4-Ever Cursed (4-Ever Hunted Book 2)

by Kasi Blake

  Was he being a coward?

  Should he fight the faerie king even though he didn’t have a hope of winning?

  He popped into the mansion’s foyer.

  Cowboy was sitting at the bottom of the staircase. Upon seeing Trick’s grim expression, he said, “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve just lost your best friend... but I’m right here.”

  ♫

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Faithfully

  “What’s wrong with you?” Cowboy asked. “You look like you’ve just lost your best friend... but I’m right here.”

  A shudder went through Trick’s body as he pictured what he’d just seen Oberon do. Not even Cowboy’s sudden appearance or docile tone could surprise him now. “Thought we weren’t friends anymore? You left like that was it. I think your exact words were, this Cowboy is done.”

  Cowboy shrugged, non-committal.

  With a sigh, Trick joined Cowboy on the steps, third up from the bottom. For several minutes they sat in silence. Embarrassed, Trick tucked his trembling hands beneath his butt to keep the other vampire from seeing them. A tinge of shame over letting Oberon get to him made him feel worse. Of course, it wasn’t every day that a person saw a group of men explode.

  Trick opened his mouth a half dozen times, the first line of conversation on his tongue. He shut his lips again and again. Nothing sounded right in his head. If he offended Cowboy, the guy could shut him out completely. He had to say just the right thing to get them going in the right direction.

  “I don’t like guessing games,” Cowboy said with blunt force.

  Trick blinked at him. “Huh?”

  “Tell me what’s on your mind. It’s obviously bad news. Give it to me straight like a shot of tequila. That’s how I like it. What’s got your brow all furrowed today?”

  Deep breaths.

  In and out.

  In and out.

  “Bash killed John Foster’s entire hunting group.” Trick launched to his feet, unable to sit another second. “Crazy, huh?”

  “Bash? Isn’t he a hunter?”

  “Oberon killed Bash and took over his body years ago.” A burst of laughter shot up Trick’s throat. On the verge of hysteria, he tried to reign himself in by focusing on what he knew to be true. “He killed John’s hunting group. All the maniac did was lift his arms in the air and say some strange words.” Trick demonstrated the move. “Can he do that with us? Can he make vampires explode?”

  Cowboy rubbed the back of his neck and cringed. “That would be bad. That would be real bad. I’ve never heard of a power like that before. I mean, Oberon’s son had to touch a person to kill them... or to possess their bodies.”

  “He lifted his arms, and they exploded.” Trick winced at the memory. “There was a gold object in his hand, but I didn’t get a good look at it. I don’t know if that’s what made them explode or if that was just part of his act. He really likes to put on a show.”

  “Bet there are lots of things he can do that no one else can.”

  That wasn’t what Trick wanted to hear. He turned to look over his shoulder, glancing up the stairs. “Summer here?”

  “She’s with your brother.”

  Trick sighed. “Figures.”

  “I do not want him to be our fourth.” Cowboy’s jaw tightened. “I mean it. You need to do something about them.”

  “Can we worry about Oberon right now?” Trick walked to the front door at a brisk pace, spun around, and returned to his original position in front of Cowboy.

  Cowboy suggested, “We can always blow town like I tried to get you to do when this first started.”

  “I thought of that,” Trick said. “If we could just start running and keep running, stay one step ahead of him... but he could wipe out my entire family. I wouldn’t be here to protect them. I don’t know what to do.”

  He wanted a guarantee that Oberon would come after him if he left town. He had to be certain everyone would be safe with him gone. Otherwise, he wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Let’s take a reality check.” Cowboy descended the steps to stand near him. “I love a good fight more than anybody, but we can’t win this one. If you try to take on Oberon, you’ll die.” The vampire paused, probably to give the words a chance to sink in. He put a hand on Trick’s shoulder. “So, are we hitting the road or planning your funeral? I need to know what to wear.”

