Untouched Read online

  Sam wiggled her eyebrows and swatted Kerry’s knee. “You got it.” She drained the rest of her wine and stood. Standing in the center of the room, she opened her arms wide and closed her eyes. Within moments she shimmered and shifted into a massive gray wolf with bright blue eyes. Kerry stared openmouthed at the creature her friend had turned into.

  What do you think? Sam’s sweet voice wafted into Kerry’s mind as the enormous gray wolf walked over to her.

  “That is really freaking cool.” Fascinated, Kerry reached out to touch the thick gray fur as if to be sure it was all really happening. “You didn’t say that word. Dante… he said something before he shifted.”

  I know. I don’t have to for some reason. It seems certain aspects of my abilities are a little different. We think that’s part of what they’re worried about. Samantha sat on her haunches and allowed her friend the freedom to explore. Her fur was soft and warm and very real.

  “Whoa.” Was about all Kerry could muster. “Okay, can you turn back into yourself now, please?”

  Sam’s laughter floated into Kerry’s mind as she shifted, and much to Kerry’s relief, stood again in her human form. “What? No applause?” Sam teased.

  Tears flooded Kerry’s eyes again. She wiped at them with the back of her hand and made a sound of disgust. “God. This is pathetic. I’ve cried more in the last forty-eight hours than I have my entire life.”

  Sam sat down next to her friend and gathered her in another comforting hug. The wolf burst into Kerry’s mind. She squeezed her tightly, and before releasing her, placed a kiss on her cheek. Kerry leaned back to look at her friend. Sam seemed more confident than she ever had in her entire life, more comfortable in her own skin.

  What had she said when she first met Malcolm? Awake. That was it. She said she felt “awake” for the first time in her life. Looking at her now, and thinking back on the last two days, Kerry knew exactly what she meant.

  “I have an idea,” Samantha said. “Tonight when you go to sleep, focus on your cat’s eyes. Keep the image in your mind. You may be able to connect with the clan identity in the dream realm. That’s where I first saw my wolf.”

  “Right.” Kerry sighed. “Let’s see if I’ve got this covered. Dream walking, telepathy, shapeshifting, visualizing shit out of nowhere, and blinking in and out places like some goddamned genie. Am I missing anything?” she asked in overly bright tones.

  “Well, we can only visualize ourselves into places that we’ve imprinted on.” Sam saw the confused look on Kerry’s face and continued. “Basically, we must have a mental imprint on the energy of the location. For example, you can visualize yourself into any place you’ve physically already been in. Like, I could go back to Nonie’s right now if I wanted to.”

  “No shit,” Kerry breathed. She shook her head and took another large sip of wine. “I guess it saves on travel expenses.” She knew it was a stupid joke, but quite frankly, she didn’t know what else to say. Gratefully, Sam ignored her lame attempt at humor and kept explaining.

  “Well, yeah, but Malcolm and I had never been here, so we did actually fly. Neither of us could get a clear bead on your, or Dante’s, energy signature. Malcolm thinks it’s a combination of your psychic ability and Dante’s fiercely protective nature,” she added quickly. She snapped her fingers and pointed at Kerry. “Or you can create an imprint by linking with another person’s energy. Like that time that Malcolm showed up in the diner and scared off Richard? Remember that?” Kerry nodded quickly. “Because he’s my mate, he connected with my energy signature, and he immediately imprinted on the location of where I was.”

  “This all sounds like a freakin’ love fest,” Kerry said with a sweeping gesture. “However, let’s not forget the best part. We are hated by humans and some Amoveo who think we’re abominations of the two races and want us dead. Right?”

  “Hey,” Sam said, quickly changing the subject. “The upside is that once you’re mated, you’ll age really slowly and live a very long time.” She smiled broadly.

  Her optimistic outlook fell on deaf ears. “As a hunted freak,” Kerry said somberly.

  Sam let out a frustrated sigh. “I know it’s a lot all at once. Believe me, I do. But this really is the missing piece to your puzzle, Kerry. Think about it. I know you avoid touching people like the plague, but haven’t you noticed a difference lately if you do touch someone?”

