Cursed Vengeance (17 page)

Bradley went rolling across the circle when Sean pounced, grabbing hold of his front leg. His teeth pushed down until I heard breaking bone. Bradley yelped.

“Dammit, Bradley,” Theresa yelled. “Would you give up before he kills you?”

Bradley managed to use his back paws to push Sean off, leaving a few gashes down his side, which Sean ignored and swiped his paw out once again. This time raking his claws down Bradley’s side, the blood now poured from the wounds. Bradley turned, diving at Sean, giving Sean the chance to clamp his jaw around his back paw when Bradley flew over him. The crunching of bone made everyone gasp, including me.

Fuck, a broken front and back paw. He wouldn’t be standing for at least a week. He collapsed to the ground, but Sean wasn’t done. Bradley didn’t help his case when he continued to growl at Sean, refusing to submit. Sean bit down on his other hind leg, not enough to break it. Bradley’s coat slowly turned from a light gray to a muted red with all the blood.

Bradley howled and Sean bit down around his neck, making clear he was done with the bullshit.

“Bradley.” Luther went charging forward.

“Fuck, no.” I ran over and wrapped my arms around his chest. “Bradley brought this on himself and you’re not getting in the middle.”

He thrashed against my hold, watching Bradley go limp under Sean. I knew Sean would never kill him, so he either submitted or passed out. Sean stepped back and howled, declaring his dominance. Bradley didn’t move. Apparently, he passed out. Sean’s power rolled through the crowd, every wolf baring their neck in a sign of submission. Will, a veterinarian and the pack healer, ran forward to tend to Bradley. Well, more like medic since he couldn’t actually heal the wounds, just bandage them and set broken bones.

The tears streamed down Theresa’s face as she sat next to her brother. My gut clenched at her pain. Hadn’t she been through enough? Not that any of this was Sean’s fault. I let go of Luther.

Sean shifted. “Get him the fuck out of here and be back before the moon rises.” He turned to Will. “Can he be left alone?”

He nodded. “I’ve done all I can. He needs time to heal.”

Luther and two others picked up Bradley’s broken body. His breathing was even, only after Will had given him something for the pain. Too bad for the son of a bitch it would wear off before the hunt was over. The two broken paws and probably a couple of ribs, not to mention all of the cuts and gashes that turned his coat red, were going to hurt like a motherfucker when he woke up.

Theresa walked over to Sean, her eyes glistening.

“Theresa, I’m—” Sean started to say.

“Don’t even. Moron got what he deserved. I told him not to challenge you. Obviously he didn’t listen.” Theresa wiped at her eyes. “Thank you for not killing him. You had every right to when he didn’t submit.”

He pulled her into his arms. “I would never hurt you like that. You’ve been through enough. I’m counting the fact he stopped fighting as his submission.”

“Is your side okay?”

Sean lifted his arm and turned. Gashes ran down his ribs.

“Yeah. They’ll heal by morning.”

After that the rest of the pack came over to congratulate Sean and proclaim their loyalty. Some had questions about Sierra and her ability to beat the curse. When a few of the wolves came over to me, to congratulate me on my mating, I plastered a smile on my face and said thank you. Although each one tied the knot in my gut tighter. I was glad when the idiots helping Bradley got back and Sean called everyone to shift and hunt.

Hunting didn’t even appeal to me. Somewhere in the back of my head I knew I needed to, and it helped that Sean stayed with me, forcing my body to do what it needed when my mind was a million miles away. Shutting my mind down, I let my instincts take over until the sun came up.

Eventually the night came to an end. Wolves shifted and dressed before returning to their cars. Sean came up beside me.

“You all right?”

I sighed. “I guess. Not really looking forward to going home alone.”

“Time. She’ll be back. Be patient.”

“I’m trying, but it’s really fucking hard. How’s the side?”

He lifted his shirt, revealing smooth skin. “Fine.”

I pulled my keys from my pocket. “She’d be proud of you for last night.”

“Well, you can tell her all about it when you see her. I’m sure she’ll want to know, only because it’s Bradley.”

Sean had a confidence I couldn’t match. Honestly, I didn’t have faith I’d ever see Sierra again. Why would she want to stay with a monster?

“I’m heading home to get a real night’s sleep.”

“Okay,” Sean said. “Call me later and we’ll check on a few more of the jobs.”

“I’ll call you when I get up.”

I climbed into my truck so I could head home to my empty bed. Now that the challenge and hunt were done, emptiness filled my chest once again. I turned onto my street and about slammed into a tree when I saw her car in my drive. Did she come here to get her things and tell me she never wanted to see me again?

Unsure of the answer, I took my time, pulling into the driveway and putting the car in park. Slowly, I climbed out and walked around the front of the truck. There she was, sitting on my porch as beautiful as ever. Exhausted, I slowly walked up the stairs to face whatever might come my way. Better to find out now than have to wait until later.

