Dark Curse

by Kim Richardson

  I pulled my lips into a smile. This time it worked. “You cut open my jeans, really high up my thigh, while I was unconscious?”

  “I did,” said Gareth, his eyebrows low.

  “You’ve got a dirty mind, elf,” I said, grinning. “I like it.” I put the bottle to my nose and made a face. “Smells like rotten eggs. What is this?” God, I hoped it tasted better than it looked because it looked like sewer water in a plastic bottle.

  “Drink it,” ordered the elf, though a smile quirked the edges of his mouth like he knew it was going to be nasty.

  With my face screwed up, I tipped the bottle into my mouth. It tasted worse than it looked. “Jesus,” I smacked my lips together after the first gulp. “That is gross. Tastes like earth and sewer water with a bit of lemon. This is probably the nastiest thing I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.”

  Gareth leaned back. “Drink. All of it, please.”

  I sighed and took another disgusting gulp of Gareth’s healing drink, pretending it was an energy drink, which it was, but not loaded with sugar and all the other good stuff you can’t pronounce.

  It wasn’t until I sipped the last of Gareth’s drink that I started to feel a tingling over my skin. Heat spread through me with the sensation of burning warmth, prickling through my skin and insides, starting from my stomach, and branching out to my limbs. I wasn’t cured, but I felt considerably better. Gotta love that elf.

  I opened my mouth just as voices pulled my attention up. Layla was standing stiffly at the other end of the warehouse, staring down at what I could see was a bundle on the ground—one of the Unmarked, though from here I didn’t know which one. Her face was a careful expressionless mask and my chest tightened. Ethan was a real bastard, but perhaps the others had been good to Layla. Maybe they’d even loved each other at some point. They had been her family once, and I pitied her, knowing how it felt to lose one’s family in one day. It was the worst kind of pain. There was no magic elf drink to soothe that kind of everlasting ache.

  Danto was walking around the lab, picking up files and taking pictures with his phone. A scowl marred his beautiful features. Smart vampire. The entire warehouse was a big evidence pile. I should be taking pictures too.

  “I called them as soon as I heard,” said Gareth, his eyes resting on Layla. “You think she’ll be okay?”

  I wiped my mouth. “I don’t know. I hope so. I’ll talk to her.” The last thing I wanted was for Layla to fall into a depression, not when she and Danto had just found each other. I knew the vampire would be a great comfort to her, just as she was to him.

  “Rowyn,” said the elf and I flicked my eyes back to him. “Is that... is that what I think it is?” he pointed to the pile of ashes with bits of burnt cloth.

  “That right there—is what’s left of Lisbeth,” I answered and the elf sucked in a breath as his eyes traveled back to the heap of ash. “Evanora killed her.”

  “The witch was here too?”

  “Yeah,” I said, taking a slow breath. “Lisbeth tried to kill her. She had Evanora drink something with poison it in. But the poison didn’t work. The two had a proper duel. The witch won. Burned her to a crisp, and rightly so. She got exactly what she deserved. And then some.”

  “Where’s Evanora?” asked Gareth after a moment, his voice carrying a hint of worry. “She might need my help. If she drank poison, it’s still in her body. She could die if she doesn’t remove it soon.”

  The memory of Evanora confronting Lisbeth flashed in my mind’s eye, so strong and determined, and very capable. “I wouldn’t worry about her. She’s a tough old broad. She’s probably already working on an antidote as we speak at her shop. You know...” I said, and put the empty bottle on the floor next to me. “I think whatever elf magic you gave her... probably saved her life. I think it’s why the poison didn’t kill her.” Weird, I was actually happy for that old witch.

  The elf looked at me. “Possibly. Or, like you say, she’s a tough old broad.” Gareth’s gaze flicked around the warehouse. “What the hell happened here?”

  “Death.” I took another deep breath and recounted every last detail that I could remember before I passed out. “You should be happy.”

  “How’s that?” asked the elf, his face creased in bewilderment.

  “Well, for one thing, I won’t be burning down your apartment anytime soon,” I said. “No more dangerous training sessions. I’m finally free of the dark curse. So, you’re free too.”

