by Tamara White
Untamed
Sons of Zeus
Tamara White
Contents
Acknowledgments
1. One
2. Two
3. Three
4. Four
5. Five
6. Six
7. Seven
8. Eight
9. Nine
10. Ten
11. Eleven
12. Twelve
13. Thirteen
14. Fourteen
15. Fifteen
16. Sixteen
17. Seventeen
18. Eighteen
19. Nineteen
20. Twenty
21. Twenty-One
22. Twenty-Two
23. Twenty-Three
24. Twenty-Four
25. Twenty-Five
26. Twenty-Six
27. Twenty-Seven
28. Twenty-Eight
Epilogue
About the Author
Books By Tamara White
Copyright © 2019 Tamara White
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Created with Vellum
Acknowledgments
For all the readers out there who have been patient with me while I go through the process of re-diting my works. Thank you for believing in me enough to go back and read my books again xx
One
Shadows surround me, and I can’t help the fear racing through my heart. Where am I? I look for an escape through the shadows, but I know I can’t let them touch me. If they do, bad things will happen.
Shivering from the sudden drop in temperature, I hesitantly begin to make my way through, squeezing past the shadows gingerly. One of them comes close enough that it almost makes contact with me. I suck in my stomach, willing myself to hold perfectly still. Thankfully, it moves away without touching me.
I finally make it through and my shoulders slump in relief. Then out of nowhere, they swarm me and I’m taken down to the ground, my body lighting up in agony.
“Please, stop,” I beg, my voice raspy. Still the pain intensifies, until a ball of white light explodes through the shadows, disintegrating all of them.
He came. He always comes for me.
I bolt upright in my bed, my breaths coming out in short pants as I try to get my bearings. After three years, you would think I would be used to this by now. But no, it still feels all-too real. Hurts too much. It’s driving me fucking insane! Why do I get stuck with these stupid dreams? Even my therapist doesn't have a clue.
I sigh and look over at the clock. I realize I’m running late and scramble out of bed, rushing to take a shower as quickly as I can.
Nat will be here any minute.
“Val! Where the hell are you? We’re going to be late!” Speak of the devil.
Hurrying to get dressed in a navy-blue halter dress and matching heels, I apply one last twist to my ponytail, letting my natural curls bounce back. They look as if I spent hours styling them rather than mere seconds.
I open my bedroom door, shaking off the remnants of my dream and vowing not to let it ruin my day. Today is my twenty-first birthday and my best friend is taking me out for coffee with Jessica and Sally, before dragging me to a surprise party she thinks I’m oblivious to. Little does she know, Sally already told me. I had to beg for the info, but she caved eventually.
Nat means well, but you would think by now she’d give up on trying to surprise me. I always find out about it. After all, she’s not very original when it comes to planning them. I mean, why plan a surprise party for the day of my actual birthday? She could have done it the day before, the week before, hell, even the month before and I’d probably be surprised, but nope, she plans them on my birthday each and every time.
I guess it’s better than nothing, though. I frown at how quickly my mood was brought down and mentally slap myself. Nothing will get me down today. No moping! Nat put a lot of effort into today and she deserves some happiness. After all, she stayed behind for me. If I have to put up with a couple of hours at a party to make her happy, then I shall. Sally and Jess will be there too, so I can at least catch up on all the gossip. We’ve barely had any time together lately. Work has been hectic, leaving me with no time to socialize.
Natalie, bless her heart, begged my bosses at the diner and the coffee shop to give me the day off. She told me it was so we could go out to dinner then come back to the house for a movie night. Even though I know we’ll be going out instead, I still appreciate the effort.
She’s the only one besides Jess and Sally who remembered my birthday. My mother used to celebrate it with me every year, up until I turned sixteen that is.
We were in a car accident where I was badly wounded, leaving me with severe scarring across my stomach and chest. But my mother suffered a stroke. It had some side effects which left her with memory loss, behavioral changes and slight difficulty with speaking. Ever since we came home from the hospital, Nat has been my rock.
When it came time for us to go off to college, I could no longer afford it. Since the accident, my mother had used all of my trust for her own exorbitant wants. Nat, being the amazing friend she is, stayed behind too, just for me. Sure, if you asked her why she stayed in this crappy little town, she would say, ‘Oh, I wasn’t quite ready for college life,’ but I know she did it for me.
Natalie keeps trying to get me to ask my dad for help, but if I did that, then he’d know my mother had used up my college fund. He’d confront her about it, which would lead to her being verbally abusive yet again, something I just don’t want to deal with. Her temper tantrums have begun to make it hard to keep living here.
