“I do, but I think you should speak to Leo about this. My guess is Catherine is a woman scorned, or in her case, a witch scorned. From what I know of her now, she’s used this love spell on all her lovers. Leo was the only one it had a temporary effect on.”
“She must be a powerful witch if she could conjure a spell to alter words on a page. She made John and I sound like hardened criminals who bilked the elderly out of their life savings.”
“Thankfully, that’s all in the past. You and Leo fell in love, and that’s what is important now.”
Sam wasn’t quick to dismiss the witch. “Yet, it’s not in the past, is it? It was only two months ago she tried interfering in Leo’s life.”
“I know. That gives me the creeps, too. Talk to Leo, Sam.” Toni laughed and the sound of her voice grew faint. “Just a second, honey. Sam, I have Elizabeth here who’s been tugging on my arm the past couple of minutes.”
At the mention of Elizabeth, Sam forgot about Catherine. “Are you two in front of a computer?”
“Yes. Oh, and just to let you know, the renovations and supply orders are almost done at the shop. The crystals should be in by the end of the week.”
“Did the technician guarantee no more freak electrical shorts? Another fire is the last thing I need.”
“He replaced the faulty wires and said your shop is as good as new.”
“Great. Thanks, Toni. Pass me the munchkin. I’d dying to hear here little voice.”
“Sure. Hold on.”
“When are you coming back?” Elizabeth asked the second she got on the line.
Sam’s heart immediately melted and in that instant, she forgot about everything, her focus on the sweet, little girl she loved like her own. “In a few days, sweetheart. How are you?”
“I’m okay. Toni is fixing the computer so we can talk. I’m gonna see you!”
Sam laughed softly. “Yes. And we’ll be able to talk to each other, too.”
Elizabeth exclaimed with delight and Sam’s smile deepened. “I love you, baby.”
“Love you, too, Sam.”
“Now put Toni back on so we can set this up, honey.”
“Okay. Here, Toni. Sam wants you.”
Sam turned on Leo’s computer and slid the mouse to position it over his Skype shortcut. She clicked on the icon. The program’s homepage immediately appeared and she typed in her information to connect with Toni clear across the ocean.
After a few moments, Leo’s screen filled with a video of Elizabeth’s face and what Sam assumed was Toni’s arm on the side.
Elizabeth bounced up and down in her chair, clapping her hands as she giggled. “I can see you!”
Sam smiled and touched the screen. “Hi, baby. You look so cute. I miss you so much.”
“I miss you, too.”
She ran a loving gaze over Elizabeth’s shoulder length, dark hair, her big brown eyes, and her cute little mouth stretched into a smile. A pink hair clip attached her bangs off to the side. “You look so pretty, baby. I like your hair this way.”
“Toni bought me the hair clip.”
Sam heard Toni off screen. “And a doll, and a paint set, and a dress.”
“Ah, so Toni’s been spoiling you while I’ve been away,” Sam said.
“She deserves it. She’s been an angel all week,” Toni said with a smile in her voice. “And she has a surprise for you. She’s been practicing all week.”
Sam widened her eyes. “Oh? What’s my surprise, honey?”
Elizabeth smiled. “I learned a song. Do you want to hear it?”
“Of course.”
Elizabeth’s sweet features turned serious and she began singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow in an innocent, pure voice. Elizabeth sounded like an angel and Sam’s mouth started to hurt because she was smiling so much. Midway through the song, Elizabeth stumbled through the words and stopped.
“Uh, I don’t know anymore. I forgot the rest.”
Sam clapped her hands. “That was lovely! Just lovely.”
She saw Toni’s hand reach out and tenderly rub Elizabeth’s back. A flash of envy coursed through Sam’s veins. She desperately wanted to be the one next to Elizabeth, offering her comfort.
All of a sudden, Toni’s face appeared next to Elizabeth’s. “Sam, I’m taking Elizabeth and a couple of the other children to the movies with John. He’s picking us all up in ten minutes.”