  Kerry’s mind immediately went to Jacqueline. She straightened her back at the memory of the images. “No more pain. Well, shocks. Little zaps just under the skin, almost like static electricity, but no pain.”

  “I knew it!” Sam clapped her hands victoriously. “It’s Dante. Don’t you see? He’s shielding you somehow or helping you process everything better. Something, I’m not sure exactly what, but it absolutely has to do with being his mate.”

  “That’s another thing. Mate? Come on. Isn’t that a little barbaric?”

  Sam smiled wickedly. “Have you had sex yet?”

  “No.” Kerry smacked Sam’s leg, and her face flushed. “Not exactly.” She looked away. It was embarrassing to admit she was a thirty-year-old virgin. Even to her best friend.

  “Well, what are you waiting for?” Sam stopped as awareness dawned on her. “Of course,” she breathed. “You never have. Have you?” Kerry shook her head and shrugged as she fiddled with her glass stem. “What about that guy in college or the one from NYC this year? You mean you never…? I can’t believe I didn’t know you were a virgin!”

  Kerry shot her a reprimanding look. “Well, I’m sorry, but it would’ve been a little awkward trying to explain why. And don’t look at me like that. I never lied to you. I just let you assume certain things and never corrected you.”

  “Yeah, well, trust me. It’ll have been worth the wait. There are lots of perks that go along with being Amoveo.” Sam wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, and the two women burst into hysterical giggles.

  “Girl, you are too twisted.” Kerry said through her giggles.

  Their laughter subsided, and Samantha took her friend’s hand. “We’ll figure it all out together. You, me, Malcolm, and Dante are all in the same boat—at least until we find out who else we can trust.”

  “Dante had some bird guy… um—” She snapped her fingers searching for his name. “William. That’s it. William. He was hanging out up in a tree today at the shoot.”

  “Yes.” Sam nodded and sipped her wine. “William and Steven helped Malcolm and I as well. They know about you and I. Well, Malcolm and I are no secret anymore.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Truthfully, most Amoveo that I’ve met have been very welcoming. William and Steven are the only other two who know about the Purist Network other than us. Oh, and Richard, of course.”

  “Who’s Richard?”

  “He’s the Prince of the Amoveo people. He leads the Council.” Kerry’s face belied her confusion, and she motioned for further explanation from Sam. “The Council is their governing body,” Sam explained. “Two members from every clan and two Vasullus family members work with Richard to keep the peace among the clans and keep an eye out for any Caedo activity.”

  “So this Council… they don’t know about the Purists who want us dead?”

  “No.” Sam shook her head. “Dante’s father was on the Council. How’s that for betrayal? We know he wasn’t working alone, but we don’t know who with. They are working in a very effective underground network.” Sam’s eyes shimmered with tears. “They killed my parents, Kerry. That boating accident when I was a baby.” She let out a slow breath. “Well, it was no accident. My mother was human, as you know, and my father was in the Gray Wolf Clan. She had some kind of psychic ability, which made her able to mate with an Amoveo.” She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Apparently, some of the Amoveo didn’t like it. All these years, my parents’ murder was blamed on the Caedo.”

  Kerry grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. “Oh my God. Sam, I’m so sorry.”

  “They blamed the Caedo, of course
, and no one had a reason to think otherwise. Don’t you see? They’re very dangerous, and what worries me more is that we don’t know who else might be one of them. That note that you got today really scares me. Whoever sent that knows you’re a hybrid.”

  “Yes, but it also sounds like they know something about who my real parents were. If we find the son of a bitch—this sicko the ‘Punisher’—who wrote that note, maybe I can find out where I came from.”

  The two women sat in thoughtful silence for a few minutes. Kerry inherently knew deep down that she was in danger. Someone out there did want her dead, and right about now the only people she really trusted were Dante, Samantha, and Malcolm.

  “Can we really trust these other guys, William and Steven? What if they’re involved somehow?”

