A Curse Unbroken (7 page)

I was there with them, even though I couldn’t see my physical form. But Aric wasn’t with us.

He was gone. I couldn’t sense him,
anywhere
.

I clung tighter to Aric’s arms. I still felt him in my reality, but not in my deepest thoughts, where our connection linked us even when we were apart.

Fear filled me. “Aric? Where are you?”

He jerked from me with his eyes closed, barely managing to keep his balance. He trembled when I reached for him again and snapped his eyes open as another deep growl rumbled in his chest.

He was clearly riled and ready to attack, but as he took in my fear, his gaze softened. He approached me slowly when I stepped back to allow him space. “It’s okay,” he said quietly. “I won’t ever hurt you….”

This time, it was his turn to hold me, pulling me into a protective embrace. He took in my scent, allowing the comfort I gave him to help soothe his labored breathing and tame his anger and drive to attack.

I waited a few minutes before speaking, both of us clearly shaken. “Are you all right?”

“Yes…I’m fine.”

“I don’t think you are.” I did my best to explain what I felt. “I sensed your beast side and saw him with my tigress, but you were gone. None of us knew where you were.”

One of the main differences between me and Aric, and his
were
species, was that their animal sides were a part of them. My beast was a part of a golden tiger’s spirit that was absorbed through the magic I inadvertently possessed. She was a separate entity, which was why I could
change
part of my body without taking on her form completely.
Weres
didn’t have that luxury; they were permanently linked to their beasts.

So then how could Aric have left his wolf behind?

Aric rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know where I went.”

“But wherever it was, your wolf wasn’t with you. How is that possible?”

Aric’s features tightened. “I don’t know. It’s never happened before. I could feel him near me, furious that I’d been robbed from him. But our connection was severed.”

“So was ours,” I said quietly.

Aric angled his head toward the frosted glass windows above our large jet tub. “You with Misha stirred some jacked-up emotion I wasn’t expecting.”

I couldn’t believe this was his excuse. “Don’t put this on me and Misha. You know there’s nothing between us.”

He stayed quiet, appearing confused.

“Aric?”

“I know,” he said, sounding more bewildered. “I don’t even know where that came from.” He glanced down at the tile floor and swore. “I’m trying to make sense of this—all of it. I know I felt anger toward Misha, and fear about anything happening to you. Then everything faded away.”

I squeezed his arm, afraid he was the one fading away. “You felt yourself leave me?”

He nodded, agreeing, but clearly upset. “From what I can make of it, my emotions seemed to trigger the separation from my wolf. It’s like everything I felt magnified and taunted me until I lost control.”

Aric was the most powerful pureblood
were
in known history, not some mindless beast. “You lost control of your
wolf
?”

Aric’s face darkened. “No. I lost control over my human side.”

Neither of us moved for a long time.

“What’s happening?” I finally asked.

“I don’t know. But considering how crazy I get over anything happening to you, maybe it was enough to cause this disconnect.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

Aric’s deep timbre was laden with guilt and sadness. “Celia, when our son died, a part of me died with him. You’ll never be the same, I know you won’t, but neither will I.”

My eyes welled and a painful lump claimed my throat. Aric would never know what it felt like for a mother to lose her baby. But I never considered what it was for a father to lose his child.

The connection that was briefly lost between us resurfaced and pulled us together.

We held each other for what seemed like forever. “I’m sorry,” he said at last.

“I am, too.”

He stroked my back. “Will you…will you think about staying out of this thing with Shah? Celia, I can’t handle you getting hurt again.”

I understood his fear, and all the incidences that had reinforced them. That didn’t mean I was ready to walk away from what I knew was right. “I don’t know, Aric.”

He bowed his head. “Will you at least give nursing another try? If you want a thrill, try working in the Emergency Department. Maybe it will be enough to satisfy your need to help, and your desire to make a difference.”

But it wasn’t the same and he knew it.

Aric waited for me to answer. When I didn’t, he passed his hand through his thick hair. “Just please think about it, love. I can’t stomach the thought of losing you.”

