Her sixth sense teased her assurance and Sam prayed she was right.
Chapter Nine
Later on that night, while they lay in bed, Sam stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
“Leo?” She whispered.
“Mm?”
“Are you asleep?”
“No.”
“If…if Garos tried to get to you through me, what are the chances he’ll do the same with Elizabeth or Alek?”
Leo didn’t respond right away and Sam grew numb with fear. “I had a guard assigned to Elizabeth’s orphanage,” he said.
Sam went cold as she slowly drew herself up and looked down at his face. “What are you saying?”
His gaze met with hers and she read the regret behind his eyes. “Since I found out Garos had an interest in you, I have had your parents, your foster siblings, Elizabeth and Alek under twenty-four hour protection.”
“Why?” She whispered.
“To be certain they remain safe.”
“And…and how long do you plan on having them under this protection?”
“Until I kill Garos.”
Sam parted her lips, but no sound came out. “I…I see,” was all she managed to say amidst her terrifying, fearful thoughts. Elizabeth played outside of the orphanage. It could take one second for Garos’s men to snatch her if Leo’s guard turned his head.
Leo’s mouth tensed into a grim line and he placed a gentle hand on her face. “Sam, my men are elite warriors. They have existed as long as I and we have fought hundreds of battles. Your family is under good hands.”
Somehow she would be more certain if she had Elizabeth and Alek with her at all times. Her stomach dropped. How could she protect them? She couldn’t even shift when she wanted to.
“Leo, if anything ever happens to…” She couldn’t finish what she wanted to say.
“Sam, Hades will freeze over before I allow Garos to lay a hand on the children.”
She felt a measure of security from his words. Slowly, she lowered her head back onto his chest. “All this time,” she murmured, almost to herself. “All this time and no one noticed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lycans, vampires, witches. They’ve lived amongst us all these centuries and no one has ever noticed.”
“People have noticed. It became harder to cover our tracks after the industrial revolution and more so, after technology hit us. You have heard the stories on the internet from time to time about man-beasts or people claiming they are vampires. When these stories get out, no one believes them.”
“Leo?”
“Yes, my love.”
“Promise me nothing will ever happen to my family or the kids. Promise.”
“You have my word, Sam.”
His arms tightened around her and she closed her eyes. She didn’t fall sleep until the sun rose.
****
Sam was quiet all of the next morning as she and Leo ate their breakfast and packed. She couldn’t even comment to Fritz that he was a remarkable cook as he served them a Spanish omelette with homemade hash browns. As she ate or packed her bags, Leo’s dark gaze followed her every move. Sam caught his eye a few times and knew he was deeply concerned about her. She couldn’t help it. She was worried about her family and the children. Sam didn’t doubt Leo’s indomitable leadership of his family, and she knew if anyone could protect them it as he, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t Leo who would be protecting Elizabeth and Alek directly. It was his men, and she would have felt more secure if it was the other way around.
For the first time she thought to hell with her issues on her immortality and the fact that if a child said her mommy was a monster, in her case it would be true.
Her main concern was the safety of Elizabeth and Alek. She was snapping her suitcase shut when she thought of Garos laying a hand on a tearful, frightened Elizabeth and a blast of rage flooded her senses.
Her hands stilled on the lock and she growled, her bones and skin beginning to tingle. Leo snapped his gaze to her and dropped his bag. In two strides, he was before her, his hands on her shoulders. She gazed up at him and watched his brow knot into a frown, his mouth tighten.
“Your eyes,” he said. “They changed colour. I saw your beast emerge. What is causing you to induce your shift?”
Sam swallowed hard, the tingling over her body going away, her racing heart calming down. In that instant, she had managed to calm her beast, she thought with surprise, but she didn’t know how she did it.
“I was…I was thinking about Elizabeth and…Garos abducting her…and…” She didn’t want to finish. The thought was too terrifying.
