Untamed (The Amoveo Legend 3)

by Sara Humphreys

  “No.” Layla gave her a friendly smile. “Well, I’m getting used to it.” Sam came right out and acknowledged that their presence might be uncomfortable for her. She liked them more by the second. “You’re here to help us, and I understand—about the energy waves—I mean,” Layla said as she opened the door to Tatiana’s room. “I noticed that my abilities are heightened since William found me.”

  “Yeah,” Kerry snorted and took her bag into the room. “Just wait until you’re fully mated.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Everything is heightened.”

  “So what is it?” Sam asked with genuine interest. “What’s up? I mean aside from the obvious shit storm.”

  “Well,” Layla began, “it’s just that Kerry and Dante will be staying in here.” She gestured around the room. “And I’m going to put you and Malcolm in my room.” She nibbled on her lip and shoved one hand through her curls. “So that means…”

  “Oh,” Sam breathed as a look of realization washed over her face. She smiled and exchanged a knowing look with Kerry. “So you two haven’t… y’know.”

  “We have… I mean… yes…” Layla’s face heated with embarrassment as she stumbled over her words. “We’ve had sex already.” Layla cringed. How could she have just blurted it out?

  She couldn’t believe she was telling these women such personal things about herself and William. She shouldn’t be this comfortable with them so quickly, but she was. Maybe it’s because they were hybrids like her or because she’d missed having her sister around, but whatever the reason, she was grateful to have them to talk to. She was ready to go out of her mind, navigating the waters of her new life, and here were two women who had traveled the same bumpy seas. Who better to talk to?

  “Hmm,” Kerry mused. “Do tell.” She elbowed Sam and winked. “I think we may have to whip up a pitcher of margaritas for this conversation.” She made a tsking noise and feigned annoyance at her friend. “Too bad you’re knocked up. Damn, girl, you’re spoiling all the fun.”

  Smiling at their friendly banter, Layla walked out into the hallway and led them down to her bedroom. She swung the door open and was really glad that she’d taken the time to remake the bed and straighten out the room. She smiled. It would make Rosie proud.

  She placed Sam’s bag on the bed and spun to face them. “Actually, scratch that previous answer.” Layla put her hands on her hips and sucked in a deep breath. “We didn’t just have sex, ladies. We had hot, sweaty sexplosions,” she said with more giddy excitement than she intended. To her relief, they didn’t look at her like a sex-craved, horny hellcat, but like they knew exactly what she was talking about. “Somehow, the thought that we’ll be sleeping in the same bed, sharing that space night after night… now… that is more intimacy than I’m used to,” she said through a fading smile.

  “It’s a wild ride, and I’m still trying to figure it all out,” Samantha said through a smile. “Kerry and I didn’t even find out what we were, or who we were, until a couple months ago.” She sat on the edge of the bed and tucked one leg under her. “Malcolm tells me that you, Raife, and Tati have known since you were kids.”

  “You mean you two just found out?” Layla fiddled with the bedpost. “Didn’t you notice you were different?”

  “I did,” Kerry said, raising a hand as she flopped onto the bed and leaned on one elbow. “Before Dante and I found each other, I couldn’t touch another human being without blinding pain. Good times.” She gave two sarcastic thumbs up. “But once we connected, that all changed.” She shrugged. “A missing piece to my puzzle was finally found, and everything just slipped into place.”

  “Your germ phobia, the one I read about in the papers, was a smoke screen.” Layla nodded slowly and smiled. “Good cover story.” She sat on the other side of the bed. “What about you, Sam?”

  “I walked in the dream realm lots of times, but I didn’t really understand it until Malcolm and I connected. I’m impressed that Raife and Tati have been able to shift. Kerry and I didn’t shapeshift until after we were mated, so you really shouldn’t feel weird about this.” She reached out and took Layla’s hand. “It gets easier. Honest.”

  Layla did feel better, and emotion tightened in her throat. “It already is.” She looked at the women in front of her. “I thought I was a freak because I couldn’t shapeshift, but Raife and Tati could. I have to admit, it makes me feel better to know that neither of you shifted until the guys found you.” She grimaced. “I hope that doesn’t sound horrible.”