  Gareth leaned forward and my heart raced when I thought he was about to kiss me. “It was never an obligation,” he said, just stopping a hair short from my face. “I did it because I care.”

  Yum. He was so yummy. I wanted to grab his face and kiss him, but I didn’t think it was the right time or the place to do it. Besides, there was a bitter aftertaste still in my mouth from his drink. My lips were not going anywhere near the elf until I doused them with some mouthwash. I had all the time in the world to kiss him later...

  “Can you help me up?” I asked instead, pulling my naughty thoughts from my head. “I want to go see.” When I saw the questioning brow on Gareth’s forehead I added, “I just want to make sure they’re really dead, dead. You know. Who knows? Maybe Ethan had some super-healing powers we didn’t know of? I want to see for myself.”

  Gareth leapt to his feet. He slipped his hands under my armpits and gently pulled me to my feet.

  “Thanks,” I whispered, enjoying the feel of his strong hands on me. He moved over and slipped a hand under my elbow, knowing I’d probably need his help to get over there.

  My leg throbbed at the added weight on it, but it was bearable. I also noticed that I wasn’t dizzy anymore. Whatever was in that disgusting green goo had taken care of that as well.

  “You should have called me,” he said, his voice higher than usual as I took a slow step forward. “You should have called me when you found the note—” His voice broke, and he went silent.

  I looked at him, heart clenching at the distress I saw in his eyes. “You know I couldn’t,” I said, and then winced as I took another step. Gareth’s grip on my elbow tightened. “I couldn’t take that chance,” I added, taking a careful breath and leaning on him even harder.

  The elf clenched his jaw. “You could have at least told me where you were going. You could have told me that.”

  I gave a little laugh. “And what? You would have stayed home? I know you wouldn’t. You would’ve driven straight here. They have cameras everywhere. They would have seen you.”

  “I can stay hidden,” said the elf, his voice grim and determined.

  “Yes, I know that,” I answered, counting in my head the number of times he’d been spying on me and I’d never even known he was there. I hated to admit it, but he was good at the hiding thing.

  Gareth let out a breath. “There’re many ways to distort perceptions by creating simple illusions. Glamours. I could have been here, yet be invisible to those around me.”

  “Maybe you’re right. Maybe your glamour could have worked on Lisbeth and the others. But Lucian was here and I’d be willing to bet the archdemon would have been able to see through your elf magic.” I was sure about that, just as I was certain the elf would have never stayed home if I’d told him where I was going. “I didn’t know if Lisbeth was listening or watching me. This was my gran and the baals we’re talking about. I couldn’t take that chance.” My throat felt tight.

  Gareth squeezed my elbow gently. “I know. You’re right,” he said, though somehow I still didn’t believe for one minute he would have stayed home and not come after us.

  Exhaling heavily, I hobbled forward towards Layla with Gareth’s help. Every step sent a painful jab through my leg, like tiny hot blades stabbing me. Layla didn’t look up when we moved up right next to her, her face blank.

  “You okay, Layla?” I asked, wishing I knew what the Unmarked was thinking. The body on the ground next to us was Ethan, or what was left of him. He was badly burnt. His skin was blackened
, cracked and flaking with third degree burns and blisters on his entire body, his clothes were tattered and singed like he’d fallen into a large bonfire. I only recognized him because only half of his face had been burnt. It looked like James had used the same dark curse Evanora had used on Lisbeth, though not as powerful and not as many.

  Layla nodded and lifted her eyes to me. “I should be asking you that. How are you?” she asked, the skin around her eyes tightening almost invisibly. “How’s your leg?”

  I gave her a tight smile, seeing her eyes shimmering. “I’m fine. Just a scratch,” I said and moved my leg to show her my new scar. “It wasn’t a very large bullet. See? All better.”

  Layla glanced back at Ethan’s body, her expression bland. “They’re all dead. Aren’t they?”

  “Let me check,” I said, as Gareth helped lower me next to the body. I looked for the part of Ethan’s wrist that wasn’t scorched black. I pressed my fingers into his blistered skin. It was surprisingly still warm, stiff, and silent. Not heartbeat. The guy was definitely dead.

  “He’s dead,” I said as Gareth pulled me back up, and his grip eased on my elbow. “I should check the others.”

