Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse

by Bullion, Glenn

  "I have to warn you," she said. "I've got my strength back. I'm not sure if you'll be able to keep up."

  Jack laughed. She was in for a surprise.

  CHAPTER 30

  Marie wasn't sure how much time she'd spent with Jack in the woods. Ninety minutes, maybe two hours had passed. Modesty and shyness began to settle in once again as Jack stepped into his pants. She had no clothes to put on, although it was rather pointless anyway. He'd already seen her without clothes more times than anyone in decades.

  His back was to her, and she enjoyed the show while it lasted. The curse he talked about kept him in excellent shape. She wanted to lean against a tree behind her, to catch her breath, but her pride refused to let her. It was all she could do to keep her knees from shaking. It took a lot of effort to exhaust a werewolf, and Jack had done so.

  She relived moments of their encounter. She'd gotten carried away, a little too excited, and raked her claws down Jack's back. Blood was drawn, but she'd left no scars. He healed from them instantly. Guilt came over her as she looked at the lines of blood down his back, but said nothing. Jack didn't seem to mind at the time.

  Marie tried to push the energetic encounter from her thoughts. Now that Jack was out of her system, she could focus on other matters, such as revenge. Never again would that pack of werewolf hunters hunt another creature.

  Jack turned to face her. He wore a half smile, and took a moment to look at the shirt in his hand.

  "I won't give you my pants, but you've earned enough of my respect to let you borrow my shirt."

  She rolled her eyes. "Wow. After what we just did, I earned a little of your respect. Your pillow talk could use a little work."

  "The sex didn't get you respect."

  She smiled, imagining that was as close to a compliment as Jack would get. A whiff of his delicious chocolate scent touched her nose as she reached for the shirt. She growled in delight and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him close. He stumbled into her, and she used that as an excuse to embrace him. He set his hands on her hips, which she loved. Starting at his shoulder, she sniffed up his neck, stopping at his hair, trying to take his entire scent in. She nibbled on his ear slightly and touched his flesh with her tongue. Jack did his best to control his reaction, but she could tell he enjoyed it.

  "Yummy."

  "You said that earlier, too."

  Jack stepped back and watched Marie put on his shirt. The hem stopped at her hips, but that would have to do until they got back to the hotel. She left a robe in the bushes near Jack's room. Trying not to smile, Jack looked her up and down before turning and walking on the path nearby.

  "You look good," he said. "Maybe I'll let you keep that one."

  Marie smiled in return.

  The trek back to the hotel didn't take long. Marie's nose led the way, although Jack seemed to know where he was going, at least at first. He stopped at a crossroads once, glancing in all directions. She was tempted to lead the way, but didn't feel like walking while pulling down his shirt to cover her ass.

  Jack didn't ask for help or directions. Marie laughed quietly to herself as she stood next to him, drawing a glare. Cursed man or not, some things didn't change.

  "Do you need a hint on which way to go?" she asked. "Was the sex that good, you got lost?"

  "I know where I'm going," he said. "Don't get a big head over there. And it wasn't that good."

  "Yes, it was. Stop lying."

  A hint of a smile played at his lips.

  In another twenty minutes they saw the hotel through the trees. Marie had Jack wait while she retrieved her stashed robe. She made him turn around while she undressed and handed him his shirt, which he slipped on.

  As she regarded the both of them, she chuckled louder than she meant to. Even Jack laughed shortly. They were both covered in dirt from their roll in the grass. She wore only a robe, like she'd gotten locked out of her room. Jack looked better than her, but needed a shower himself.

  "So, what are your plans?" Jack asked as they walked around the hotel.

  "Well, my apartment is off-limits, as least for now. But I don't really need a roof over my head. I've gone without it before."

  They neared the front. A couple gave them a few looks as they climbed in their car. Jack led the way into the lobby of the hotel. Marie was conscious of all the eyes on her and felt her cheeks turning red. She should have stashed more than a robe in the woods.