  “Actually.” Kerry narrowed her eyes. “I think we should tell Raife and Tatiana that they’re the freaks,” she said playfully. “What’s with them being able to shift before they’ve found their mates? They’re hybrids too.” She stuck out her lower lip in a dramatic pout. “Where’s a hybrid handbook when you need one?”

  “But don’t you think this whole mate thing is some bizarre prearranged marriage?” She looked from Sam to Kerry. “Where’s our choice in all of this?”

  Kerry raised her eyebrows. “Did William force himself on you?”

  “No!” Layla insisted. “Not at all. It was most definitely mutual,” she said with a grin, but her brow furrowed as she tried to explain. “I’m not talking about the physical stuff. It’s the whole binding-to-each-other-for-life-thing. Didn’t you take issue with that?”

  Both women nodded.

  “It was unsettling,” Samantha said. “I think I was mostly freaked out by the overwhelming attraction I felt for Malcolm and the sudden onset of everything. My feelings for him were harder to wrap my brain around than the telepathy or shifting.” She turned her serious blue eyes to Layla. “Putting my heart on the line was the hardest choice to make, but at the end of the day it was my choice.” She rubbed her slightly rounded belly and smiled. “Best choice I ever made and I can’t imagine my life without him.”

  “Ditto,” Kerry said. “Ditto to everything she said.” She pushed herself off the bed and latched her big brown eyes on Layla. “But, it’s not just about changes or sacrifices for you though.” Kerry got off the bed and wandered to the window as she surveyed the space casually. “It impacts William, too,” she said as she pushed the white curtain aside. “It already has.”

  “I know,” Layla said, hoping she didn’t sound as defensive as she felt. Maybe this whole girlfriend thing was overrated. Layla shifted her position on the bed and looked from Samantha to Kerry.

  “He’s in love with you,” she said without turning around. “In fact, I keep expecting one of the pigs from your barn to fly by.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Layla asked. Apprehension mixed with a touch of annoyance crawled up her back.

  Kerry turned to face her, leaned back against the wall, and eyed her carefully. “It means that he’s already put his heart on the line, and we all know he’s damn well ready to put his life on the line for you.” Kerry waved one hand dismissively. “The life on the line thing—that’s not a big deal for these guys. They’d lay down their lives for each other and for us any day of the week… but William’s heart?” She scoffed. “I didn’t even think he had one, until I saw him on the porch this morning.”

  “It’s true.” Sam nodded in agreement. “I barely recognized the man. The first time I met him he scared the shit out of me.” She giggled. “Kerry calls him ‘Iceman,’ but it would seem that you’ve melted good old Mr. Freeze.”

  “I can’t be held responsible for his feelings,” Layla said quickly. “I’m having enough trouble with my own emotions. Besides, all I’m worried about right now is Rosie and finding out who in the hell put her in the hospital. Then once that’s settled, I want to go to the Council, so good old Bianca and I can have a chat. She has to answer for all of this, and I want her to answer for it in front of the Council—including the prince.”

  “I don’t know,” Kerry said hesitantly. “The guys are pretty convinced that if Bianca kept you a secret all these years, it was because there are Purists on the Council. I don’t know how smart it i
s to stir up trouble like that.”

  “You’re right. There probably are Purists on the Council.” A smile crept over her face. “I imagine if three hybrids came to a Council meeting… it would be mighty difficult for the Purists to keep their mouths shut. I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m tired of running.”

  “Oh my God,” Samantha gasped. “That is brilliant. We force a situation where they have to reveal themselves?”

  “Yup.” Layla looked back and forth between the two women. “The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.”

  “Good point,” Kerry agreed. “It would be a lot easier to defend ourselves if we actually knew who wanted us dead.” She narrowed her eyes. “Have you suggested this to William yet? I can tell you right now, he’s going to give you a hard time about picking a fight. Like I said… he loves you, and since you two haven’t completed the mating rite yet, your powers aren’t at full strength.”

