Twice Cursed

by Marianne Morea

  With one long stride, he was face to face with her. Taking Lily’s chin in his hand, he raised her face to his and kissed her. Running his tongue along the edge of her bottom lip, he whispered. “Besides, why should I resist what’s mine for the taking?”

  “But…” Lily shivered, but not from the cold. Sean’s hands dropped to her waist. In one swift motion, he separated her from her blanket and nightgown, and left her standing in front of him covered in nothing but gooseflesh. Pulling her to him, he pressed his body against hers, and his heat and desire flooded her, chasing away the cold along with any lingering reluctance.

  His hands skimmed her waist, cupping each breast, grazing his thumbs across her nipples. They hardened under his touch. Stepping back slightly, he lifted her, and Lily’s legs wrapped themselves around his back. With a growl, he had her back against the cold glass, his cock hard enough to cut diamonds as he entered her with one thrust.

  The window rattled in its pane, threatening to splinter as he impaled her over and over. Rough and untamed, Sean ravaged her body, his mouth sucking and biting, reveling in the taste of her like a man starved. His fingers bit into the soft flesh of her hips. The glass cracked, a long, thin sliver running the length of the pane, jerking his attention away from her for a moment. Without missing a beat, he spun them around toward the bed.

  Lily’s feet knocked over the lamp on the nightstand, sending books and an empty tea cup crashing to the floor, but neither of them cared. Throwing the rest of the covers back, he lowered her to the edge of the bed. Holding her ankles locked together, he drove into her grinding her down, his hips relentless. Lily screamed as she climaxed, but Sean just grunted, flipping her onto her stomach. Pulling her back by her hips, he drove into her from behind, his inner wolf snarling for him to mark her.

  Baring his teeth, his lips pulled back over his canines as they elongated both top and bottom. With a possessive howl, he bit down on her shoulder. Lily’s back arched in pain and pleasure at the feel of his teeth on her flesh. Her inner walls convulsed, squeezing against Sean’s cock as she came over and over, her fingers between her own legs, working herself even further into a frenzy. Sean’s hips reared back, thrusting hard and fast, his balls high and hard. Throwing his head back, he yelled. He was primal, burying his cock deep within her as he came, his hands locking her hips to his.

  He held her against him as the last spasms rocked his body. Then together they slumped forward on the bed. Four tiny rivulets of blood trickled from the four puncture marks on her shoulder. Pushing himself up on his forearms, he leaned his head down and licked them clean, healing them with his saliva.

  At the raspy feel of his tongue, Lily stiffened. “Sean? What did you do? Please tell me you didn’t just turn me! You know how I feel about the whole ‘against my will’ thing.”

  Sean chuckled, giving her shoulder another lick. “It didn’t seem as if things were ‘against your will’ a minute ago, but no, I didn’t turn you. I marked you. There’s a difference.” Still buried deep inside her, he slowly rasped his tongue across the wounds once more. Her breath hitched as heat flooded her body making her lower belly clench in another aftershock of her climax.

  “Jesus, will you stop with the tongue? I need to think!” She jammed her elbow into the middle of his chest, but all she got was quick jolt to her funny bone and his lips curving into a smile against the nape of her neck. “What do you mean you marked me?”

  Rolling her over so she could face him, he answered, running his hand over the curve of her hip. “You’re leaving in a matter of hours, Lily. Did you honestly think I would let you go without marking you as mine? I know in your mind it sounds archaic and makes me something of a Neanderthal, but it’s necessary.” Leaning down, he nipped her bottom lip.

  She pulled back, shaking her head. “Necessary? For whom?” she asked, a little defensive.

  “Necessary for you, that’s who. You’re going back to Manhattan with a hell of a lot more knowledge about the supernatural than you had before you left. Did you really think I would let you go without giving you even the slightest bit of protection? Marking you lets any Were that comes within five feet of you know you’re under my guard. Trace amount or not, you have Were blood in your veins, and when the moon is at its fullest, it will call to any male in your vicinity. Your scent will draw them. They won’t be able to help themselves…” He hesitated, meeting Lily’s eyes. “…and regrettably, neither will you.”

