The Curse of Betrayal (A Curse Books)

by Taylor Lavati

  “Was that good?” I shimmy my shoulders up, grinning a goofy smile at her.

  “I don’t know.” She drops her head, defeated. “This was a mistake.”

  “Why don’t we get Ari down here to help us?” I offer, knowing he would do a hundred times better than me. I honestly don’t even know how to fight. It’s all instinct and adrenaline. I know nothing about actual skills.

  “I don’t know…” she says, thinking seriously. “Fine,” she finally relents after weighing her options.

  I skip to my bag on the sidelines and dial Ari with my cell that I dig out of my bag. He asks me a ton of questions before agreeing to come down, so we sit on the bleachers and wait.

  “Thanks for doing this.” Megan says to me breaking the stillness. Her voice echoes around the gym.

  “Of course,” I tell her, shrugging it off.

  “I mean, I know I’m the weakest. Everyone treats me that way. I just want to be able to help, you know?”

  “I don’t think you’re the weakest, Meg.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her against me on the bench. “It doesn’t even matter. You are helping no matter what.” I give her a tight squeeze and she sighs. The gym door slams shut with a clink, signaling Ari’s arrival. Both of our heads dart towards the noise and Ari waltzes in, wearing sweats and a white tee. I’ve never seen him so informal.

  “So why exactly do you need practice fighting?” He looks between the two of us with grooved brows. He gawks at me, like this is my idea or something.

  “Just to be prepared. Will you do it or not?” I ask, a bit of anger laced in my voice. It always has to be a fight with Ari.

  “Fine,” he mutters, turning and walking away from us. We both look between each other and then run to catch up. We shadow Ari around the gym to the weight room. He begins clearing dumbbells from the pile in a corner until he reaches a chest. He brushes crap off the top of the box and then lifts the lid like he’s uncovering some buried treasure known to be worth a fortune.

  “What’s in there?” Megan asks from behind me. I shake my head, not knowing, and Ari doesn’t bother answering. He just continues rummaging—head first in the trunk looking for god knows what.

  “Here,” he groans, chucking a stick over his back. It’s headed right for Megan’s face, but luckily, I dart my arm out and catch it before it pierces her. Her oval eyes remain locked on the spear looking weapon in my hand like it could attack at any moment. So I place it on the floor next to us where it can’t harm anyone.

  “Why do we need weapons?” I ask Ari, leaning over and tapping his back to get his attention.

  “It’ll help. Trust me. Your body is a weapon, too,” he says. “Got it!” he exclaims, dropping the lid shut after grabbing another stick-like spear. He comes back towards me, picks up the discarded stick on the floor, and then gestures us to trail him back to the main gym.

  Ari stops directly in the center of the large room, right in the blue circle painted on the linoleum floor. Megan and I stand on either side and wait intently for instruction. He hands us each a stick and then comes to me first. He positions the stick so the pointy side is on the top and the blunt end is on the bottom. He takes my hand in his and sparks bloom in the pit of my stomach involuntarily. I try to ignore it as he wraps my hand the proper way around the stick, but it’s nearly impossible. He positions me in a resting stance—at least that’s what he says.

  I feel stupid.

  He turns away and does the same to Megan and then has her wait on her edge of the circle. “Eury, attack me,” he commands, waving towards me when he faces me again. I amplify my eyes and crinkle my nose because it doesn’t make sense. Why would I attack him with a pointed stick when he doesn’t have anything to defend himself?

  “No,” I say back, defiantly.

  “Will you listen to me for once? Do it!” He eggs me on, waving me towards him with his eye brows raised. I glare back and then lunge for him with my stick. I try to jab it in his shoulder, but he blocks it with his right arm, knocking the stick out of my hand. The stick falls to the ground, clanking until it finally settles.

  I look at Ari, and he smirks, narrowing his eyes on me. Quickly, I turn to pick up the stick, but he gets to me first. Ari lifts me up and then turns me around so my back is flush against his front. One of his arms is around my neck, the other on my mid-section.