I hurry down the stairs, and am surprised when I don’t see Natalie waiting for me. “Nat, where are you?” I call as I hit the ground floor. Unbelievable. She barges in here, shouting throughout the house, but then disappears when I’m ready to go? What the hell?
The sound of voices lures me to the back of the house. Nat must have decided to visit my mom.
Since she came home from the hospital, she has resigned herself to a rocking chair in the sitting room, that is unless she goes out with one of her so called ‘friends.' Not that any of her 'friends' have come to visit her after her stroke. No, Nat, Sally and Jessica were the only ones around during the six months it took for me to heal. Mom ended up moving herself to that room and stayed there until I was finally able to get back to my normal routine. That was when she snapped out of it and we started to notice a change in her.
When I was younger, she had the sitting room decorated to match to her tastes, and it’s the one room in the house that has remained the same since my father left. It’s so gaudy that I rarely ever go in there unless I have to. She has bright-red furnishings and gold fittings on the lights, as well as many little gold baubles throughout the room. Every time I walk past, I’m reminded of a bird that collects shiny trinkets to store in their nest.
The voices are still talking in hushed tones and I tiptoe closer to hear what they are saying. Nat hates my mom because of the way she treats me, so I don’t understand why they’re having a conversation.
As I silently move forward, I can start to make out what is being said. I hesitate, unsure if I should be listening, but curiosity takes
over. I see the edge of my mother’s chair and duck around the corner to avoid being seen.
“You need to tell her, Melissa. She deserves to know.” Nat’s voice comes out harsh, louder than their previous whispered words. The tone she uses tells me she’s clearly pissed. I’ve heard that tone enough to know what mood she’s in. I’d bet anything her blue eyes are burning into my mother right now.
What I don’t understand is who she’s talking about, though. Does she mean me? If it’s not me, then who is it my mother has to talk to? My heart races with the need to know what they are discussing. I slide forward a little more to hear them better.
“You don’t tell me what to do, Natalie! Remember your place! That thing doesn’t need to know any more than it already does. The power in it is unimaginable, and I will have it for myself!”
I shuffle my feet anxiously and the floorboards beneath me creak. It goes quiet in the sitting room, so I begin to back away as silently as I came in. My mind whirls with questions about their conversation. Who were they talking about? And why did Nat talk about a ‘her’ when my mother plainly referred to this person as an ‘it?’
Before I can think on it too much, though, Nat appears in front of me, looking as light and carefree as usual. “Hey, babe. Ready to go?”
I look her up and down, her blonde hair the complete opposite to my pitch-black locks. Her naturally rosy cheeks and slight tan make her look like a supermodel. Her bright blue eyes shine with an ethereal radiance that draws men in from miles around. I don’t think I’ve ever seen eyes the same shade of blue before. She’s one of a kind.
“Yep, all good to go."
With that, we walk out of my two-story Victorian home and straight into Nat’s bright pink car. She was super proud to have found a car in her favorite color. She also lets me borrow it when she’s working, which has been a lifesaver while trying to balance both of my jobs.
I guess it may be time to reconsider moving in with Nat. When I had to stay home instead of going off to college, she offered to let me move into her parents’ house with her. She was there alone, since they had moved to another state and left her the house.
But back then I was worried about my mother and how she would cope as she still had minor memory lapses. Now, however, she seems to be doing much better. She still has mood swings, but I think she would be okay without me.
Nat starts the car, speeding out of the driveway faster than she normally does. Maybe something more happened with my mother after I walked away? Who knows? I’ve learned that Nat won’t tell me what’s wrong unless she wants to, so there’s really no point in asking. Instead I try to distract her from her thoughts with the mention of tonight. "So, you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” I ask, holding back a smile.
She makes a few turns until we’re on the main road before responding. “I’m taking you to a club. And before you object,” she adds, fixing me with a glare, “it took me a long time to organize this, so no complaining.”
I close my mouth with a smirk. While a night out in a packed club with overpriced drinks isn’t my ideal way to spend my birthday, I am just so thankful that she remembered.
I slump in the passenger seat, putting on a sour expression. “Ugh, fine.” I pretend to mope, waiting for her face to drop.
She glares at me from the driver’s seat, taking her eyes off the road for a moment. “Don’t make me pull this car over, Val, because I will. And you know just what happens when I get grumpy.”
I smile brightly at her, erasing any evidence of a frown. “Okay, happy Val it is. But seriously, I know how much work you put into this. I know you wanted to surprise me. I'm sorry if me knowing has ruined the fun for you."
“Sally told me right after she spilled the beans, so we at least had time to change stuff. Trust me, I still plan to surprise you.” She winks at me as we pull into town.
“Thank you. I know I may not seem very grateful, but it means a lot to me that you put in all this effort for me. I doubt my mother even remembers what today is.”