  “He’s right,” Scarlet said from the doorway. She’d let herself into the mansion using her key. With an overnight bag slung over her shoulder and a wary expression on her face she looked like a kid ready to run away from home. She went on. “You can’t win this fight. Oberon will kill you. You should listen to the stupid vampire and leave town while you still can.”

  Cowboy glared at her. “Finally, the big-haired girl makes sense.”

  “If I leave, Oberon might kill everyone including you,” Trick told Scarlet.

  “He might do that anyway,” Scarlet said. “It isn’t your job to keep everyone safe.”

  Cowboy made a rude noise. When they looked at him, he shrugged. “I’d be gone already if I could still teleport. I’ll leave you two to your tedious conversation. Let me know what you decide.”

  “Wait a second,” Trick said. “Last time I saw you, you were pissed enough to walk out. Didn’t sound like you were coming back.”

  Cowboy went upstairs, taking them two at a time. In his usually annoying way, he didn’t say a word. Secretive, he hid behind sarcasm and brooding eyes. It was impossible to know where he’d disappeared to after their last argument. Hopefully, he hadn’t turned on them.

  Trick sank down on the steps again, and Scarlet dropped her bag before sitting next to him. She leaned against him, head on his shoulder. Her hair made his skin itch where it brushed against him. For once he wasn’t annoyed by the sensation. A sense of nostalgia washed over him as he realized this might be the last time it happened.

  “I’ll miss you,” she mumbled.

  An emotional lump formed in his throat.

  He started to promise to keep in touch, but he couldn’t bring himself to lie to her. If he went on the run, he needed to cut ties with everyone. They’d be safer if they didn’t know how to find him.

  “I’ll miss you too,” he said.

  “You know, it’s okay if you want to cry.” She lifted her head and smirked at him. “I won’t think less of you.”

  The teasing helped put their relationship back into balance.

  He playfully shoved her. “Shut up.”

  For a moment he forgot the terrible burden resting on his shoulders. Somehow Scarlet managed to make things easier on him with soft mocking born from love. Then the weight of the world returned, and he remembered he’d never see her again.

  He took her hand between his, and they just sat there in silence. Neither said the G word. They didn’t say the word out loud, but they both knew they were saying it on the inside.

  Goodbye, my friend.

  ♫

  Summer and Matt were sprawled on the grass, a plaid blanket between them and the ground. They had finished their midnight picnic and were staring up at the stars. She had her head resting against his chest. His fingers played with her hair.

  “I’m having a hard time believing this is real,” she said as she lifted up so she could see his face.

  “What do you mean?” He frowned.

  “Us. How happy I am when I’m with you.” She sat up even though she never wanted to leave his arms. “Back in high school, I thought I was in love. I couldn’t imagine being happier. But I am.”

  He sat up with her and kissed the tip of her nose. “Me too.”

  She didn’t want to lose him, but it seemed inevitable. Weary sigh, she said, “Then I start thinking about all the things that can go wrong. Oberon wants us dead. I can’t go out during the day anymore.” Her eyes lowered. “You could fall in love with someone else.”

  “That is never going to happen,” Matt said in a firm voice.

  “H
ow do you know? How can you be sure?”

  “I want to spend the rest of my life with you and beyond.” With both of them on their knees now, he took her hands and stared into her eyes. “Want proof? In ten years, after I’m a bit older, you can turn me. I will become a vampire so I can spend forever with you. That’s how sure I am.”

  Her heart leaped into her throat, and her hands trembled. “What if something terrible happens to you before ten years is up?”

  “You have my permission to turn me on the spot if I’m dying.” He lifted a finger in warning. “Only if I’m dying.”

  “What if you’re in an accident when I’m not around?”

  “Guess you’ll have to stick by me day and night.” He kissed her until she was sure she wouldn’t breathe normally ever again.

  “Won’t you get sick of me?” she asked, lowered lashes.

  “Never.”

  Another problem came to mind, and she shivered. “Your brother will stake me if he finds out.”

