Tall Dark Handsome Lycan (20 page)

His expression softened. 
“I do not believe you.  I can hear your heart beating from here.  I can feel the passion running through your veins for me.”  He moved closer.  “Lycans can only sense these things with their
one.
  Their soul mate.  You are my
one
, Sam.”

Confusion melted away her anger.  Was he telling her he loved her?  If he loved her, then why did he have to invent that wild tale about Lycans?  And what of the
endless ocean between their homes?  That hadn’t changed. It was still there, lying like a malevolent ghost, taunting and nipping away at her happiness.

“What are you saying?”  She asked in a small voice.

“I love you, Sam.”

Her heart lifted and soared at the words.  He loved her!  Everything disappeared from her mind except those three little words and she released a small whimper and
let the towel drop to the floor as she flung herself into his arms. He groaned as he gathered her close, whispering hoarsely into her damp hair,
“My one.
”

S
he pressed her body up against his, female against male, and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him with reckless abandonment.

Leo ran his hands over her back, her bottom, her
shoulders, leaving a scorching trail.  Sam moaned against his mouth, squeezing her eyes against the threat of tears.  He loved her, she thought, ignoring the taunting little voice in her head, reminding her of Lycans, Katina, and the ocean between them.   She was too happy in this moment to dwell on anything that could threaten her joy.

He carried her to the bed and laid her down, his face taut with desire and need.
He ran a hungry, dark gaze over her body as he quickly shed his clothes. And then he was on top of her and Sam arched her body to meet his as he ran hot, ardent kisses over her face. This may have been the last time she was going to be with him and she clung to him like a drowning woman to air. She didn’t want this to end.

“I want you now, Leo,” she whispered.

The dark, possessive look he gave her sent a tremor through her limbs and she lifted the lower part of her body to meet his.

Without another word, he entered her, swiftly and sharply
, and she cried out. He filled her completely and they began to move in unison. Sam arched her neck and closed her eyes as the escalating pressure in her womb mounted. She dug her nails into his back and wrapped her legs around him.

Leo climaxed with one final, hard thrust, spending his seed in her and Sam followed as she soared to the heavens and then plummeted to earth.

“Under no circumstances do we delay our talk,” he practically growled into her neck. He raised his head and gave her a determined look. “I’m going to shower and we meet in the library in thirty minutes. Understood?” He added harshly, dropping a hard kiss on her bruised lips.

A
ll she could do was nod.

Thirty minutes later, Sam was ready to meet Leo. She dressed in a simple pair of beige shorts, a white top and slipped on her brown sandals. Her hair misbehaved, so she pulled it up into a messy knot at the base of her neck. A few tendrils escaped the clip and she let the wisps fall and frame her glowing, tanned face.

Sam
glanced at her watch and inhaled an unsteady breath. Leo was waiting for her.  A few minutes later, she was opening the door to the library and saw Leo standing by the bar.  Her heart skipped a beat as she ran her gaze over him.  His dark hair was still damp from his shower and he was dressed in blue jeans and a black T-shirt.  He looked up and saw her, his gaze flickering approvingly over her appearance.  “Would you like something to drink?”  He asked.

“No, thank you.”

He strode to the couch and motioned for her to join him.  “Please, have a seat.”

After she settled beside him, she realised how nervous she was.  Her heart beat like a caged bird.

“Sam, have you been feeling any different since the first time we made love?”

“No.  Why do you ask?”

His face turned grim.  “Sam, do you remember earlier when I told you that you were my
one,
my soul mate?”  She nodded.  “I realised we were bound by destiny right after we made love.”  He took a deep breath.  “Lycans control their turning, but when a Lycan makes love their
one
for the first time
,
they involuntarily transform into their Lycan beast.  I had to tell you to leave otherwise you would have seen me transform.”

She tensed.  “Leo, please stop this werewolf nonsense.  I don’t believe you.  I don’t even know why you’re persisting with it.”

“Sam, you must believe me.  The Lycan Legend is clear.  If the Lycan’s
one
is human, they will involuntarily transform into a Lycan on the next full moon.  I am sorry.  If I had known you were my
one
, I would have never made love to you unless I told you everything.  I would have given you the choice.”

He remained silent as though waiting for his words to sink in.  They did.  “Are you saying I’m going to turn into a Lycan tonight?  Isn’t it a full moon this evening?”

“It is.”

A small part of her believed him because she knew he wasn’t insane.  Yet, a bigger part of her knew the werewolves and vampires she read about existed only in books and movies.  There was only one thing left to do to resolve this.  

“Prove it,” she said.

He frowned.  “You want me to turn into my beast?”

“Yes, I want you to turn into your beast.  God, I sound nuts just saying it.”

“Sam, are you sure you want to see this now?  Shouldn’t we discuss this more until you are more open and accepting to the idea?”

“Nope.  Transform.  Do your thing and change or shift or whatever you call it.”

“As you wish.”

Surprised, she watched him rise and stand before her.  Was he serious?  She hadn’t expected him to—she drew back on the couch, horror lining her face as she watched Leo’s body grow and shift into an eight foot tall monster, his clothes ripping as he expanded.  She stopped breathing.  Her gaze ran over his jowls, his talons, his hoofed feet.  He was naked, his clothes shredded by his feet on the floor.

She opened her mouth as a wave of hysteria and fright assaulted her.  Sam screamed at the top of her lungs.  She gasped for air and rose on shaky legs, watching him transform back to his human self.  Blindly, she made her way around the couch as the room started to spin.