  "I'm leaving soon, to get back home," Jack said. He was either oblivious to the stares they were getting, or he simply didn't care. Judging from how observant he was, Marie decided on the latter. "But I can pull some strings, make some things happen, arrange it so the hotel room is yours."

  Jack's generosity surprised her. The night they met, he wouldn't give her his coat. Now he was offering his hotel room.

  "Wow. Uh, thank you. But that won't be necessary."

  He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

  They passed the front desk. Marie noticed the woman behind the counter giving them an evil glare, with most of the evil going her way. It was obvious she had a thing for Jack. He paid no attention to her. They were nearly to the elevator when the scent of someone approaching hit her nose, and a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind, spinning her around.

  "Lady," a man said. "You really need to put on some clothes. There are children—"

  Jack stepped forward before he could finish. "What you really need to do is take your hand off her before I cut it off and throw it in your wife's lap."

  Marie calmly removed the offended man's hand from her shoulder. She positioned herself in front of Jack, although she knew if he truly wanted to attack, he would.

  "That's what I'm doing right now," Marie said. "Tell your wife I'm sorry."

  She grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him toward the elevator. He let her lead him, but didn't take his eyes off the man. The doors closed, and Marie turned to face him. Never before did anyone stand up for her. It wasn't necessary, but she did like it.

  "I hate mortals," he said.

  "I don't need you to fight my battles," she said. "Have you forgotten what I am already?"

  "After what we did in the woods, I don't think I'll ever forget. And believe me, I'm not fighting your battles. I've got better things to do."

  They were quiet for a moment as the elevator rose.

  "So, you're leaving," she said. "That means your business…?"

  "Is finished."

  Marie was lost in her thoughts. She needed time to think, to plan. The money Jack gave her was still in the trunk of her car, which was parked outside the apartment. She didn't need money to hunt and kill, but she would need clothes. Jack mentioned having clothes for her, which was a start. Hopefully they fit.

  "Marie."

  "Yeah?"

  "You can let go of my hand now."

  "Oh. Sorry."

  The doors opened. Jack led the way down the hall to the room.

  "This is shaping up to be a fun day," he said. "It's going to be pure joy getting that window fixed."

  "Coming in through the front door wasn't really an option."

  Jack opened the door. "Eh, still, next time—"

  Marie wasn't focused on her hearing, and didn't pick up their heartbeats until it was too late. As Jack walked past the bathroom, Marie watched a set of hands reach out and throw a bag over his head. Two men wrestled him to the ground. Someone struck Marie in the back of her head from behind the door. She fell to her knees and winced when silver flashed in front of her. A silver blade was pressed to her throat as the same someone yanked back on her hair. She heard the door quietly close behind her.

  Two men picked up Jack and threw him into the corner chair. One of them removed his sack while the other pointed a gun at his head. Jack seemed more annoyed than afraid.

  Marie eyed the two men she could see. One of them hand a bandage on his neck, and she knew it was the same crew that attacked her the night before. He paced the room in distress while the other two kept Jack
and Marie in place.

  Despite the burning silver at her neck, Marie could easily dispatch the human behind her. Jack made no move, however, seemingly content to sit in the chair. Marie decided she would follow his lead, for now.

  "Good job leading them here," Jack said, staring at her. "Was the sex so good, your nose broke?"

  "I didn't smell them," Marie admitted. "I'm not even picking up anything now. It's just like last night."

  "Poor, stupid pups," the bandaged man said. "Too busy scratching their fleas while us humans are studying, researching, moving past them at every level."

  The man holding the gun on Jack looked back and forth between Marie and him.

  "Wait…you actually fucked that?"

  "Yup. Don't be jealous."

  Jack winked at her, and she smiled. Her smile turned into a scowl when the man struck Jack across the face with the gun. Marie tensed up, ready to strike, when the knife pressed tighter against her neck.

  Her anxiety quickly faded. If she couldn't hurt Jack, she doubted three werewolf hunters could.