  Together, Gareth and I moved to the other three bodies of the Unmarked. And after a careful inspection, it was safe to say that all the Unmarked were food for worms.

  A gleam of silver winked at me—a soul blade, the blades that were given to us from the angels, forged from celestial metal and light, and as hard as diamonds—my favorite.

  The elegant silver blade lay next to Hannah’s body, just waiting for me to pick it up. Ignoring the searing pain in my leg, I hobbled over on one leg, Gareth never too far behind. Keeping my left leg straight and parallel to the ground, I lowered myself on the other, bending down until I could reach the blade.

  I scooped it up, my heart pounding with excitement. “Hello, beautiful,” I said as I twisted it with my wrist, getting used to the familiar weight of the blade in my hand.

  “All that for a damn knife,” said Gareth. His cold tone clearly meant he’d disapproved of my new interpretation of the Russian Cossack dance move.

  Damn. Now I had to get up looking just as cool. Jaw clenched, I pushed myself up on my right leg, shaking as I anchored my core so I wouldn’t tip over. I straightened without the elf’s help, though I was breaking into a sweat.

  “This is not just a knife,” I panted, beaming at the elf and holding out the blade so he could see it clearly. “It’s a soul blade. It was Hannah’s, I think. And now it’s mine.” I slipped it in my weapons belt. It wasn’t exactly stealing if its prior owner was dead. It’s not like Hannah would be using it anytime soon.

  I felt eyes on me and looked up to find Layla staring. Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that, I thought, feeling a pang of guilt.

  Layla’s posture eased, her eyes reflecting the world in a cold, uncaring light. She moved towards what was left of Miguel’s body. With her high-heeled boot pressed firmly on his chest, she reached down and yanked at something that was clearly stuck to him. She let out a growl and pulled hard again. There was a loud tearing sound as something silver came with her.

  “Here,” she said, as she straightened and handed me another soul blade. “Take this one too. He didn’t deserve it.”

  My lips parted as I looked at the soul blade in her hand, its handle crusted with what looked like some of Miguel’s burnt skin. “Thanks,” I said as I gladly took the other soul blade. I flicked it a few times, blackened flakes of skin falling from it like black snow, and then slipped it around my waist.

  Layla’s expression hardened as she looked from Miguel back to Ethan. I had no idea what she was thinking. She wasn’t exactly an open book, and I still barely knew her. But I liked Layla a lot. She was part of my family now.

  Inevitably, Lisbeth had taken the knowledge of Layla’s existence to the grave with her, but it didn’t mean that someone else wouldn’t slip up and inform the archdemon somehow. There were demon spies everywhere, especially dark witches who exchanged information for a taste of demonic magic. And I wasn’t talking about Evanora. I knew the old witch would want nothing to do with Lucian after what happened.

  Still, I needed to figure out how to protect Layla and me from any future dealings with Lucian.

  I didn’t peg the archdemon as someone who took to failure very well. He wouldn’t let this go that easily. This was just a minor setback for him. A shiver rolled up my spine, and I knew I’d be seeing him again before too long.

  “What about the bodies? We can’t leave them like that,” I said and Layla looked up at me, her eyebrows high. “Maybe we could have a small funeral,” I said with a shrug, thinking that maybe she would want that, though I hated Ethan. But this was for her, not me.

  “I can put them in my truck,” offered Gareth, and I turned and gave him a smile. “I know of a place up north where we could burn the bodies—”

  “No.” Danto slipped his phone into his pant pocket and made his way towards us, his pace graceful and his bare feet silent on the cement floor. “We must leave everything the way it is,” informed the vampire. “Let the Gray Council deal with this. Let them see what one of their council members did. It’s all here. All the proof we need to finally put an end to Lisbeth’s lies and her lies about you. It’s enough to get you a reprieve.”

  Grimacing, I reached out and grabbed hold of Gareth’s arm for support before I fell over. “I wish I shared your faith in them,” I said, hopping closer to the elf. “What if they decide to hide this? Slip it under the rug or something. We’re talking about a huge scandal from inside the Gray Council. They might not want the community to know what happened because it would bring shame to the council.”

