Undone (The Amoveo Legend)

by Sara Humphreys

  She wondered whether he’d be this bold if he knew she could shapeshift into a bear and tear him a new one. She smirked. He was just a human, and if he knew what she was, he’d probably piss his pants.

  “Really?” Marianna’s eyes narrowed. She placed the champagne flute on the table and held his gaze as she slid to the edge of her seat. She smiled as she noticed his attention instantly went to her bare legs and admittedly short hemline. “Well, I’ll be the judge of that—not you. My brother hired you to be my driver… not my babysitter.”

  “Yeah?” he scoffed harshly. “You could’ve fooled me.”

  She rose slowly from the table and stood to meet his challenging gaze. She kept her eyes fixed firmly on his as she moved her body close, but he remained motionless. In her stilettos, she was just a few inches shorter than he was, and she noted that his heart beat faster as she closed the distance between them.

  Her intent was to intimidate him and unnerve him, but something far more surprising happened.

  Heat wafted from his muscular body and flowed over her erotically, which sent her heightened senses into overdrive. She took a deep breath to steady herself, but the instant his distinctly male scent filled her head—it had the exact opposite effect. Her eyes tingled, and she struggled to keep them from shifting into those of her Bear Clan. It was common for an Amoveo’s eyes to shift into the eyes of their clan animal during moments of extreme emotion. Like lust. Red-hot, fuck-me-blind kind of lust.

  Right now, Marianna was more turned on than she had ever been before. It was as though he was tuned directly into her energy, her soul, and her body. Suddenly and inexplicably, she was connected to this man—this human—more than she had been to any other creature she’d encountered.

  For a second, she forgot where she was—where they were—and she had the ridiculous urge to kiss him. Forget that Hayden was sitting right next to them and would flip his lid—nothing mattered but the man standing in front of her and how he made her feel.

  Her eyes wandered over the hard planes and angles of his face, his strong jawline with late-night stubble, the high cheekbones, and strong dark brows that framed those ice-blue eyes flawlessly. It seemed for a moment as if they were the only two people in the entire place.

  All she could see was him.

  Her body moved to the music, subtly at first, and willed her toward him almost imperceptibly. She inched nearer, until their lips were just a breath apart… and then she heard him.

  What in the hell is this woman doing to me?

  Marianna blinked, breaking the spell as the rest of the club and the crowd came roaring into focus. She stepped back as if he’d slapped her—and in a way he had. She’d heard his voice in her mind, which made absolutely no sense. Not only had she been actively shielding her mind to keep Hayden out of it—but Pete was human, and there was no way she should’ve heard him like that.

  “I—I want to dance.” Her confused eyes searched his equally befuddled ones as she backed away toward the dancing mob. “This is a nightclub after all,” she shouted. Marianna strutted into the writhing crowd, hoping that neither Pete nor Hayden was aware of how rattled she was.

  She threw her hands up and swayed to the beat amid the sea of bodies, but kept her sights fixed on Pete. A handsome, young human male sidled up behind her and began to bump and grind to the pulsating tune. Marianna danced with him as though she didn’t have a care in the world, a facade she prayed that both Hayden and Pete would buy.

  Pete glowered from his spot by the table as she dirty-danced with the stranger. Then he said something to Hayden, and he stalked out. Marianna watched him go and wondered if he even knew what he’d done. She’d heard his deep, gravelly voice in her mind, and he’d touched her in a way that only one person on the planet could… her mate.

  Chapter 2

  Pete stuffed his hands into his suit pants pockets, wondering exactly why he gave a shit. He was only doing his job, and no job should be this goddamn irritating. His blood pressure rose by the second, and tension settled in his neck as one person after another stumbled out of the nightclub, all but the one he was looking for.

  He was still fuming at the way she had dismissed him in the club earlier.

  Pete swore under his breath and leaned against the black Mercedes as he continued to keep a lookout for his uncooperative charge.

  “Any sign of her yet?” Pete called to the bouncer.