  “No. It’s not up to him.” Layla shook her head adamantly. “This isn’t about me. It’s about all hybrids, and if he doesn’t like it… well, that’s too damn bad. I make my own choices.”

  Struggling to keep her conflicting emotions hidden from her new friends, Layla rose from the bed and opened the bathroom door.

  “There are towels in here, but there are more in the closet at the end of the hallway. I’ll let you get settled,” she said abruptly. “I have to pack a bag to bring to Raife at the hospital. I’ll see you downstairs.”

  Without another word, she left and shut the door behind her. She needed room to breathe, and Raife’s bedroom was the only one, other than Rosie’s, that wasn’t taken. She flung herself face first onto the bed and pulled a pillow over her head, but no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t block out what Kerry said.

  William was in love with her. Hell—he had laid it all out on the table, and he’d already proven that she could trust him, even with her heart. Locked in the quiet solitude of her brother’s bedroom, she wondered why on earth he trusted her with his.

  Chapter 14

  William didn’t want to come back to the Rustic Inn, but Layla had her tunnel vision set on taking those damned pictures for Tyler and his band. For the past few days, Raife refused to leave Rosie’s side but had at least agreed to additional help. Malcolm and Samantha had been spending much of their time at the hospital, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious. Kerry and Dante patrolled the farm, but the attackers still hadn’t revealed themselves, and they weren’t likely to get any answers soon. When Rosie woke up, they hoped she’d tell them who it was.

  The only thing that had gone well over the past few days was that everyone seemed to be getting along. Although Layla remained guarded, she was making an effort to get to know the others. Raife, Malcolm, and Dante had bonded over football, which was fine with William, as long as they didn’t make him discuss it too.

  William watched Layla as she rifled through her camera bag and chatted with Tyler while the rest of the band set up for their performance. They had made so much progress, but since the others arrived, she seemed distant. He’d hoped she would come to him and share his bed, but she didn’t. She’d stayed in Raife’s bedroom and hadn’t come to him even in the dream realm. Although their energy signatures were still linked, she’d been shielding her mind from him, and had kept their telepathic communication to a minimum.

  At first he was confused—but now he was just pissed.

  “You know, you’re starting to resemble that miserable, cold bastard you used to be.” Kerry’s teasing voice interrupted his thoughts as she sidled up to him at the bar. “Margarita on the rocks, with salt,” she said to the bartender before turning her inspecting gaze back on William.

  “What on earth are you talking about?” he said without taking his eyes off Layla.

  “Really?” Kerry arched one dark eyebrow and made herself comfortable on the open bar stool next to him. “Are we going to play this game? I don’t have the time, patience, or inclination to wade through your alpha-male crap.” She nodded toward Dante, making his way through the thickening crowd. “I have Tarzan to deal with, so gimme a break,” she added playfully.

  “She is infuriating.” William flicked his eyes to her briefly. “The woman is impossible to figure out, and I don’t know what I have to do to make her understand. She insisted on coming here tonight to take these damn pictures.” His mouth set in a firm line as he wrestled to keep his explosive feelings at bay. “The combination of intoxicated energy that will inevitably develop and the sound waves from the music are going to make it challenging to read the room, which will in turn, will make it difficult for me to keep her safe. She’s a stubborn, defiant, and hard-headed woman who baffles me at every turn.”

  He cursed and threw back the rest of the vodka in his glass before slamming it down on the bar. He looked up to find Dante and Kerry smirking, clearly amused by his obvious frustration with his mate. William sat up straighter in his seat, pushed up the sleeves of his shirt, and loosened his collar as they continued to study him through amused expressions.

  “Man, oh man, have you got it bad,” Dante said, smiling. “Your foul mood wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that she’s been staying in a separate bedroom from you, would it?”

  “Piss off,” William said as he kept his gaze fixed on Layla.