I didn’t want to think about it. But marriage and matehood were about compromises so I nodded. “I’ll think about it. But I want you to think about letting me play a role in finding Shah, too. Okay?”

“All right,” he agreed, but I could hear the hesitancy in his voice.

I didn’t want us to part on a sour note, especially since this would be his first day away from me in a long while. So I welcomed his kiss like the peace offering it was.

“I have a lot to do today and may be late,” he said. “Will you come to the Den and have lunch with me?” He seemed sad then. “I don’t want to wait until tonight to see you again.”

I had planned to stop in, but knowing he wanted me there meant a great deal, especially following his outburst. “Why don’t we have lunch at that small bistro?”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll meet you there so you don’t have to drive all the way up to the Den.”

“Okay.” I waited a beat, considering what I needed to ask. “Will you do something for me?” He nodded. “Will you ask Martin about what happened just now? This can’t be good, Aric.”

“No. It can’t be,” he agreed.

My hands splayed along his chest when he seemed lost in his thoughts. “You don’t want to ask him, do you?”

Aric shook his head. “It’s not that. I just don’t want Martin questioning my ability to lead. The moon sickness inflicted upon me was supposed to lead to insanity before killing me. If he thinks I’m unstable, it might cause us problems we don’t need.”

“I know you’re finally in a good place with your Pack. But I don’t want you to keep things from the Elders if something’s wrong. As much as I hate to say this, they’re the ones who can help you.”

His hand cupped my jaw. “You’re the only one who helped me last time. And just like before, we’ll get through whatever comes together, all right?”

Which meant he didn’t want me talking to Martin, either. I didn’t want to think that there was anything wrong with him, but I couldn’t ignore what just happened. So I didn’t promise Aric anything, at least not then.

I clutched him against me until his strong arms released me and we said goodbye. Then I watched his black Escalade pull out of our driveway as he left to rid the world of evil without me. As if on cue, my iPhone buzzed on my nightstand the moment Aric’s SUV disappeared out of our neighborhood. Agnes Concepción, one of Misha’s most trusted vampires, had sent me a text.

Celia, the master has a little stone he’d like you to find.

Chapter 5

I slipped on a long, brown suede gypsy skirt that sat just below my navel, but kept the hideous red scars of my mangled pelvis hidden. The soft white cashmere sweater I wore fell just below my breasts. Aric loved this outfit because it complemented my curves and flat abdomen. I liked it because it was comfy.

I’d spent the week meeting Aric for lunch at a few local restaurants close to the Den. Today was a busier day for him and he wouldn’t be able to leave the grounds. As a treat, I decided to bring him lunch and made one of his favorite meals.

I finished marinating the steaks for dinner then hauled the picnic basket filled with goodies into my new Mercedes GL550. In lieu of a ring I’d probably lose
changing,
Aric had shocked me with a new ride. My jaw had practically unhinged when I saw it, and initially I tried to make him take it back. “You’re stuck with me and stuck with the SUV. Just smile and enjoy us both,” he said with a grin.

“What if I wreck it?” I’d asked.

“You won’t,” he’d said.

“What if some giant creature tries to destroy it with me in it?”

He hadn’t had an answer for that, except to have Genevieve ward the crap out of it.

The scent of Tuscan soup wafted into my nose, so did the Irish cheese I’d packed, and the Bavarian bread I’d baked the night before.

I allowed the aroma to soothe me. I needed it following my text-to-text interaction with Agnes earlier that morning.

Any more news on Shah?
I texted back.

Nothing I can tell you over the phone. Get over here and we’ll talk.

I can’t right now.

Why? Are you and the mongrel having sex?

It took all I had to stay reasonable.
If we were, why would I stop just to text you?

I never said you stopped. Or claimed it was any good.

Lord. Help me.
I’ll be by later.

Why not now?

I’m busy.

Having sex?

I’m not having sex, Agnes!

Maybe you should—the good kind I’m saying. You’re awfully testy.

I’ll be by this afternoon.