  Sam shook her head. “There’s no way they’re involved. They haven’t found their mates yet, and their time is running out. Both are acutely aware that their mate must be either a human or another hybrid that is under the radar like us. They have just as much at stake as we do. More maybe.” She shrugged.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. If their mate were another Amoveo, they would’ve connected in the dream realm a long time ago and completed their mating ceremony.”

  Kerry looked at Sam as if she had lost her mind. “Mating ceremony? What the hell are you talking about now?”

  Sam smiled and held her hands up in a motion of defeat. “Oh no.” She laughed. “I’m leaving that all up to Dante to explain.”

  A knock at the door prevented Kerry from peppering Sam with a litany of questions. She threw her the evil eye before she opened the door. “Who is it?”

  “It’s us.” Dante’s voice washed over her deliciously.

  Kerry smiled and opened the door, allowing the two men access to the suite. Malcolm wasted no time settling down next to Sam on the couch and gathering her into the crook of his arm. Dante walked past Kerry and delicately brushed one finger along her palm, which instantly sent lovely shivers up her spine. He sat in the large armchair and winked at her wickedly. Kerry swallowed hard and attempted to control the firestorm he ignited with one touch.

  She closed the door and eyed him suspiciously. “What’s the deal? If you can blink in and out of places, why walk over and knock? Why not just—you know, poof.” She made a lavish swirling motion with her hand.

  Malcolm laughed heartily. “My gorgeous mate had informed me that if I did that while the two of you were talking, I’d be in big trouble.”

  Kerry went over and sat on the arm of Dante’s chair. He looked up at her with that disarming smile and wrapped his arm around her waist. She still couldn’t get over how good it felt to be touched by him. Even the simple act of placing his arm around her waist seemed like a bit of a miracle.

  “Well, you were smart to heed her advice,” she said to Malcolm. “See, Dante.” She looked into his handsome face. “This guy here has figured out the key to a happy marriage.”

  “Oh really,” he replied quietly. His fingers softly stroked her waist, and his eyes remained locked on hers. They stared into one another’s eyes as their energy mingled and crackled in the air between them. The sound of Malcolm clearing his throat brought them back to reality. Kerry’s face reddened, and she quickly hopped up off the arm of Dante’s chair.

  “We need to freshen up and unpack before we meet up with the others tonight. I’m sure you two want to do the same… or something.” He smiled and exchanged a knowing look with Samantha. They rose from the couch with their fingers intertwined. Sam turned to Kerry and smiled reassuringly. “We’ll see you downstairs later on this evening.”

  Then Malcolm whispered the ancient language, and they vanished into thin air.

  Kerry made a sound of disbelief and shook her head. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to that.”

  Chapter 11

  After Sam and Malcolm blinked themselves out of the room, Kerry became highly aware that she was alone again with Dante. She stood there feeling awkward and unsure of what to do or say. Dante said nothing but stared at her intently.

  She squirmed under his hot gaze as the energy in the room shifted and rippled around her. It reminded her of being underwater and getting swept up in the current, the kind that turns you upside down and has your head spinning. At the moment, it was all she could do to keep from getting swept up in a tidal wave named Dante.

  “What is that I’m feeling in the air? Is that you?” The words came out sounding much huskier than she’d intended, and she swallowed hard, hoping to keep her body under some kind of control. What was the deal? She turned into a horny harlot with one look from him. Was it like this for all women, or were shapeshifters hornier than humans? Yet another question to add to the list for Samantha.

  “Yes. We read energy, or emotions, in the air. Like sonar.” His gaze stamped with desire remained fixed on her. “What you’re feeling now,” he whispered, “is my desire for you, Kerry. I want you.”

  Kerry sucked in a sharp breath as he stood up slowly from his chair, wanting to move, but her quivering body wouldn’t cooperate. She was a walking contradiction. Her mind told her to slow down, that she was taking things too fast and that she didn’t know what she was doing. However, her body wanted her brain to shut the hell up. Now.

  He closed the distance between them with slow, deliberate steps, and with extreme tenderness removed the wineglass from her hand, gently placing it on the table next to them. He turned back to her and tucked a long dark lock of hair behind her ear. His eyes slowly seared their way down the length of her trembling body and back up again. It was as if he branded her with his gaze, claiming every inch of her as his without actually touching her.