Leo dragged her into his arms and held her. “Our need to protect our loved ones is what awakens our beasts the most.” He ran his hand down her back. “Sam, the little one and Alek will come to no harm. I have placed my best men on them.”
Sam nodded, unable to speak.
“Come. We have a long drive ahead of us,” he said, pulling away to look down into her face.
Within the hour, the car was packed and they bade goodbye to Fritz. The drive was long, but calming as Leo engaged Sam in light conversation, asking her questions about the items she sold in her shop and the activities she entertained the children with whenever she volunteered at the orphanage.
Sam was grateful Leo’s attempt to take her mind off things was working. The time passed with ease and eight hours later, they were almost at the orphanage. As they turned a corner and she saw the orphanage at the end of the street, a bubble of happiness rose in her breast, lifting her spirit. She couldn’t wait to hold Elizabeth.
Leo pulled into the orphanage’s parking area and strode to Sam’s side as she unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled down the overhead mirror to check her face. She hoped she didn’t look any different since she turned. There was a fierce, monstrous lycan lurking beneath her surface now and she never wanted Elizabeth to see that side of her. She smiled up at Leo as he extended his hand and he helped her out.
Sam straightened the white skirt and green top she wore. Her hand went to her bun and she was satisfied it was securely fastened.
“You look lovely, Sam.”
She gave him a worried look. “I want to look as normal as possible.”
He raised a dark brow. “You do look normal, darling, and beautiful, I may add. I am sure Elizabeth will be overjoyed to see you.”
They made their way up the entrance to the large glass doors and Leo pushed one open, standing aside to allow Sam to go inside.
The reception area looked exactly as she’d left it over two weeks ago. Clean and inviting with sofas and leafy plants. The sun was starting to dip and it cast a golden glow over the glossy, pine furniture.
Sam smiled at the receptionist behind the desk. “Hi, Janice.”
The receptionist’s eyes lit up. “Samantha! It’s good to see you again.”
“Janice, this is Leo Stefanos, Toni’s brother.”
Leo inclined his head politely. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Janice.”
Sam hid a smile as she watched Janice’s gaze run discreetly over Leo. The receptionist was a happily married sixty year old and Sam could see Leo’s handsome looks and intense energy still managed to fluster the older woman.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Leo,” Janice said, her composure finally intact. She looked at Sam. “Someone has been dying to see you. The other children, too. They all missed you, Sam.”
“I missed them, too.”
Janice smiled at Leo. “We have other volunteers who come here a play with the children, but Sam is the one they love the most. I have never seen anyone so dedicated to the children. She’s here a few times a week, you know. The children are lucky to have her. I don’t know how she does it, running her shop and taking the time to come here.”
Leo turned his dark gaze on Sam and the look behind his eyes made her heart flutter. “Sam is a very special woman and we are all lucky to have her in our lives.”
“Sa
m,” Janice began quietly. “There’s something I have to tell you. The news came in this morning.”
She tore her gaze from Leo’s and stared at Janice. “No. Not this soon?” She asked, dread seeping through her bones.
Janice nodded, her eyes filling with sympathy. “I’m afraid so. The papers haven’t been signed yet, but it seems certain they will be.” Janice pursed her lips. “You do know all you have to do is change your mind. The board will award you custody of her, Sam. They are all aware how much Elizabeth loves you and how much you love her.”
The irony was not lost on Sam. In the past year, her parents, Toni, the social workers, all had told her to adopt Elizabeth, but Sam’s dilemma had always been could she care for a child when she was so busy? Could she be a single parent? Wouldn’t Elizabeth be better off with a stable family that had both a mother and father who could nurture and care for her properly.
Now, her dilemma was a bit more extreme. She was a lycan and there wasn’t any way to explain that to a little girl. It wasn’t bad enough Sam could transform into a beast at any time, she was also immortal, and the idea of watching Elizabeth grow old and die was still unimaginable.
“Does Elizabeth know, yet?” Sam asked.