  Pushing herself up, Lily sat on the edge of the bed with her knees tucked under. Turning toward Sean, she smirked. “Yeah right, nice tap dance. Now tell me the real reason why you bit me.” But when he didn’t say a word, her mouth went slack. “Wait a minute. Are you saying I’ve become some sort of lunar driven nymphomaniac, who sniffs around at the full moon after anything with a pulse and a penis? A monthly Were-magnet, bitch in heat?”

  Grinning, Sean propped himself up on one elbow. “Hey, some women would give their eyeteeth to be that irresistible!”

  “Eyeteeth? Yeah, well, I prefer mine blunt. Or is that part of the package too? No wait, don’t tell me. I grow incisors the length of my pinky as soon as the full moon crests.”

  “You haven’t become anything like that, although, in the future it’s going to make things quite interesting for us when we’re together. But apart, without my mark, males will positively come sniffing around after you, or worse. Now you won’t have to worry about that. My mark mutes your scent and says I’ve claimed you. You’ll be as safe as kittens.”

  “Just when were you going to tell me about this little character enhancement? Is there anything else I’ve inherited from Jerard’s bite I should know about, or are you planning to surprise me again? What about a sudden urge to bay at the moon, or an uncontrollable craving for dog chow?”

  “No, no surprises. And no self-respecting Were would be caught dead eating dog chow, or anything else Purina makes. But I need to tell you, Cochran will be accompanying you back to New York. My orders.”

  “Jack? You’re sending Jack with me? What’s his deal, Sean? And don’t you dare lie to me. Is he there as pack liaison for when I need to go back and forth to see Dr. Volkmann, or have you planned for him shadow me?”

  “Both.”

  Lily stiffened, pulling away from Sean. Getting up, she took the top sheet with her, wrapping it around her body like a protective cover. “Like I said to your idiot Council, don’t you know me at all? Are you out of your mind, Sean? A babysitter? Haven’t we been through this before? Because I’m getting a dizzying sense of déjà vu.”

  Sean sat up, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Why do you always have to go to extremes? Jack is not a babysitter. This thing with Parr is not going away. You know that. It goes much deeper than just what we see on the surface, and my hands are tied until I can find out what’s behind it all.

  “For Christ’s sake, Lily, there are Weres out there who want to harm you! Edward believes his political maneuvering would be easier if you were out of the equation, though, for the life of me, I can’t understand why. But I will. In the meantime, cooperate for once in your life. I for one wouldn’t put it past Parr to arrange a little accident for you.”

  “So what else is new? I think I’ve more than proven I can take care of myself. Christ, Sean, some of your people still think I’m a bounty hunter with all the supes I’ve killed, and that includes a few vampires. Did Jack volunteer for this, or is this another one of your mandates? He has no idea what he’s getting himself into. I work cold case files constantly. Do you know how hard it is for a psychic to gain credibility with the police? They trust me, and I’ve built a business on that trust.”

  She frowned. “That’s if I have a business left, I’ve been gone so long. Besides, my apartment has a strict no pets rule,” she said petulantly, plopping back down on the bed next to Sean. “This is completely unnecessary and utterly unfair.”

  Tilting his head to one side, Sean looked at her, his eyes serious. “Which part, m
y marking you or sending Jack to watch out for you?”

  Lily pursed her lips, a sarcastic retort primed and ready, but seeing his expression, she realized what was truly behind his question. She reached out and ran her fingers along his cheek and their eyes met. “I just wish it was you coming with me.”

  Sean chuckled, pulling her into his arms. “Difficult, dangerous, and utterly unreasonable. And people wonder why I love you.”

  ***

  Neither said a word as Sean carried Lily’s bags downstairs to the front door. With the current political climate, Sean had no choice but to stay in Maine. There was no way around it, and nothing left to discuss. Problem was, the issues at the Compound weren’t just limited to Maine. Weres across the country were riveted, waiting to see if the experiment, as they called it, would self-destruct.

  Rissa was at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for them by the door.

  “Good news travels fast, I see,” Lily said, as she stepped down onto the polished tile of the front foyer. Sean put the bags down and opened the door to call for Jack. A cold gust of wind followed, and Lily rubbed her arms against the chill, as she leaned into Rissa’s one-armed hug.

