Another Amoveo had been at the house.
The Jeep shuddered to a halt at the bottom of the driveway, but not before running over one too many rocks and popping a tire with a deafening sound that shattered the evening. With the engine idling, the two sat for a minute, breathless and shaking, as the air from the tire hissed like a snake beneath them.
Layla, sensing the same sinister energy, white-knuckled the steering wheel, and her eyes glowed brightly in the moonless night. Her small body shook with thready, uneven gasps, and her lips quivered with fear and anger.
“What-the-fuck-is-that,” she seethed through heavy breaths. She turned to him, her glowing eyes pleading with him for answers. “What the hell is that I’m feeling? I feel like I’m either going to puke or beat the shit out of someone.”
William steadied his breathing and wove his energy signature with hers, hoping to give and receive comfort. “I’m not sure,” he said, prying one of her hands off the steering wheel and cradling it in his. To his relief, she didn’t pull away, but linked her fingers with his. “Give me a minute to get my bearings.”
“Okay,” she said through a deep breath. Her glowing gold and green eyes flicked to him nervously, before fixating on the house at the top of the driveway.
Her skin had paled considerably, and she was still shaking, which did nothing to calm his nerves. How could he collect himself when he was worried about her? If she didn’t calm down soon, it was going to drive him mad.
How did Malcolm and Dante do it? How on earth did they manage to keep their composure when their women had been in such danger?
“Focus on your breathing, just like you did tonight in the bar,” he said quietly, keeping his eyes on her.
Layla’s energy flickered with the unmistakable flare of anger, her back straightened defensively, and she removed her hand from his. “I got it,” she bit out with her gaze still fixated on the house. “Now can you please tell me what is going on?”
Disappointed that Layla was pulling away from him again, but satisfied that she had a handle on her own situation, William turned his attentions back to the dark energy that still surrounded them. He closed his eyes and searched for the source, only to find that whoever was responsible was no longer there.
The tendril of evil that slithered around them was a phantom, a ghost left behind, and it was definitely coming from the farmhouse. The energy was layered with something else he couldn’t identify, but he was certain that at least one Amoveo he didn’t recognize had been here.
His thoughts instantly went to Rosie.
“Rosie,” Layla whispered. “Oh my God.”
William’s eyes flew open just as Layla let out a small cry and scrambled out of the Jeep. With genuine awe, he watched her run up the hill at a breakout pace. Whether or not she realized it, she was channeling the speed of her cheetah, and it was evidence that their connection was developing with far greater speed than he expected.
He didn’t have to tell her Rosie was in trouble. She’d sensed it when he did. Her life force was firmly linked with his, and she’d felt everything he did when he scanned the area.
William cursed loudly and took off after Layla, who was propelling herself straight into danger. Running up the hill, he uttered the ancient language, Verto, and within moments the familiar warmth of the shift pulsated over his skin. The jarring sensation of his feet pounding against the gravel was swiftly replaced with air currents rippling through his feathers as he pumped his wings, flying low and fast in pursuit of his mate. In his gyrfalcon form, it didn’t take him long to catch up and ultimately pass her. He soared down like a bullet, landed in the open doorway of the house, and shifted back to his human form.
His heart sank at the sight before him. The house was completely ransacked. Pictures were smashed and strewn around the parlor, lamps and furniture were overturned, and Rosie lay dying in the middle of it all.
Before William could reach her, Layla tore up the steps and pushed past him. “No,” Layla screamed as she stumbled blindly into the room and knelt next to Rosie. “Oh my God! Who did this?” Layla turned her over gently, cradled her bloodied head in her lap, and brushed the hair from her face. She placed a kiss on her forehead. “Rosie, I’m here. It’s going to be okay.”
William knelt down next to her and linked his life force with Rosie’s to study her injuries. “She’s in grave condition, Layla.”
“William,” she pleaded. “Who did this?” She looked at him through tear-filled eyes, and his heart squeezed painfully in his chest at the sight of her grief. “Oh my God, Rosie.” She brushed the woman’s cheek with her fingers. “We have to get her to the hospital.”
William gently pushed Layla aside, and keeping Rosie’s injuries in mind, he scooped her up with as much care as he could muster. He held the wounded woman’s limp body close and looked at Layla over her broken and bleeding form.
“It will take an ambulance too much time to get all the way out here, and the Jeep’s tire is flat.” He kept his voice calm. “Even if it weren’t, it would take far too long to drive her there.”
“Use that blinky thing you did before,” she said urgently, scrambling to her feet. “You can get her there, right?”
“I have never been to the hospital here, but I’m sure you have,” he said, keeping his serious gaze locked with hers.
“Yes.” Layla sniffled and looked at him through confused eyes. “But I don’t understand what that has to do with anything.” The frantic, panicked tone of her voice tore at his heart and threatened his sanity.
“We can use visualization for travel if we have imprinted on the location or on a person already there.” His mouth set in a firm line. “You have to get us there, Layla.”
