Davis, Liz - Under His Spell (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Liz Davis

  The first thought that popped into her head was that the dream was trying to warn her to keep her heart protected. It was a bit late for a warning like that, she supposed, but it still served as a good reminder. Yet the more she thought about the possible meaning behind the dream, she realized it made a lot of sense. She’d given herself so freely to Takoda within such a short amount of time, and where had that gotten her? She was all alone now, left completely heartbroken and sad. He’d left her behind in the dream, and in real life she’d been left alone as well.

  As she thought about the dream, Lynn knew that the decision she’d made to shut Takoda out of her life had been a good one. He’d called a few times since the night they’d spent together, but she knew he was probably only calling to ease his conscious. He’d sounded guilty in every one of the messages that he’d left her, but if he was really worth her time, he would never have left after the passionate evening they’d spent. If he could walk away so easily from such a connection, then that truly meant that he didn’t deserve to be a part of her life.

  Grabbing the glass of water from the bedside table, Lynn took a large gulp of water, completely emptying it of its contents. She didn’t know why she was so thirsty, but she desperately felt the need for more liquid. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Lynn stood up from the mattress and headed for the kitchen, but before she could even make it out of the bedroom she began to feel very dizzy.

  Realizing she was in no shape to be walking around the house, Lynn got back into bed and closed her eyes, hoping that she wasn’t getting ill. Suddenly feeling cold, Lynn pulled the quilt up over body, nestling beneath its thickness and warmth. She didn’t know what had brought this sickness on, but she obviously had a fever. She wasn’t used to being sick and found herself hoping that it would pass by the morning.

  Closing her eyes and willing herself to sleep, Lynn lay quietly for a few minutes before her eyes flew open. There was a strange, frightening sensation that came from the area beneath her right collarbone. As she placed her fingers against she spot, she realized it was the area where the claw mark was located, and strangely enough it seemed to be pulsating.

  Freaked out by it feel of it, Lynn removed her hand. Taking a deep inhale, she held it in her chest for a few moments and then slowly let it out. Trying to clear her mind and calm down, she hoped it was just the fever making her feel and imagine things that weren’t really there.

  As she lay there staring at the ceiling she found herself feeling very frightened. She also felt an urge to touch the spot again, but she was afraid that doing so would only confirm that the pulse was still there. She gave herself a few more moments, taking a few more deep breaths, and then she placed her finger against the scar. Sure enough, it was still pulsing beneath the skin.

  “What the heck is going on?” Her voice came out as a frightened whisper.

  All sorts of crazy thoughts began to go through her head as she thought about the meaning behind the mark on her chest. Had something been implanted beneath her skin, and if so, who had done it and why? Or maybe this was all just a figment of her imagination. Perhaps she was going mad and she just didn’t know it yet. Maybe this was the first step toward her becoming full-blown crazy.

  No, it can’t be. Crazy people don’t question their sanity, do they?

  Releasing a shaky sigh, she began to wonder just what had really happened on that night that Takoda had left her. Had he seen or heard anything strange before he left, and if so, why hadn’t he protected her? She desperately needed to know who or what had marked her, and what did it all mean?

  Frustratingly, she didn’t have an answer to any of these questions, so all she could do was just lie there and wonder.

  * * * *

  It was Friday afternoon, and Takoda was finished for the day. As he drove home in his truck, he thought about the difficult paint job he’d just completed. It was a two-story house he’d been working on, and a complete bitch to paint, due to the fact that the owner kept changing her mind about the colors she preferred. At first she’d wanted it blue, with yellow trim. Then she changed it to peach with blue trim. He’d painted nearly all of the trim on the windows blue before she decided upon a third change. This time, she’d wanted the trim on the windows to be painted in white, and by the time that happened, he’d already reached the end of his rope.

  He hadn’t gotten angry, though. All he could do was remain polite and continue to accommodate her. The pay had been very good, but if he had known ahead of time that she would be so indecisive, he never would have accepted the gig in the first place. The lady who owned the house he’d been painting had closely watched as he worked, and he could tell from the feel of her eyes upon him that she wasn’t just concerned about the job he was doing.

  Every time he’d turned around, he noticed that her eyes were firmly planted upon him, eyeing him up and down with a gaze which clearly expressed that she was sexually interested in him. She was an attractive woman, he couldn’t deny that even if he tried, but he hadn’t been interested in returning any of her lascivious glances. His mind had been on his work, and besides, he already had a woman in his life. Whether or not she was currently talking to him, well, that was a whole other story, but he still considered Lynn to be his. She might not know it yet, but she was already his mate. It would just take some time to break the news to her, to let her know what exactly had gone down that night. He wasn’t sure just how she’d react, but he was hoping that she would still accept him. She was the one he wanted and he wasn’t going to give up on the idea of them being a couple.

  As Takoda turned onto the long road which lead toward his house, he suddenly felt the urge to turn around and drive toward Lynn’s. Turning the wheel sharply to the right, he made a U-turn and headed back in the direction from which he’d just come. She could avoid his calls and refuse to answer the door, but if he showed up before she arrived home from work then she would have no choice but to speak with him. He didn’t want to do it like this because it sort of made him feel like a stalker, but he just didn’t know what else he could do. He needed to speak to her and he wanted to get it over with before he could chicken out again. He couldn’t stand leaving things hanging between them like this.