  “Care package?” she asked, indicating the foil wrapped dish in her friend’s other hand.

  “Toll house cookies for the ride.”

  The corner of Lily’s mouth crooked upward, but she cringed inwardly. Rissa’s eyes brimmed with worry, but there was a hint of steely indictment in their depths, as well.

  Or maybe it’s just my own guilty conscience?

  “Seriously, Ris, you’re the only person I know who would get up at dawn to make homemade cookies for a trip you’re not even taking.”

  Deliberately avoiding eye contact, Lily turned to drape her jacket over the gleaming cherry banister and lean her backpack against the curved rails at the bottom of the stairs.

  As Sean stepped outside, it was just the two of them, and the metronomic ticking of the grandfather clock on the landing was almost deafening in the tense quiet. Lily pressed both hands to her stomach as guilt bit into her gut again. Closing her eyes, she slid her hands to her hips and turned back around. “All right. Enough with the sonic boom silent treatment,” she said, meeting Rissa’s pointed gaze. “I guess Mitch told you what happened last night.”

  Rissa exhaled as she nodded. “Yes, he did.”

  “And?”

  “And? Lily, for Christ’s sake, why did you have to go there?” Exasperation exploded into her tone, even as her face flushed in uncharacteristic annoyance. Shaking her head, she floundered, at a loss. “You’re not stupid Lily, but sometimes I don’t understand what goes through your mind. Didn’t you think for one second, that confronting the council in that way played right into Parr’s hand? And did you honestly think any of us would allow them to hold you against your will?”

  Lily opened her mouth, but then closed it again, swallowing a sarcastic reply. Rissa wasn’t the guilty party in this, and she shouldn’t bear the brunt of Lily’s ire. “No. I don’t. But if Mitch told you everything, then you know the situation has moved beyond that.

  Rissa threw her hands up. “But why leave? Don’t you think it’s is a bit extreme, even for you?” She was at a loss. “I mean, since when are you the type to cut and run?”

  Lily flinched, watching the conflicting emotions play across her friend’s face. This was exactly the reason she wanted to leave before everyone else caught wind of her plan. However, Rissa wasn’t the only one second-guessing her decision. Was her choice to leave truly best for Sean, for her? Or had she just convinced herself it was?

  If it was for the best, then why was Terry’s voice loud and clear in the back of her head, repeating the same two words over and over again? Selfish. Cowardly. She tried to ignore them, but couldn’t. They mirrored her doubt, and the fear that she had let her anger cloud her judgment. If Rissa thought she was taking the easy way out, then others would as well, and Parr would certainly capitalize on it, regardless of her little speech in the war room last night.

  “Lily…” Rissa began, but Lily held up her hand.

  “Don’t, Ris. I understand—and I know on the surface it seems as if I’m running, but trust me, that is not the case. Sean and I already went ten rounds about this, and though he’s not happy about my leaving, he understands this is how it has to be, at least for now. You know he’d never let me go otherwise. I’ve looked at every angle, and it’s better this way. He needs to focus, and on top of everything else going on with the council, he doesn’t need the added worry about me, our relationship and how I fit in, or don’t for that matter. He can’t do his job properly with me here, and I can’t just sit around and wait. This way, it’ll take some of the pressure off, at least politically.” She shrugged, mentally crossing her fingers that she was right.

  Rissa put the foil wrapped dish on the small, corner table to the right of the door, and linked her fingers over her belly. “I hope so, Lily.”

  Lily pulled her friend into a hug. “It’ll be fine, you’ll see.” She closed her eyes, silently offering up a prayer for Terry and whatever cosmic strings she could pull.

  Sean came back in, wiping the snow from his feet, a small pink bundle in a snowsuit riding on his hip. “Look what I found outside,” he said, picking frozen white lumps from the faux fur surrounding the puffy pink hood. Strawberry blonde curls peeked out from beneath the brim, and a pair of big blue eyes stared at the two women from above the scarf encircling the tiny face. “She ambushed us with snowballs the minute Jack and I opened the trunk.”

