Shane rubbed his forehead, releasing a heavy sigh. What a mess! He was beyond embarrassed that Samantha, of all people, witnessed his encounter with that girl. By then, Shane couldn’t even remember her name.
“I’m sorry you saw that, Sammy. I honestly don’t know what to say.”
Samantha’s eyes began to tear up again, and she quickly looked away from him. “Please, just leave me alone,” she choked out the words.
“Why are you so upset? I don’t like to see you like this,” Shane said, shaking his head.
Taking a deep breath, Samantha said, “Please, let go of my arm.”
“I want to know what you’re so upset about.” Shane still refused to let her go.
Samantha turned to strike his face with her opposite arm. Shane was able to duck just in nick of time, but because he was caught off guard, he loosened his hold on her arm. Slipping away from him, she tried to dash out of the alley. But it was easy for Shane to recover and grab her again.
“Talk to me! What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?” he asked.
Samantha brought her leg behind his to try to trip him. At the same time, she elbowed him in the gut. This time, he was ready for her, and he didn’t even flinch. Frustrated, she swung her free arm again, but he caught it in midair.
Shane picked her up and braced her against the wall. “Will you calm down? What’s wrong with you? Why are you attacking me?”
“I said, leave me the fuck alone!”
“Not until you talk to me. I’m not letting you go when you’re not yourself.”
Samantha flailed her body desperately to get free. “I hate you. Let me go!”
“No, I won’t.” Shane’s face was inches from hers.
Samantha closed her eyes, shaking her head. “I hate you, Shane!” Her words were bitter and angry.
“What did I do to you to make you feel this way?” he demanded.
“I didn’t need to see you having sex with some girl! That image will stay with me forever.”
“I apologized for that!” Shane shouted. “How was I to know you’d be there? And for the record, we weren’t having sex.”
Samantha’s eyes flung open. “Could have fooled me!”
“I don’t know why you’re so mad,” Shane whispered, inhaling deeply as her scent began to hypnotize him. His body was already braced against hers, and suddenly, he noticed how soft her curves were and how perfectly her body fit against his.
“I don’t like you much right now,” Samantha said, looking away.
“Don’t like me is better than hating me. We’re making progress.” Shane smirked, his eyes dancing. His gaze shifted to her lips, and his heart stopped.
“Let me go, Shane,” she begged.
“I won’t.” He paused, watching helplessly as her lips parted. “I can’t.”
“Please,” she whispered.
“What do you want, Sammy? Is this what you want?” Shane’s thumb caressed her bottom lip as his mouth came closer still.
Samantha bit her lip, waiting for his next move.
“Tell me, Sammy. What do you want?”
“Shane…” Samantha’s voice was thick with emotion, and she slowly reached her shaky hand to his face. Her palm cupped his cheek, and her gaze fell to his lips.
When she licked her own lips, Shane lost the battle he’d been fighting. In an instant, his mouth found hers. As soon as their lips touched, he knew she had wrapped her tiny hand around his heart and would possess it forever. He was not prepared for the powerful reaction from the kiss. Deep inside him, the ache started—the ache that was full of emotions he couldn’t understand. He wanted to push her away because this unfamiliar feeling terrified him. Yet, he was incapable of releasing her. He wanted more from her. So much more. Not only did his body crave more, but his entire being—his soul—begged for fulfillment.
Samantha responded with just as much intensity, locking her fingers into his hair and bringing him closer to her. Her lips parted, and she released a soft moan.
“Sammy, Sammy.” Shane didn’t recognize his own breathless voice. “What have you done to me?”
Shane had no idea if they’d kissed for mere seconds or for hours in that dark alley. He just wanted somebody to stop time so this moment would last forever.
“So, this is what you do when you’re not with my sister?” A voice echoed in the darkness.
Twelve
Shane went still, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him. But when he realized Samantha had also frozen, he knew it wasn’t a good sign. Recognizing the voice, he slowly turned around to face the culprit, shielding Samantha with his body. Camille’s brother, Jared, was standing in his human form, his eyes full of rage as he stared at Shane and Samantha.