  "Don't get cute," the leader told Jack. He pointed at the silver bullets and shackles on the floor. "Is this your handiwork?"

  "Yeah. It's kind of funny. A long time ago I actually put a ton of silver into a werewolf, to get information on a certain magical creature I was looking for. Now here I am pulling silver out of one."

  The men glanced at each other. The leader grabbed a handheld gadget from his pocket and tossed it across the room. Jack's man caught it, and then ran a knife across Jack's forearm. Marie winced, but Jack didn't struggle or flinch, catching everyone by surprise. Pulling out a cotton swab, he soaked up a bit of Jack's blood. He set the swab on the gadget and pressed a few buttons. The room was silent as the gadget chimed quietly.

  "He's human."

  Jack rolled his eyes. "Shit, I hope not. Don't insult me."

  The bandaged man was ready to address Marie. He approached her, still on her knees, when the man behind Jack spoke.

  "Whoa. Uh, you better take a look at this."

  The man wiped away the blood from Jack's arm. All three men stared at the lack of a wound, or even a scar.

  "The meter says he's human."

  "Well, obviously it's wrong, isn't it?"

  "Shit. Even pups don't heal that fast."

  "Quiet," the leader said. "Look, whatever he is, it doesn't matter. We take her back, and we put a bullet in this guy."

  A gun was pressed to Jack's temple. He looked up, a sneer on his face.

  Marie wouldn't sit still a moment longer.

  She reached over her shoulder and grabbed a handful of testicles at the same time she clutched the wrist near her neck. The man grunted in pain as his body folded. She grabbed the silver knife and thrust it behind her, into the man's stomach. She stood up and spun, swiping the blade carefully, and opened up his throat.

  Before the leader in the center of the room knew what was happening, Marie was on him. She thrust the blade into the side of his neck, and caught his body before he fell. The man near Jack raised his weapon toward her, but Jack kicked the back of his knee and snaked an arm around his neck, taking him to the floor. Marie lowered the body she held while Jack choked the gunman into unconsciousness. The third man made a pitiful sound as he bled to death.

  She felt no remorse, no pity. She was three times closer to her goal.

  Marie held out a hand to Jack, which he refused. He shook his head angrily as he climbed to his feet.

  "Brilliant. Just brilliant."

  She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's wrong?"

  "What the hell did you do that for?"

  "They were going to shoot you in the head."

  "Did you see me sweating, silently asking you for assistance with my eyes?"

  "You wanted me to let them shoot you?"

  "Are you not thinking at all? I could have killed them anytime I wanted. But as fun as it is, sometimes killing isn't the best answer. You can get a lot of info just from watching and listening. Did you do either? They were planning on taking you back to wherever it is they're hiding."

  She nodded. "Probably to quiz me about my pack. But they would have taken me back in shackles."

  "Then I would have been right behind you, busting you out and finishing all of this."

  "Really?" Marie said, cocking her head like a dog.

  "Jesus," Jack said, looking at the mess before them. "You ruined everything."

  "They were going to shoot you," she said again. "I saved your clothes from a lot of blood splatter."

  She was surprised when he actually laughed.

  "I can appreciate that much," he said.

  "All this talking about watching and learning. Did you learn anything?"

  "Plenty."

  "Like what?"

  "None of these clowns are in charge. They're all just soldiers." He searched each of them. "None of them have cell phones or identification. They're intelligent, organized. They didn't say anything they didn't need to. The tall one over there has asthma. There's some kind of residue on their clothes."

  Marie leaned down and sniffed one of them. It amazed her that she could smell nothing. She smelled their blood, but couldn't pick up any individual scents. Only Jack's chocolate filled the room. She ripped away one of their shirts, and could finally smell him. A rusty smell with citrus.

  She felt the fabric of the shirt in between her fingers. At first touch, it could easily have been mistaken for sweat.

  "What is this crap?" she said.

