Tall Dark Handsome Lycan

by Anastasia Maltezos

  She tensed. “Leo, please stop this werewolf nonsense. I don’t believe you. I don’t even know why you’re persisting with it.”

  “Sam, you must believe me. The Lycan Legend is clear. If the Lycan’s one is human, they will involuntarily transform into a Lycan on the next full moon. I am sorry. If I had known you were my one, I would have never made love to you unless I told you everything. I would have given you the choice.”

  He remained silent as though waiting for his words to sink in. They did. “Are you saying I’m going to turn into a Lycan tonight? Isn’t it a full moon this evening?”

  “It is.”

  A small part of her believed him because she knew he wasn’t insane. Yet, a bigger part of her knew the werewolves and vampires she read about existed only in books and movies. There was only one thing left to do to resolve this.

  “Prove it,” she said.

  He frowned. “You want me to turn into my beast?”

  “Yes, I want you to turn into your beast. God, I sound nuts just saying it.”

  “Sam, are you sure you want to see this now? Shouldn’t we discuss this more until you are more open and accepting to the idea?”

  “Nope. Transform. Do your thing and change or shift or whatever you call it.”

  “As you wish.”

  Surprised, she watched him rise and stand before her. Was he serious? She hadn’t expected him to—she drew back on the couch, horror lining her face as she watched Leo’s body grow and shift into an eight foot tall monster, his clothes ripping as he expanded. She stopped breathing. Her gaze ran over his jowls, his talons, his hoofed feet. He was naked, his clothes shredded by his feet on the floor.

  She opened her mouth as a wave of hysteria and fright assaulted her. Sam screamed at the top of her lungs. She gasped for air and rose on shaky legs, watching him transform back to his human self. Blindly, she made her way around the couch as the room started to spin.

  Blackness was overcoming her, and before she fell into a dead faint, she felt Leo’s arms around her followed by his muffled curse.

  Slowly, she opened her eyes and watched Maria over her, dabbing a cold wash cloth over her forehead. Sam cringed. “You’re one of them, too! Stay away from me!”

  Maria shook her head. “No, I am human. My family has been with Leo’s family for generations.” Her expression fell. “Oh, my girl. Why did you have to find out like this? Leo, why didn’t you break it to her gently?”

  “I tried,” he remarked over her shoulder.

  Sam couldn’t look at him.

  “You may go now, Maria,” he said.

  The older woman nodded and gave Sam a squeeze on her shoulder before she left. Sam rose from the couch, avoiding Leo’s gaze.

  “Where do you think you are going?”

  “To my room. I…I’m tired and I…” she said.

  “Sam, look at me,” Leo said quietly.

  Slowly, she turned to the sound of his voice and saw him standing a couple of feet away from her. He was dressed in a black, silk robe. She glanced at the floor where his ripped clothes had fallen and saw they were gone.

  “Maria took them away. She was also good enough to fetch my robe while I placed you on the couch after you fainted.” He swallowed hard. “Please, do not be afraid of me. I could not bear it if what I am frightens you. I am still a man.”

  Her gaze met his and she melted at the look of tenderness on his face. “I’m scared. You said I would turn into a Lycan tonight.”

  “It will not hurt and it will last only a couple of minutes. A Lycan can control their turnings. We are immortal and can only die with silver through the heart. A human turns into a Lycan in one of two ways. Like you, mating with your one, or being bitten on a full moon.”

  “Is Toni a Lycan?”

  “No. She was born a human. It is a rare occurrence, but it happens.”

  “The amber eyes, my readings with monsters and full moons, all that growling. I never understood the signs.”

  “How could you? How could anyone? Society knows us as a work of fiction, not reality. Very soon, you will develop the strength of ten men. You will have an acute sense of hearing and you will pick up scents from very far distances.”

  “Toni never said a word. I’ve know her for a year and she never said a word.”

  “She will never reveal our secret to anyone, Sam. Not even to her husband. We must keep our anonymity to survive. It is harder for the vampires to blend in with society because they cannot appear outside in daylight, but us Lycans can blend in easily.”

  Sam buried her face in her hands. “How am I going to tell my family?”