  Stupid Trick Donovan was a paranoid maniac with a God complex. He thought he should be able to decide which vampires lived and which died. It didn’t matter that he was now one of them. The guy had a serious problem when it came to her kind, and she didn’t trust him for a second.

  “We won’t tell him,” Matt said with a shrug. “Trick has a lot on his plate. I’m almost positive we are the last things on his mind. Don’t worry about him. Okay? Someday he’ll understand that you are the only person in this world that can make me happy. Someday he’ll fall in love and know he can’t live without that person.”

  Summer frowned. “You don’t think he loves Dani or Scarlet?”

  “I think he’s in love with one of them, yes. The problem is, he doesn’t know which girl has his heart. He’ll figure it out. Sooner or later.”

  “What if he loses her first?” As far as Summer was concerned, Trick deserved to be alone. He was making her life miserable with veiled threats and giving her nightmares about staking her. She’d rip his throat out if it wouldn’t cause her to lose Matt.

  Matt ate a potato chip. “Then he’ll have to learn to live with regret for the rest of his life. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”

  She nodded even though she kind of hoped he did screw up his love life. He didn’t want her to be with Matt. Why should he get to be happy? “If Oberon kills him, his love life won’t matter anymore.”

  A dark shadow crossed Matt’s face, and she wished she hadn’t brought Oberon into the conversation. Trick was Matt’s brother. She had to keep reminding herself that what hurt Trick, hurt Matt.

  “Maybe I should let you turn me now so I can help him fight Oberon.”

  Summer leaped to her feet. “No! I don’t want you anywhere near that maniac. You know what? We should all run away together before it’s too late.”

  Sheepish smile, Matt admitted. “Trick wanted to leave town, but I convinced him not to go.”

  She blinked. “Why would you do that?”

  “I’ve watched Trick take on monsters before that no one thought he could beat... like the Shadow Faerie.”

  Summer shook her head. “He cannot win against Oberon. Look at me. Look in my eyes and see how terrified I am of that monster. He cursed us from across town and killed the vice principal without being there. He killed John Foster, a professional hunter, and he’s going to do the same to your brother.”

  The blood drained from Matt’s face. “If Oberon is all-powerful, there’s nowhere to hide. He’ll find us and kill us if we run. We need to be smart about this. We need to destroy him without taking him on in an actual battle.”

  Summer gave it thought. Matt could be right. For all they knew, Oberon could gaze into a crystal ball and see their exact location. “What do we do?” she asked in a wistful voice, speaking to herself more than to Matt. “What do we do?”

  ♫

  Wired to explode, Trick walked back and forth on Jersey’s front porch. He stopped to bang on the door again. He was giving the werewolf teacher one last chance to help. If Jersey refused, Trick planned to kill him on the spot. Yes, it would be a difficult feat to accomplish, but not impossible like killing Oberon.

  Jersey finally opened the door. The tall, lanky teacher leaned against the door frame of his home. His pale hair spilled over his forehead and covered half of one light blue eye. After catching a yawn in his hand, he asked, “Do you want something?”

  Trick shouted, “Oberon just wiped out a mess of hunters with a single blow!”

  Jersey shrugged. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  “I may have to fight him so—”

  “It’s your destiny as I’ve said many times... if you ever bother to listen.”

  Trick’s fists tightened, and the urge to punch the werewolf in his smug face became almost impossible to resist. “If you are going to help, now is the time. How do I put him down? The man must have a weakness.”

  “Men have many, but the king of the fae does not have a one. He is invincible. Your only chance is to do the spell I gave you. Kill the person you love most and save the world.”

  “You know what I think?” Trick’s eyes narrowed. “I think the spell is crap. You want me to kill somebody I love as part of a plan to destroy me. If you were concerned about saving the world or helping me against Oberon, you would have told me he was pretending to be my dad’s buddy Bash.”

  A flicker of surprise swept through Jersey’s eyes.

  A slow smile crept across the werewolf’s face. “Aren’t you a clever boy figuring that out on your own? That information won’t serve you. Oberon will get what he wants, and he wants you dead.”