“We’re waiting until the papers are signed before we talk to her. You know how disappointed some of the children are when something goes wrong and their adoption doesn’t go through.”
Sam did know and she’d spent enough time holding these children, trying to make them feel better. “Are they a nice couple?” She asked quietly.
“Yes, they are. They have a nice house and a dog.”
“Elizabeth loves dogs,” Sam murmured, her eyes beginning to burn. She inhaled deeply and ran her hand over her eyes. “This is harder for me than I thought it would be. I can’t help feeling this could be the biggest mistake of my life.”
“Sam,” Leo said quietly. She gave him as stricken look. “I told you we could adopt Elizabeth,” he said. “Once we are married, Elizabeth will have her family and I am sure this nice couple will find another child to adopt.”
Janice clapped her hands and let out a startled gasp. “You’re getting married? That’s wonderful news! Sam, congratulations!”
Could they do it? Could they actually be a normal family? She remembered when she’d met his parents one night on her vacation and how they all had seemed normal. Then again, his family had had centuries to get accustomed to their life.
Janice glanced behind Sam and Leo and her smile grew. “Oh, there you are, my dear. Look who has come to visit you?”
Sam tore her gaze from Leo’s and turned to look down the hall behind them. The sight of Elizabeth dressed in pink shorts and a white top running down the hall, her little arms outstretched, her sweet face lit with a beaming smile, filled Sam with so much love, she thought her heart would burst.
She went down on her knees and caught Elizabeth as the little girl flung herself into her arms.
Sam hugged her tight and she shut her eyes at the threat of tears. “Hi, baby. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, Sam. You were gone long.”
“It was only a couple of weeks, honey, but now I’m back.” Sam kissed her soundly on the cheek before she pulled away and gazed lovingly at the little girl.
Elizabeth grinned. “Look, Sam, I lost another tooth.” She drew back her lips and pointed to her missing tooth.
“Oh my goodness, look at that. Very soon you’ll have all your big girl teeth. Did the tooth fairy come and visit you?”
Elizabeth nodded. “She left me a dollar.”
Sam smiled. “A whole dollar! What will you do with it?”
“I want to buy that new doll, Sasha Dawn, but I don’t have enough money.”
“Well, I suppose I’ll have to pay the difference, then, won’t I?” Elizabeth let out a little squeal of delight and Sam reached up and took Leo’s hand. “Honey, this is Leo Stefanos,” she said, her tone gentle. “He’s my friend.”
She glanced up at him and noticed the imperceptible quirk of his mouth. He obviously found her comment on him being her friend amusing, but what else could she say? She couldn’t spring it on Elizabeth that he could possibly be her new father. Sam was taken aback by her thought. Was she beginning to contemplate them being a family?
Leo knelt down and extended his hand to Elizabeth. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Elizabeth looked at his hand and slowly extended hers, her cute face mirroring her shyness. Her little hand disappeared in Leo’s gentle handshake and Sam’s heart melted at the look of tenderness on his face.
“So, tell me about this doll, Elizabeth? What was her name again? Sasha Dorn?” Leo asked.
Elizabeth giggled. “Dawn. Sasha Dawn.”
“Ah, I see. And what makes her so special?”
“She has pretty clothes and pink, shiny hair, and can she carries a wand that sings.”
“Hm,” Leo said, his expression serious. “Is this doll very popular with all the little girls?”
Elizabeth nodded. “All my friends here want one.”
Leo rose slowly. “Well, we should go to the store immediately. We do not want the dolls to be sold out now, do we?”
“No. No, we don’t,” Elizabeth said breathlessly, her eyes dancing with excitement.
Janice smiled as she signed Elizabeth out for a couple of hours and bade them goodbye, Elizabeth skipping happily alongside Leo and Sam. Leo flashed a warm smile at Sam and in that moment, she fell in love with him all over again.
They drove to the mall and made their way inside, Elizabeth repeating the name of the store they needed to go to after every few steps.
Sam laughed. “We know, honey. Don’t worry. We’ll find it.”