  “Nope,” Damien said in a deep baritone voice that rivaled James Earl Jones. He shrugged his bulky muscular shoulders. “But you know how Marianna is. She’ll be in there until closing.” He ran a hand over his head and grinned. “That girl can party like a rock star.” He laughed. “She’s an animal.”

  “You have no idea.” Pete sighed and shook his head as the pedestrians brushed past him. It was almost two in the morning, but the city sidewalks were always bustling. He loosened his tie and undid the top button of the collar, which had been strangling him since he put it on. He hated wearing a tie. It was almost as irritating as this job.

  Pete ran a hand through his short dark hair and let out a slow breath, which puffed a cloud of mist into the crisp January night. No sense in trying to bullshit himself because it wasn’t the job that was irritating. It was the woman at the center of the job who had the ability to piss him off more than anyone he’d ever met, and she stirred up other uncomfortable emotions that were less than professional.

  When Dante had asked if he could look out for his twin sister and keep an eye on her while she was staying in New York, what the hell could he say? Dante was his boss, but he’d also turned into more of a friend, so obviously, his answer was going to be yes.

  Keeping an eye on a regular guy’s sister would be a no-brainer for any ex-cop, but Dante and his sister were anything but the usual folk. They were Amoveo—shapeshifters—and until a couple of months ago, he was like the rest of the human race and had no idea that they existed.

  Sometimes he longed for that blissful ignorance.

  He watched a few more clubgoers wander into the dark, city night. They had no idea that an ancient race of dream-walking, telepathic shapeshifters lived side by side with them right under their noses.

  When Dante asked Pete to take on this glorified babysitting job, he neglected to mention how ridiculously hot his sister was. Hot wasn’t adequate enough. The woman was stunning. Long, curly waves of espresso-colored hair almost perfectly matched the unique shade of brown in her hypnotic, almond-shaped eyes. Those eyes, the ones that seemed able to see right through him, made Pete more nervous than the fact that she could shift into a bear.

  He’d been around plenty of beautiful women in his life. Hell, since working as a driver for Inferno Securities, he’d been exposed to some of the hottest women around, but none came close to turning him on like Marianna did. He wondered, more than once, if it was because she was Amoveo.

  He’d met several Amoveo since he found out about their existence, and every one of them was gorgeous, so he figured Marianna would be as well. However, nothing could’ve prepared him for the lightning storm of lust that washed over him when he first laid eyes on her. The mere memory of that day sent blood rushing from his head to his crotch and made him hard as a rock. When her exotic brown eyes latched onto his, every coherent thought was driven from him, and all he could do was picture her long, curvy body wrapped around his.

  The cell phone buzzed in the breast pocket of his jacket, tearing him from thoughts that were too dangerous to entertain. His face heated with embarrassment when he saw Dante’s number scrolling across the screen.

  “Shit.” He knew Dante was telepathic, but he didn’t know if that was the same thing as being a mind reader. If he could read his mind right now, he’d want to rip his head off for thinking dirty thoughts about his sister.

  “Hey, boss.” Pete cleared his throat, hoping like hell that his friend had zero idea what he’d been thinking. “What’s up?”

  “Where’s Marianna?” Dante’s curt voice cut
through the line abruptly.

  A tickle of awareness tripped up Pete’s spine, and the all-too-familiar alarm bells started ringing in his mind. Call it a sixth sense or a hunch. He’d had it his whole life, but ever since he’d hooked up with the Amoveo, it had happened with far more frequency and intensity.

  Something bad was coming.

  “She’s inside with that douche bag, Hayden.”

  “Hayden’s at the club?” Dante asked with surprise.

  “Yeah, why?” Pete stilled, but his gaze remained fixed on the door of the club. “What’s going on?” Dread clawed at him.

  “There have been rumblings from our informants that Artimus has Marianna at the top of some kind of acquisition list.” Silence stretched for a beat or two. “Artimus is Hayden’s father.”

  “I see.” Pete continued tracking the entrance for any sign of Marianna. “What the hell is an acquisition list, and why is she on it? Do you think Hayden knows about it?”

