Undone (The Amoveo Legend) (5 page)

“Are you sure you don’t want us to go with you tonight?” Dante asked again.

“Absolutely.” Pete tried not to let his pride and ego take over, but he wasn’t having much luck. He may not be some supernatural being, but he was a damn good cop, and he wasn’t going to let either Hayden or Artimus get their hands on Marianna. “I don’t think they’re going to try anything in the middle of the Waldorf Astoria, and if they do, they’re going to get a face full of this shit or some lead in their ass.”

“Understood,” Dante said firmly. “I’ll let you know when I hear more about this list that Artimus has put together. Prince Richard has an informant in Artimus’s camp. He won’t tell any of us who it is, but this individual is gathering information. From what I understand, this person can rarely use telepathy to contact Richard for fear of being discovered, so the information is coming in small doses.” Dante smiled at Kerry. “But at least that’s something.”

“Good.” Pete stood from the chair and saw Kerry looking at him curiously. He cleared his throat and looked away. “I better get going. Marianna will be pissed if I’m late.”

He suspected that Kerry knew something was up. If he didn’t get out of here soon, he would confess everything and risk getting fired or getting his ass kicked. Neither sounded appealing.

“Take good care of her, Pete, and watch your back. She’s a member of the Bear Clan, and they’re known for their unpredictable behavior.” He shook his head. “You never know what she’s going to do.”

Pete started to go, but stopped short. “Wait a second. I thought you two were twins. Why isn’t she a fox like you are?”

“My mother is from the Fox Clan, and my father was from the Bear Clan. We don’t know which clan our children will favor until they go through puberty.”

“Lovely,” Kerry mused. “As if puberty isn’t crappy enough.”

“Huh.” Pete shook his head and chuckled. “You Amoveo are full of surprises.” He turned on his heels and headed out. “I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how it went,” Pete said.

Kerry followed him into the hallway. The penthouse elevator was open and waiting for him, as if conspiring to help him escape.

Pete stepped into the elevator, hoping to make a quick exit, but Kerry threw one arm out and prevented the doors from closing. She arched a dark eyebrow at him and wordlessly extended her other hand toward him.

“No way,” he said firmly and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re not peeking into my brain.”

Kerry had the gift of second sight, and with one touch she could see right into a person’s soul, stripping away all facades and uncovering buried secrets.

“Pete.” She sighed. “Cut the crap, and give me your hand. Don’t make me shift into my panther and claw up that handsome tux,” she said sweetly. “I can usually read your energy signature, but it’s—”

“Yeah, Dante said it’s not there—or something.”

“Well, gimme your hand, and let me see what’s going on,” she persisted. “Dante may be lots of things, but he’s not psychic—I am.”

“You’re something else.” Pete couldn’t help but chuckle. Kerry was nothing if not direct. “You don’t have to use your super-secret whammy powers, okay.”

“Ooookaay,” she said as she leaned against the elevator doorway. “Start talking. What’s going on with you and Marianna?”

Pete cursed and looked past her to make sure Dante was nowhere in sight.

“No way,” she whispered, before he even had a chance to say anything. “You mean the two of you…?” She clapped her hands over her mouth and stifled a giddy giggle.

“Shhh! Now what the hell are you laughing at?” he said in an exaggerated whisper. “It’s not very damn funny. First, she kisses me like… like—I don’t even know how to describe it,” he sputtered. “And then, as if that’s not enough, I can’t get her out of my head, and I had a dream about her last night that—”

“What?” All the color drained from Kerry’s face, and the smile vanished. “You dreamt about her?”

“Yes.” Pete stilled, immediately alarmed by Kerry’s obvious discomfort. “Why are you acting like you just saw a ghost or something? I had a dream. What’s the big deal?” A smile crept back over his face. “Actually, it was a pretty nice dream until a bear showed up—weird.”

“Give me your hand,” she said firmly. “Now!” Her brown eyes flickered and shifted into the bright, glowing yellow eyes of her panther.

“Shit. I hate it when you guys do that weird thing with your eyes.”

Kerry said nothing, but wiggled her fingers at him impatiently.

“Fine,” Pete growled with frustration and yielded to her request.