“Of course.” The back of her eyes pricked with tears and she willed herself not to cry. “Elizabeth, I’ll see you in a few days, okay? I love you.”
“Love you, too, Sam.”
Moments later, Sam sat in front of a blank screen, her heart heavy.
She was at a loss. She knew the more she procrastinated, the more chance there was someone else was going to adopt Elizabeth. Before she met Leo, her lack of a husband and busy lifestyle stopped her from moving forward with Elizabeth. Now, it was her immortality and that beast lurking beneath her surface.
She sighed wearily and leaned back in her chair, her hands clasping the edge of the desk. She had to make a decision and fast.
Sam frowned, feeling something under the edge of the desk’s surface. She ran her fingers over it. It felt like a button. She pressed her thumb on it, her frown deepening. Suddenly, a loud clank and whirring noise filled the room and she pushed back her chair, rising sharply.
She stared to her left as a drawer concealed in the wall slowly revealed itself as it slid out. Astonished, Sam made her way toward it. It was huge, about four feet by four feet, as it protruded from panelled wall. As she got closer, her heart started to race. Guns, about ten of them, lay on a navy velvety surface alongside strange looking vials and syringes and boxes of bullets. Her gaze froze on the bullets. The boxes were labelled. She saw two rows of silver labels alongside two rows of quicksilver labels.
Sam couldn’t breathe. It appeared Leo had a lot more to tell her about her new life. She picked up one of the guns and turned it over in her hand. It was clean and sleek, and shiny as though someone has recently polished it.
Carefully, she placed it back.
She stared at the strange looking vials and syringes. She picked up one of the vials and turned it over. She brought it closer to her face and read the fine print on the small white label.
Mercury, aka quicksilver, one week’s dosage. Apply two ml three times a day.
With a shaky hand, she placed it back in the drawer. Her mind raced. So, one set of bullets in Leo’s secret drawer could kill a lycan and the other set immobilized them.
She remembered the gun Leo had tucked into the back of his jeans. He must have loaded it with quicksilver bullets otherwise if he killed a lycan with the silver bullets, he would remain in his monstrous form forever.
Sam stared at the syringes. Were they for lycans Leo held captive? She grew cold, wondering what kind of man she fell in love with. In that moment, she felt like she knew nothing about him.
She placed her hands on the edge of the drawer and tried to push it back in the wall, but it didn’t budge. Sam glanced back at the desk and wondered if the button would do the reverse if she pressed it again. Quickly, she made her way to the desk and felt for the button. She found it after a brief search and pressed it. As suddenly as the drawer appeared, it disappeared back into the wall.
Maria’s voice sounded from the main hall and Sam released a startled breath.
“Sam, where are you?”
Quickly, she left Leo’s office and went into the main hall. She saw Maria standing next to the round, center table in the hall.
“Ah, there you are,” the pleasant housekeeper said. “I just came back from Nitsa. She told me to say hello to you and to make sure you go and visit the baby before you leave.”
Sam’s mind was still preoccupied with Leo’s drawer full of arsenal and she wondered if Maria was aware of its existence. “I’ll try and visit tomorrow.”
“Good. Now, did you eat today? I can make you a sandwich if you are hungry.”
; “No. I’m fine. I can wait for dinner.”
“I am making something very simple, grilled fish and a Greek salad.”
“Sounds delicious. I’ll help you.”
“Oh, no. You go and rest. It is a simple meal for me. Go. Watch a movie or read a book. Dinner will be ready when Leo returns.”
“I don’t mind helping you, Maria. You know how much I love to cook.”
“I know, koritsimou, but you are still on vacation. I want you to enjoy the rest of your stay here.” Maria gave her a searching look. “Are you all right, Sam? You look troubled.”
Sam grabbed the first thing from her mind. “I’m…I’m fine. I’m just thinking about Elizabeth. I miss her.” At least she hadn’t lied to Maria.