  I lean my head back so it’s against his chest. I hear his heart pick up, beating strong against me. I use our closeness as my chance to break free. I wriggle out of his grasp and sprint towards the spear on the ground.

  I grab the spear and just as I turn around, he pushes me up against the hard wall. My breath falters, but not from the hit—from the look in Ari’s eyes.

  His arms pin me to the wall, on either side of my body like a cage. His legs are between mine, making him all against me. I stare into his jade eyes, panting from the tension radiating off of him.

  He shuts his eyes for a second, and when they open, they fall to my lips for just a moment. I melt into his body, wrapping my legs around his waist when I feel his erection pressing against my mid-section.

  “You can’t deny our connection,” he whispers into my ear. I push against him and make him stumble backwards. This is a fight, after all.

  I yell and lunge for him, but I’m no match. He lifts me by the waist and throws me backwards. I fall onto the hard floor and start to turn to run away, but Ari is quick to hold me down.

  He straddles me, using his hands to hold my arms down. I wiggle and thrust against him to try to get up. I kick my legs around but can’t escape.

  “See,” he bends down, cockily whispering in my ear. I stare into his eyes, and my strength craves. He kisses me, and I return his urgency. But almost as soon as it began, it ends, and he pulls me up with him so we’re both standing. Together, we walk back to a flustered, red-faced Megan at the circle we started at.

  “Well, you’re not normal.” I pout from my spot at being defeated. Ari grabs my spear from the ground and hands it to me, smiling a toothy grin.

  “Now, you try,” he says to Megan. She actually holds onto her spear longer than me as she attacks Ari. But in the end, he disarms her and puts her in a death/kill position. “Here’s the thing, girls. You want to be patient. Don’t go for the kill right away. Focus on immobilizing your enemy, weakening them before killing them.”

  “We have a spear. It’s meant to kill someone, not immobilize them.” I roll my eyes at Ari.

  “Okay, Eury. Drop the spear and try to weaken me.” Ari taunts me, bending his knees and preparing himself for my attack.

  “Fine,” I mutter, dropping the stick. It falls to the ground in a clunk, and I use that distraction to go for Ari. I lunge for his neck both hands out, but he grabs my arms first. He twists them both around my back and then pushes them up. “Ow!” I yell at the shooting pain in my shoulders.

  He softens up a little so I’m not in pain and uses his other hand to pull me against him. I turn and jump on him, wrapping my legs around his waist. I try to pull him to the ground with him.

  It works. He falls backwards with me on top of him. I push him down in the same position he had me in before, only this time I’m in control. I grab his arms, but when I do, I feel him underneath me, growing.

  I bend down to whisper some cocky comment in his ear, but he beats me to the punch and kisses me. He presses his lips to mine in such a way, I’m rendered speechless. I feel the kiss in my fingertips, in my toes. It sends electricity through my bones, jolting me from the inside out.

  And then I’m flipped on my back, pinned down—yet again.

  “How did that work?” Ari asks as he lets me go. I scowl at him as I get up, dust myself off, and walk back to my spot on the circle. “I’ll answer for you… It didn’t,” he says, knowing he won that battle. “Usually, people use their arms the most, so try to get an arm or shoulder shot.” He looks between Megan and I “Next, try for a leg shot so they have trouble catching you, should you need t
o flee. Obviously a crotch shot works for guys, but we’re not trying that tonight. And don’t forget about the neck. It immobilizes, but there’s also a chance you hit an artery.”

  “But what are the chances we have a spear?” Megan speaks up from her quiet side of the circle. “Like at the last attack, we were all weaponless.”

  “Do you want to practice hand-to-hand?” Ari asks her with a quiet voice, changing his tone.

  “I think that would be best,” she says, hesitantly as if she’s unsure of herself—that or she’s just nervous talking to Ari.

