“I promise you that you’ll suffer fatal indigestion.” Zoey smiled at her unpleasantly. “And I’ll rip off parts of your face that you won’t be able to grow back.”
Giuliana looked rattled. Apparently she’d expected Zoey to be easy to intimidate. She wouldn’t be the first to assume that the cheerful, funny, chubby girl would be easy to run right over. Zoey had been bullied a lot in grade school, until her parents took her to self defense classes.
After that, her bullies started suffering a lot of bloody noses and loose teeth. Zoey had to spend plenty of afternoons in detention, but her parents had no problem with that whatsoever. And, while she couldn’t win a fight against a wolf, she had been taught ways to leave permanent marks on them.
“How did you spot me?” Giuliana demanded.
“Magic in the blood. I have skills.” Zoey folded her arms across her chest. “You wanted to talk to me, you keep blocking me, and now I’m here. Say your piece.”
Giuliana drew herself up to her full height. “Fine. Stay the hell away from Dominic. Tell him you’re not interested. Make him want to end it.”
“I have told him that we’re not mating. He’s not listening. Something about his wolf choosing me on a full moon. I mean, you’re a wolf, you should know what he’s talking about.” She shrugged. “Not much I can do about that.”
“You don’t seem to get it.” Giuliana’s eyes glowed a creepy-yellow orange. “Do whatever it takes to end it. You’re not going to mate with him.”
“That’s not up to you, Giuliana.”
“Isn’t it?” Giuliana wrinkled her lips back and bared her fangs. “You’re not good for him. End it, or I’ll end you.”
“You’ll try.” Before Giuliana could say another word, Zoey lashed out with a quick foot sweep and knocked her on her butt. Then she hopped on her bike and shot off through traffic, dodging expertly. Giuliana shifted and tried to chase her, but she was no match for the map witch. Zoey headed for the eastern territory; surely Giuliana wouldn’t be stupid enough to chase her there?
Except she was.
After about twenty blocks, Zoey heard a screech of tires and then slamming brakes. Then she heard a yelp of pain.
Giuliana had been hit by a car, which was now speeding away. She was crawling painfully over to the sidewalk, still in wolf form, her back leg bent at a horrifying angle.
Zoey pulled up beside her, and scrambled off her bike.
“Giuliana, oh my God! Are you all right?”
In response, Giuliana lunged at her and snapped at her.
The hell with this. Zoey grabbed her phone. Giuliana shifted back to human form in a flash.
“Who are you calling?” she cried out, sounding panicked.
“I’m calling an ambulance, you moron! Your leg is broken!”
“Don’t you dare!” Giuliana shouted. Then, she choked out the word “Please. Don’t call anyone. I have no right to ask you for a favor, but I’m asking.”
Zoey was bewildered. “Are they abusing you? Are you afraid of them? I could hide you. I have map magic. I can use it to disappear, and to avoid people.”
“Why would you?”
“Because it’s what anyone would do.”
Giuliana grimaced in pain. “You’d be surprised.”
“Giuliana. Seriously. I’m ready to barf from just looking at your leg. I have to call the ambulance.”
“I’m a med-mage!” Giuliana snapped. “I can heal myself. And I don’t want you to call anybody because if my uncle finds out I was chasing you, he’ll lock me up in my room for a month. He’s not abusive, it’s just the way the pack works. He’s an insanely overprotective ass.” She looked positively pouty as she said that. But not frightened.
And her leg was straightening itself as Zoey watched.
“You’re sure? Pack members aren’t abusive?”
Giuliana gave her a sly look. “They’re abusive to their mates. They beat them for the slightest offensive.”