  Dante was right on both counts. He did have it bad, and he was positively irked that she chose to sleep away from him. It wasn’t the lack of sex—although that admittedly sucked—it was the lack of her presence, and that was most unsettling of all. He missed having her next to him and feeling her heart beat in time with his, the steady pattern of her breathing as she slept… all of it… absent.

  When she wasn’t with him, there was an empty space that only she could fill, and that was a new challenge. The only thing harder to accept was the fact that Layla didn’t seem to suffer from the same affliction.

  “Yes,” he bit out. He glanced briefly at Dante and Kerry as he struggled to admit the truth. “I do have it bad, but she apparently doesn’t.”

  “It’s funny.” Kerry laughed. “I never pegged you for a moron.”

  “Excuse me?” William’s dark eyes flew to hers. “What did you say?”

  “You can’t be so dumb and blind to think that she doesn’t love you?” Her eyes narrowed. “Can you?”

  Kerry picked up her margarita and took a sip as she eyed him over the glass. William struggled with his growing annoyance, and if it had been anyone other than his friend’s mate, he would’ve told her to piss off too, but out of respect for his friend, he gave her a chance to finish.

  “I guess you can.” Kerry made a sound of disgust. “She told me about how her mother went crazy and got all drugged up, and we heard about Raife and Tatiana’s mother too.” Kerry licked some salt off the rim of her glass. “You should’ve seen the look on her face when she heard what happened to my biological mother and Sam’s mother. I thought she was going to shift into her cheetah, run away, and join the circus.” She leaned one arm on the bar and put her drink down but kept her eyes fixed firmly on William’s. “Can you really blame her?” Her voice dropped to just above a whisper. “How can you fault her for being afraid?”

  William watched Layla as she took test shots of the band, and he couldn’t help but notice the growing crowd. Her energy signature flowed thick with confidence and comfort as she worked in her wheelhouse and snapped pictures furiously. Every now and then, there would be a blip in her energy waves, and he knew it was from whatever psychic impressions she was getting through the digital shots.

  It was the first time since Rosie’s attack that she seemed completely comfortable.

  “No,” he said quietly. “I suppose I can’t.”

  “She’ll come around.” Kerry stood up from her stool and gave William’s arm a squeeze. “But it has to be on her terms, William. If you push her, she’s just going to bolt.”

  Dante stepped aside so Kerry could get by but gave her a
quick kiss on the cheek as she escaped his grasp. William watched her walk over to Layla and whisper something in her ear before heading to the ladies room. She was right. Intellectually, he knew she was right, but his brain was overrun by his heart… and other parts of his anatomy.

  “I spoke to Malcolm,” Dante said between sips of beer. “He and Samantha are headed back to the farm, but Raife is staying at the hospital again.” He glanced at Layla. “Malcolm said Rosie has made some progress, and they’re easing back on the sedation. She may be out of it by tomorrow.”

  “Good,” William murmured. “Perhaps she’ll be able to tell us who attacked her.”

  William could feel Dante’s eyes on him, studying him, while he in turn tracked Layla. “What’s on your mind, Dante?”

  “You sure do have your hands full with Layla.”

  William’s eyes flickered briefly to their clan form before latching onto Dante’s. “What does that mean exactly?” he asked in a low, deadly tone.

  Much to his surprise, Dante burst out laughing and slapped the bar twice between guffaws. William looked at him as though he’d lost his mind. Red-faced with tears streaming down his cheeks, Dante wiped at his eyes as the laughter subsided, but William looked no less confused.

  “I’m sorry,” he chuckled as he swiped at his eyes. “I just never thought I’d see the day that you’d be undone by a woman.” He let out a long sigh and took a pull of his beer. “I meant what I said. She’s a handful, man. And believe me, I know what I’m talking about because Kerry is the most spirited woman I’ve ever met, and my life will certainly never be dull with her.” He wiggled his eyebrows, but his smile faded when William remained unamused.

  “Layla, Kerry, and Samantha want to confront Bianca in front of the rest of the Council. Their theory is that if the three of them call Bianca out for hiding hybrids, then it will rile up any Purists that might be on the Council.”