Gifted Curse (Curse Trilogy)

by C. M. Owens

  “We’ve compiled a list of possible groups of hybrids that could be capable of something like this. The problem with the ungifted ones from our breed is the scorned resentment they incur. It’s a heads or tails toss up each time one of us is born, and depending on which side the child inherits their traits from, they could be completely void of any special talents. This causes animosity and sometimes violence,” Hale asserts while flipping through the mug shots from the chip I brought in.

  His eyes catch my drifting ones while Brazen studies the screen. I’m trapped now, and the hand holding mine needs to knock the hell out of me - or knock the Hale out of me rather.

  “What happens if or when we do find them? They’ve got our weapons and technology. They’ll have uranium tipped bullets that can shred through your skins. What then?” Cavine inserts.

  I’m really starting to hate him all the more.

  “We have a weapon they’ll never see coming, and they won’t be expecting her at all.” Clay proudly announces, and Brazen’s hand tightens on mine as a smug smirk appears on his face.

  “Her?” Cavine murmurs with confusion.

  “Her,” Hale repeats, and he too seems very smug.

  “Araya Crush will step in if things get too hazy for us. She’s only to be called in for emergency purposes,” Clay clarifies, and now Cavine’s pompous ass seems terrified for having provoked me.

  “What can she do?” one man asks.

  “That’s classified. She’s our girl, and no one outside our circle can know of her abilities per her request.”

  Except for my full blood fiancé.

  Brazen tries to stifle his cocky grin when he thinks the same thing I do, and then the conversation gets shifted again.

  “For now that’s our details. We’ll divide and conquer tomorrow. Araya and Hale will stay here to train the newbies to keep the charade going while the rest of us start checking out the arsenals ourselves for clues.” Clay says with a bomb-dropping tone, and now Brazen’s jaw has taken on a clenched position I don’t think it will release from.

  “Wouldn’t it be wise to bring Araya along in case we find someone who might know something? Her skills don’t start and end with her gift. Her interrogation ability is far more advanced than anyone else’s here,” he counters, and it’s almost adorable to see him trying to keep me with him instead of leaving me here with Hale.

  “I don’t like bringing Araya out into the field without needing her. It’s too risky,” Clay interjects, and I know he’s thinking about what happened to me five years ago when the guilt etches itself onto his face.

  Hale’s eyes drop when the guilt weighing them down becomes too heavy, and then Brazen’s jaw tenses again.

  “I’ll be there to ensure nothing happens to her this time,” Brazen declares.

  Hale seems to be even more burdened now, and he just walks back to his seat as if he can’t bear to stand anymore. I resist the urge to comfort him, to free him of the guilt he shouldn’t feel.

  “We may need her to interrogate, but we’ll wait until we have a lead. If ambushed, they’ll surely take her,” Clay interjects, and then Brazen finally gives up the fight before he pisses of the commander.

  “I don’t like this,” he growls into my ear.

  “I don’t either, but you don’t have anything to worry about.” I hope.

  The meeting adjourns, and Brazen almost rips me free from the room before Hale can try anything else.

  “So I guess you weren’t really trying to make peace with the rivaling clans these past couple of months,” I observe.

  “Sorry. It was classified,” he tartly remarks.

  “So is my gift, but I told you what it is,” I mumble.

  “It’s amazing to me the commander of the United happens to be your best friend, but he’s making you - our strongest weapon - stay here with your ex, his other dearest friend,” he explodes.

  Whoa.

  “Did you really just refer to me as a weapon?” I scoff, and I jerk my hand free from his.

  “Don’t act like that. You know what I was saying. I was using his phrasing, not my own. You shouldn’t act proud when he says it, and then act offended when I repeat his words,” he admonishes.

  “So we are going to fight then? You come home after two months of being gone for reasons you lied about, even though I have top level security clearance, and then you want to start a fight the only night we get to be together before you’re whisked away again. I’m starting to think I’m engaged to a ghost rather than a full blood,” I snort.

  His eyes soften, and then he pulls me into his soft embrace while forcing me to feel his exquisite body pressed against my very sexually frustrated one.

  “I’m sorry,” he sighs. “I just wasn’t expecting your ex to be involved so thoroughly. I had a feeling he would be here, but I wasn’t prepared on your having to stay behind with him. I genuinely thought they would bring you along due to your incredible skills,” he murmurs so seductively soft.

  “That’s better,” I utter with a seductive tone of my own, and he gives me his heart melting grin to show me a peek at the man I’m mad about.

  “Let’s go to our quarters,” he murmurs as his lips fire up against mine.

  “Let’s,” I breathe into his mouth, and a small chuckle erupts when he spins me around.

  “Ms. Crush. Captain Mordel,” a man says from behind us, and I’m ready to display my gift at this point.

  “What?” Brazen exasperates as we turn to see a gentle older human.

  “I’m very sorry, but Captain Banner asked me to show you were you would be staying,” the man warily states.

  “I’ve already been given a tour, and Ms. Crush will be staying in my room tonight,” Brazen gently offers, and the human seems a little more at ease.

  “I’m sorry, Captain,” the man humbly responds, “but Captain Banner insisted you have larger accommodations since the two of you will be staying together.”

  Brazen grumbles under his breath, “I didn’t think he was the considerate type.”

