Unleashed

by Sara Humphreys

  She writhed against him, holding his head in her hands, eagerly exploring his mouth with hers. She was completely lost. Sam felt the exquisite pleasure building up and taking her over the edge. The orgasm tore through her body mercilessly. Cries of pleasure muffled against Malcolm’s mouth as wave after wave rippled through her body and carried her into oblivion.

  Breathless, Samantha lay there for several minutes, curled up in the crook of Malcolm’s arm, trying to calm her breathing. She wanted to say something smart or witty, but all she could muster was, “Wow.”

  Malcolm smiled and kissed the top of her head. He pulled her closer and covered them both with the comforter from the foot of the bed.

  She looked at him in the moonlight and saw that he still had his eagle eyes. She stroked his forehead ever so lightly with her fingertips.

  Malcolm closed his eyes at the almost unbearable tenderness she showed him. He knew that he was lost to her. Mating ceremony or no mating ceremony, he was hooked.

  Sam dropped her hand and chuckled softly. She lifted the covers and had a look. “So how is it that you managed to keep your pants on, and I’m basically naked?”

  “You have pants on.” He smiled slyly.

  “I don’t think this scrap of underwear actually counts as pants.” She held the covers over her naked breasts.

  “I was trying to be a gentleman.” He was completely serious.

  “Really? Well, if tonight was you being a gentleman, I don’t know if I’ll survive your version of a cad.” She smacked his chest. She sat up, looking around for her nightgown. Spotting it, she slid from the bed, snatched up what was left of it, and put it on as fast as she could.

  He watched her, puzzled by her sudden modesty.

  She pulled the ripped neckline tightly across her chest and folded her hands over her breasts. She looked silently out over the crashing waves below for several minutes.

  Although his instinct was to go to her, he gave her the space she needed.

  Sam turned around and sat on the windowsill, staring at him through narrowed eyes. “So do you want to tell me what you are? Or do I have to guess?”

  “What do you think I am?” He didn’t take his gaze off her for a moment.

  “Well, you’re not a vampire. Although I may have a hickey or two, you didn’t suck my blood.”

  “Correct. Not a vampire.” He sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Alien?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “No.” He smiled. “Our people have been here as long as humans have. We are an indigenous people. Just like humans.”

  “Nope. Not just like humans. We don’t turn into birds, or have our eyes change into weird colors,” Samantha said in a tone that sounded slightly hysterical.

  “You do.” He folded his arms across his bare chest.

  “I do not turn into a bird.” She laughed nervously. He knew she tried to keep her voice down. The last they needed was Nonie waking up and finding him in her room. “And we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you. So, if you’re not a vampire or an alien, what the hell are you?”

  He could tell she was struggling to maintain her composure. Her determined little chin tilted up at him defiantly. She was feeling pretty defensive, and he couldn’t blame her. This was not exactly something normal for her. He knew that he just had to tell her. Rip off the Band-Aid so to speak.

  “I am Amoveo.” He sat up just a bit taller. “We are an ancient race of shapeshifters. There are ten clans among our race. I am of the Eagle Clan, a golden eagle, as you’ve seen.”

  “Uh-huh,” she muttered with skepticism.

  “Shall I continue?”

  “Oh, I am all ears. Please go on.” Sam waved her hand. “This should be good.”

  “All Amoveo are shifters. We can communicate telepathically. We have the power of visualization. Once we are mated, we age much slower than humans and live considerably longer. The older we get, the more powerful we become.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yes. We can travel at the speed of thought.”

  “Ah ha.” Sam pointed at him. “That guy did just vanish from your balcony the other day! I knew it! I didn’t just blink and miss his exit.”

  “Yes. That was Richard, our Prince.”

  “Well, at least I didn’t imagine it.” She rubbed her temples and sat back down. “A Prince, huh? Okay so this whole Amoveo thing sounds good. You guys seem to have it made. You’ve got pretty good powers. You don’t really age. Not a bad deal.”