“Fancy running into you here, Jared.” Shane tried to keep his voice casual.
“You’ve been leading my sister on all these years?” Jared growled.
“What’s he talking about, Shane?” Samantha asked, still hidden by Shane’s body.
“It’s not what you think, Jared. Besides, Camille and I have an understanding. She knows I’m not ready for anything serious.”
“You’re going to pay for this, Shane! She thinks you’re going to claim her as her mate! And here you are, messing around with human females?” Jared yelled, his breathing erratic.
“This girl is just somebody I picked up at the bar. I barely know her.” Shane tried to play it off. It wouldn’t be in Samantha’s best interest if Jared found out who she truly was and what she meant to him.
“Shane!” Samantha tried to push him away, upset at his words.
“Quiet, let me handle this,” Shane warned, pulling her behind him again.
“You’re an ass! I never want to see you again!” she hissed.
“Nobody makes a fool out of my family!” Jared roared, his eyes blazing.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Jared. Settle down and think rationally,” Shane said, his voice calm, but with a hint of warning.
Jared was beyond any reasoning, and Shane’s worst fear unfolded before him. Shifting into his gargoyle form, Jared yelled, “You’ll regret ever playing games with my sister.”
Samantha released a scream when she saw the monster towering over them. Shane knew he had to act fast, or they were both dead. Glancing toward Samantha, his eyes were full of regret.
“I’m sorry,” he mouthed, just in time as Jared leaped toward them.
Shifting to a gargoyle himself, Shane grabbed him in midair and threw him across the alley. Jared was fast, though, and before Shane could react, Jared was already on top of him. Shane heard Samantha screaming, and he was glad they were deep enough in the alley that probably nobody could hear them, especially with the loud music from the club.
Tossing Jared off him, Shane was able to yell at Samantha to run. But she was frozen on the spot, shocked at the events before her eyes. All Shane wanted to do was to sweep her into his arms and fly her out of there, away from Jared.
As Jared flew up in the air, Shane joined him. The battle moved to the sky, but Shane’s mind remained on Samantha. Was she okay? Was she in shock? What could she possibly be thinking of him?
Although Jared was strong and fierce, Shane was stronger, and soon, he had the upper hand. Holding Jared by his neck, he said, “Don’t interfere with my life again. Go back to your family and tell them all to leave me the fuck alone, including Camille.”
“You will pay, Shane. One way or another, I will make sure you and your girl pay for your sins.” With that, Jared was gone.
Shane contemplated whether to go after him and make him take back the threat he made toward Samantha. But he knew he needed to check on her. He could see her still glued to the wall, incapable of moving. As soon as he landed back into the alley, he shifted to his human form. With caution, he approached her, worried because she wasn’t responding in any way at all. Hell, at this point, he’d even prefer if she ran from him.
When he reached her at arm’s l
ength, he softly said, “Samantha?”
She simply stared at him, her face showing no emotions.
“Say something, Sammy,” he pleaded, apprehensive about her lack of response.
“You’re naked,” she finally whispered. “Just like the first time I saw you.” With those words, she passed out into Shane’s arms.
Scooping her up, Shane immediately transformed into a gargoyle and flew to Damien and Kelsey’s hotel. He already knew they were staying at MGM Grand, and luckily, their room had a balcony. It wasn’t difficult to locate them. Shane always could sense Damien, and he knew his brother would feel him as soon as he landed on the balcony. It was already three in the morning, so Shane was confident that Damien and Kelsey would be in their room.
As soon as he arrived on their balcony, Damien swung open the door. “What the hell, Shane. What’s going on?”
Shane rushed into the room and placed Samantha on the bed.
Kelsey gasped as soon as she saw it was Samantha. Running to her, she exclaimed, “Oh my God! What happened?”
“She’s fine,” Shane said. “She just passed out.”
“What is she doing here? What are you doing with her? Why did she pass out?” Kelsey was becoming very upset and was shooting off one question after another.