“Trust me, she knows,” I hear Nat mutter under her breath.
My head whips around, unsure why she’d say it like that. It sounded... odd.
“What was that?”
She shakes her head, focusing on the road as we near my favorite coffee shop. “Nothing. I just want you to know I love you, babe. No matter what comes our way, I won’t ever leave you.”
“Good, because without you, I doubt I’d survive in this stinky ass town.”
She laughs as we park at the back of the coffee shop. It’s one of the best places in town and our usual place to catch up. We can sit for hours and talk over a good cup of coffee.
“Come on, Val. Hurry up!”
Natalie is already out of the car and over by the back door, looking at me impatiently. I shake my head with a smile as I climb out of the car and follow after her.
She knows I get stuck in my thoughts from time to time, so I doubt it even bothers her anymore.
I walk in behind her, stopping just after she does and running straight into her back. “Oi! How about you give a girl some warning before just stopping like that? This hallway isn’t exactly wide, you know,” I grumble.
Nat turns around to face me with a smirk. “I love you, Val.” The mischievous little sparkle in her eyes has me taking a step back, but she grips my wrist to stop me from leaving, pulling me the last few steps forward.
“SURPRISE!”
I see Jessica and Sally standing there in the middle of the empty coffee shop, holding up a banner that reads ‘Happy Birthday.’ On top of that, there are red, orange and yellow streamers hanging all around the place.
“What is this?” I ask in complete shock.
Nat pulls me over to the table in the middle of the café, which is covered with cakes, sandwiches and empty mugs.
“This, my dear friend, is a surprise party. I know you aren’t a big fan of the club scene and when I found out Sally let loose the deets on tonight”—she shoots a mocking glare at Sally, who responds by sticking her tongue out in a playful manner—“we figured we’d all have a coffee catch up before the club.”
“Wow…” I murmur, not quite sure what to say. I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve neglected my friends and seeing the effort they put into making me happy today makes me feel horrible.
“Thank you, guys. So much,” I finally say, giving Sally and Jessica a hug. Then I turn to Nat, a wide grin spreading across my face.
She takes a frightened step away. “Val… don’t even think about—”
She doesn’t get a chance to finish her sentence, though. I pounce on her and tackle her to the floor, ignoring the fact we’re both wearing dresses for the club tonight. I kiss her on both cheeks multiple times before she finally starts laughing. “Okay, Val, get off me,” she begs.
I lean back on the floor, a massive grin on my face. “You know I love you, right?”
Natalie climbs to her feet elegantly. “I love you too, Val, but I swear sometimes you can be such a child,” she grumbles, but with a smile so I know she’s teasing.
“Oh, I’m the child? I’m pretty sure it was you who started the habit of peppering people with kisses when they did something you liked. If anything, you’re the bad influence because most of my habits I learned from you.”
“She’s right, you know,” Jessica chimes in, hiding a grin. “If I remember correctly, you were the instigator even before we started school. I don’t know how many times I was warned to stay away from you. I thought, ‘Meh, there’s only two months left of school, what could happen?’ Then we all went streaking through the middle of town. While it was snowing! Do you remember how cold that was?”
I laugh at the memory, thinking back to how fast we all ran just to get back inside, as well as the number of times we ended up stumbling in the snow along the way. Even though the snow was only an inch deep, it was still fricking cold.
“Come on, Val, these two are just going to start arguing, so
we may as well sit down and order,” Sally says with a playful smile. The moment Sally and I sit down, Jessica and Natalie playfully shove each other before joining us at the table.
“How did you guys manage this?” I look over at Nat, knowing she must have been responsible for this in some way.
She grins at me. “Well, you know that guy I was dating a while back: Small Willy?” I snort at the mention of her last boyfriend. She loves naming boyfriends based on their least attractive features. Two guesses why she named him Small Willy.
“You mean William?” Sally asks, refusing to call him by his nickname.
“Yeah, well he still owed me a favor and his dad owns the place. So here we are. He even managed to get us a private barista for the day. Apparently, his dad didn’t trust us not to break anything.”
At the mention of the barista, the girl comes over and takes our orders. Then she heads behind the counter, setting to the task of making us coffee.
“So, Val? Feel any different today?”
I grin over Jessica. “Yeah, I feel old.”
She waves her hand flippantly. “Ha! Twenty-one is not old. Just wait until we’re fifty and you’re trying to sneeze without pissing yourself. Then we’ll really be old.”
Once our coffee comes, we spend the next two hours just catching up on life. Jessica told me she has a new boyfriend and her parents are pushing her harder than ever to go back to college. She went for one year, but dropped out when the course load became too much.