  “Unfortunately we are not without our own set of problems. We’ve lived in secret for centuries because we are being hunted.”

  “Hunted? By who?”

  “The Caedo.” A shadow passed over his stone-like features.

  “The Caedo? Who are they?” Sam’s brows knitted in concern.

  “They are one of only two groups of humans that know about us. They’ve made it their family’s mission to annihilate our race.”

  “Why? Did you eat their babies or something?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” He stood swiftly and threw his shirt back on. “We are peaceful. The Caedo, like so many humans throughout history, fear what is different and what they don’t understand.”

  “Okay, so they killed a few of you over the years.”

  “You don’t understand, Samantha.” He loomed over her.

  His frustration mixed in the air with her fear and uncertainty and created a volatile force in the room. Sam grew pale, wavered slightly, and braced herself against the wall with one hand. He scolded himself silently. He wouldn’t make this any easier on her by getting frustrated. He took a deep breath and focused on sending her a sense of calm. A flicker of confusion came over her face, and she relaxed slightly as he soothed her, the color returning to her cheeks.

  Better.

  “All Amoveos are born into this world with one predestined soul mate, and we can only have children with our mate. When they kill one of us, they kill off potential offspring.” He looked away from her. “For all of our strengths, we are actually a rather fragile race.”

  “Okay. So how do you find this ‘mate’?” She made air quotes with her fingers.

  “From the time we are born, we are taught to look for our mate in the dream realm. Once we connect there, we can connect in the physical realm and complete the mating ceremony. If we do not find our mate by our thirtieth birthday, we begin to lose our abilities, and we eventually die.”

  “That sucks,” Sam said. “Actually, I know a lot of human women who feel that way about being single in their thirties.” She chuckled wryly. “So where’s your mate?”

  “Right here.” He took her delicate hand in his.

  “What!” She snatched her hand back from him and quickly walked around to the other side of the bed. “You said you had to mate with another Amoveo.” Sam pointed at him accusingly.

  “True.”

  “Well. I am not Amoveo. I’m just your good old-fashioned, run-of-the-mill human,” Sam said, not really believing it. Until recently, she never would’ve doubted it.

  “Well actually, you’re both.”

  “I beg your pardon?” A look of dread came over her, and she wrapped her arms tightly across her chest.

  “You are a hybrid, the only one that we know of. Your mother was human, but your father was an Amoveo. Lucas Logan was of the Wolf Clan.”

  “So you’re telling me my father was a dog?”

  “No,” he said, exasperated. “Lucas was a member of the Gray Wolf Clan bloodline. And so are you.”

  “You’re crazy,” she scoffed. “I am not a wolf.”

  “Really? Had any good dreams lately?” He didn’t take his gaze from her shocked face.

  “Oh my God. It’s you. You’re the one who’s been calling me. The voice in the house.” Tears glittered in her eyes as all the pieces came together. “The wolf dreams. All of it,” she whispered.

  “You are the only one of your kind.” Malcolm slowly approached her around the b
ed. He kept his voice steady as he continued. “Your parents’ mating was the first known pairing between a human and an Amoveo. From what we know, your mother possessed some psychic abilities. That’s the only way she could possibly have paired with an Amoveo.”

  “This is insane.” Tears swam in her deep blue eyes. He knew that her mind scrambled to make sense of his words.

  “Humans and Amoveos are from the same origins. We’re just two different branches on the same family tree. It was only a matter of time before our two races evolved enough to mix.” He kept talking quietly, all the while moving closer, and closing the distance between them. “Think about it, Samantha. The dream you had before you decided to come home—that was the first time I connected with you. I finally found you and called you here to me.” He reached out and wrapped her delicate body in his arms. He held her to his chest and kissed the top of her head. She didn’t embrace him but kept her arms folded over her breasts. He was just happy she didn’t flinch and that she allowed him to hold her.