  “It looks like Artimus and the Purists have compiled a list of pure-blooded Amoveo who have yet to declare allegiance to either side. We have word that Marianna is at the top of that list, which is no surprise. She was a member of the Council before it dissolved, and it would be a real victory to have her side with him.” He sighed heavily. “And yes. I’m sure that Hayden is privy to his father’s business dealings. My guess is that he’s doing his best to convince her to side with them.”

  “Artimus is part of the Grizzly Bear Clan right?” Pete’s jaw clenched as he kept his voice low. The last thing he needed was someone to overhear his conversation. “Is there anything special that I should know about him or his clan? Aside, of course, from the fact that he can shapeshift into a grizzly bear, travel at the speed of thought, and break my neck like a twig?”

  “No,” Dante responded humorlessly. “Except that he’ll stop at nothing to get my sister to side with him, especially because she is part of the Bear Clan. Granted, she’s descended from the Kodiak Bear Clan, which is a different branch, but at this point it’s semantics.”

  “He won’t touch her.” Pete adjusted the gun holstered discreetly beneath his jacket. “If I remember correctly, you shapeshifter boys may be tough, but you’re still not bulletproof,” he said wryly.

  “No, still not bulletproof.” Dante laughed. “I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I’d like to go over a few more things, so come by our place tomorrow afternoon before you pick up Marianna for the benefit at the Waldorf, okay?”

  “Consider it done, boss.”

  “Hey Pete, she’s not giving you a bad time is she?”

  “Not really. It was definitely a smart idea to let her think I don’t know about the Amoveo and that I’m just another clueless human. Otherwise, every time I annoy her, she’d pull that disappearing act you guys can do.” He sighed loudly and muttered “Or shapeshift into a bear and kick my ass.”

  “Agreed.” Dante laughed.

  “See you tomorrow.” Pete hit the end button and slipped the phone back in his pocket as a familiar feminine laugh captured his attention.

  He looked up to see a rather tipsy Marianna being escorted out of the club by the owner, Olivia Hollingsworth. Pete eyed the tall redhead warily. There was something off about this chick, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. She wasn’t an Amoveo, not a pure-blood like Marianna or a hybrid like Dante’s wife Kerry, but she was definitely not a normal person.

  She made him uncomfortable and gave him an overall hinky feeling.

  However, as she helped Marianna out of the club and over to the car, he couldn’t deny that she was good people. She might have a weird vibe, but it wasn’t dark or evil… it was just different. Marianna was draped over her like a limp noodle, and it looked like she was only staying on her feet because of Olivia’s assistance. Her dress, or the small scrap of fabric she called a dress, was riding up to dangerous heights. Her bright red coat had fallen off, or never been put on quite right in the first place, exposing her smooth bare shoulders to the winter air.

  “You’re going to sleep well tonight,” Olivia said quietly. She turned her sharp green eyes to Pete. “You’re gonna have to walk her up to her apartment.”

  “Oh, he’s such a poop.” Marianna giggled and attempted to pull her coat on properly. “He’s so fucking serious and doesn’t ever want to have any fun.” She pushed a mass of dark, wavy locks off her face and narrowed her eyes at Pete. “You and Dante are always taking the F out of fun. Isn’t that right?” she asked, waving her manicured hand in his face.

  Before Pete could respond, she swayed forward and would’ve fallen on her face if he and Olivia hadn’t been there to keep her upright. Pete looped one arm around her waist and gave a nod to Olivia. “I got her,” he said.

  She allowed all her weight to lean into him and hooked her arms around his neck so that her lips were inches from his. He was just over six feet tall, and those ridiculously high heels she wore made her almost his height, which was a turn on. He liked women with some meat on their bones, and this beauty fit the bill.

  He held her under her arms, attempting to put some kind of distance between her body and his—but no such luck. That luscious fragrance she wore, the one that smelled of peaches, wafted off her skin and filled his nostrils like it had in the club earlier tonight. He tightened his grip, telling himself it was so he could keep her from falling on her ass, but the truth was he wanted to get closer.

