Undone (The Amoveo Legend) (7 page)

Breathing heavily and still tangled in each other’s arms, he rested his forehead on hers. “I did it to protect you.”
Liar,
he thought,
you
did
it
to
keep
her
from
running
away. You did it to keep her near you and needing you.
“If this binding powder works the way it’s supposed to, then your energy signature will vanish, and you’ll be invisible to them.” He picked his head up and locked eyes with her as he released her leg, and it slid along his. “Don’t you understand? You’ll be safe.”

Marianna looked away and clutched her robe closed. “You better answer that.”

Her wounded expression did nothing to make him feel better about what he’d done.
First
he
binds
her
in
her
human
form, and then he mauls her.
All he wanted was to shelter her and keep those bastards away. Finding out that he was her mate validated the way he’d been feeling since he first laid eyes on her and made him feel like he wasn’t crazy for having fallen head over heels in love.

Pete released her and stepped back abruptly. Son of a bitch. He loved her.

“Right,” he said absently as he pulled the phone from his pocket and answered it. “Hello?”

Marianna slipped away and straightened her robe. He watched her take clothes from the dresser. She tossed them carelessly in the suitcase as Dante’s panicked voice filled his head.

“What the hell is going on?” Dante barked. “What happened to Marianna? Is she alright? I can’t find her—her energy signature is gone. It’s like she just disappeared—”

“Calm down,” Pete said without taking his eyes off Marianna. “She’s fine. I’m in her apartment right now. You can’t find her energy signature because I used the binding powder.”

A string of curses filled Pete’s ear, and he could hear Kerry in the background trying to calm him down. Pete held the phone away from his ear as Dante cursed him, and a satisfied grin spread over Marianna’s face at the sound of Dante’s expletives.

“I hope my brother fires your sorry ass,” Marianna hissed as she brushed past him to the bathroom.

He put the phone back to his ear. “If you’re done cursing me out, would you like to hear why?”

“This better be good.”

“First of all, the jig is up, okay. Marianna knows that I’m Vasullus—or whatever—that I know about the Amoveo. Secondly, not only did she insinuate herself into what could’ve become a volatile situation with Hayden and Artimus tonight, she pulled that vanishing act that you guys can do. She got pissed at me tonight on the way home from the benefit and left me sitting alone in the car talking to myself like a schmuck.”

“Why was she pissed at you?” Dante asked impatiently.

“Oh, it’s not just me, boss.” He laughed. “You’re in the doghouse too because we kept the truth from her and tricked her into having me around.”

“Bring her to my place, right now.”

“Not a chance.” Pete didn’t like defying his boss, but this wasn’t about work. This was personal.

“What?”

“You heard me,” Pete said tightly. He kept one eye on Marianna while she zipped her suitcase.

“You must have a death wish.” Marianna laughed. “My brother doesn’t take kindly to back talk.” She scooped a pile of clothes from the bed, went into the bathroom, and slammed the door.

“Hey,” Dante shouted. “Did you hear me?”

“No,” Pete whispered into the phone, not wanting Marianna to hear this part. He stalked to the living room and ran a hand over his face. “No, I didn’t. Your sister has me all twisted up, and I don’t know if I’m coming or going. Here’s the deal. You know that I would do anything for you—you’re my friend—but this isn’t about you. It’s about Marianna and me. My only concern is keeping her safe and away from those Purist bigots, and I can’t do that if they can find her with that homing-device-energy-signature thing you guys have.”

Silence hung heavily, and Pete paced the living room, certain he would wear a hole in the Oriental rug. If Dante didn’t say something soon, he was going to hang up, and they could all be damned. He glanced at the bathroom, but the door was still shut.

“Kerry just told me,” Dante said evenly. “She said that you are Marianna’s mate.”

“Yes, I guess I am,” Pete said on a long breath. “You seem okay with it, but I don’t know if she will be.”

“What do you mean?” he asked defensively. “You’re not suggesting that she sympathizes with the Purists, are you?”

“I’m just not sure if she—” The door to the bathroom clicked open. Pete quickly changed the subject and raised his voice to normal levels. “If she can handle slumming it as a human for a month.”