He placed his hand in Kerry’s and waited. Her eyes fluttered closed and moved rapidly behind the lids, almost as if she was dreaming, but her body remained motionless. They stood there for almost two minutes before she finally opened her eyes, which were back to normal, much to his relief. She looked at him with genuine awe and something else he couldn’t identify.

“What?” he said hesitantly. “What did you see?”

“I don’t believe it,” she whispered in a shaky breath and removed her hand from his. “I just don’t believe it.”

Pete shoved his hands in the pockets of his tuxedo pants and fiddled with the bottle of precious powder. Was she really that stunned that Marianna would kiss him? Was being a human that freaking bad?

“What the hell did you see?” he barked.

“You are Marianna’s mate.”

Marianna pushed the food around her plate and smiled politely at the other guests, all human, who were seated at the large round table. The conversation centered on the financial meltdown and how it was affecting the children’s charity they were there to support. To her surprise, Pete had no trouble joining in, and he had become the superstar at the table. He regaled them with stories from his childhood and how this charity had personally helped him and kept him off the streets as a kid.

The man could charm the pants off anyone—including her.

She was doing everything within her power not to drool over Pete, who looked far too handsome in his black tuxedo. Dante had insisted that Pete attend the event with her, but when she protested and questioned exactly how a human man could be of help to her, he reminded her that it would keep Artimus and Hayden in line.

God, she hated when her brother was right.

So far, having Pete with her kept the two away. They couldn’t start a troublesome conversation with a human date at her side.

She glanced around the enormous ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria and scanned the multitude of tables for the Amoveo men. It didn’t take more than a minute to spot them. The two sat at their table, which was on the opposite side of the room, as fate would have it. A moment later, she picked up another Amoveo signature.

There was a man who looked vaguely familiar to Marianna, and based on his energy signature, had to be an elder. He was seated on the other side of Artimus, and Marianna studied him as she tried to remember where she’d seen him before. Artimus raised a champagne glass to her, interrupting her train of thought, and offered her a disingenuous smile. Marianna narrowed her eyes and looked away quickly, refusing to acknowledge his phony gesture.

“What’s wrong?” Pete whispered.

Marianna straightened her back and shook her head quickly. “Nothing,” she said before taking another sip of wine. She hated lying, but she couldn’t tell Pete that the dream he had last night wasn’t just some dream. That look in Artimus’s eyes last night was one she wouldn’t easily shake. He looked at Pete as though he was nothing more than a bug that needed to be squashed.

Pete draped his arm over the back of her chair and leaned close, so that only she would hear him. “You’re shaking, and it’s hot as hell in here, so don’t try and tell me that you’re cold.” His warm breath puffed enticingly along her neck. “What gives?”

Before she could answer him, the band struck up a rousing number from the forties, signaling the obligatory phase of dancing. Marianna simply gave him a tight smile and shook her head.

“Oh, my goodness.” The elderly woman named Alice, who sat across the table from them, clapped her wrinkled hands enthusiastically. “This music takes me back. If I were your age,” she said to Marianna, “I’d be asking this handsome young man to take me on the dance floor.”

“No reason this handsome old man can’t take you out there.” Her husband, Leo, stood from the table and extended his hand. “Come on, my lovely. Let’s dance.”

Alice giggled as her husband led her gingerly onto the dance floor. Marianna watched the elderly couple as they danced together and couldn’t help but smile. How many years had they shared? What secrets did their hearts hold, and how much time did they have left before it would end? Marianna swallowed a surprising lump of emotion.

If two people truly loved each other, was there ever enough time, or would they always want one more day?

“So, how about it?” Pete asked with a lopsided grin. He tossed his napkin on the table, stood, and extended his hand. “Let’s go out there and give Alice and Leo a run for their money.”

“You can dance?” She looked at Pete through wide eyes and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. “I don’t believe it.”

“Are you kidding?” He took her hand and helped her from her chair. “My grandmother made me take dancing lessons at the Boys and Girls Club every week during middle school.” He linked her arm through his. “My cha-cha is second only to my Lindy.”

Marianna picked up the small train of her gold, formfitting gown as they wove their way through the sea of tables, chairs, and people, until they reached the dance floor. Before she could say a word, Pete swept her into his arms and onto the dance floor. He held her tightly against his strong body, and the two danced as if they’d been partners for years, as opposed to minutes.