  Leo took her by the shoulders and pulled her against him, hugging her close. “Sam, you can never tell them. We do this for their safety as well as ours. These werewolf and vampire killers I told you about are dangerous and they will stop at nothing to kill your human family to get to you.”

  She raised a pair of stricken eyes to his face. “What are you telling me?”

  “Eventually you will have to disappear, with me. Your family and friends will watch you stay young and they will ask questions.”

  A tormenting thought struck her. “I’m going to watch everyone around me die of old age, even little Elizabeth.” Her eyes welled with tears. “No, I don’t want this! Make me human again!”

  His expression was sombre. “That is the one downfall to being immortal, Sam. I am sorry.”

  She pushed herself out of his embrace, choking back on a rising sob. “I need to be alone. Please, I need time alone,” she said, her tears falling. She rushed out of the room before he could stop her and she ran to the stairs. Halfway up the stairwell, she envisioned a future where she would never see her brothers or sisters again, never play with the kids she grew to love at the orphanage and she collapsed on the stairs, clutching the rail. She cried and cried as though they were all already dead. Her tears blurred her vision and she rubbed her arm over her face, sobbing uncontrollably. In about eighty years, all the people she loved would be dead and she would be young and healthy.

  She felt Leo’s arms around her, gently prying her from the rail. “Come with me, my love. Do not despair. You still have a few more good years to spend with your family.” He lifted her in his arms and she closed her eyes, burying her face against his chest. His warmth comforted her.

  She didn’t know where he carried her until she realised he was placing her on his bed. He lay down beside her and gathered her in his arms. “I will stay with you until the full moon rises. Have no fear, Sam. I will not leave your side.’

  His hand played with her hair, lulling her to sleep. She was emotionally and mentally exhausted. The steady rise and fall of his chest soothed her and slowly she fell asleep.

  * * * *

  Sam opened her eyes and stared at Leo’s sleeping form. It was happening! Fire and ice coursed through her veins as her skin stretched, her bones expanded, her body tingled. Leo was right. It didn’t hurt, but the shock of what was happening to her made her numb with terror. Her clothes ripped and shredded from her growing form.

  Her legs dangled over the edge of the bed and she looked down at her body, stunned when she saw her sinewy muscles. She rolled over on her back and raised her hands, staring at her taloned fingers, sparse, dark hair peppering her knuckles.

  “Leo, wake up!”

  She stiffened at the sound of her voice. Even her voice had changed. It sounded deep, with a hollow ring to it.

  Leo shot up from the bed and stared at her. “It will be over in a minute. You will transfer back to your human in a moment.”

  All she could do was stare at him as her body slowly shifted back. She released a ragged breath when it was over. “That was crazy!”

  “You never have to shift again. From now on, the choice is yours. When you want to call upon your inner wolf or your Lycan beast, your instinct will guide you.” He gathered her in his arms and held her. “I love you, Sam. I’m so sorry I did this to you.”

  “W
ell, if it’s any consolation, I’m happy I found my soul mate,” she said, realising she meant it.

  He kissed her on the top of her head. “Yes, as I am. I love you, Sam.” He released a heavy sigh, squeezing her. “By the way, I told my parents you are my one and they were very pleased with the news.”

  Her mind raced. “Elizabeth, my family, Alek. Elizabeth is a little girl back home at the orphanage. I’ve grown to love as my own.”

  “We can adopt Elizabeth and Alek. Of course we will have to tell them what we are and swear them to secrecy. Alek is old enough for the truth, but Elizabeth is too young. We will have to wait a few years.”

  “What about my shop.”

  “Sam, I have had four centuries to accumulate my wealth. It was only in the past eighty years my family has ventured into the hotel business. I am a very wealthy man. You never have to work again, but if you still want to, we can open another shop wherever we put down roots.”

  “You seem to have an answer for everything.”

  “I have waited four hundred years for you. I will not allow you to leave me now. Sam, I want to marry you.”

  She loved him, but too much had happened. She needed time to think before she made a decision.

  He snapped his head in the direction of the door and sniffed.

  “What is it?” She asked.

  His face turned grim. “Stay here. I need to take care of something.” He rose and got dressed quickly. “Lock the door behind you,” he growled before he left.