  “You would be right. It is the most common and useful,” Ari says. “Drop your spears and we’ll try the attacks again,” he says to us both. I place mine on the side of the gym while Megan just drops hers on the floor beside her, hungry to begin. I step into the circle, and Ari turns around to face me. He nods for me to go first, but I shake my head, wanting Megan to get the most practice.

  So Ari turns to Megan and she moves forward hesitantly, taking short steps. “Go slow,” Ari tells her. “Why don’t you try to use your strength and speed?”

  “Okay. You’re not going to kiss me, Right?”

  Ari released a loud laugh and say, “Nope. Don’t worry. Just training.”

  She nods. She sprints across the small space to Ari and grabs his arm, trying to bend and break it. But Ari easily gets out of her grasp.

  She lunges for him again, but he spins out of the way, jumping ten feet into the air and landing on the other side of her. She grunts in frustration, and Ari holds up his hands to stop her.

  “What powers do your parents have?” Ari asks her.

  “Um,” she pants, out of breath. “My mom controls air; my dad doesn’t have anything extra.”

  “Why don’t you try controlling something.”

  “How?” she asks him, her voice whiney.

  “Just focus,” he says as he walks towards the side of the building. “With the door open, it may help you get closer to an element. Try whatever you feel like and use it to attack me. Pretend I’m a bad guy. I promise, I won’t get hurt.” He nods at her as he props open the side door. A gust of wind rattles in and I shiver.

  “Okay…” Megan mutters.

  She focuses on the air in front of her. Like I’ve seen Lisa do, she lifts her hands up and tries to move something. It’s amazing to watch her focus so hard.

  Ari looks at me with expectant eyes, and I return them. Just then, a weird noise comes from outside almost like rain. I look over at the door, but nothing’s happening. When I look back at Megan, her face is red, her brows pinched together, her hands shaking yet firm.

  “Is she okay?” I step towards her, but Ari holds up his hands to stop me. He comes to my side and holds my hand as we watch Megan explore her powers.

  Suddenly, the doors to the gym shake, opening and closing over and over again. I clutch Ari in fear. A stream of thick air comes into the room like a tiny tidal wave and goes straight to Megan, as if it was searching for her.

  A small ball is created between her hands, a foot away from her face. Just then, I realize that it’s not air; it’s water. And she must have called it in from miles away since there’s no water nearby.

  She lifts her hand an inch, and the ball comes straight for Ari and me. Ari pulls me into him and cradles me in his arms, blocking us both from the hit. The puddle of water lands on the wall behind us, exploding and sending water all over the floor like a flash flood.

  Megan drops her hands and stares at them as if she’s never seen them before. Then she looks over at Ari and me, who are still ducking, holding onto each other.

  “I can control water,” Megan says breathlessly.

  After Megan’s break through, I decide to sit on the sidelines and let Megan practice with Ari. She was the one who wanted to do this anyway, and with new powers, she’s incredibly excited. I check my email and pray that my dad left an email for me. I need a pick-me-up right now.

  February 22nd

  I’m scared every single day you’re gone my sweet angel.

  I worry that you’ll trip and get a scraped knee and then I worry about the more serious things.

  I worry you’ll have your heart broken.

  I worry that you’ll be sad.

  But then I think of your character.

  You’re the strongest, most independent person I’ve ever met. Even when you were a little girl, you weren’t like the others. They played with dolls and cooked cakes. You tried to fly and beat the boys running.

  You’d dare them to fight you. I swear, I had to stop you from beating up Junior all the time. You were hilarious

  — my little rule breaker.

  I think you got that from your mother. She had guts. She would never back down from a test. If she was dared to do something, she did it. I loved that about her because, you know me, I’m a boring guy. I like simple things. We were opposite in that respect.

  This one time, I think we were about twenty, it was a week or two before Halloween and your mother was feeling a bit mischievous. There was an allegedly haunted abandoned place an hour away from us. She convinced me and a few of our friends to go with her and check it out.