They fit together like they’d been made for each other—and they had. How on earth was she supposed to explain the whole Amoveo-mate thing? But when he cracked that dazzling smile, all her worries floated away with the music.

Tonight she wouldn’t worry… she would just dance.

She wasn’t sure if she was breathless from dancing or from being close to Pete, but frankly, she didn’t care. Pete was right. He could dance—really dance—not that bumping and grinding crap they did at The Coven, but real, old-fashioned dancing. He twirled her until she was dizzy with laughter, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. His captivating blue eyes twinkled mischievously as the song came to an end, and he dipped her dramatically before whisking her against his muscular body.

The orchestra shifted to a gentler melody. Pete pressed his hand against her lower back, pulling her tighter, and she could feel his heart pound in time with hers. Breathless and flushed, she smiled as his warm fingers curled around her hand, and they moved with the music. She couldn’t take her gaze off his chiseled features, but those fierce eyes looked down at her intensely and with more confidence than she’d seen before.

Maybe confidence wasn’t the right word… possessiveness, perhaps?

She narrowed her eyes and studied him carefully as his body melded perfectly with hers in all the right places. Something about him had changed, and she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. As they moved between the other couples on the dance floor, Marianna tried to tune into his energy signature to see if she could decipher what was going on, and then she heard him.

What
if
Kerry’s right, and I really am Marianna’s mate? I’m only a human.

He knew. Marianna stilled. He
knew
about the Amoveo. Pete knew what she was and that he was her mate?

Her jaw clenched, and a knot of anger formed in her belly. All of this added up to one big, fat lie. Pete hadn’t been hired as some clueless human to be a shield. Apparently, she was the clueless one, and her brother took it upon himself to manipulate her because he didn’t think she was capable of taking care of herself.

Marianna had never been so furious in her life, and it took every ounce of self-control to keep her eyes from shifting into their clan form. Pete looked at her with confusion and concern, sensing her sudden change in demeanor, but before either could say a word, Hayden tapped him on the shoulder.

“May I cut in?”

Pete didn’t take his eyes off Marianna and pulled her closer. “No, you may not.” Pete steered her away from Hayden, but kept his gaze fixed on her.

Marianna peered over his shoulder to see Hayden, Artimus, and the other Amoveo man standing at the edge of the dance floor watching. Their disdain for Pete was evident in the dark energy waves that rippled across the room. They hated Pete for getting in their way, but Artimus grinned like the cat that ate the canary. He was up to something, but at the moment, all she cared about was teaching Pete and her brother a lesson. She was more than capable of handling herself, and it was about time to demonstrate it.

“I don’t think you’ve made a friend of Hayden,” she said tightly.

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t give a shit,” Pete said through a laugh as he waltzed with her through the crowd. “Do you?”

“Not especially. But I don’t like people making my decisions.” She slipped out of his arms and leveled an angry glare at him. “I’ll decide who I dance with, thank you very much.”

Without another word, she cut through the crowd and made a beeline for Hayden. She glanced over her shoulder to see Pete stopped by Leo and Alice on the dance floor. She smirked. Based on what she’d witnessed earlier tonight, the chatty twosome would hold him up for a while.

Marianna steeled herself against the heavy darkness of their energy signatures and mustered up the nicest smile she could manage.

“Hello gentlemen.” She gave Hayden the obligatory kiss on the cheek, smiled, and stuffed down her instinct to run. “Good to see you again.”

“Yes,” Artimus hissed. He flicked his gaze toward Pete, escorting a slow-moving Alice back to her seat. “I see you’re still enamored with your plaything.”

Marianna ignored his comment and extended her hand to the elder. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure.”

“Charmed, Ms. Coltari.” The tall slim man took her hand and kissed it regally. “I haven’t seen you since you were a child, and you’ve grown to be quite a gorgeous woman.”

“Forgive me,” Marianna smiled tightly and swiftly removed her hand from his cold grip. “I thought I recognized you, but you’ll have to pardon me for not remembering your name.”

“This is Dr. Moravian,” Artimus interjected. “He was a good friend of your father.”