  Frowning, she got up and slipped on his black, silk robe that was draped on a chair. All of a sudden, her Lycan hearing came into play and she heard a woman scream downstairs. Maria! There was an intruder in the house!

  Without thinking, she ran from the room. Leo could be in trouble! She heard yells and screams coming from his office and she sped down the stairs.

  Fearing that Leo and Maria were in trouble, she opened the door and ran inside, frantically scanning the room for them. Sam froze as she watched Katina shift in her Lycan form, holding a silver dagger.

  Sam spotted Leo, still in his human form, standing a few paces from the She-Beast.

  “I am sorry, Katina. You must accept Sam is my one. I love her and I will marry her as soon as possible,” he said in a surprisingly calm tone.

  “No! You bastard!” Katina screamed in her eerie voice. “I came here as soon as your mother told my parents you found your one. I’ll kill you before you marry someone else. For three hundred years I’ve waited for you. Three hundred years!” She screeched.

  “Katrina, I will not hurt you. Put the knife down.”

  “No!” Katina lunged toward him.

  Sam growled, momentarily shocked at the sound she made, and saw everything in the room rise. What the hell was happening? Her growl changed as she found herself on four paws, snapping her jaws. Katina spun around and growled at Sam.

  “Sam, get the hell out of here!” Leo growled.

  Without warning, Katrina vaulted toward Sam, her dagger raised, as Leo roared bloody murder while he shifted into his Lycan form.

  Sam bared her teeth as she watched Katina lunge toward her, when Leo sprung through the air and dragged the crazed She-Beast back. Horrified, Sam watched her body transfer back to her human and she fell back on the floor, desperate to change back into her massive wolf so she could help Leo. He gave Sam a quick look as Katina flew at him with the dagger. Sam screamed and Leo jumped to the side, the dagger narrowly missing his heart as it cut into his shoulder. Almost immediately, his cut disappeared as Katrina flew through the air toward him and landed on him, their Lycan forms falling back on the ground. Sam screamed again. Leo rolled over Katina and lifted her off the ground, throwing her against a wall.

  He tossed a frantic look at Sam. “I said leave, dammit!”

  Sam was numb. She sat there, staring at him as a sob rose in her throat. She caught Katina rise from the ground and vault toward Leo. He was still staring at Sam and didn’t see her. Sam’s heart stopped. He was going to be killed! Suddenly, she called upon her wolf, shifted, and sprung in the air, over Leo’s head. She bit into Katina’s neck, making the crazed She-Beast scream.

  Katrina collapsed on the ground, reverting to her human as the gash on her neck slowly disappeared.

  Sam reverted back to her human and ran into Leo’s monstrous arms. His eight foot frame towered over her as he held her close.

  “Do not move, Katina. This gun has silver bullets in it and I am not afraid to use it,” Maria said from the doorway. “I called your parents. They’ll be here very soon to take you away.”

  Leo changed back into his human and continued to hold Sam. “It’s over.”

  Sam pushed out of his arms, tears falling from her eyes. “How can you say that? What makes you think she won’t come back?” She cried.

  He grimaced. “We, my family and Katina’s, come from a big and powerful pack. When we are sworn into the pack, we have to vow never to harm one another. Breaking this sacred oath, results in grave consequences. Katina’s parents know this and will abide by our scared rules. She will be given daily injections of mercury that immobilizes her ability to shift. That is the closest thing we do to banishing someone from our pack.”

  Sam was reeling. “It sounds barbaric.”

  “It would be worse for her if she killed you. Our main oath is to protect the innocent. If she had killed you, her father would be honour bound to drive silver through her heart.”

  Sam sobbed. “I…I thought you were going to die.”

  “It will take more than a jealous rage from Katrina to kill me, Sam. If you leave me, that will kill me. I will still walk and breathe and eat, but I will be dead on the inside.”

  His eyes looked curiously shiny and she placed her hand on his cheek. “We’ll make it work, Leo. I love you.”

  Relief swept over his face as he gathered her in his arms. “I will take an eternity with you to show you how much I love you. My one.”

  The End

  Coming soon…Tall Dark Handsome Lycan, Book 2