wake up.”

And while she squeezed her eyes shut with her old habit, she pressed the power button to awaken the assistant.

How may I help you?

“Call Salvatore.”

No Salmon Torre found

“No,” she pushed at the button again as she heard some heavy shuffling moving forward toward her. “Call SAL-VA-TO-RE”

The phone went silent for a moment and then she heard a soft ring from the phone.

“Oh, thank God,” she crouched down beside Valerio and waited for the call to pick up.

The sounds from one part of the enclosure was joined with another from a different place in the dark. Two.

“Okay,” she whispered, “now isn’t the time to panic.”

“Pronto, Valerio.”

“We need your help.”

“Allegra?”

She didn’t bother with niceties, blathering out what she knew which wasn’t much. And then she didn’t need to say much more because she heard the distinctive angry growl of a pissed off wild animal.

“Allegra? Are you in the bear enclosure?”

She swallowed down a laugh because she really doubted that the bears would find it funny.

“Allegra?”

Heavy footsteps tromped closer, hesitant, but for how long?

“Yes,” she whispered in a rasp, desperate for help, “yes. We are, hurry…”

As soon as she said the last word she felt a puff of hot breath in her face and smelled an unfamiliar scent of fur and suspicion. That’s when she dropped the phone.