Blackness was overcoming her, and before she fell into a dead faint, she felt Leo’s arms around her followed by his muffled curse.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and watched Maria over her, dabbing a cold wash cloth over her forehead.  Sam cringed.  “You’re one of them, too!  Stay away from me!”

Maria shook her head.  “No, I am human.  My family has been with Leo’s family for generations.”  Her expression fell.  “Oh, my girl.  Why did you have to find out like this?  Leo, why didn’t you break it to her gently?”

“I tried,” he remarked over her shoulder.

Sam couldn’t look at him. 

“You may go now, Maria,” he said.

The older woman nodded and gave Sam a squeeze on her shoulder before she left.  Sam rose from the couch, avoiding Leo’s gaze.

“Where do you think you are going?”

“To my room.  I…I’m tired and I…” she said. 

“Sam, look at me,” Leo said quietly. 

Slowly, she turned to the sound of his voice and saw him standing a couple of feet away from her.  He was dressed in a black, silk robe.  She glanced at the floor where his ripped clothes had fallen and saw they were gone.

“Maria took them away.  She was also good enough to fetch my robe while I placed you on the couch after you fainted.”  He swallowed hard.  “Please, do not be afraid of me.  I could not bear it if what I am frightens you.  I am still a man.”

Her gaze met his and she melted at the look of tenderness on his face.  “I’m scared.  You said I would turn into a Lycan tonight.”

“It will not hurt and it will last only a couple of minutes.  A Lycan can control their turnings.  We are immortal and can only die with silver through the heart.  A human turns into a Lycan in one of two ways.  Like you, mating with your
one
, or being bitten on a full moon.”

“Is Toni a Lycan?”

“No.  She was born a human.  It is a rare occurrence, but it happens.”

“The amber eyes, my readings with monsters and full moons, all that growling.  I never understood the signs.”

“How could you?  How could anyone?  Society knows us as a work of fiction, not reality.  Very soon, you will develop the strength of ten men.  You will have an acute sense of hearing and you will pick up scents from very far distances.” 

“Toni never said a word.  I’ve know her for a year and she never said a word.”

“She will never reveal our secret to anyone, Sam.  Not even to her husband.  We must keep our anonymity to survive.  It is harder for the vampires to blend in with society because they cannot appear outside in daylight, but us Lycans can blend in easily.” 

Sam buried her face in her hands.  “How am I going to tell my family?”

Leo took her by the shoulders and pulled her against him, hugging her close.  “Sam, you can never tell them.  We do this for their safety as well as ours.  These werewolf and vampire killers I told you about are dangerous and they will stop at nothing to kill your human family to get to you.”

She raised a pair of stricken eyes to his face.  “What are you telling me?”

“Eventually you will have to disappear, with me.  Your family and friends will watch you stay young and they will ask questions.”

A tormenting thought struck her.  “I’m going to watch everyone around me die of old age, even little
Elizabeth.”  Her eyes welled with tears.  “No, I don’t want this!  Make me human again!”

His expression was sombre.  “That is the one downfall to being immortal, Sam.  I am sorry.”

She pushed herself out of his embrace, choking back on a rising sob.  “I need to be alone.  Please, I need time alone,” she said, her tears falling.  She rushed out of the room before he could stop her and she ran to the stairs.  Halfway up the stairwell, she envisioned a future where she would never see her brothers or sisters again, never play with the kids she grew to love at the orphanage and she collapsed on the stairs, clutching the rail.  She cried and cried as though they were all already dead.  Her tears blurred her vision and she rubbed her arm over her face, sobbing uncontrollably.  In about eighty years, all the people she loved would be dead and she would be young and healthy.

She felt Leo’s arms around her, gently prying her from the rail.  “Come with me, my love.  Do not despair.  You still have a few more good years to spend with your family.”  He lifted her in his arms and she closed her eyes, burying her face against his chest.  His warmth comforted her. 

She didn’t know where he carried her until she realised he was placing her on his bed.  He lay down beside her and gathered her in his arms.  “I will stay with you until the full moon rises.  Have no fear, Sam.  I will not leave your side.’

His hand played with her hair, lulling her to sleep.  She was emotionally and mentally exhausted.  The steady rise and fall of his chest soothed
her and slowly she fell asleep.

                        
       * * * *              

           Sam opened her eyes and stared at Leo’s sleeping form.  It was happening!  Fire and ice coursed through her veins as her skin stretched, her bones expanded, her body tingled.  Leo was right.  It didn’t hurt, but the shock of what was happening to her made her numb with terror.  Her clothes ripped and shredded from her growing form.

            Her legs dangled over the edge of the bed and she looked down at her body, stunned when she saw her sinewy muscles.  She rolled over on her back and raised her hands, staring at her taloned fingers, sparse, dark hair peppering her knuckles.

            “Leo, wake up!”

            She stiffened at the sound of her voice.  Even her voice had changed.  It sounded deep, with a hollow ring to it.

Leo shot up from the bed and stared at her.  “It will be over in a minute.  You will transfer back to your human in a moment.”

All she could do was stare at him as her body slowly shifted back.  She released a ragged breath when it was over.  “That was crazy!”

“You never have to shift again.  From now on, the choice is yours.  When you want to call upon your inner wolf or your Lycan beast, your instinct will guide you.”  He gathered her in his arms and held her.  “I love you, Sam.  I’m so sorry I did this to you.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I’m happy I found my soul mate,”  she said, realising she meant it.

He kissed her on the top of her head.  “Yes, as I am.  I love you, Sam.”  He released a heavy sigh, squeezing her.  “By the way, I told my parents you are my
one
and they were very pleased with the news.”