  Much closer.

  He glanced at those full, red lips and couldn’t think of anything but tasting them. It had taken herculean strength not to kiss her earlier when she’d brushed her long, lush body against him—almost daring him to try. Her pink tongue darted out and moistened that gorgeous mouth as if in invitation. God, he wanted her, and if he leaned down just a bit more…

  What was he thinking? Pete yanked his head back.

  The woman was drunk as a skunk. Trying to kiss her now wouldn’t only be unprofessional, but it would be a total scumbag move to try something while she’s shit-faced and he’s stone-cold sober.

  “Pete,” Marianna whispered. “Take me home please.” Her voice, almost childlike, was edged with desperation. Her dark brown eyes, tinged with sadness, latched onto his. “I need to go home.”

  His gut clenched at the needy edge to her voice. “Yes, you do.” Pete softened his grip and nodded curtly. “Come on. In you go,” he said as he helped her into the backseat and closed the door behind her.

  “She’s a hot mess,” Olivia said bluntly.

  Anger flared, and his protective instincts kicked into overdrive. Who the hell did this chick think she was? She had some goddamn nerve talking about Marianna that way. Fuming, Pete turned to give the weird broad a piece of his mind, but the look of sadness on her face stopped him cold. She looked at Marianna with pity.

  “I care about her too, you know.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “We’ve been friends for a long time, and I’ve never seen her behave this way.”

  “What?” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, feeling uncomfortable by the fact that she’d seen right through him. She knew how he felt about Marianna. Shit. Was he that transparent? Pete cleared his throat and decided to ignore the first part of her comment. “Are you kidding me? Dante said she’s the original party girl, and based on what I’ve seen, he’s right.”

  “I’m not talking about the clubbing or even the drinking.” Olivia shook her head. “She’s acting like someone who has nothing left to lose.” Her gaze flicked back to the car, and her voice softened. “That’s a dangerous way to live.”

  Before he could respond, an angry male voice cut into their conversation.

  “Where the hell did she go?”

  Pete looked over to see Damien trying to restrain the guy. It didn’t take more than two seconds for Pete to realize it was Hayden, the Amoveo dickhead from earlier. Instinctively, he reached inside his jacket for his gun even though it was unlikely he’d pull it out. It made him feel better to have the cold steel beneath his fi
ngers while he stared down a guy who could shapeshift into a grizzly bear. Truthfully, he reminded Pete more of a snake.

  Olivia let out an exasperated sigh and turned to deal with the ruckus developing outside her club. “Let him go, Damien,” she said with surprising authority. “Hayden, what exactly is the problem?”

  Damien released Hayden, who immediately muttered something rude, but Damien smirked and maintained his post by the door. Hayden straightened his jacket and smoothed back the strands of brown hair that had fallen over his face. Pete’s bad-vibe hunch was back in full force as he recalled the acquisition list Dante mentioned. He kept his sharp sights set on Hayden but didn’t move one inch from the car door. There was no way he was getting anywhere near Marianna again.

  “I’ll tell you what the problem is,” he spat. “I buy her drinks all night long, she dances with everyone but me, and as soon as I go to the men’s room, she cuts and runs. Not even so much as a good-bye.” He slipped leather gloves out of his pocket and put them on hands that looked like they’d never seen a hard day’s work. “Where I come from, that’s bad manners.”

  “Yeah,” Pete interjected. “Where I come from, it means you’re not getting laid.”

  Olivia stifled a giggle and gave Pete a look of approval.

  Hayden, who up until this point had been completely ignoring Pete, turned his beady eyes right to him. “Really? Well it’s a good thing we aren’t cut from the same cloth.” He sniffed and looked Pete up and down as if he were dog shit on the heel of his expensive shoes. “When Marianna sobers up”—he glanced at the car and sneered—“tell her that I’ll see her at the fundraiser tomorrow night at the Waldorf. We’ll continue our discussion then.” Without another word he turned and walked away.