They stopped at a touch screen information kiosk and Leo said, “Hm. We need to select children’s toys.” He touched the screen and another one appeared with a list of all the stores that sold toys for children. Elizabeth jumped up and down, squealing with delight.
“Can I do that? I want to touch it,” she said.
Leo smiled down at her and gently lifted her in front of the screen. “Do you know which store to select?”
Elizabeth’s face puckered up into a thoughtful frown and Sam resisted the urge to help her. “Mm, is it this one?”
“You were very close,” Leo said. “Why don’t you select the one below that?” She did and a giant map appeared above them. Elizabeth giggled. Leo placed her down and stared at the map. “It appears the store is just around the corner on our left.”
Sam couldn’t believe how warm and sweet Leo was with Elizabeth. A curious thought entered her mind. He was three hundred years old and he had never had children. Her mind veered toward something warm and comforting. Leo would make an excellent father.
They walked into the store and Leo asked a sales clerk where the toy section was. Moments later, they were standing in front of a long shelf that displayed rows and rows of Sasha Dawn.
Sam whistled. “Elizabeth wasn’t kidding when she said this doll was popular.”
Leo smiled at her before he waved down the attention of a sales clerk. The boy strolled to them with a pleasant smile on his face.
“How can I help you, sir?” He asked.
“Do you deliver?”
“Yes, we do.”
“Great.” Leo gestured to all the Sasha Dawn dolls before him. “I will need one for us and the rest to be delivered to the orphanage on Melvin Street. Do you need the exact address? It is about five blocks from here.”
“Oh no. We know the place. Every Christmas we deliver boxes of donations there.”
Leo nodded approvingly. “Great, and attach a note to the shipment that says the dolls are a gift from Elizabeth and Sam.”
Elizabeth snapped her little head up and gaped at Leo. Sam, on the other hand, was ashamed her eyes had welled up with tears. She gulped the painful knot in her throat and surreptitiously blinked away her tears.
Leo frowned as he looked down at
Elizabeth. “Now, little one, what do we get the boys?”
Elizabeth recovered from her shock quickly and looked around. “My friend, Peter, always talks about a new video game all the boys want, but our Xbox isn’t working. Simon broke it and everyone is mad at him.”
Leo looked at the sales boy. “Do you know which game Elizabeth is talking about?”
“Oh, yeah. We got another order shipped in this morning. It sells out right away.”
“Do you still have some in stock?”
“A few.”
Leo nodded. “Add one of those games to the delivery and your latest Xbox.”
“Yes, sir,” the sales clerk smiled.
Leo took one of the Sasha Dawn dolls down and handed it to Elizabeth as the sales clerk walked to an internal phone nailed to a post a few feet away. Sam heard him asking for all available sales clerks to help assemble Leo’s order.
“If you follow me, I will process the payment for you,” the clerk said.
“Of course,” Leo said.
Elizabeth hugged the big box to her little chest as she walked between Leo and Sam. Every once in a while she would look up at Leo and grin at him. He reached down and patted her gently on her little back, his face warm as he smiled down at her. Sam caught Leo’s gaze and she mouthed ‘thank you’ to him. Leo’s face softened into a smile and she mouthed the words, ‘I love you’.
He didn’t respond back, and he didn’t have to. She saw the love on his face.
Finally, after paying for the order and confirming the shipping day, they all left the store. Leo suggested stopping for something to eat and Elizabeth’s face lit up.
“Can we have pizza?” She asked.
Leo smiled and they made their way to the food court.
After a short while, they sat down and ate their pizza. Sam hardly participated in the conversation as Elizabeth talked about her friends and how happy they were going to be with their gifts. Sam sat back and watched Leo converse with Elizabeth and marvelled at his natural parenting skills. He was patient, allowing Elizabeth to go on and on about her doll, appearing very interested in everything she was saying.
Tall Dark Handsome Lycan, Book 2 Page 10
