Read Untamed Vol. 1 (Untamed #1) for Free Online

could corner and trap me again,
I stepped out from around him. “Officer Morcillo … he’s,
uh…”
    Alaric’s dark
eyebrows drew together as he glared down at me. “What?” I took a step back, a
move that didn’t escape his notice. “Why are you scared?”
    I tried to act
nonchalant, even as I worried the sleeves of my sweater with my trembling
fingers. “I’m not scared.”
    He took a step
toward me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Then why are you shaking?”
    I didn’t know
what to say, didn’t know how to act. I wanted to ask if it was true, if he was
indeed a serial killer, but the coherent part of my brain said it would be a
mistake to inform him I knew about the murders. “I’m not shaking,” I said,
taking another step back. “I just remembered… I need to go into town.”
    “Right now?”
    I swallowed.
“Yes.”
    He watched me for
a long moment, his dark, intelligent eyes flying over my face. I stood in front
of him, feeling vulnerable and nervous and, despite it all, still aroused. God,
two days in the mountains and my insides were already a scrambled, irrational
mess.
    His lips thinned.
“You’re not coming back.”
    The little flicker
of uncertainty in his eyes had me shaking my head truthfully.
    His breathing
sped up as his hand fisted at his sides, but he said nothing. He didn’t ask me
to stay, nor did he try to force my hand. It didn’t make sense, but then again,
nothing did anymore.
    “I have to go.” I
turned away before I could lose my resolve but, as I walked off, my foot caught
on the curled edge of the rug and I stumbled. The last thing I remember were my
hands reaching out to catch my fall and that blasted cheap coffee table rushing
toward my face.

 
    ~

 
    I opened my eyes
with some difficulty, my head feeling sandwiched between two cement blocks. I
blinked until my eyes adjusted to the dark, searching for the wood beams of my
cabin but finding instead grey stone walls all around.  
    I sucked in deep
breaths, trying to stave off a panic attack, and sat up. I was on a bed nestled
inside various mismatched blankets and quilts, in what appeared to be a room
carved out of stone. The walls were jagged, the ceilings high and curved. If I hadn’t
known better, I’d have thought I was inside a cave.
    “You’re awake.”
    My gaze swung
around to the room’s arched entrance as Alaric strode in, barefoot and
shirtless as always, carrying a large mug. He came to a stop at the side of the
bed and offered me the drink.
    I peered inside
the chipped mug, wondering if poison had a distinct taste.
    “Tea,” he said.
    I sniffed the
drink before taking a careful sip. Black tea with a bit of
honey. “Thank you.”
    He reached out
but stopped short of touching me. “How’s your head?”
    I rubbed the
throbbing spot on my forehead and winced. “Like I got hit with a sledgehammer.”
    He reached into
his pocket and held out a blue-green gel pill. I accepted it with some
trepidation, taking note of the brand name imprinted on its side. I held it up
to my mouth and pretended to swallow it. “What happened?” I asked, spitting the
pill into the mug when he wasn’t looking.
    His brown eyes flicked
warmly over my face. “You hit your head. I couldn’t wake you, so I carried you
here to take care of you.”
    I glanced around
again, my eyes finally adjusting to our dim surroundings. “Where is here exactly?”
    He held out his
arms. “This is my home.”

 
 

 
    CHAPTER
SIX

 
 
 
      “You live in a cave?”
    He nodded and sat
on the edge of the bed, the mattress sagging from his weight. “Tourists used to
come here, but the cave was closed after a few rock slides,” he said, his eyes
bright. “I made my home here.”
    I looked through
the doorway, wondering what else lay beyond. “How is it that nobody’s found you?
Surely the park rangers would have looked in here.”
    A smile tugged at
the corners of his mouth. “It’s hidden behind a gap in the walls.