  Her confusion wounded him deep in his soul. Now, more than ever, he felt the connection to her, and it terrified him. The idea that she would reject him alarmed him beyond all reason.

  “We’ve walked in the dream realm together several times now. That was how I knew your necklace was lost. Remember?” He stroked her long silky hair and rocked her gently.

  Sam leaned her forehead on Malcolm’s chest and let the tears fall silently. Finally, she pushed at him, and reluctantly he released her from his hold. She sniffled and wiped the tears away with the back of her hands, trying to pull herself together. “Okay. So all of the crazy dreams I’ve had in my life and the weird things that have been happening since I got home…You’re telling me this has all been part of some elaborate matchmaking scheme by the universe?” Her confusion was now replaced by anger. “All of these things that have started happening to me since I met you…this is your fault.”

  “Your abilities have obviously been dormant, and now that we’ve connected they’ll continue to come out. I suppose you could blame me.” He shrugged. “That’s fine if it will make you feel better. I’ll help you, Samantha. I can show you how to control your gifts.”

  “Well, that’s just great.” She shoved his chest, but he didn’t move. She may as well have been shoving at a brick wall. “So what? Now I’m going to sprout fur and get fangs? No thanks! You can keep your gifts. I want no part of this.”

  Malcolm stood there watching Sam’s reaction, amused. She was even more beautiful when she got angry. Her eyes flashed at him, and her chin set in determined defiance. Malcolm could see that he would never be bored with his mate. She was one feisty woman.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You are Amoveo. You are my mate, Samantha. I am yours. This cannot be questioned or changed. It simply is.” He reached out and brushed the hair from her forehead.

  ***

  Much to Sam’s dismay, her body’s reaction betrayed her, and Malcolm knew it. He leaned toward her, and she stiffened, helpless to the power he seemed to have over her. He tipped her chin up with his fingers and brushed his lips softly over hers. It was a featherlight touch that she felt all the way down to her toes. It took every ounce of resolve she had not to kiss him back. Her eyes tingled, shifted to their wolf state, and remained locked on his in a look of utter defiance. Malcolm flashed that arrogant grin, which reduced her insides to jelly.

  He took a few steps back, tilted his head back, spread his arms wide, and whispered, “Verto.” Instantly, the air in the room thickened and crackled. Malcolm shimmered and shifted into the huge Golden Eagle. With a shriek, he flapped his massive wings and swooped out the window into the night.

  Sam looked out after him. He was silhouetted against the enormous moon looming high above the whitecapped ocean. She closed her eyes as the breeze brushed her hair back. Instinctively, she touched her necklace. It was once again thankfully at the base of her throat, but the comfort she sought eluded her. When Sam opened her eyes, Malcolm was nowhere in sight.

  She pulled the window closed and lay down in the welcoming cloud of her bed. She silently prayed that sleep would claim her. His scent still clung to the pillow. She breathed it in. It was familiar and unsettling at the same time. She replayed the information he’d told her in her head. The last thing she heard before drifting into a fitful sleep was Malcolm. He whispered along the edges of her mind.

  Sleep well, mia piccola lupa.

  Chapter 13

  The next morning, Sam woke up exhausted. Her sleep had been dreamless and fitful. She couldn’t stop thinking about everything Malcolm had revealed to her the night before. As the sun began to rise, she knew lying in bed tossing and turning was getting her nowhere. She decided the best way to clear her muddied brain was to go for a run.

  She looked in the mirror and couldn’t believe how puffy her eyes were. Well, at least they’re my eyes. Sam threw her hair into a ponytail and got into her running clothes. She was shocked that none of their conversation from last night had awakened Nonie. If it had, she was kind enough not to bang on the walls. Sam’s cheeks reddened at the very thought of it.

