She opened the door and held it for them while he carried her older sister inside. She was hopping from one foot to the other, looking worriedly at Ursula. “Would you mind carrying her upstairs?” she asked John, cringing with anxiety. Did she think he was going to say no? He’d have to teach her that he was one of the good guys. He wouldn’t leave a lady, who was unconscious at this point, in the lurch. “Lead the way,” he told her, trying to sound as gentle as possible even though he knew a bit of a growl came through in his tone. He couldn’t help it. All his protective instincts were in play now, and the idea that Amelia thought he wouldn’t see her sister safely upstairs irked him. She’d learn, though. John decided at that moment that he was going to stick around until both of the Ricoletti sisters learned what he was made of. Ursula, most of all. Her opinion mattered to him…and to his bear. Now that was something different. Never before had the bear really registered an opinion about a female—shifter or human.