  I didn’t trust the Gray Council. Lisbeth had said there were others who supported her demented scheme of removing all the half-breeds from this world. Maybe they were still on the council.

  “I’ve already called them and sent them some pictures,” said the vampire, his jaw clenched in the dim light. “They’re on their way now. They’ll be here in ten minutes.” Danto sighed, his expression sharpened on me. “It’s time they take responsibility for their mistakes,” he said, and then added softly. “And it’s time you get your life back, Rowyn.”

  My life back? Could this be real?

  I knew the Legion of angels was still hunting my ass, and let’s not forget Lucian. But if the Gray Council acquitted me of all the crimes, that was good enough for now.

  Gareth’s eyes were on mine, a pleased smile on his face, knowing how much this meant to me.

  A feeling of peace filled me. “A life sounds great.” I felt good, and I began to smile, feeling the dread and hardship of the last weeks finally start to dissolve. It was finally over.

  I’d been hiding myself from the community and the Gray Council for a long time, thinking that by ignoring the parts I didn’t like and couldn’t change, I could deny them. Pretended they didn’t exist. That hadn’t worked out so well. Maybe it was time for a change.

  I looked at the faces around me. It felt good knowing Lisbeth could never hurt anyone anymore. She was dead.

  Layla edged back, walking around the bodies of her late siblings, her face pinched, pensive. She halted before Ethan’s, staring at him with empty eyes. Was she looking for another soul blade?

  “You bastard! You tried to kill me!” she cried in outrage—and kicked him.

  Ethan’s body rose a foot in the air and crumpled back down on the cold cement floor.

  I held my breath as Layla finally looked at me, eyes wide and wild. “I’ve always wanted to do that. Let’s go!” she said, a satisfied smile on her face as she strolled past me and hooked her arm with Danto’s.

  My exhaled breath slipped from me as the couple moved towards the exit.

  “That was interesting,” I said softly. “Remind me not to get on her bad side.”

  Gareth laughed, his eyes flicking to mine. “She’s a lot like you,” he said, his voice rising and falling lik
e music, and I felt myself slumping against him.

  My lips curled. “Maybe that’s why I like her so much.” Tired, all I wanted to do was go home. But I wanted to check on my gran and the cats first.

  “Let’s get out of here,” said the elf as though reading my mind, and he slipped an arm around me.

  “Good idea.” I didn’t want to be here when the Gray Council arrived with a team of GHOSTS. I had killed three of them, so that would require some explaining, and possibility a little lying too.

  I let my head fall in the crook of Gareth’s neck, his skin warm against my cheek, and I breathed in his musky scent. “Lead the way, my wizard elf.”

  26

  I blinked in the afternoon sun, felt its welcomed heat on my face and breathed in the sweet aroma of lilacs, hyacinths, and daffodils. The sun had risen above the tops of the great maple and oak trees that lined my grandmother’s property from her neighbors’. Cheerful springtime sunshine dashed down through the break in the leaves, landing on my face.

  The smell and sound of the barbecue pulled at me, and I looked up from my chair to get a better view.

  Gareth worked the barbecue, flipping the meats, veggie paddies and chicken wings over and adding some of my grandma’s homemade sauce. He looked relaxed and comfortable as he stood there in the sun, hat off and wearing only a t-shirt and jeans that hugged him in all the right places. Sexy and brilliant, a dangerous combination. I was a sucker for a smart man, especially when the brains came packaged in a body like that. I could watch him all day, all night...

  I leaned back in my chair and took a sip of my wine, savoring the sweet grapes. Layla sat at the far end of the picnic table, looking sexy in her tight leather ensemble and feeding Danto olives one at a time. I smiled. I didn’t think the vampire actually ate olives, but just seeing how it made Layla laugh in delight, I was willing to bet he’d put up with just about anything to see her smile like that. Her face was brighter than I’d ever seen it, and I was glad for it.

  “Gareth! Make some room for my mini pizzas,” ordered my grandma as she stepped onto the back deck, the door to the kitchen slamming behind her. “I’ve got two veggies for Rowyn and two regulars for Tyrius and Kora.” She wore her white hair in her usual loose bun with an orange and white flowered house dress. She was barefoot, which surprised me. Perhaps Danto was wearing off on her.