She met me at the top of the stairs.

“I love you,” she said.

No explanations, no anger, only the three words I’d been longing to hear. Cupping her face, I threaded my fingers through her hair and brought her lips to mine. It had been less than twenty-four hours and my body craved her more than I ever thought possible. My tongue slid across her lips and into her mouth, dancing a sensual dance with hers. Her moan was music to my ears.

Without breaking the connection of our lips, I reached behind her and unlocked the door, backing her through it. Needing to say the words that had been sitting on the tip of my tongue for days, I released her lips.

Looking into her eyes, I told her what was in my heart. “I love you more than words can say.”

“I’m so sorry about yesterday morning,” she whispered. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

“You’re here now, that’s all that matters.”

She pulled my head down to hers. “Make love to me.”

“Fuck yes!”

Hoisting her into my arms, I carried her down the hall to my room. I wasted no time pulling off her shirt, followed by mine and throwing them to the floor. Her hands worked on my pants while I took care of her bra. Once I finally had her naked, I slipped my hand between her legs, rubbing circles around her clit.

“Dylan,” she moaned. “Oh God, I missed this.”

My body surged with the need to be inside her, but after everything I put her through she deserved a little pleasure first. Dropping to my knees, I pulled one of her legs over my shoulder and let my tongue replace my fingers. Licking across her sensitive folds, her fingernails dug into my shoulders.

“Shit. You’re making me crazy.”

“That’s the plan, sweetheart.”

I swirled my tongue around her clit. Her body quivered as she came closer to coming undone. After a few more flicks, I sucked her clit into my mouth, making her scream. Before the tremors ended, I flipped her around and pushed her down on the bed, keeping her gorgeous ass facing me. In one thrust, I slid into her tight, wet heat.

“You feel fucking amazing.”

“Damn, damn, damn,” she cried out, her hands curling into the sheets by her face.

Her body welcomed me, over and over again. I set a rhythm, needing to find my own climax. More than that, I needed to take her with me. Her body shuddered and I knew she was close. Pulling out, I flipped her over and thrust back in. I took hold of her hands, threading out fingers together as my mouth captured hers. Our tongues in the same erotic dance as our bodies.

“Please, tell me you’re close,” I whispered against her lips.

“I’m there, I’m there,” she shouted, her body rippling around me, taking me with her.

Practically boneless and exhausted from the day before, I got us onto the bed and pulled up the covers. Sierra cuddled into my embrace, laying her head on my chest.

“Promise to never push me away again.”

“I promise,” she said, tracing patterns across my chest.

I tipped her chin up to face me. “I love you, Sierra.”

“I love you, too, Dylan.”

Joyous, I placed a brief kiss on her lips and let sleep take me, knowing my angel was back in my arms.

Sierra

The day before had been a nightmare. Yes, I was scared when I sent Dylan away with Sean, but most of that was not knowing how long the effects of whatever the hell they gave him would last. Would he only shift once? More than that? Was he in the clear? I had no way of knowing.

Ten minutes after he left I wanted to call Sean and beg him to bring Dylan back. One major problem. I was worried about Rachel. That sick fuck had brainwashed her somehow and I needed to attempt to fix it.

There was no way in hell either Sean or Dylan were going to go along with me intervening in witch business. I could hear Sean lecturing me about danger, while Dylan would tell me no fucking way.

Once I took a shower and felt a little more myself, other than the gaping hole in my heart, I dressed in running clothes and jogged to the café Rachel and I frequented. Luckily her car was in her driveway when I went past. Hopefully that meant she was alone.

I wasn’t real keen on the idea of running into Remy until I talked to Sean, but Rachel was my best friend and I wasn’t going to let some scumbag turn her into a zombie fuck toy.

Once I had our favorite drinks, I made my way back to Rachel’s and knocked on the door. I heard a groan and rustling, then heavy footfalls.

Frowning, I tipped my head to the side. It was only Friday. Why was she crashed on her couch?

Rachel squealed, “Oh my God!” and threw the door open, pulling me into a hug. “Where the fuck did you go last night? You were there, then you were gone before dinner came.”

My brow arched, surprised Rachel even noticed. “Can I come in? I brought your morning medicine.”

“Yes, of course. In, now, and tell me what that growly asshole did to you?”

“Did to me?” I asked cautiously, wanting to hear this story. Remy probably filled her head with a bunch of nonsense. Never mind the fact Dylan could have done real damage. I wanted to hold onto the belief Sean scared me worse than he needed to in order to make me work the spell.