“I heard that.” Marianna came into the living room clad in furry boots, jeans, and an oversize sweater. She stood there, glaring, and if looks could kill… he’d be a dead man. “When I get my powers back, I’m going to kick your ass.”

Pete ignored her comment and continued speaking with Dante, but he didn’t doubt that she meant every word she said.

“I’ll be in touch once we’re settled, and before you ask—no, I’m not telling you where we’re going, but I promise that she’ll be safe.”

“Fine—just get word to me once you’re settled. Wait, Kerry wants to talk to you.”

“Pete?” Kerry said expectantly.

“Yeah, I’m here.” He glanced at Marianna, but she looked away and went to the closet, presumably in search of a coat. “What’s up?”

“Remember the dream you had last night? Well, it wasn’t just a dream, okay? Part of the mating process is dream-walking, so that really was Marianna with you, but the bear you saw wasn’t her or some manifestation of your subconscious.”

That bad feeling crept up his back. “Then what was it?” he asked.

“It’s not a
what
that I’m worried about, but a
who
.”

“Let me guess. With my luck it was Artimus or Hayden.”

Marianna stilled at the mention of their names, grabbed her coat, and swung the closet door closed as she turned to face him. She was suddenly more interested in his conversation.

“My point is, Pete,” Kerry continued. “You have to keep them out of your dreamscape. You can’t let them in.”

“Well, how in the hell am I supposed to do that?” he snapped. “I’m not like you guys. I’m just a human, remember?” He knew he sounded like a resentful dick, but he didn’t care.

“You’re not a regular human, and you know it. You get hunches, right? You’ve mentioned those before, and since we know that you’re Marianna’s mate, we know those are more than hunches. I’ve been thinking about something else since we saw you today.”

“Yeah?” he asked warily.

“Remember how Dante and I noticed your energy signature was just about gone? Well, when you came over… you were hiding your feelings about Marianna and what happened.” Pete heard Dante interrupting, but Kerry shushed him. “What if you created your own shield without realizing it? I know you’ve got psychic ability—you’d have to in order to be Marianna’s mate—maybe by consciously hiding your feelings, you actually hid your energy signature too?”

“This is nuts.” Pete shook his head and adjusted his gun beneath his jacket. “I’m not some kind of psycho.”

“Psychic—not psycho,” Kerry said with exasperation. “And yes, you are. Look, don’t argue with me. Just keep it up.”

“How can I keep it up?” he yelled. “I don’t even know what the hell I did.” He sucked in a deep breath to regain his composure. Yelling at Kerry wasn’t going to fix anything. “This isn’t helping. Besides, I don’t think we have to worry about that right now. Isn’t that dream-walking stuff part of your Amoveo powers?”

“Yes, it is, but if you don’t shield your energy signature, then they can find her through you. Focus on shielding your feelings and keeping Marianna safe.” She let out a weary sigh. “I hope that will work.”

“Fine. I’ll do my best to shield… or whatever.” He fixed his sights on Marianna. “Marianna and I will be in an Amoveo-free zone for the next month, which should give you time to find out what these turds are doing and to stop it.”

Marianna opened her mouth as if to say something, but snapped it shut quickly. Pete cocked his head and stalked toward her. She was hiding something—he’d bet his life on it.

“Take it easy on her, will you? Marianna not having Amoveo abilities is a weird adjustment, especially not having telepathy. She’s going to feel isolated and alone—so don’t be too hard on her if she gives you shit.”

Pete smiled and shook his head. “You got it, Mrs. Coltari. Bye.”

Marianna rolled her eyes and sat on the arm of the chair.

He was about to hang up when he heard Dante’s voice. “Can I speak to my sister, please?”

“Oh—uh, sure.” It dawned on him that they probably never spoke on the phone with each other. Why would they use a phone when they could use telepathy? “Dante wants to speak to you.”

Marianna’s mouth quivered, and her eyes glittered with tears as she took the cell phone. “Hi.” She sniffled and turned her back on Pete.

He couldn’t hear Dante’s end of the conversation, and only muffled one-word answers from Marianna, but there was no mistaking how she felt. She was lost and reminded him of a little girl. This woman, who had been so full of bravado, energy, and life, was suddenly deflated and scared… and it was his fault. What the hell had he done?