  Once he arrived at her house, Takoda made sure to park his car so that it would be out of sight from the driveway where she would pull up. After getting out of the car, Takoda leaned against his truck and glanced up into the sky. Gray clouds were moving in and the air was moist and heavy, signaling that a storm was on its way.

  After some time had passed, he glanced down at his watch to check on the time. Nearly half an hour had passed since he’d first arrived, but he wasn’t getting impatient. He didn’t care if it took two hours for her to come home, he was staying put until she arrived. As thunder rumbled in the distance, the air became filled with the earthy scent of rain. Another fifteen minutes passed and then he saw a car approaching the house. As the tires rolled over the gravel driveway, he made sure to obscure himself, hiding behind the trunk of a large oak tree. He felt like a creeper doing it, but he didn’t want Lynn avoiding him before he had the chance to speak to her.

  He heard the sound of her car door slam, followed by her shoes crunching against the gravel of the driveway. Coming out from behind the tree, Takoda began walking toward her.

  “Lynn.” Takoda moved quickly toward her so he could reach her before she rushed inside and slammed the door in his face.

  Turning her head toward the sound of his voice, she looked at him with eyes full of surprise.

  “Takoda, what are you doing here?”

  “Lynn, we need to talk. You won’t answer my phone calls and you refused to answer the door when I came over the other night.

  “Well that obviously means I don’t want to talk to you, so I don’t understand why you’re here.”

  “Come on, Lynn. Just hear me out for two minutes so that I can explain.”

  “And why should I? Why do you even care?” she snapped.<
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  “Because I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re on my mind every day, and I need you to understand that I never wanted to leave you. It’s just something that couldn’t be helped.”

  Expelling a humorless laugh, she replied, “Yeah, right. Somebody forced you to leave, right?”

  “It wasn’t somebody but something.”

  “Uh-huh, right. Listen, you’re talking in riddles, so I’d really appreciate it if you’d just stop wasting my time.” Lynn slipped the key into the lock and turned the knob to open the door.

  Climbing the steps so that he could stand beside her, Takoda glanced down at her with a pleading expression in his eyes.

  “Not until you let me explain. I promise that what I have to say is the complete truth. You just have to give me a chance.”

  As she turned around to face him he saw that her eyes were moist with tears. Placing a thumb upon her cheek, he tenderly stroked it as he gazed into her eyes. “The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you, Lynn. I care for you, can’t you see that? Please let me in so we can talk.”

  “No.” Moving away from his touch she continued, “I already know that whatever you have to say to me is a lie, so you can just save your breath.”

  She was going to turn around and go inside but the sound of desperation in his voice caused her to halt in place.

  “Damn it, Lynn. Just let me come in so I can explain, okay? What I have to tell you is very important.”

  “And why is that you can’t tell me out here?”

  Releasing a sigh of exasperation, Takoda replied, “Because when I tell you, I really think that you need to be sitting down.”

  She could see from the look in his eyes that he was serious, so she relented and opened the door.

  “Fine, you have two minutes.” She walked through the door first and held it open for him to enter.

  After shutting it behind him, she took a seat on the couch and crossed her arms defensively in front of her chest. Sitting on the couch next to her, Takoda turned his body so that they could make eye contact.

  “The reason I left you that night was because I didn’t want you to see me. I transformed into something else, something different from this human form you see before you.”

  Lynn remained silent, her brow slightly furrowing as her eyes nervously darted from his face to a point beyond his shoulder.

  Takoda didn’t have to turn around and follow her gaze to know that she was glancing at the door, and he realized that the words he spoke to her must have injected her with fear. The last thing he’d wanted was to scare her, but he knew that there really wasn’t any other way to break this news to her.

  “What I transformed into was a wolf, Lynn.”

  As her eyebrows lifted, her mouth slightly parted. Silence passed between them for a few moments before she finally began to speak.

  Releasing a choked laugh, she said, “A wolf? Takoda, are you kidding me?”

  He shook his head, giving her a dead serious look. “I’m afraid not. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s the truth.”

  “So what you’re trying to say is, the clock struck midnight, and you turned into a werewolf. Is that what you’re telling me? You have got to be kidding me.” The look she gave him was incredulous.

  “No, Lynn, I am not a werewolf. I’m a shape-shifter.”

  “A shape-shifter?” Lynn’s eyebrow went up. She didn’t know whether to believe him or not. A part of her wanted to, but then again, it sounded so far-fetched that it just couldn’t be true. This wasn’t a Hollywood movie they were living. It was real life. Things like this just didn’t exist in the real world.

  “Yes. This means I can alter my physical appearance at any given moment. Now, usually I have complete and full control over it. But for some reason when I was with you that night, the transformation happened unwillingly. I had absolutely no power over it. I still don’t know why it happened so abruptly, but now you understand why I had to leave. If you’d woken up and seen me like that, you would have freaked. I just couldn’t let that happen.”