  "Like the man said. They probably cooked this up in a lab while you were humping a tree. I hate technology."

  "Funny. I didn't hear you complaining while I was humping you."

  He smiled. "Okay, so our element of surprise is gone, as well as your ability to track."

  She noted his choice of words. "What do you mean? Our?"

  "I'm not going home just yet."

  "Jack, I'm not asking for your help."

  "I didn't exactly give you a choice in the matter."

  Marie didn't know what to believe. Jack was difficult to read. Was he helping her for his own reasons? She knew he wasn't exactly a knight in shining armor. In the end, it didn't matter. She would accept his help.

  "Thank you."

  He said nothing in return, continuing to examine the men.

  "Anyway," she said. "You're wrong about tracking. Get those clothes off of them, and I can smell them. It might take a while, but I'll find them."

  "Or," Jack said, gesturing to the man he choked. "We question this mortal here. I left him alive. See?" He tapped his temple. "I thought ahead."

  "Screw off."

  "I love it when you talk dirty. Don't worry. Spend enough time with me, and I'll get you trained."

  "Funny. So…" Marie glanced around the bedroom. To call it a mess would have been an understatement. "We've got two dead humans, and one unconscious one. What do you want to do now?"

  He grabbed a bag of clothes from the corner and tossed it at her.

  "You can start by getting dressed. I've got some calls to make, a cleaning crew to get here as fast as they can. Then we take your friend there to the roof for a little talk. Just so you know, I'm keeping track of all this. Do you know how much you owe me?"

  She lifted the corner of her mouth. "I'll make it up to you."

  "Damn right you will."

  She was halfway to the bathroom when he stopped her.

  "Marie," he said, and gestured to the humans. "I'm impressed. You made that look easy."

  "It was easy."

  Marie stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. After shrugging out of the robe she browsed through the items in the shopping bag. Jack obviously had help, as the selection wasn't bad. Several pair of black jeans and a turquoise blouse that might have been a little tight. She smiled at the thought of him picking a tight shirt on purpose.

  She was halfway dressed when her reflection in the mirror made her pause. She noticed the streak of b
lood on her face from when she killed the two hunters, and their predicament began to catch up with her. Trying to remain calm was useless. Her hands shook as she gripped the sink.

  Jack opened the bathroom door. He was shoving his phone away. She was so distracted she didn't even hear his conversation.

  "Damnit!" Marie said. She was still only halfway dressed, and covered her breasts. "Don't you ever knock?"

  He ignored her. "What's the holdup? What's the problem?"

  "Shit, Jack. We have to get out of here."

  "I thought you said you killed people before?" Jack asked, arching an eyebrow.

  "I have. In the woods, or someplace deserted. Never in a hotel room surrounded by a hundred humans."

  He stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders, surprising her.

  "Relax. I know people. I've got a cleaning crew two hours away, and they're on the way right now."

  She squeezed his hands before pulling away and turning. Jack stayed in the bathroom as she tried on several of the bras he bought, none of them fitting right. She had to forgo it as she slipped her arms into the blouse.

  Jack smirked as he enjoyed her figure. Marie rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip.

  "How many times have you done this?"

  "Which part?"

  "Kill people. You have cleaning crews that work for you?"

  He shrugged. "Oh, just every now and then. Come on. Help me get moving."

  It took nearly an hour to move the man to the roof. Jack took another sheet from the laundry bin in the hall. The stairwell to the roof wasn't far from the room, but they had to wait until there wasn't a human in sight. Still, it was a risk. Jack didn't seem bothered at all as he carried the man over his shoulder. Marie brought up the rear. She carried the silver shackles and knife in a pillowcase so she didn't get burned.

  Jack pushed open the door to the roof. Marie could feel the chill in the air as the wind smacked her face. He carried the man to the center and dropped him near a collection of pipes and ducts. The harsh drop roused the man, and he was just opening his eyes as Jack handcuffed him to a nearby pipe.