Either way, Dylan begged me to put him under, and I did. If I closed my eyes I could feel the scratch of claws and feel of fur when he pinned me to the wall. He’d been massive, towering over me. Yeah, I was terrified. And Sean was right. Dylan could have really hurt me and not even realized it.

I took a deliberately slow breath and handed her the coffee. She dragged me to the dining room and sat down. “So what happened last night?” she asked frantically.

I turned the tables. “Your date is an ass. How do you put up with him?”

Her brow drew together. “What do you mean?”

“He drugged Dylan while we were in the bathroom. Know anything about that?”

Her brow crinkled. “Drugged? What do you mean drugged? Remy is the sweetest, most caring guy I know. Why would he drug anyone?”

“He’s not who you think he is. Then again, it turns out I’m not what you think I am. I need you to tell me what happened last night. Why did your eyes glaze over while he droned on and on, bragging about the lamest advertising ads I’d ever heard of?”

She shrugged. “I zone out when he starts talking. That’s not what he’s good for. He’s long and hard, and knows how to use that
thang
.”

“But you just said he was sweet and caring?” I snapped. “Which is it? Is he a good lay? Or a good guy—because I really doubt he’s a good guy.”

“Um,” she blushed, looking away, “a good lay. Come to think of it I can’t remember much of what he says ever.” Her eyes opened wide, a look of shock on her face. “Do you think he hypnotized me or something crazy?”

“Yeah. Seems pretty damned likely. We need to figure this out. What happened last night?”

She frowned. “I guess I zoned out, because by the time food came out, you were gone. Remy said Dylan was making you uncomfortable, trying to feel you up under the table. Then you got pissed and left. He said the monster probably pinned you down and raped you.”

“And you didn’t think to come check on me?” Sierra blurted out.

She frowned. “I was really drunk by then. And Sean’s truck was in your driveway. I figured he was dealing with the asshole.”

“First of all, Dylan’s not an asshole. Your piece of shit whatever the hell you want to call Remy drugged him with a potion that—shit.” I rubbed at my head.

Rachel’s eyes grew round. “What is it?”

I sat up straighter. Dragging her onto the crazy train was the last thing I wanted to do. I had no clue how she’d react, but she needed to understand Remy was dangerous, and to do that she needed to know what was really going on.

Taking a deep breath, I gathered my thoughts and jumped in. “I’m about to tell you some crazy shit, and I need you to go with me. I thought Sean and Dylan were mental until I saw proof I couldn’t refute, no matter how much I wanted to.”

She gave me a funny grin. “Okay, you know I would believe anything you tell me. You suck at lying.”

I sighed. “Remy is a witch. So am I, but I recently found out.”

“Say what?” Rachel exclaimed.

Lifting my palm, I whispered the spell. Fire danced over my hand before I waved it out. “Magic, Rachel. I cast magic.”

Rachel’s mouth fell open and her eyes nearly rolled out of her head they were so wide. “Shut up!”

My brow arched. “You just saw it.”

Her head bobbed. “Okay, okay, yeah, you’re right. You were saying?”

“Your boyfriend, or whatever, does it too, but he gave Dylan a potion to make him feral. Dylan is a werewolf, so yes, he could have hurt me in theory. He begged me to put him to sleep, so I did with a spell.”

“This is insane, and if I didn’t know you so well, I’d have you committed.” She let out a strange laugh, then sighed.

“I’m not crazy.”

“I know. Why do you think I’m not calling the funny farm?” Rachel took a sip of her coffee and tapped her fingers on the table for a moment, which usually meant she was considering all the angles.

I blinked slowly. “So wait. You aren’t freaking out?”

She shrugged sheepishly. “Used to see your brother playing with magic. Used to think it was a dream until I confronted him. He made me promise never to tell you. And I had a huge crush on him, so I agreed.”

I shook my head slowly.

Then her eyes got wide. “Dylan really turns into a wolf?”

Nodding, I gulped. “Yeah, and something worse. He shifted into a beast that wanted sex. He fought it, I put him under. He slept off the effects in my basement. He didn’t hurt me, he begged me to stop him, because he is not a monster.”

She sat back, her face scrunched in thought. Then she asked, “How do you know Remy gave him anything?”

“A vision. My grandmother gave it to him. Told him to show me how werewolves are monsters, and to bring me to them. Don’t you remember Dylan drinking something with Remy before I left?”

She shrugged. “He always drinks before dinner.”

“Rachel, you were putting up with that bullshit boasting, so what gives? What has he done to you?”

She shook her head. “He’s hot. You know me. I think with my pussy when the getting’s good.”

I banged the table with my hand. “Do you like anything about him, besides his magic cock?”

She giggled, then frowned. “No. Not really.”