The housekeeper’s face warmed. “Ah, yes. The child from back home. I understand.” She took Sam’s hand and gave her a kind look. “Do not worry. You and Leo will work this out. You are his one. There is power between you two, and as a lycan now, there is power within you, as well.”
“It…it hasn’t been easy.”
“I understand, but with Leo by your side, you will find the answers to all your problems. He loves you very much. I have never seen him look so happy.”
“I love him, too, Maria.”
Sam worried her lower lip. She understood what Maria was trying to say, but the weapons Leo surrounded himself with implied a dangerous lifestyle, one that threatened his safety if he was compelled to carry a gun. Surely that was another reason why Elizabeth would be better off with normal, human parents?
“Maria, I think I’ll take you up on your suggestion and read a book. I’m…I’m tired all of a sudden,” Sam said in a small voice.
Concern darkened the older woman’s face. “Go and lie down in the library, koritsimou. Maybe you had too much sun today?”
“Yes, maybe,” Sam murmured, and smiled absentmindedly as she headed for the library.
Ten minutes later, she was nestled on the sofa, trying to focus on the story she was reading, but all she kept thinking about was how Leo kept more than a little truths from her.
Mentally and emotionally exhausted, she shut the book and closed her eyes. Maybe a nap would do her good, she thought, before she saw Leo tonight and talked to him.
A short while later, she was asleep.
Chapter Four
Sam opened her eyes and saw Leo standing over her, his handsome face creased into a smile. Her discoveries from the past few hours rushed forth and her gaze wavered under his.
“You looked so peaceful,” he began. “I almost did not want to disturb you, but Maria has dinner ready.” He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her mouth.
Sam did not return his kiss because she was still disturbed he had not told her about the secret drawer or that he carried a gun. Worse, who had he really met with this afternoon? Was it his accountant or lawyer? Or someone completely different and their meeting did not take place in an office, but in the privacy of a bedroom.
Leo frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“We need to talk.”
“Of course. What is it?”
Sam rose from the couch. She rubbed her eyes and tried to catch her bearings. The nap she’d taken was deep and it lasted longer than she wanted it to.
“I don’t want to talk now, Leo. I…I need to go upstairs and wash my face first. We’ll talk over dinner.”
As she made her way to the door, she felt his hand on her arm, pulling her back to face him. His face was laced with concern. “Sam, I can see you are upset. I want to talk now.”
“I want to talk about us and the things I feel are important in a relationship to make it work, specifically…trust.”
He frowned, releasing her arm. “I see. Have I done something to make you distrust me?”
“Leo, can we talk about this over dinner, please? I just woke up from a long nap and I need to freshen up.”
He remained silent, a curious muscle working along his jaw as he stared at her. Finally, he nodded with a dark frown on his face.
“As you wish,” he said.
Sam left the library and went upstairs to his room. She went straight for the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Sam loved Leo and she prayed he would be honest with her once she confronted him.
Honesty. The word sat and festered on her mind. She was the one who would never again be honest. She couldn’t even explain to her mother Leo was her one because she would have to explain the Lycan Legend to her and how she was no longer human.
She chewed the inside of her mouth. She hadn’t spoken to her mother since before her vacation and Sam was filled with a sudden need to hear her wise and comforting voice.
She left the bathroom and walked to Leo’s night stand. She picked up his phone and her body went still.
Leo was on the other line with a woman.
“Veronica, answer your phone when I call you. I worry about you,” Leo said.
“Oh, my darling, you know I’m a big girl who can take care of herself,” a throaty woman’s voice said. “Never fear. I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
“As do I, my dear,” he said deeply.
“Love you, my darling.”
“I love you, too, Veronica. Be safe.”
Sam’s blood ran cold. Slowly, she placed the phone down, unable to hear more. She raised a shaky hand up to her lips, the affectionate tone of Leo’s deep voice like a knife through her heart.
