Untamed (17 page)

“So you don’t have to worry.” His brown eyes narrowed and latched onto hers as he slipped the buttons back into place. “All we did was fuck.”

Layla’s heart skipped a beat, and her throat tightened. Even though she managed to keep her face a calm mask of detachment, it didn’t matter. He knew what he’d said had hurt her—she couldn’t hide it from him.

For the first time in her life, she was exposed to another living being, and it terrified her.

His hands dropped to his side, and he kept his intense stare locked on her face. “That is what you wanted, isn’t it?” His voice dropped to barely above a whisper, and the lines in his face deepened as he moved slowly toward her. “Just a fuck, right?”

Layla couldn’t move as he closed the distance between them. Her feet seemed to be nailed to the floor, and even though her brain told her to get the hell away from him, her body wouldn’t cooperate.

She was going to get hurt.

Her head kept telling her that. Hell. History told her that. Getting mixed up with an Amoveo mate was a one-way ticket to pain and suffering—that was what she’d always been told. However, looking into his warm eyes the cracks of doubt widened. Maybe he was different.

Maybe
wasn’t a good enough answer to risk her heart.

“Yes,” she whispered. Layla cleared her throat and stuck her chin out defiantly. “Yes, you gave me exactly what I asked for—a great fuck.” She tore her gaze from his and fixed the fireplace grate, even though it didn’t need fixing.

William took Layla’s hands in his, interrupting her busy work, and turned her to face him. He cradled her small hands in his significantly larger ones, pulled her close, and held her hands over his heart, which thrummed strong and steady.

“It
was
great,” he said gently. “In fact, I think referring to it as great, or trying to describe it as anything less than mind-blowing, would be insulting to us both.” He lifted her chin with their joined hands and fixed his serious gaze on hers. “But you and I both know it was more than just some random fuck.”

She knew he was right, and that’s what grabbed her by the soul and wouldn’t let go. The onslaught of emotions was almost more than she could handle, and her energy waves zipped through the room like out of control firecrackers.

“So the question is what do we do now?” he asked, brushing butterfly strokes along her hands with his thumbs.

Lost in the shelter of his embrace and trapped in that laser-sharp gaze, several possibilities raced through her mind. Running away or pushing him away—those were her knee-jerk reactions—but along the edges of her mind was the tiny voice of hope that whispered…
try.

She wanted to try and tell him, intellectually verbalize what she was thinking. She knew William could read her emotions, and he could hear her telepathically when she allowed him to, but how could she explain it to him? Maybe the Amoveo didn’t need to put their feelings into words, but she wasn’t entirely Amoveo, and at the moment, her human half was analyzing the shit out of her feelings.

Before she could gather the nerve to tell him what she was thinking, a log popped loudly in the fireplace, and sent sparks flying. Trance broken, they both jumped, startled by the sudden noise, and a smile crept across Layla’s face as she stamped at the spark that had escaped onto the braided rug.

“I guess that answers that question.” She laughed as she smothered the pesky ember. “We keep Rosie’s house from burning down.”

Layla leaned over and adjusted the fireplace screen to be sure no more embers escaped. As she stood and brushed her hands off on her jeans, something caught her eye above the mantle. It looked like an envelope sticking out from behind her photograph of the cottage.

“What’s this?” She reached up and pulled the mysterious missive from behind the portrait, and her blood went cold when she saw her name scrawled in bright red letters.

“Holy shit,” she whispered, holding the white envelope in shaking hands. “It’s for me.”

William’s senses instantly went on high alert at the sight of Layla’s name written across the front of the envelope. Maybe Rosie left it? Raife? As the various possibilities raced through his mind, everything came to a shuddering halt when Layla flipped it over, and he saw what held it closed.

It was the wax seal of the Council.

“Wait,” he shouted and took the envelope from Layla, before she could open it. “It can’t be.”

“Hey!” She tried to take the letter back, but he rushed over to the side table and turned on the lamp. “What is going on, William? Why are
you
so freaked out?” Layla asked as she followed him. “I don’t think anyone is going to jump out of the envelope and kill me.”

William barely heard her above the pounding of his heart and the blood that rushed through his veins. He leaned in closely to inspect the red wax seal with the scrolled letter
A
stamped in the middle, hoping and praying that he was wrong, and that the light was playing tricks on him. However, no matter how much he squinted, it wasn’t going to change.

The letter was from a member of the Council.

William let out a slow breath and hoped that he didn’t come off as unhinged as he felt, but one glance at Layla’s worried expression told him he hadn’t managed to hide a thing. He held the envelope out and struggled to keep his voice as calm as possible.

“Have you ever seen this seal?” he asked as she took it from him.

“No.” Layla frowned as she looked from William back to the seal. “But I’m assuming, based on your reaction, that you have.”

“Yes.” He nodded and gestured to the couch. “I think we should sit down.”

“Don’t treat me like a child.” Layla held her ground. “What is it?”

William glowered at Layla and cursed under his breath, but she didn’t move. Damn this woman. Why did she fight him on everything?