Marianna slept almost the entire ride to Schroon Lake. She’d closed her eyes and put her head back as soon as they got into the Mercedes. It was a ploy to ignore Pete, but she was so exhausted, emotionally and physically, that she’d fallen asleep before they reached the George Washington Bridge.

When she woke up, she thought it was all some kind of bad dream, but as soon as she saw Pete in his rumpled tux in the driver’s seat next to her, she knew it was real. In fact, she hadn’t dreamt at all. As soon as she woke up, she tried to connect with Dante and her mother telepathically, but she was met with silence. She attempted to use her visualization abilities to get back to her apartment, but still nothing.

For the next month she was going to have to live like a human.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stared out the window at the falling snow as it whipped around the car. It was still dark out, but she could see that they were in the mountains. It was a moonless and starless sky, and all she could see was snow, which only served to accentuate her sense of isolation.

Her nose burned from the silver powder that Pete had used to bind her. She sniffled and rubbed it, refusing to look at him, not wanting him to see the tears that spilled freely down her cheeks.

She’d noticed the change instantaneously.

The world around her no longer echoed and pulsed the way it had all her life. The unseen energy signatures of her brother, Kerry, and her mother were no longer detectable, and it was as if the people who kept her grounded and tethered to the earth were suddenly gone.

She was alone… almost.

Marianna pulled the ski jacket tighter and glanced at Pete, who had his eyes trained on the road. His jaw clenched and flickered beneath the five o’clock shadow, which looked like it would be a full-blown beard by sunup.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “We’ll be there soon,” he said quietly. “I’ve had to take it slow the last hour or so. This car may be nice, but it sucks in the snow. I’ll take my old, beat-up pickup any day of the week over this thing.”

Marianna ignored him and looked out her window. She had no interest in making polite conversation. A few moments later, he waved a brown bag in front of her. When she didn’t take it, he dropped it in her lap.

“It’s a bagel with cream cheese,” he said quickly. “Eat it or don’t. It’s up to you. But I should warn you that it’s better than my cooking.”

“Well, that’s a ringing endorsement,” she said drily. Even though her instinct was to tell him to shove the bagel up his ass, she was hungry.

“You have every right to be pissed.” Pete shifted in his seat and glanced in the rearview mirror as he switched lanes. “Let’s keep a couple things in mind. First, it’s not permanent. You’ll have your powers back in a month, and second, I hope you understand that I did what I had to do.”

“Yeah, you said that like ten times.” Marianna swallowed her mouthful of food and nodded. “So I hope you understand that I think you should fuck off.”

To her surprise, Pete burst out laughing.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” she asked before taking another bite of the surprisingly good bagel. “I’m furious with you, and
you’re
laughing?”

“I’m glad to see that the binding powder didn’t take away your fire, and you’ve still got the nerve to chew me out.” He winked. “I like a woman with some sass, but I have to admit, at this moment I’m glad you can’t shift into a bear and a verbal lashing is all I’m getting.”

“You’re not off the hook, no matter how charming you think you are.” Marianna suppressed the smile that bubbled up. He disarmed her, but she’d be damned if she was going to let him know it.

“Maybe, but I can tell that you’re trying not to smile.”

“Oh, shut up, and keep your eyes on the road,” she said, looking out the window.

They turned off the main street and onto what Marianna could only assume was the driveway to the cabin, but it didn’t look like more than a vague path through the woods. The branches of the towering pine trees drooped with the weight of wet snow, creating a canopy along the untraveled path.

“It’s a damn good thing this place is along the edge of the lake and not up a hill, or we’d be walking the rest of the way,” Pete said as the tires spun, and the sleek Mercedes fishtailed along the fresh snow. He gave Marianna a sideways glance as he wrestled to keep the car in a forward motion. “You’d freeze your ass off. The temperature is barely ten degrees.”