“I see,” Marianna said as she fought the urge to look for Pete. Instead she kept her attentions fixed on the doctor. His dark brown hair was gray in some spots—unusual, even for an elder—and his goatee was streaked as well. She tuned into his signature and knew he was from one of the birds of prey clans. “You are a member of the Falcon Clan? Gyrfalcon, like William Fleury.”

“Yes.” His features darkened at the mention of William’s name. “It’s too bad that he’s chosen to disgrace our clan by mating with that half-breed,” he sneered.

Marianna suppressed a grin. She’d hoped that mentioning William’s name would irritate him. Good.
Prejudiced
son
of
a
bitch.

“Dr. Moravian,” Artimus said in an effort to placate him. “Let’s focus on more reputable men. Shall we?”

“Of course.” He took a sip of what looked to be a glass of whiskey. “Forgive me, my dear, but sometimes my frustration gets the better of me. Your father was an honorable man, and I was saddened to hear of his death.” Dr. Moravian kept his voice low, wanting to keep any nearby humans from overhearing. “He was a true patriot, and his death was a great loss to the cause.”

“Yes,” she said evenly. “My father’s death
was
a great loss, especially for my mother.”

“I meant no disrespect,” he added quickly, as they walked from the dance floor toward one of the alcoves along the wall. “But you know that we are at a crucial time, and the future of our race depends on devoted Amoveo like your father. Men like Artimus and Hayden.” He made a sweeping gesture to the two other men.

“Don’t forget about the women,” Hayden said as he slipped his arm around Marianna’s waist. It reminded her of a snake, coiling around her unwelcomingly. “The women are a pivotal part of the plan, aren’t they, Father?”

“What plan are we talking about exactly?” Marianna asked, without really wanting to know the answer.

“Well,” Artimus began. “Let’s just say that while I don’t want to mix our bloodlines with humans, they have made significant strides when it comes to overcoming their own reproductive problems.”

Marianna stilled, and her nausea grew. “Reproductive problems?”

“Dr. Moravian has been studying reproductive therapies for humans.” Hayden tightened his grip. “It’s actually quite impressive—the solutions they’ve come up with.”

“I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner.” A smile spread over Artimus’s face. “Just because you and Hayden aren’t mates doesn’t mean we can’t genetically engineer offspring from the two of you.”

“What?” Marianna breathed. “That’s ridiculous. You know that our people can only have children with our mates.”

“Think about it, Marianna.” Hayden leered. “We’d make some gorgeous pure-bloods for the Bear Clan.”

“We’re not mates, Hayden.” She tried to pull away, but he held her in his iron grip.

“Maybe not, but it would still be fun to try the old-fashioned way.” He looked down at her cleavage and grinned. “I’d like to try that first, you know, before we give medical science a shot.”

“This is sick.” Marianna wanted to visualize herself away from this entire situation. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. “You are suggesting that we genetically engineer pure-blood children from Amoveo who aren’t mated? That’s—that’s disgusting,” she sputtered. “It goes against the very fabric of our society.”

“Not as much as mixing with
humans
,” sneered Artimus.

“It really doesn’t, my dear,” said Dr. Moravian. He put a hand on her arm in an effort to calm her, but all it did was make her skin crawl. “And I can assure you that it’s perfectly safe, but it is imperative we find the right match. We suspect that it would be best to keep it within the clans. Since you and Hayden are both a part of the Bear Clan, albeit different branches, it makes sense that we try with the two of you.”

“You’re crazy,” she whispered. Marianna looked at their faces and saw that they were dead set on this idea—and on including her in their ridiculous plan. “Forget it. I do not want any part of this.”

“It would be much easier if you would cooperate.” Artimus’s stony gaze stayed fixed on her. “Besides, you’re already thirty, and no Amoveo mate has claimed you.” He shrugged casually. “You really have nothing to lose by trying.”

Marianna opened her mouth to correct him, to tell this sick bastard that her mate had indeed found her, but she snapped it shut without saying a word. If Artimus knew with absolute certainty that Pete was her mate, he’d kill him without hesitation.

“Your father would want you to help your race and your clan.” Artimus’s jaw clenched. “It’s much easier when the participants cooperate. It’s not as messy. Besides, I don’t relish the idea of… convincing you.”

Utter dread washed over her at that last statement. She wanted to ask him what in the hell they’d been doing, but Pete’s unmistakably angry voice sliced into their conversation.