  She tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen and chugged a quick glass of orange juice before she headed out. Sam did her warm up and listened to all of the sounds around her, the gulls shrieking, the ocean, and even the gravel crunching under her Nikes. She wanted to focus on normal sounds, not the insane story he’d told her and shown her. Yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  “What a crock. Amoveo. Shapeshifters. Right.” She shook her head as she walked down to the beach.

  It is not a crock and deep down you know who and what you really are. The sooner you accept that, Samantha, the better off we’ll both be.

  She stopped dead in her tracks as Malcolm’s voice invaded her head. Now she was really getting pissed. Who did this guy think he was? Can’t a girl have any privacy?

  Get out of my head and leave me alone. Her fists curled up tightly at her side. She wasn’t even sure if she was doing it right.

  You’re being silly, Samantha. His usual smug confidence seeped through.

  She could picture the smirk on his face and had the sudden urge to smack it off. The man was completely infuriating. Fine. You can call me whatever you want. Just leave me alone. I’m going for a run, and I’d like to do that without you in my head.

  You should not be out alone. It’s not safe.

  Oh please. I think you scared Roger off for good. Look, spare me the caveman routine, bird boy. Sam rolled her eyes and continued to make her way onto the beach.

  I will go with you then.

  No you won’t. Good-bye. I’m hanging up now. Or…whatever. She stood with hands set on her hips. She listened for a reply, but was met with silence. She gave a sharp nod, feeling rather pleased for getting her way. “Jeez, what an ego.” She began her jog along the shore.

  Sam loved running on the beach early in the morning. Usually there weren’t too many people around, especially on a weekday morning. Today the sand along the edge of the ocean was packed nice and tight. It was perfect for running and much easier on the knees than pavement. She kept thinking about all of the things she’d experienced. She hated to admit it, but his story was getting harder and harder to deny. Her dreams were pretty solid proof.

  She had several about being a wolf, running on this very beach. How would he know that? She dreamed of being with that eagle, with Malcolm. It was true that nothing was known about her father. He had no family they knew of, and her parents’ courtship had been extremely brief. They’d only known each other a few weeks before they were married. Could her mother have been psychic? Was Nonie? She did know about stuff before it actually happened. She always had an uncanny sense of what was needed. As Sam approached the halfway mark of her run, she realized that Nonie might know much more than she’d let on.

  Samantha’s run seemed longer than normal, and she was beginning to feel nauseous. After what felt like forever, s
he reached her halfway mark at the jetty. Gratefully, she turned to head back to the house, hoping the second half would go by more quickly, and her stomach would settle down. As she jogged by the beach club, she heard someone calling her name. She looked over and saw Millie, perched in her beach chair underneath an enormous plaid umbrella.

  “Hey, Sammy girl.” She waved.

  Sam didn’t really want to stop and lose her momentum, but for Millie she could make an exception. Millie was surrounded by various sand toys, a cooler, and a few chairs. There was an adorable little boy playing at her feet. He couldn’t have been more than a year old. He was bald as a cue ball with big brown eyes in a spectacularly chubby face. His entire body was covered in sand. He was deeply engaged in eating a shovel.

  “Come on now. Don’t eat that. You’ll be poopin’ sand castles all week long.” Millie hoisted the boy and tried in vain to free him of his sandy snack.

  “Hey, Millie.” Sam tried to catch her breath. “Is this your grandson? He’s adorable.”

  “This is my little man. They’re all stayin’ at my place right now. Y’know, while they finish some renovations on their apartment.” She plopped him back down on the blanket and brushed him off a bit. “Well, this little bugger gets up so damn early. This morning I just had to get us all outta there. Too nice to be hanging around inside, and Lord knows we spend enough time in the diner.”

  “So you really did it? You closed the diner?” Sam said in disbelief. She leaned on her knees, still trying to calm her breathing.

  “Hell yes.” She winked.

  “Is Billy here too?” Sam looked around.

  “Yeah. He’s up at the cabana getting a bottle out of the fridge for our boy here.” She glanced to the large white building behind them.