“That letter is from someone on the Council,” he said bluntly. “And the energy signature on it…”

Layla rubbed the envelope between her fingers. Her eyes shifted, and her nostrils flared as she made the connection. “It’s the same person who was here the night Rosie was attacked.”

Layla’s jaw fell open, and her large eyes flicked back to the envelope. “Okay, if this is from the person who was here, then they hurt Rosie. So why the hell would I want anything from them?” she said furiously.

“Because there was more than one person here that night.”

“What?” Her eyes burned brightly.

“When I was surveying the property earlier, I discovered two energy signatures tangled together. One stronger than the other, so much so that it masked the weaker one.” He glanced at the envelope. “Whoever left this note for you was here that night, and if they used that seal, then they’re on the Council. That’s the only thing we know for sure.”

“I think I’ll sit down now.” She backed up and sank into their oversized chair without taking her eyes off the seal. “I’m freaked out.” She looked at William through confused eyes. “This should freak me out, right? I’m not overreacting.”

“No.” He shook his head and kept his sights on her. “You are not overreacting at all. That seal is from a ring that is worn only by our Council members. Obviously, your existence has not been kept a secret as we thought.”

Her energy waves whipped through the room, reflecting the same apprehension that he was feeling. She stared at the envelope and let out a slow breath. William couldn’t stand the space between them, and the urge to comfort her had become too strong to ignore. He took a seat on the arm of the large chair next to Layla and rubbed her back reassuringly.

“Here goes nothing,” she murmured.

Layla straightened in her seat and gathered her resolve as she peeled open the envelope and broke the seal with a thin snapping sound. She pulled the folded card out and opened it with care as William leaned over her shoulder and read the flowery script along with her.

Dear Layla,

I am sorry that I must write this letter with such secrecy, but it remains uncertain who can be trusted. I know you must feel abandoned, but I wanted you to know that I have been watching you grow and thrive over the years. It’s clear that we chose the perfect safe house for you to grow up in, and someday, I hope we can thank Rosie for all the things that she has done for you—for all of us. Before his mating with your mother, your father was a high-ranking member of our clan, and his efforts to keep you safe cost him his life.

I do not tell you this to punish you or to hurt you, but to be sure that you understand the danger that you are in. I want nothing more than to fulfill my brother’s wishes and bring you into the fold of our clan, but I fear it isn’t safe—at least not until you bond with your mate. I know that William has found you and that you are reluctant to give in to what the universe intends, but I beg you to keep your mind and heart open. The Purists have become increasingly aggressive, and it is imperative that you have all of your wits about you.

Embrace Your Fate.

—xo Bianca

They both sat for a few minutes reading and rereading the note, but it wasn’t long before William broke the silence.

“Bianca Wayland,” he said evenly. “She sits on the Council as the female representative for the Cheetah Clan. I can’t believe Bianca would hurt Rosie after all the lengths she went to keeping you hidden safely here,” he said tightly as apprehension crept up his back. “There was someone else here besides her that night, and that has to be the person who attacked Rosie. Bianca would never hurt the woman who protected you.”

“Bullshit,” Layla shouted. She crumpled the note in her hands as her energy waves increased in tempo and temperature, and her body shook with fury. She whipped her head up, and her glowing, gold and green eyes zeroed in on William. “This is such bullshit!”

William watched with genuine confusion as she stood, threw the note across the room, and tore her fingers through her wild red curls. She paced back and forth in front of the fireplace with her hands curled into tight fists, and the air in the room thickened in response to her emotions.

William stood slowly and kept his gaze fixed on Layla, waiting for what she would do next. Had they read the same note? He was saddened by it, and perhaps expected her to cry, as much as he dreaded the idea of it, but anger? Now that was unexpected. Would he ever figure this woman out?

“Layla,” he said gently. “I understand that you’re upset, but—”

“So this chick is my aunt, I guess,” she spat. “It looks like she was here but probably didn’t hurt Rosie. However, there’s still someone out there who did. By the way, if she was here, why didn’t she help Rosie?”

“I don’t know.” William’s jaw clenched. “We’ll find out who else was here, but at least you have some kind of answers from this letter.”

“Are you kidding me? All I have are more questions.” She put her hands on her hips and looked at him as if he’d just sprouted an extra head. “How would you like to be tricked and cheated out of your choices? These people—your people.” She pointed at him accusingly, and her eyes flashed with anger as she stalked toward him. “They moved me around like a pawn on a chessboard and played with my life, as if it didn’t make a damn bit of difference, as if I had no feelings about anything.

“She tells me my father is dead in a freaking letter? She lets me go on all these years thinking that he abandoned me and that I wasn’t wanted.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “Do you have any idea how that feels, to think that I was tossed away like defective trash?”

Her body shook with fury, and her energy waves pummeled him harshly, causing the glasses to skitter nervously along the weathered surface of the coffee table. The room pulsed with years of pent-up anger and frustration; the storm of her emotions filled the house and tore at his heart.