“Not likely. I’m a member of the Kodiak Bear Clan, and cold doesn’t faze me in the least.” As the words came out, of her mouth she realized they were no longer true. “Well, it didn’t,” she said quietly. She gritted her teeth and bit back the anger that bubbled as she chalked up yet another power taken from her with this stupid binding powder.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” He nodded toward the road as the tiny log cabin came into view. “See, we’re just about there.”

The car’s wheels spun in the wet snow, and they slowed to a stop.

“Why wait?” Marianna glared at Pete and grabbed the door handle. “No time like the present.”

Before he could stop her, Marianna popped the door open and got out. As she slammed the door behind her, her feet slipped, and she landed with an audible grunt in a pile of cold, wet snow. Her breath rushed from her lungs, and her body went numb as frigid moisture enveloped her.

The jeans she’d selected (because they made her butt look good) provided little barrier from the snow, which seeped through with surprising speed. The jacket she wore wasn’t as warm as she would’ve expected, but when she’d gotten it, it was for looks, not for protection from the weather. She’d never needed that—until now—and thanks to that damn powder, she couldn’t use her visualization abilities to conjure up something warmer.

She heard Pete curse and watched as the car skidded sideways, and the back end hit a tree. Marianna scrambled to her feet, and even though she could barely feel her legs, she tromped the rest of the way to the cabin. She knew that getting out of the car like that was impulsive, childish, and stupid, and she would have a bruise the size of a coconut on her ass, but she’d be damned if she let Pete see just how much it hurt.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Pete yelled as he slammed the car door and slipped on the snow. “You’re crazy. Do you know that? You could’ve gotten hurt.”

His voice echoed through the silent forest, and more curses flew in her direction.

“What the hell do you care?” she yelled through chattering teeth. Marianna folded her arms over her chest and put her bare hands in her armpits. She couldn’t feel her fingers. “You blew that shit in my face and took my abilities away, and now I’m freezing, so thanks. I always wanted to know what it would feel like to be a Popsicle.”

“It serves you right,” he barked. “The door’s locked, so you can freeze on the porch until I get up there with the keys.” Pete popped the trunk on the car and grabbed their bags. “
You
can explain to your brother why his expensive car will need to go to the body shop. This thing is going nowhere fast, but lucky for us, I keep my pickup truck here.”

She glanced around and realized this was the place that Pete had recreated in his dream. Marianna climbed the three steps to the porch and watched as Pete stormed up the driveway. This place must be special, otherwise it wouldn’t have been in his dreamscape.

Still in his tuxedo and dress shoes from the night before, he slipped a few times and almost wiped out. His ice-blue eyes flashed angrily, and he cursed under his breath. She covered her mouth to keep from giggling because she had a feeling he wasn’t finding humor in his current situation.

“I don’t know why you’re so pissed off.” Her breath puffed big white clouds into the air. “Dante’s precious Mercedes can be easily fixed by him or any Amoveo—except for me, as we know—and in case you were wondering, I’m fine,” she continued dramatically. “Thanks for asking.”

“Did that powder suddenly rob you of intelligence?” He stormed up the steps and got right in her face, but she didn’t retreat. He towered over her, and it dawned on her that she’d worn only heels around him before today. For the first time, she felt small and vulnerable. “You could’ve hurt yourself.” His shoulders relaxed, and a contrite look came over him. “That’s why I’m pissed. Okay?”

She couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering or her body from shivering. “Can you please yell at me inside? I’m freezing my ass off.”

A cocky grin cracked his face. “I told you.”

When Pete unlocked the door, Marianna practically ran him over to get inside, but it wasn’t much warmer. She rubbed her arms and looked around the one large room, while Pete flipped on the lights, tossed the bags on the old sofa, and made quick work of starting a fire in the stone fireplace.

At least the place had electricity. She glanced at the kitchen to the left and breathed a sigh of relief to see a sink—plumbing. Peeing in the woods in her human form was not something she wanted to experience. Marianna sat at the wooden table and surveyed the rest of the tiny cabin.

The walls were lined with knotted pine paneling, giving the open space a surprisingly cozy feeling. To call the decor shabby-chic would be a stretch, but somehow, it fit in a rugged-man, cabin-in-the-woods kind of way. Directly in front of the fireplace was a plaid sofa trimmed in wood, with a coffee table made from an old wagon wheel. She peeked past the edge, expecting to find a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace, but luckily, it was only a traditional braided throw.