  “I have been eager to finish what we started earlier today,” he murmured softly and placed a deliciously erotic kiss on the edge of her ear. “I can’t get you out of my mind.” His breath blew hot and moist against the hollow of her throat.

  Her eyes fluttered closed, and she allowed herself to float in the seductive sensation of his voice. She tilted her head and opened herself to him as he ran one finger along her jaw and down her throat. She shuddered, full of apprehension and a need that clamored to be satisfied, reveling in the erotic effect of his touch.

  “I can still taste you.” He placed a hot kiss on her collarbone and licked and nipped at the soft flesh. Dante trailed his fingers down the heated skin of her arm and brushed his thumb along the inside of her wrist. Jesus. Even that one featherlight brush of his thumb practically brought her to orgasm. Kerry’s eyes tingled and shifted, hard and fast. Her body quaked with lust and anticipation.

  “I want you, Kerry. I want to taste every last inch of you,” he said the words slowly as his fingers tangled with hers.

  Kerry opened her eyes, locked her glowing gaze with his, swallowed hard, and licked her bottom lip. No one had ever looked at her with such intense emotion. His desire for her was stamped in the devastatingly handsome features of his face, the brilliance of his eyes, and the humming muscles of his rock-hard body.

  Lust. Desire. Protection. Love?

  She’d been ogled plenty of times for her beauty. She’d been criticized and picked apart for her size. She’d been inspected in every possible way, but no one had ever looked at her like Dante did. He looked at her as if he could see her soul. He was the first man who really saw her.

  “I trust you,” she whispered.

  Gazes locked, he took her hand and placed it against the impressive evidence of his arousal. The air rushed from her lungs, and her heart raced. This was it. No more movies. No more fantasies. No more imagining. This was real. He rubbed her hand against the hot length of him and brushed his lips softly against hers. The material of his jeans felt rough, and hot friction burned enticingly under her fingertips.

  “Do you want me?” he whispered into her ear through shuddering breaths. “If you’re not sure, then tell me now, because if we take this any further I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself.”<
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  She leaned back, forcing him to look her in the eyes. His gaze burned brightly, desire stamped harshly into all of his features. She almost laughed out loud at the ridiculous nature of the question. Did she want him? She’d never wanted anyone, or anything, more in her life. All she wanted was to be connected to him body, mind, and spirit. She knew that the years of loneliness and isolation were a thing of the past, and she owed it all to the discovery of this brilliantly unusual man.

  “I want you,” she breathed. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my entire life.” She squeezed him through his jeans and nipped his lower lip. “Now stop talking, and take me to bed.”

  A slow smile spread across his face as he scooped her up effortlessly into his arms. Impressive. She was no wilting lily, and there weren’t a whole lot of men out there who could pick her up as if she weighed nothing at all. A smile quirked at her lips. Now that was a turn on.

  For a split second, Kerry had the brief sensation of falling, like that feeling that sometimes happens when falling asleep. The next minute they were in the bedroom of her suite. He cocked one eyebrow, admiring his own cleverness. “Fast enough for you, princess?”

  Kerry raised one eyebrow in return. “I hope that not everything will be this fast,” she teased. “I’d hate to blink and miss it.”

  A growl rumbled deep in his throat. “I want to be buried inside of you so deep… you’ll never forget how it feels when I touch you.”

  Kerry tangled his silky soft hair between her fingers and pulled his face to hers, bringing their lips barely an inch apart. “I thought I told you to stop talking.”

  She pulled him to her, capturing his mouth greedily with hers. He opened to her willingly and swept his tongue seductively along hers. Kerry moaned softly, enjoying the vibrations that fluttered along their fused lips. Still holding her cradled in his arms, he knelt on the large soft bed and with the greatest care laid her down.

  He stayed there for a moment, keeping his eyes locked with hers. Kerry swallowed hard, and her heart fluttered wildly in her chest. The anticipation was killing her. Her body remained wound so tight that she could very well orgasm from just looking at him. No. She wanted this to last.