Layla shook her head adamantly. “No, I can’t—”
“Layla,” he barked. “Yes, you can.” He softened his tone and glanced at Rosie, still cradled against his chest. “Rosie needs you to do this, and we are running out of time. It’s very late, and we can likely arrive there without being seen. I don’t have time to argue with you about this,” he said with gentle authority. “And Rosie definitely doesn’t.”
She looked back and forth between his face and Rosie’s, as if weighing her options. “Okay.” She wiped at her eyes. “What do I do?” William watched with pride as she steeled herself against her fears and doubts. “Tell me.”
“Put one hand on Rosie and one on me,” he said quickly. “Close your eyes and visualize the hospital parking lot, preferably a spot that would be relatively secluded. Keep your breathing steady, and hold the picture of where you want to go in your mind—the feel of the place, the sounds, the smells. Call up anything you can remember about it. But whatever you do,” he added firmly, “don’t let go of me until I tell you to.”
“Got it,” she whispered. Layla did as William instructed, and she placed one hand on Rosie and the other on William’s shoulder. She closed her eyes, and deep red lashes fanned fair skin as her concentration deepened. “I see it,” she murmured, her body relaxing into the memory.
He watched her eyes move behind her lids, as if she was dreaming, and relief washed over him. She found the sweet spot, exactly where she needed to be to utilize her visualization abilities. He had a newfound respect for Layla. She put her own fears and doubts aside—concern for her own feelings took a backseat to helping Rosie.
Hybrid or not, she had the steely strength of his people and an indomitable will, and she was his.
William closed his eyes, linked his energy signature with Layla, knowing that their combined strength would be enough to take them where they needed to go. As his life force joined hers, everything that Layla felt and saw in her mind’s eye flooded him with vivid intensity.
The high-pitched sound of an ambulance wailed in the distance. The smell of wet asphalt in the cool evening filled his nostrils, and the glow of
street lamps washed lightly over the emergency room entrance in the distance. As the emergency room sign came into focus, he knew the connection was complete, and uttered the ancient language, Verto.
The crackling rush of static electricity and warmth surrounded them, accompanied by the momentary sense of displacement. Seconds later, William opened his eyes to find they were standing in the poorly lit parking lot of the hospital with Layla still latched onto them both.
Layla’s eyes flew open, and the look on her face was one of genuine awe. “We did it,” she said in a rush. The smile that had begun to form on her lips faded the second she looked at Rosie. “She looks worse, William. Come on, we have to get her inside.”
He nodded grimly. “I’ll follow you.”
“She has to be alright, William,” she said urgently. “Who on earth would have done this to her?”
William carried Rosie into the hospital, looked down at her bloodstained face, and made a silent promise to find out who it was and make them pay.
Chapter 10
“I just don’t know who would’ve done this to Rosie,” Layla said through quiet sobs against his chest. “All she ever did was take care of other people.”
William cradled her in his arms and fought against the urge to smash every piece of furniture in the waiting area of the hospital. He stroked her back and sent her soothing waves of energy, which he hoped would help them both, because with every sob, with the drop of each tear, it was like acid poured into his heart.
Before meeting Layla, he wasn’t even sure if he had one.
“I’m sorry to ask you questions like this, Layla.” The officer looked at her through pale, sympathetic eyes, and periodically jotted in his spiral notebook. The pie-faced boy didn’t look like he was old enough to drive a car, let alone run a police investigation. “But could Rosie have been involved in anything that you didn’t know about?”
Layla squeezed William tighter and shot the kid a look that could kill.
“Barney Stevens,” she bit out. “How could you even imply that Rosie was involved with something shady or that she somehow brought this on herself?” She glared at him through red, teary eyes. “You’ve known Rosie your entire life. She took care of you when your Mama was too drunk to see straight, so don’t you dare act like this is somehow her fault.”
“Now, Layla,” he said calmly. “I’m just covering every angle. The boys are back at the farm now collecting evidence and talking to Raife. You know that I love Rosie too, and I want to find out who did this.”
He immediately turned his attention to William.
“How long have you known each other?” He hitched his belt up and eyed William warily. “I don’t recall seeing you in town before this, and I don’t believe Rosie ever mentioned knowing some fancy New York City lawyer.”
Before William had time to be insulted by what Barney said, the doctor emerged, looking weary and grim.
“Oh my God,” Layla whimpered and clung tighter to William. “Is she…” Her voice trailed off, clearly unwilling to utter their worst fear.
“She’s stable at the moment. We have her in a medically induced coma due to the swelling on her brain. The injury to her shoulder is less severe than we first thought and luckily won’t require surgery.” He glanced from Layla to William. “It’s going to be touch and go for the next few hours with that head injury. It’s a good thing you got her here so quickly.”
“Oh, thank God.” She leaned into William, her body and spirit weak with relief. “Can we see her?”
“Yes.” He nodded and gave a wave of acknowledgment to the nurse vying for his attention. “We’ll run more tests in a few hours and see where we stand.”