  “Stephanie! What are you doing out of bed and outside this early young lady? Where’s nanny?” Rissa scolded, taking her daughter from Sean and putting her down in front of them. She squatted down and unwound the little girl’s scarf, unzipping the top of her coat, letting the pink hood fall backwards.

  “I had a nightmare,” Stephanie said, her eyes moving between her mother, and her uncle.

  “A nightmare, huh? So you decided throwing snowballs at Jack and Uncle Sean would make it all better?”

  A flash of tiny little white teeth in an impish grin showed for an instant. “Just Jack, but Uncle Sean kept getting in the way.”

  Lily bit the inside of her cheek, watching as Rissa pressed her lips together for the same reason. But Sean laughed aloud, even as Rissa shot him a look.

  “But why did you sneak out? You know you’re too little to be walking around the compound by yourself. Nanny was right there, you could have woken her up.”

  “I didn’t want Nanny, I wanted you!” The little girl’s face dropped. Her small body tensed, and her eyes widened with fear. Trembling, her dread was so palpable Lily’s senses went into high alert.

  “What’s the matter, honey?” Sean asked, glancing down at her.

  Stephanie looked up at her uncle again, this time her eyes like saucers. “The lady…she’s coming.”

  Rissa and Lily exchanged looks. “What lady?”

  “The lady in my dream. She hurts people, and she smells bad too, like in the hospital where Lily helps Dr. Volkmann.”

  Sean leaned over and scooped Stephanie into his arms. “It was just a bad dream, munchkin. There’s nothing to worry about.” But over the child’s shoulder, Lily’s gaze caught his and locked, concern etched into her eyes. Stephanie was psychic, even more so than she. Could there be more to this than just a simple nightmare?

  Stephanie leaned back in Sean’s arms, her little cheeks pale. “She won’t go outside in the snow. I think she’s afraid of it, so that’s why I went outside.”

  “Shhh, it’s okay, honey. No one is angry with you for going out in the snow,” Rissa cooed. “As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

  “No, mommy, you’re not listening! Lily was in my dream too, and the lady hurt her.” Stephanie turned back to Sean, her eyes pleading and much too intense for one so young. “She has to stay here with us, Uncle Sean! Don’t let Lily go away!” The words spilled from her lips, and she started
to cry, her knowing look melting away with each tear.

  Rissa took her from Sean, and sat her down on the stairs, wrapping her arms around her daughter’s tiny shoulders. “Lily’s fine, Stephie…see? She’s right here with us,” she said pulling her in closer. “It was just a nightmare.”

  Stephanie cried even harder. “No! The lady wants to hurt people, and she wants to hurt us! She’s coming here. I know it.” Her blue eyes searched from her mother, to her uncle and back again. “You don’t believe me, do you?” she said, her eyes wet and puffy, and her nose running.

  Sean squatted down, resting his hand on Stephanie’s arm. “Of course, I believe you. But you don’t have to worry, because Jack will take good care of Lily while she’s visiting her friends in New York, and I’ll be here to take good care of you.”

  Stephanie hiccupped. “You promise?” Her eyes searched his, as if trying to decide if she believed him or not.

  Sean smiled. “Pinky promise,” he said, and held up his little finger, waiting for her to do the same. Slowly she raised her hand and linked her tiny finger with his.

  He gave her a brilliant smile. “That’s my girl!” he said with a wink, pulling her into a hug. But over her pink thermal clad shoulder, he looked at both women; one glance telling Lily she was no longer the only one concerned.

  Lily hadn’t said a word through the whole exchange, instead gently probing the little girl’s mind, looking for any nuance to show her it was nothing more than a dream. Problem was, Stephanie’s dream didn’t feel like a dream. It felt more like a vision—but there was no way she was sharing that little tidbit with Sean at this point. They had enough real problems to contend with, without adding tilting at windmills to the list. In the meantime, she made a mental note to keep her guard up and her senses open.

  Outside, Jack beeped the horn, and Sean picked Stephanie up, tossing her into the air and catching her before helping Rissa to her feet. With both safely on the ground, he turned toward Lily. A thousand unsaid words passed between them, and he slid his arm around her shoulders. “You’re sure about this? We can always bring the bags back upstairs.”