“I think you need to start talking, Shane.” Damien’s voice was dangerously soft.
“Hold on. I’ll explain everything. Get me some clothes, Damien. I’m shifting back to human. She might wake up, and I definitely don’t want her to see me like this.”
“Since when did you ever care if anybody saw you naked?” Damien asked.
“Just go get him some clothes, Damien!” Kelsey ordered, shaking her head.
Damien headed to his drawer and threw a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt to Shane. While Kelsey was attending to Samantha, Shane quickly transformed to a human and put the clothes on. He took a deep breath, knowing he was about to get interrogated.
“Well?” Damien demanded.
“She was here with her girlfriends. I had no idea, I swear. She said they’d come to celebrate her twenty-first birthday,” Shane explained, rolling his hand through his hair.
“Oh, yeah, Sammy did tell me she was going out of town with her girls this weekend. I didn’t know it was here,” Kelsey mumbled to herself.
“Yeah, well I had no idea. I was hanging out at a club, and we sort of bumped into each other.” Shane looked away, swallowing hard. He sucked at lying to his brother.
“What do you mean? Why is she passed out?” Damien was frowning as if he didn’t believe what Shane was telling him.
“Is she drunk? Did she drink too much?” Kelsey asked, putting a cold washcloth on Samantha’s forehead. “Sammy, honey, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?”
“No, she’s not drunk. She sort of ran out of the club, and I followed her to make sure she was okay. I found her in an alley, so umm, I was asking her what was wrong. You know, if she was okay.” Shane was stumbling over his words.
Both Damien and Kelsey nodded, waiting for him to continue.
“And then, Jared showed up. You know, Camille’s brother. He was in his human form, but he shifted into a gargoyle right in front of Sammy.”
“What?” Kelsey covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.
“What happened next?” Damien asked.
“I had to shift, Damien. He was going to hurt Sammy.” Shane paused, taking a deep breath. “Yes, it all happened right in front of Sammy, and Jared pounced on us. I had to chase him off. Man, this night has been crazy.”
“She witnessed it all?” Damien demanded.
“Yeah, it gets worse. Before leaving, Jared threatened his revenge, insinuating he’d go after Sammy. I had to go and check on her, so I didn’t pursue him. I changed to my human form to try to talk to her, but she passed out. I knew I had to get her out of there, so I brought her here.”
“I told you long time ago to leave Camille alone. I knew she would be trouble. I’m assuming her brothers know you’ve been messing around with her?” Damien asked as he tried to get all of the information.
Shane nodded, unable to make eye contact. Of course, Damien had warned him about Camille and her family. Shane had deliberately ignored all of the lectures.
“Shane, this is not good. You don’t want to mess with Jared and his clan. Damn it! How did you get yourself into this? What provoked Jared to attack you anyway? And now, Sammy is involved? Don’t you realize how vulnerable she is now? They would kill her just to get back at you.” Damien began pacing the floor.
“I’ll fix it. I’ll find them and fix this mess. But what do we tell Sammy when she wakes up?” Shane intentionally avoided Damien’s question about the reason Jared attacked him.
“That’s right, your powers don’t work on her,” Damien said, contemplating. “But I can make her forget. I can use my powers to make her forget everything that happened tonight. She doesn’t need to be involved with all this.”
“Good idea, Damien,” Kelsey agreed. “The less she knows, the better.”
Shane nodded, but inside, he didn’t want her to forget. They had shared the most intimate moments in that alley, and the thought of her not remembering killed him. But there were no other options. He was being selfish as usual. Damien and Kelsey were right. It would be in her best interest if Damien made her forget everything.
“Okay, yeah,” he mumbled. Just then, he noticed Samantha was stirring on the bed, moaning something.
“It’s okay, Sammy. It’s Aunt Kelsey. Open your eyes. I need to make sure you’re okay.”
“Shane, watch out,” Samantha mumbled, shaking her head with her eyes still closed.
“Sammy, it’s me. I’m okay. Open your eyes. You’re safe now,” Shane held her hand and squeezed it.
