The woman scared me so badly that I stumbled backward and hit the floor. I scrambled away on hands and knees, my heart hammering, convinced she was going to come after me next. In my panic, I crashed straight into something solid and warm , Vito. The moment I realized it was him, I froze, because now there was fear tangled into everything I felt about him too.
He steadied me before I could fall again. "Stop running around. The snakes are everywhere outside. Didn't you already hurt your knee?"
The scolding was wrapped in something that almost sounded like worry, and that was what broke me. Tears I hadn't planned on came rushing up.
"Vito!"
I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his chest. "I knew you wouldn't leave me. You wouldn't, right?"
He let out a slow breath. "Just rest and stop wandering. If you come out again, even I won't be able to keep you safe. Everyone in my family is a little out of their mind."
