Untamed Read Online Free Page A

laughs.”
    ***
    A brisk gust of wind whipped through the rust-colored leaves and fluttered over his white and brown speckled feathers, but William barely noticed it. The diminutive redhead with the big personality ruffled his feathers more than anything else ever could. He’d been searching for her for years to absolutely no avail, and then two weeks ago—boom—there she was. She appeared seemingly out of the blue, but his relief at finding her was quickly replaced with frustration and confusion. She baffled him because she knew . She knew what she was. She knew who he was, and she rejected him. He’d come to her every night in the dream realm since then, but each time she ran.
    She feared him.
    He shook his feathered head and adjusted his position on the thick branch. Frustration filled him, and his sharp talons dug into the rough bark because this was a far more complicated and messy situation than he’d planned on. William was used to getting what he wanted and getting it with minimal fuss. He’d been certain that once he found his mate, whoever she was, that things would fall into place.
    Apparently not.
    Perplexed, William remained perched on the thick branch of the oak tree and watched Layla through the kitchen window. In his clan form, as a gyrfalcon, his vision was incredibly acute, and at this particular moment he was very grateful for it. Even from this distance high up in the tree he could see her delicate form perfectly. She was tiny and couldn’t have been much more than five feet tall, and although she was petite, she most definitely was not weak. She radiated strength, and as he’d recently experienced, had a significant stubborn streak.
    Her creamy skin was sprinkled with caramel-colored freckles, and he couldn’t help but picture himself lapping at each and every one. Perhaps what he loved most was her fiery red hair. He wanted to bury his face there and inhale her distinctly spicy scent directly from the source. He’d captured her unique energy signature that day in the bayou, and it hadn’t left him since. The intense aroma of cinnamon and spice permeated his dreams and haunted his days.
    He’d known who she was the second he’d laid eyes on her, and he thought for certain that Dante would notice her too, but he’d been far too concerned about Kerry to pick up on it. William had openly criticized both Malcolm and Dante for their lovesick foolishness because he didn’t understand how the two of them had become so twisted up over their women. Clearly he owed them an apology. He cringed. He hated to admit that he was wrong, and he knew they’d never let him hear the end of it.
    That day in the bayou, Layla’s energy signature had slammed into him with a voracious intensity that took him completely by surprise… and William was not accustomed to being surprised. He prided himself on his innate ability to always remain calm, keep a cool head, and maintain a sense of order.
    All of that changed the second he found her.
    It was as if he’d been asleep his entire life, and she had awakened him. The world seemed brighter, louder, sharper, and more chaotic. This woman had turned his world upside down and had him spinning. The only thing that could quell the stark need in his gut was connecting with her.
    His mate.
    He had suspected that his mate could possibly be a hybrid like Malcolm and Dante’s. After what had transpired over the past few months, after all that had been revealed, it wouldn’t have been a surprise. However, he expected her to be unaware of her roots, just as Kerry hadn’t known about her Amoveo heritage. The hybrids were being hunted by an underground network of fanatical Amoveo Purists, and as a result, they had been kept hidden from their people.
    However, Layla knew she was a hybrid, and so did the human woman she was speaking with. This was where she’d grown up, that part he’d figured out. Rosie was human, but apparently knew that Layla was half Amoveo. The entire