Samantha’s eyes flung open. As soon as she saw Shane, she sat up and flinched away. When she noticed Kelsey, she leaned into her arms while visibly trembling.
“Shh, everything is going to be fine. I promise, Sammy,” Kelsey assured her.
“Aunt Kelsey, what’s happening? Where are we?”
“You’re safe, Sammy, I promise,” Kelsey assured her.
“No, it wasn’t right. What I saw…you don’t understand,” Samantha whispered.
“Damien, I think now would be a good time,” Kelsey instructed her husband.
“Sammy, I want you to look at me.” When Samantha turned her head to Damien, he continued, “You will forget all of the events of tonight. When I count to three, you will fall back asleep. When you wake up, you’ll be in your hotel room as if everything is fine. You won’t remember seeing Shane, Kelsey, or me in Vegas. Okay, one, two, three. Close your eyes.”
Samantha turned to Kelsey, Damien, and then Shane. She blinked a few times and then cleared her throat. “Are you trying to hypnotize me? Do I need to be scared here?”
“Oh my God, it didn’t work,” Kelsey said, shaking her head.
“I told you!” Shane jumped out of the bed, ruffling his hair in frustration.
Damien rubbed his chin. “I thought I felt some type of barrier. I tried to break it to get through to her, but I guess it didn’t work.”
“Would somebody tell me what the hell is going on here? Do you know Shane turned into a giant beast?” Samantha looked at Kelsey.
“Wow, this is a mess,” Kelsey mumbled.
“Is anybody going to start talking? The last thing I remember was Shane kissing me, and some guy showed up who turned into a monster. And then Shane—”
“You kissed her?” Damien and Kelsey yelled in disbelief.
“Um, hold on. Let’s all just settle down.” Shane swallowed hard. “Let’s just focus on the immediate problem here, okay?”
“You kissed her?” Kelsey asked again, shoving her index finger into his chest. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“It was nothing, okay? Things got a bit out of control. She was upset, and I tried to calm her down…” Shane knew no matter what
he said, he wasn’t going to be able to get himself out of this one.
“Nothing?” Sammy asked, completely bewildered. “I hate you.”
“So you’ve said multiple times tonight,” Shane said drily.
“Keep this monster away from me. First of all, I had to run into him having sex with some woman at the club.” She turned to him and continued, “It was disgusting, by the way!”
“You were having sex at the club?” Damien demanded. “I have a good mind to beat your ass right now.”
“I was not having sex. I was not, Sammy. Yes, things were probably going to head that way. Anyway, it’s all in the past. What are we going to do now?”
“Kelsey, why aren’t you saying anything? Didn’t you hear me say there were two monsters—and one of them was Shane? They were fighting in the alley.” Sammy frowned at Kelsey.
“It’s useless, Damien. We need to tell her everything.” When Damien nodded, Kelsey continued, “Shane is not a monster, Sammy. He’s a gargoyle. Well, he can turn into a gargoyle or a human. Damien is the same.”
Samantha looked from Damien to Shane. She then turned to Kelsey. “Is this some kind of a crazy joke? Am I still sleeping, and this is just a dream?”
“Honey, why do you think you only see Shane and Damien at night? They turn into stone statues during the day,” Kelsey explained.
“Gargoyles aren’t real. If that were the case, you’d be married to a gargoyle.” Samantha stared at Kelsey, trying to make her see some reason.
“Yes, I am,” Kelsey said. “Ryan and Tori are half human and half gargoyles. Why do you think Shane was able to save us from that fire years ago? How do you think Damien survived when he was near death? It was their gargoyle powers.”
“This is all too much,” Samantha whispered. “I always knew there was something big about Damien and Shane. I just didn’t realize how big.”
“Listen, Sammy, nobody can know about this. Humans are not to know about gargoyles, ever. Do you understand? Normally, Damien and Shane can use their powers to make humans forget. But, it doesn’t work with you for some reason. Their powers are useless against you.”
Fate's Roar Page 7