“I think the deer head mounted above the fireplace is my favorite piece of decor,” she said dryly. “Lucky for you, there’s no Deer Clan.”

“Don’t knock it,” Pete said as he put the screen in front of a roaring fire. He turned his sharp gaze back to her. “My grandfather shot that buck when he was only twenty years old, and it was one of his proudest achievements.”

Marianna hopped from her seat and went to the fire. She knelt down, held her hands in front of the flickering flames, and let out a contented sigh. “Sorry,” she breathed. “No offense to your grandfather. I’m just grateful there’s not a bearskin rug.”

“Feeling better?” he asked through a laugh.

“Yes.” Marianna smirked but didn’t look at him. “I’m still pissed at you.”

“You’ll get over it.” Pete went into the kitchenette and hit his head on one of the hanging pots. “Damn,” he said as he grabbed it to keep it from falling down. “My grandmother loved having these things up here, but I always manage to walk right into them.”

“This is your grandparents’ place?” she asked. She’d heard him mention his grandparents a few times, and his mother, but nothing about a father. Not one word, which spoke volumes. Looks like they both had daddy issues.

“It was.” Pete rifled through the cabinets and glanced in the fridge as he spoke. “My Grandpa Jack died when I was in high school, but Grandma made it to see me graduate from the academy.” A wistful smile played at his lips. “She was something else. A real spitfire, kind of like you.”

“Thanks.” Marianna stood from the fire. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should.”

He moved from behind the counter, and it dawned on her how out of place he should look in the middle of this funky little cabin. Between the rumpled tuxedo and unshaven face, he looked as if he hadn’t slept in ages. He was still sexy as hell, and oddly enough, fit into these surroundings perfectly.

“You’re a spitfire alright,” he murmured.

Rugged. Rough. All jagged edges.

He stalked toward her slowly, neither saying a word as he closed the distance between them swiftly and silently. Marianna hugged her arms tighter around herself, but not from the cold this time. It was the predatory look in his eye that sent her libido into overdrive and had her wanting to do all kinds of irrational things. Things she shouldn’t do with someone who pissed her off at every turn—unless, of course, he was her mate.

Her mate. How the hell were they supposed to begin
that
conversation?

He studied her intently, and his dark brows furrowed as his gaze skimmed her. What was he thinking? Damn. It was like she was blind—emotionally blind. Without her ability to scan his energy signature, she was clueless as to how he was feeling.

“What?” she asked more defensively than she intended. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He angled his head to one side and narrowed his eyes. “I was thinking about making love to you.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared back, too stunned to say a word. She was in big trouble.

“It’ll be incredible.” That cocky grin spread across his face, and he trailed one finger tantalizingly along her jaw. “But it won’t happen until you ask.”

“You arrogant son of a bitch.” Heat flashed up her cheeks, and she smacked his hand away. “Screw you.”

“Ah-ah-ah.” Chuckling, he wagged his finger as he stepped around her and grabbed the bags off the couch. “You have to ask me nicely.”

Shaking from a mixture of adrenaline, anger, and lust, she watched him disappear through the doorway on the other side of the fireplace. She stood there for a few minutes, refusing to follow him. She figured it was probably the bedroom.

Just when she was about to shout to find out what was taking so damn long, he emerged shirtless, and for the first time in her life, Marianna was rendered speechless. She gaped at him like a stunned sheep. She knew he was fit; hell, she got a taste of how hard his body was when he’d kissed her at the apartment, but he looked even better than he felt.

The man was ripped. All muscle, bone, and sinew. The partially unzipped black tuxedo pants hung low on his narrow hips. The defined muscles in his chest flexed, as if inviting her to come on over, and the cold, hard truth was that she wanted to—but she’d be damned if she would lose this battle of wills.

Marianna’s gaze met his, and that lopsided grin crept over his face. “I’m going to take a shower and have a nap because I haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours. Then we’ll go into town and get some supplies. If you want to change, then I suggest you do it while I’m in the shower,” he said, opening the other door. “Unless of course, you’d like to join me?”