  “You’re playing both sides, aren’t you?” Trick nodded, answering the question himself. “Wonder what Bash... Oberon will say when I tell him how you’ve been interfering. Maybe he’ll kill you first.”

  Jersey studied his own fingernails, ignoring the threat. “I am enslaved to Oberon, and he knows it. I couldn’t help you even if I wanted to do so.”

  In an instant, Trick knew what the werewolf was doing. Jersey hated Oberon and wanted to see the faerie king destroyed, but his hands were tied by magic. The only thing he could do was supply information through a third party.

  “Loophole,” Trick said. “Isobel does everything for you. She brought us the cure for the curse and whispered in Cowboy’s ear when you told her to. The whole thing was a set-up. You play the puppet master behind the scenes and wait for us to find a way to destroy Oberon for you. If we can’t and we die, your circumstances don’t change. You aren’t risking anything.”

  The smug smile returned to Jersey’s face. “Isobel has proven herself a valuable asset. She can steal anything from anyone, and she’s good at gathering information.” Jersey shrugged. “Oberon won’t believe you if you try to warn him.”

  “I can be pretty convincing.”

  “What do you want?” Jersey asked with a weary sigh.

  “The truth.”

  Jersey stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black slacks.

  “You want the whole story? Fine. I will give you the abbreviated version.” Jersey stepped outside and leaned against the beige siding of his home. “Thousands of years ago, I was cursed by a faerie and made into the first werewolf. My brother became the first vampire. Our lovely little faerie would later complain she loved us both and couldn’t make a choice. In reality, she was supposed to marry Oberon’s son. When she started chasing after mortal boys, Oberon banished her to this world and trapped her inside an invisible parcel of land with a small house to live out her days alone. Oberon’s son was obsessed with her. After she died by her own hand, he possessed the eldest living male in my family.”

  Trick interrupted. “I heard about that. Didn’t he stay alive by possessing the eldest male in every generation until he eventually killed my father?”

  “Precisely.” Jersey went on. “Oberon tried to find him but failed. The kid was good at hiding... up to a point. Eventually, he was killed. Oberon wants re
venge on everyone involved. That was his primary goal... until he realized that you, and only you could inherit the power left in this realm by his son. More than anything, he wants that power returned to the Faerie Realm where it belongs.”

  “If he wants the power, can’t he just suck it out of me?” Trick asked, desperate to find a loophole of his own.

  Jersey shook his head. “That isn’t how it works. If the power is sucked out in this realm, he loses it forever. I suppose it would disappear into the atmosphere. He will need to kill you in his world. Then the power will be his.”

  “So why doesn’t he take me to his realm?”

  Jersey shrugged. “Oberon enjoys watching his enemies suffer.”

  Trick grabbed Jersey by the front of his black shirt, swung him around, and slammed him against the exterior of the house. A look of surprise crossed the werewolf’s features.

  “Hey, wait a second,” Jersey said. “Don’t lose the tenuous grip you have on your sanity. The truth is, I was hoping you would find a way to kill the faerie king. You were my last hope. I’m no happier about this than you.”

  Jersey seemed sincere for once.

  “Can you use your loophole to help me out?” Trick asked.

  “What’s in it for me?”

  “Your life.” Trick released the werewolf. “I accidentally left the Sugar Bomb on the front seat of Bash’s jeep. Since Isobel is so good at stealing, she can get it for me.”

  Jersey stared at him, eyes wide and jaw slack. “Can you repeat that? I thought I heard you say you gave a powerful talisman to our combined enemy, a man who doesn’t need another advantage.”

  “I had to hand it over. He was testing me. Then he killed a group of hunters like that.” Trick snapped his fingers. “He made them explode. Did you know he could do that?”

  Jersey shrugged. “There seems to be no end to his talents. To answer your earlier question, yes, I can send Isobel for the Bomb. However, if she gets caught, he will know I am working against him. I need more incentive than you letting me live.”