Layla thanked the doctor profusely before rushing off to see Rosie. William watched her disappear through the swinging door, but the sadness he felt turned into fury as Barney looked at him with suspicion.
He glared down at the man with obvious irritation.
“Like I was saying,” Barney said firmly. “I don’t recall seeing you around here before Rosie got hurt. So I’m wondering if you have any information that might be helpful to our investigation?”
William wrestled with his burgeoning frustration. Of course he had an idea of who could be involved, but it was of little use to the police. He couldn’t tell them that he suspected Purist Amoveo came to the farm looking for his hybrid mate, and poor Rosie just got in the way. He highly doubted that his explanation would satisfy this human.
He mustered up the nicest smile he could.
“Officer Stevens, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” He stood up to his full five-foot-seven inches. “That’s right.”
“I can assure you that if I had any information I thought would be of value to you… I would give it to you immediately.”
He rocked on his heels and made more notes on his trusty pad. “Well, you just be sure that you don’t leave town quite yet. We may have more questions for you.”
“Of course.” William bowed his head in deference. “You have my word that I will not be leaving Layla’s side until this matter is resolved.”
He watched Barney make his way out of the hospital, and William knew that as well-meaning as the police may be, they would be of little use against the Purists. William knew what he had to do. It was time to call on Malcolm and Dante, because he doubted Barney would be much of a wingman.
***
“How is she?” Raife shouted as he burst into Rosie’s room. “What in the hell happened?”
Fists clenched at his sides, he practically charged Layla, but William stepped between them before he could reach her. For a split second, she thought the two were going to start brawling in the middle of the hospital like the first time they met.
God, was that only a few days ago? Somehow, time seemed to have ground to a halt since she met William. Either that, or suddenly, she could barely recall a time in her life without him.
Either way it freaked her out.
“She has been put in a medically induced coma,” William said in a calm voice. “There is some swelling on the brain. She dislocated her shoulder and had several stitches, but the doctors are monitoring her condition. They are keeping her under for her own well-being, to give her body time to heal.” Layla watched as he attempted to calm Raife down, which was really no different than running in front of a charging bull. However, William did it with his usual cool and detached attitude. “We are all upset about what happened to Rosie.”
“We?” he said incredulously.
Layla insinuated herself between the two men and placed one hand on each of their shoulders, but they continued their alpha-male-chicken-who’ll-blink-first game. This was ridiculous. She had zero patience for male posturing on a good day, and this was anything but a good day.
“If you two are done having your pissing contest,” she hissed. “Can we please sit down and talk about this quietly? In case you hadn’t noticed, Rosie’s right here. A little respect, gentlemen,” she said with an exaggerated whisper and a nod toward Rosie’s hospital bed.
Raife’s expression softened the moment he laid eyes on Rosie. He pushed his way past Layla and went directly to her side. Taking her limp hand in his, carefully avoiding the IV tubes, he sat in the chair at her bedside that Layla had occupied until a moment ago.
Layla went to the other side of the bed and sat on the radiator, but William stayed standing at the foot of the bed with his sharp gaze fixed on her. Since they got to the hospital, William had barely taken his eyes off her, and he hadn’t said much. It probably should’ve been unsettling, but the truth was that she found it comforting. He was not a man who was a natural at expressing his emotions, but based on his actions, the subtle way he tracked her every move, she could tell he was worried about her.
“She looks so fragile,” Raife said softly. His eyes shi
fted to the bright blue of his clan. “They better find out who did this, so that I can kill him.” Layla’s heart broke for her brother. Even though they all loved Rosie, he was particularly close to her. “I told Tati what happened, and she was going to get on the first plane back home, but I told her to stay put.”
He turned his anger-filled eyes on William. “It’s not safe here.”
“What? Why? What did the police say to you?” she asked, looking from William and back to Raife again. “Did they find anything at the house that would help them figure out who did this? Barney Stevens was here earlier and took our statements, but unfortunately, we didn’t have much to tell him. I don’t understand why you think that Tati wouldn’t be safe.”
“Oh, it’s not just Tati I’m worried about.” His brow furrowed, and the crease between his eyes deepened. “The cops don’t have a clue.”
He lowered his voice and glanced at Rosie, clearly not wanting their conversation to disturb her or float into the hallway.
“After you reached out and told me what happened, I called the cops and got over there as fast as I could. They were taking pictures and putting shit in little baggies, but they don’t have the foggiest idea who would’ve done this or why. They think it was personal, that someone had it in for Rosie, because nothing was taken.” He leveled his stern gaze at William. “But something tells me that they would never guess who was responsible for this,” he said tightly. “Would they, William?”
Layla swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew exactly what Raife was alluding to. She’d felt it the moment they’d pulled that Jeep into the driveway, and the mere memory made her want to vomit.
Another Amoveo had been there, and based on the calm, unsurprised look on William’s face, he suspected it as well.
“No, Raife.” William crossed his arms over his broad chest. “I don’t suppose they will figure it out because they’re not looking for an Amoveo.”
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