  Not only we were running, scared silly from the pitch blackness, the spookiness of the place, and the ghosts—there were definitely ghosts—but it was illegal to be there and we had to run from the cops.

  But your mother…She loved it. She begged to go back just to feel the thrill again. She was crazy, your mother. But I loved her all along.

  But to answer your question, yes, I’m scared. I’m scared all the time but it only makes us stronger. Getting through each day, proving you can live makes you a better person. So live for me, Ryder. And then tell me all about your awesome adventures.

  Miss you.

  Daddy

  Sent from my iPhone

  My eyes involuntarily tear up after reading my dad’s email. I think my time here has actually helped my relationship with my dad. At home, I was keeping my bullying a secret and I think the guilt was eating me alive.

  Now that I’ve been gone we’ve been emailing and getting to know each other better. I think emailing helps my dad because it’s not face to face interaction. We can have deep talks and not have to feel embarrassed. I save the email and then open up my backpack to start my homework.

  I check my cellphone clock and realize we’ve been down here for over two hours. We need to get back to the dorms soon, because I’m sure Kara is going insane. The way we left at dinner was weird. She has to know something is up.

  “Hey, Meg. We have to go back soon,” I call out. I start packing up my homework and books that I’ve sprawled in my personal studying area on the bleachers while they finish brawling. Ari and Meg run to me when I’m just about finished packing, both sweaty, and Megan with a few bumps and bruises covering her arms.

  “Ready?” Megan reaches her hand down to help me up from the bleachers. I grab it and heft myself off the seat with a groan. My back is so incredibly sore that even a full hour massage wouldn’t fix it. I swing my backpack over my back, trying to find a comfortable way to hold it, and then follow behind Ari to the dorms. It’s not as chilly as it has been, but the nip is still in the air. The wind has picked up, but it no longer burns my face. Now it’s more of an annoyance.

  I’m ready for spring. Even though it’s rainy, you can wear rain boots, jump in the puddles, and wear short sleeves. I’m getting really annoyed with wearing turtlenecks, puffy jackets, and layers. We get to Aphro Hall, and Megan swings open the door for us both.

  “Thanks for your help.” Megan blushes, averting her eyes to the floor as she speaks to Ari.

  “Anytime. Just practice your form and you can take down any attacker,” Ari says. Megan walks into the building, and I track right behind her. I turn to say goodbye to Ari, but he pulls me into him so his nose is touching mine. “Sorry,” he mutters, his intense eyes focused solely on me.

  “For…” I whisper back, trying not to break the tra
nce he’s created,

  “Beating you up.” He smirks down at me, bending his neck so his head rests on my shoulder. My arms rise up and wrap around his firm body involuntarily. I twist my hand in his longer-than-normal hair, combing the silky strands.

  “I guess it’s all right.” I kiss the top of his head as his nose nuzzles into my neck. He looks up and meets my eyes again with a fiery stare. He presses his full lips to mine and pulls me into a whirlwind of love, spinning us around in fast circles as he kisses me. He breaks our embrace almost before it even begins and then retreats into the darkness of the night. I look around, thinking it’s some joke that he left me here high and dry, but he’s gone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  aribelle

  I open the door to my bedroom, and Kara sits up on her bed, her eyes leering. I leave Megan down a floor in her room, knowing that Kara was going to drill me with questions. I put my bag on my desk chair and face her.

  “Where the hell were you, sleepy pants?” she sarcastically asks, squinting at me.

  “I was, uh, studying. I needed Megan’s help,” I explain, trying to come up with the best excuse ever, my brain only moving so fast.

  “You’re lying through your teeth.” She glares at me, crossing her arms over her stomach. I look into her blue eyes and guilt washes over me. I feel so shitty lying to her, but I promised Megan I wouldn’t betray her. I’m stuck.

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “Please? You don’t trust me?” she asks, forming a pouty lip.