“No one asked me what I wanted,” she shouted with tear-filled eyes. “No one thought that it would be hell on earth to grow up a freak, like some half-breed mess who doesn’t belong in either world. I’m not exactly human, but I’m definitely not Amoveo,” she let out a harsh laugh, and her jaw clenched with determination. “I-I can’t even shift.”

William’s face softened, and his heart broke at the wounded tone of her voice as she admitted what she’d been trying so desperately to hide. She stood her ground, eyes blazing, daring him to say something and looking for a fight.

However, William wasn’t taking the bait.

“I never could, and maybe I never will. Is that what you want?” Her shaky voice dipped to just above a whisper. “To be tied down to some weakling for eternity?”

The suffering written across her face grabbed him by the throat. How could she think that? How could he make her understand that she was everything?

“Layla,” he whispered. William reached out to take her in his arms, but she shoved him away and pushed past him toward the front door. “Please wait.”

“Don’t.” She whipped around to face him and held her hand out to stop him from coming closer. Her eyes glowed brightly in the dimly lit hallway and reflected the swirling turmoil within. “Rosie is hurt because of me, because whoever hurt her was probably here looking for me.” She swiped at her eyes. “I’m nothing more than a mistake that needs to be corrected.”

As she ran out the front door and into the pitch black night, William reached out and whispered into her mind.

You
are
not
a
mistake. You are the answer.

***

Tears blurred her vision as she bolted blindly out the door into the chilly damp night and ran as fast as she could toward the woods. Her bare feet pounded through the wet grass up the hill, but she hardly felt it. The only thing she could feel was the all-consuming rage of being what she was and having no control. She barely noticed the biting cold of the wind whipping over her tear-stained face, and only one word thundered through her mind as she bolted through the moonlit woods.

Why?

Her legs pumped faster as questions raced through her mind. Why did they hurt Rosie? Why did people she never met want to kill her simply because of what she was? Why didn’t they tell her sooner that her father didn’t abandon her? Why couldn’t she shift like Raife and Tati? Why couldn’t she give William her heart? Why was she such a freaking mess?

She raced along the leaf-strewn path as twigs and pine needles spit up from her heels. The trees went by in a distorted blur, and the image of her cheetah filled her mind. She saw everything that she was able to become in the dream realm—the golden coat spotted with black, sharp claws, and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth that could tear through tender flesh like butter.

Her cheetah likeness blazed brightly and held firm in her mind’s eye as she sprinted through the darkness at inhuman speed. Fury flooded her mind and flashed fiercely through her small human body as static electricity rippled over her skin with dazzling, vivid intensity, and white lights danced behind her eyes.

Everything shimmered, and for the first time in her life, the world came into perfect focus as her body undulated, swelled, and stretched into the unrestrained form of her clan.

In one giant leap—she was free.

An unfamiliar strength coursed through her veins as she ran on four legs instead of two. Her claws dug deliciously into the soft earth, giving her the traction she needed to shoot like a bullet through the dark forest. Her furred body pulsated brilliantly with power, and her muscles worked, stretched, and strained in the most refreshing way.

She’d never felt more alive or more in control of her body, her life, or her mind. For the first time, everything made sense. She no longer felt out of step or behind the curve—this body, this form… it was always there, lurking, and waiting to be discovered.

Layla snarled and bolted around the bend of the familiar path, and within seconds the old cottage from her photograph came into view. Like her sprinting cheetah counterparts in nature, her burst of speed was not for distance.

Heart hammering her in her chest, she slowed to a trot and padded over to the entrance of the rundown cottage, which had been her playhouse as a child. When the kids teased her at school for her freckles and red hair, or when Raife and Tati would shift and run in the forest together, this is where she would come to lick her proverbial wounds.

She sensed William’s arrival before she saw him. His energy signature, tied firmly to hers, signaled to Layla as he flew closer. Breathing heavily, her long tail switching slowly behind her, Layla arched her neck and looked to the sky in search of William. She was surprisingly eager to have him see her in her clan form, and she wasn’t sure if her heart was racing from apprehension or exhaustion. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

When she saw his graceful form silhouetted against the full moon as he circled above, the world around her fell away. He shrieked loudly, announcing his presence to the rest of the night creatures—or warning them—she wasn’t sure which. Layla sat on her haunches and watched as he soared down to her, his wings pumped with unmistakable strength as his moon-glow eyes shone brilliantly in the night. His deep baritone voice floated in her mind.
Verto.

Layla watched with genuine awe as he shimmered, shifted in midair, and implemented a sure-footed landing on two feet directly in front of her. Radiating raw power, he towered over her in his human form. The stern look carved into his face and the thick turmoil of his energy waves left little to the imagination.

“Why would you run out here alone?”

I
can
take
care
of
myself.
Layla stood and circled slowly around William, while the two inspected one another
. I did that for a long time before you showed up.

He made a small sound of understanding but clearly not in agreement. “Looks like you can shift after all.” He kept his sharp gaze fixed on her as she stalked around him. “You didn’t have to use the ancient language like most of our people do. Samantha and Kerry can shift without it as well, so it seems hybrids have some unique advantages over pure-blooded Amoveo.”