  Running her fingers through her hair she softly uttered. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “I know it’s hard to believe, but now that you’ve heard it I hope you understand.”

  Shaking her head she replied, “No, I don’t. I don’t understand why you’re lying to me, and I don’t understand why you left me that night, but you know what, maybe it’s just something I’ll always have to wonder about. What I do know, however, is that what you just told me was completely ridiculous. I’m sorry, but I just can’t take anymore. I want you to go now.” Lynn stood up from the couch and made her way toward the front door.

  “All right, Lynn, I’ll go. Before I do though, maybe you’ll want to tell me just where you think that mark on your shoulder came from. Who gave it to you, and why is it in the shape of a claw? If you can tell me all of that, then I’ll leave.”

  Stunned into silence, Lynn halted her steps toward the door, turning on her heels to face him once again. Takoda clearly saw the uneasiness in her eyes and could tell she was wondering just how in the hell he’d known that information. The blouse she wore covered her shoulders completely, so there was no way he could have seen it.

  Raising her hand up to her shirt, Lynn began to gently stroke the claw mark which was hidden beneath the fabric, “It was you that did this me?”

  “Yes, Lynn, I gave you that mark. I didn’t mean to, though. I got carried away when we were having sex and I guess I went too far.”

  “When we were having sex?” She shook her head. “No, it couldn’t have been. I would have felt it.”

  “I don’t think you did. Whatever pain you felt, if there was any, was probably covered up in pleasure. I think it happened when we came. That orgasm we had together was very powerful. You do remember, don’t you?”

  “Of course.” She felt herself grow a bit wet just from the thought of it, then quickly pushed the memory from her mind.” So why did you do it and what exactly does it mean? This will go away, won’t it?” She was still stroking at the hidden scar, her eyes glancing anxiously and fearfully at him.

  Lynn walked back over to the couch and took a seat, but he noticed she left more distance between them this time. It stung to know she was afraid of him, and he sensed that her fear of him was very strong. Her butt was planted only halfway on the couch, which meant she was readying herself to leap up in case he decided to launch an attack.

  “I did it in the heat of passion, Lynn. I was so caught up in the moment that I lost control.” Takoda gave a nervous swallow and swept a strand of hair from his eyes. “The reason you have that scar on your chest is because I wanted to mark you as mine. You’re my mate now.”

  “What!” As the words left his lips, Lynn’s eyes widened in alarm. “Your mate? What does that mean?”

  “It means I want you as my woman, to be at one with me. Now that you wear my mark, it’s brought you closer to who I am.”

  Lynn’s voice began to waver in fear. “So, what you’re trying to tell me is, I’m like you now. You’ve turned me into a shape-shifter, is that right?”

  Hoping to quell her fear, Takoda explained. “I can’t turn you into a shifter, Lynn. I inherited this from my parents, so it’s not contagious. You’re still completely human, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Oh, okay.” Her body visibly relaxed as the words left her mouth. “So what exactly does it mean, then? Does it change me in any way, and will it permanently be there?”

  “My mark is a part of your body now, so you’ll wear it for life. And what it means is we’re now inextricably linked. You may have noticed changes already happening. You’ll probably get some strange feelings from time to time, and every emotion that you feel will be experienced in a completely different way. You may begin to have strange dreams, as well. Has any of this begun to happen yet?”

  As a pregnant pause filled the air between them, he noticed she was hesitating to answer and wonde
red what was going on in her head. He strongly sensed she was hiding something from him and began to feel saddened that she was so reluctant to trust him. As he thought more about about it, he realized that her fear was currently in charge, and it was up to him to make her feel at ease again. “No, nothing out of the ordinary has happened yet.”

  As the words left her mouth, he noticed that her eyes skirted away from his, and he felt a felt a pang of disappointment. She didn’t trust him. That much was evident from her lack of eye contact.

  “Well, you’ll probably notice the changes happening pretty soon. You’ll find that you’re able to sense things about me, things that a human being normally wouldn’t be able to pick up on. Basically it just means you’ll have a keener sense of knowing. Every emotion you experience will be magnified and every time we physically join together, you’ll notice that our connection will grow stronger.”

  As he mentioned their physical connection to each other, he noticed that Lynn’s eyes were peering very deeply into his own, and he could feel the sexual heat in her body radiating strongly toward him. Her fear seemed to be slowly dissipating and that was a good thing. He’d much rather have her be turned on than to feel afraid.

  After licking her dry lips and clearing her throat, Lynn asked, “So will you be able to read my mind?”

  “No, I can’t go that far. I mean sensing something isn’t the same as reading someone’s mind, but if you’re ever in trouble I’ll certainly become aware of it. So you don’t ever have to worry about being left alone, because I’ll always be with you, in one way or another.

  Takoda noticed she was fumbling her fingers nervously in her lap, so he reached down to grab her hand, holding it gently within his.

  “From the first day we met, I knew you were right for me. I knew there was something different about the connection we had, something special that I wasn’t going to find anywhere else. It’s been a long time since I felt like this.” As his finger stroked the back of her hand, he sensed that her heartbeat was growing faster.