“Look, I don’t know what he’s going to do when I am not freaking out over Dylan, so I need you to get out of town for a bit. You mentioned you wanted to take a cruise, right? Maybe tell work you have to deal with a family emergency, then hop on a cruise for a couple weeks. By then I should have this mess sorted out.”

Her brow arched. “But he’s in advertising, not potions.”

“Just because he’s a witch, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have another job. Look at Sean. He owns his own contracting business with Dylan, and he’s both a werewolf and a witch.”

“And your brother is pretty cool.” She frowned. “You really think Remy could hurt me?”

“He’s brainwashing you, babe. Every time some asswipe tries to boast, you rub it in their face you’re better at whatever they do. And you’re always right.”

She frowned. “You’re right. What the hell?”

“What do you say? Can you take a vacation, leave today?”

“You can fix this?”

“I will. Just get out of town so I can.”

“Deal. I trust you, and only because you’re the only reason I made it through science. You always figured out how to solve everything.”

I grinned. “You know I love ya, hon.”

Rachel came over to give me a hug. Then stepped back, concern in her eyes. “So where is Mr. Growly?”

“With my brother, dealing with pack business.” I gave her a smile I didn’t feel. All I wanted was to find Dylan and apologize for sending him away. I needed to do a couple things first.

“Should I dump Remy before the cruise?”

“No, definitely not. Don’t want to raise any suspicion. I need you to go so you’re safe, if this all blows up.”

“I could help.”

“No. You really can’t, hon. Go.”

After chatting with Rachel for a bit and helping her pick a cruise, I went home and called Doctor Radcliffe.

“Hey, Sierra. You up for another consult next week?”

“Sure, and hey, you still interested in recruiting me to your team?”

“I am. I’ll do anything in my power to sway you over.”

“Well, I’m getting pretty serious with a guy out your way, and I think the move would be good for me. Beats a nearly two hour drive.”

“You’re serious?”

“Yes. I needed to know we’d work before I mentioned it.” I sighed, trying to think of something convincing to say that didn’t give it all away.

“I’ll take you as soon as you can make the transition. I know they’ll need you for some appointments, and it will likely be a few weeks, but get the ball rolling and we’ll make this work.”

“Great. Send me the details, and I’ll talk to Doctor Reggie. And thank you.”

“Don’t you dare thank me. I’ve been trying to steal you since I saw your work in person.”

“Very true.”

By the time I was done with a few more phone calls and a handful of emails, I was all set to start at ACMC in three weeks. I would still consult with Hahnemann, but I could be with Dylan every night with the move. Not that I wanted to get rid of my house, we could use it when I needed to be in the city, and there were too many memories of Mom to let it go.

The rest of the day was spent packing up a few days of clothes, dropping Rachel off at the airport, and talking to my brother when he asked me if I could forgive Dylan.

I evaded the topic the best I could. He needed his head on straight for this Alpha battle, and Dylan was his second, whatever the hell that meant. Sean was surprised I didn’t give him shit about fighting, but I’d read more of Mom’s journal’s and I was starting to understand the nature of the pack and how bonds worked.

At first I thought I’d call Dylan in the morning, only I couldn’t sleep. The need was insane. Nothing relieved the ache in my heart and my loins.

By two AM I gave up, grabbed my bags, and hopped in the car with three little words on my tongue. I knew I’d beat him to his house. He had been so devastated I needed to say it first. I needed to lay it out there and show him I was invested in this.

Our connection flared the moment I told him I loved him, then he made love to me, showing me better than words ever could how much we needed each other.

Curled in his arms, I knew I could never give him up. Now I needed to tell him about Rachel and talk to Sean about that box. A week to figure out the curse and end it for good. I needed the time to figure it all out and put an end to the evil that would take Dylan from me if I wasn’t careful.

Finally where I needed to be, I let his heartbeat lure me into sleep.

* * *

He woke me to make love, then took me in the shower. Before I could get dressed, he announced he was fixing us lunch. I pulled on a dress and found him making sandwiches.

With my decision made, I sat at the table. “We need to talk.”

“About?” He glanced over his shoulder with a hope filled smile. “I told Rachel about what happened. Convinced her to take a cruise. Hoping with her gone for three weeks I can deal with the curse permanently and maybe do something about my grandmother and her coven.”

He turned back with a glare. “Did you run into Remy?”

“No. He wasn’t there. And I got her going before the asshole got off work.”

He took a slow breath and nodded before bringing us plates.

Hoping to give him a reason to forget the fact I did something I knew he’d hate, I decided to fess up. “And I already talked with Doctor Radcliffe at ACMC and will transfer in three weeks. I can’t ditch my patients, or the scheduled surgeries, and I may be asked to consult in Philadelphia from time to time. Monday I have to go back to work and take care of my patients.”

He nodded slowly, a smile replacing the frown. “Does that mean you’ll move in?”