There was a brief pause, followed by:
So you are having sex?

I conceded just to shut her up.
Yes. It’s just hot monkey wolf love around here.

I knew it! See you this afternoon.

What sucked was, out of all Misha’s vampires, Agnes tended to be the most conservative one of the bunch.

Which spoke volumes.

It took me only about ten minutes to reach Squaw Valley but another fifteen minutes to climb Granite Chief Peak where the Den was located. The dirt path up the mountain was easy to maneuver with my new ride, but I didn’t want to risk losing control and falling off the side.

I peeked over the nosebleed edge.
Yeah, going off the side would super-suck
.

Now that it was October, the temperature had begun to drop. But my inner furry beast kept me warm, so I let the windows down to breathe in the luscious aroma of pine. My sisters and I had traveled all over the U.S. as nurses until we finally settled in Tahoe. Out of all the places we’d visited, neither me nor my beast had ever encountered air as crisp or clean. We belonged in Tahoe; I just never realized it until we arrived.

I reached the massive wrought iron gate that led into the compound where
weres
were taught to maim, kill, and do algebra. I’d hoped Heidi was on duty so I could say hi. The last time she called, she’d invited us over for leftover horse. My sisters and I had politely declined, and I hadn’t spoken to her since.

Instead of Heidi, an unfamiliar
were
hit the button and allowed me through. He didn’t bother to glance my way or hide his scowl.

The way the wolf disregarded me was more than just the typical aversion; I could sense his deep underlying resentment of my presence. I wouldn’t have cared what he thought if his dislike didn’t extend past me. But that wasn’t the case. Aric had lost respect from his kind for choosing to be with me. It didn’t bother him. But damn it all, it bugged the hell out of me.

The majority of
weres
who consented to our union only did so because they believed the soothsayer Destiny’s prediction: A new evil was coming, and only my and Aric’s children would be strong enough to stop it.

My hand involuntarily fell to my belly. “So much for that,” I mumbled.

I accelerated ahead, past the sprawling lawns to the collection of buildings that resembled more of a posh ski resort than a school.

I parked in front of one of the main buildings and was pulling the picnic basket out of my SUV when a few of Aric’s students jogged by. After spending most of my life on my guard, I wasn’t someone anyone would classify as friendly. Still, I tried to smile pleasantly. With the exception of a small wolf named Peter, who grinned back, the other young
weres
nodded briefly and scurried away.

I guessed I didn’t do cheery well. “Hiya, Celia!” Peter said. “Do you need help with that?”

Peter had always been nice to me, but that wasn’t the only reason I liked him. He was scrawny and wimpy for a wolf, but he didn’t appear to know it. Despite the fact that even the first-year students towered over and outmuscled him, he trekked along without a care. I respected him for it. He seemed comfortable in his own skin, a feat my sisters and I had never managed.

While I could have carried twenty full picnic baskets and thrown Peter on top, he seemed eager to help. I smiled again and handed him my basket. “Thank you, Peter. I appreciate it.”

As soon as I tucked the blanket I brought beneath my arm and grabbed my purse, he led me into one of the largest buildings, a three-story chalet with stacked-stone steps and pillars. The building served as office and sleeping quarters for the staff.

The floor and paneling were composed of dark wood, meticulously clean and polished. Pictures of famous
weres
in brass frames covered the foyer walls. Among them were photos of Aric’s father and grandfather.

Aric had inherited their dark hair, light brown eyes, and strong chiseled jaw. If he had never pointed out who they were, I would have easily recognized the resemblance. Both men appeared serious in the photographs, very unlike the jovial men Aric had described.

My eyes wandered from the photos of his family to a large painting of a pack of wolves racing through the forest. With the exception of the full moon that shone brightly in the azure sky, all the colors in the painting were dark, muted, and eerily beautiful. Beneath the painting was a bronze plaque inscribed with the words
Perdere malis
—“Destroy all evil.” I paused beneath the painting. My experiences in the past two years made the words more significant. I wasn’t a
were,
but I could identify with their sense of duty to the earth.