Was she a fool to believe Leo would never carry an affair? That there had to be a logical explanation for what she’d just heard? Sam dismissed reading her Tarot for answers because since she turned into a lycan, they hadn’t been a great help.
Had he just returned from this Veronica? Sam wondered if they’d kissed or worse, had sex. She felt physically ill.
She couldn’t face him right now. She was too dazed. What was she going to tell him? Worse, what was he going to tell her? Numb with pain, she lowered herself on the edge of his bed. Her eyes pricked and she bit her lip to stop it from quivering. She was not going to cry.
She didn’t know how long she stayed in his room, sitting on the edge of his bed, but it must have been a long time because he came through the door with worry lining his dark brow.
“I have been waiting for you for thirty minutes. Are you all right?”
Sam turned her face away from him. A sudden, hot flash of anger welled in her breast and she resisted the childish urge to throw a vase at him. He deserved an award, she thought with resentment, because he played the role of a loving boyfriend very well.
“I’m fine. Please leave me. I want to be alone.”
“What is it, Sam? Since I came home, you have been acting very strange.” He strode to her side and lowered himself next to her, the edge of the bed dipping under his weight. He placed an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to his side, and she jerked out of his embrace, rising from the bed.
She shot him a heated gaze, unable to contain her anger. “You told me your family owns a string of hotels all over the world, but I’m beginning to think that’s a cover for what you really do.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” He asked in a deceptively quiet tone.
“It’s been one lie after another, hasn’t it?”
He raised a dark brow. “I have not lied to you about anything, Sam.”
“You’re lying now! First you were meeting your accountant, and then you were meeting your lawyer. Which one was it? And then I saw the vials and syringes, and all those guns.”
He gave her a long, hard stare before he released a weary, drawn out breath. “You found it, didn’t you? The drawer? I was going to tell you about it, only not so soon. How you found it is beyond me.”
“It was an accident, but that’s beside the point. So, who are you, really? And why do you have to carry a gun?”
“So, I was right. You were hiding in the hallway before I left,” he murmured. “I thought I sensed you t
here, but I was not certain.” A grim mask fell over his face and he rose abruptly. “Fine. Now is as good a time as any to tell you about myself.” His jaw tightened as he rubbed a hand at the back of his neck. “My family spans the continents for over five hundred years. We are a secret organisation founded by a lycan centuries ago. We protect the innocent, Sam, the humans living amongst us. We live under assumed identities, leading normal lives, but our primary mission is to protect the innocent from a growing, rebel force led by a radical leader whose name is Garos.” He paused and when she didn’t say anything, he continued. “There have been others before him, but we destroyed them. Garos’s goal is to annihilate the human race and create a new Earth with his band of lycans and vampires being the dominant race.”
Sam widened her eyes, her mouth agape. She didn’t know what to think—a secret organization, rebel forces, Garos? Either Leo had a wild imagination or he was telling the truth. Her anger slowly faded.
He must have noticed something in her expression because he continued. “I run the New York City division. I carry a gun to protect myself. Garos has been trying to kill me for years. His goal is to kill all the divisional leaders and overtake their cities.”
The blood drained from her face. “What? This man has tried to kill you?”
“A few times, but as you can see, unsuccessfully.”
“Stop trying to be funny. This is serious.”
“I am being serious. Think of my family as a covert organisation fighting terrorism. We have jails constructed in secluded parts of the world where we hold prisoners. In the real world, the human world, we have lycans working in the police department, the army, and the navy. Sam, if Garos takes over most major cities and begins infiltrating the army and navy, life on this world will change. He will kill any human unwilling to turn and follow him. No one will be spared, children, women, babies. And then he will destroy everyone working with us and he will essentially rule the world.”
Her legs weakened and she lowered herself back on the edge of the bed. “So you’re protecting humankind from being obliterated.”
“In a sense, yes. Some say Garos is insane and others say he is a genius who poses a serious threat to humankind.”
Tall Dark Handsome Lycan, Book 2 Page 4