  “He’s usually not,” I whisper back, and the man starts leading us down the hallway to the housing section for the United.

  Hale waves with a smirk before disappearing into a room not far from where the man ushers us to a door.

  “Perhaps he just wanted you closer,” Brazen growls when he sees the short distance between us and Hale.

  “I doubt he wants to hear what I plan on doing to you tonight,” I seduce, and the anger drops from his face to reveal his truly aroused gaze.

  He shuts the door behind us, and I grab his tie to start pulling him to the very large bed in the minimalist room. His eyes show the menace his lips just start to as they pull me in and claim me hostage. My head falls back as his teeth dangerously scrape across my neck, and then his tongue plays across my collarbone before he carefully unbuttons the shirt.

  My pants fall free to the floor to reveal the very slinky underwear I have on, and he immediately goes to work with removing his clothes. I feel the thud of the bed as we crash to it. His erection grinds through my lacy underwear and his designer boxers as he slides between my legs.

  His fingers slide over my bare body until the reach the apex of my thighs. He moans as he slides my underwear to the side and dips a finger into the place quivering for him, and his lips stroll down to lightly kiss the place that can’t handle another second of stimulation.

  I grip him by the hair to start pulling him back up to me, unable to play this game of foreplay right now.

  “I love you,” he breathes into my mouth.

  “I love you,” I groan, and his mouth trails down to my breasts to allow his teeth to just barely scrape over them before he slides my underwear down.

  I moan loudly as I feel the throbbing intensify, and then his daring lips play against the inside of my legs again as he slowly crawls back up. My closed eyes shield me from the sight of his perfect body that would send me into convulsions right now.

  His hot
breath and cold skin set me on fire, and then I feel the slow burn of his erection sliding into me and swelling even more once it finally reaches its home. He fills me completely before his lips consume mine again, and I quiver around him as my legs tighten around his waist to keep him from withdrawing even a fraction of the way. I just want to feel his glorious body completely suctioned to mine for a minute longer.

  He finally breaks free from my greedy trap as he pulls back enough to let me feel the slow sliding motion once more, and then I hiss between my teeth when he drags out his slow seduction for far too long.

  I grip him to me, and his rhythm speeds up to be a more pleasurable, sensual, and damn unbelievable sensation. I finally open my eyes to see his broad shoulders flexed with their perfection as he steadies himself to move in and out of me.

  I screech slightly when he reaches the point of starting my quickening. It’s been so long since I’ve felt his touch, and I’m damn near dying for it.

  He moves slower and slower to drag out the suspenseful game of give and take.

  “Please,” I whimper, and I see him almost smirk when his lips return to mine and his more natural rhythm returns.

  “Did you miss me?” he salaciously inquires.

  “Yes,” I pant with an erotic huff,

  My lip almost tears against the blood bringers I never realized unsheathed. His eyes fog over with lust pouring free as he stares into mine. He spins around to jerk me to be on top, his hands cupping my ass lightly, giving me full control for a second. My knees dig into the soft bed as I sit straight up, straddling him, and his hands have to move up to firmly grasp my hips in an effort to add some control to my frenzied rhythm. I pull those controlling hands to my breasts, and his grip is almost too tight when his arousal reaches a new height.

  His ragged breaths chill my skin in the most incredibly delicious ways. My heart thuds, stumbles, and drops to the ground to make way for my ecstasy. His body almost trembles between my legs, and that’s damn near my undoing. He grips me tighter when I find his needy point, and then I scream out as I finally find that long desired release I’ve desperately been seeking. He thrusts in one last time before I feel his warmth surging through my body. His pale blue eyes roll back into his head as a moan exudes from those soft, chilled lips.

  I collapse to his body, and he pulls me into an afterglow embrace as we both pant into each other’s ears. I’m exhausted - sexually out of shape no doubt given the long drought I’ve been forced to endure.

  “I really don’t want to leave without you tomorrow. Go talk to Clay about coming with us,” he breathlessly requests with a hint of neediness trying to hide in the undertones.

  I smile as I roll to be beside him, and his fingers trail up and down my back. I kiss his perfect chest that I would love to bleed - a fantasy I’ll never live out. I sigh out, releasing the scandalous image of what a blood fuck with my full blood would be like. I smirk deviously when I see his curiosity for my wild mine gone awry.

  “What are you thinking about?” he prods.

  I lean over to retrieve my dropped phone from the floor beside the bed. I can’t tell him I’m thinking about what it would be like to let his blood flow into my mouth before fucking him in ways I’ve only ever imagined.

  “I was thinking… I already planned on it. I don’t want to be left behind either,” I chirp, and his lips intertwine with mine before I can say anything else.

  I giggle lightly as I pull back, and then I nestle into his arms while putting my back to his front.

  “What’s up, Araya?” Clay asks casually when he answers.

  “I want to go with you tomorrow. I don’t want to stay at the compound,” I blurt out, and Brazen’s lips start strolling over my body to show his appreciation.

  I stifle another giggle while Clay sighs into the phone.

  “I can’t do that. You know how dangerous it could be for someone to get a hold of you. You know what they wanted from you last time. If someone got to you again… I’d never forgive myself. I can’t lose my best operative and one of my best friends. It’s safer for you to stay here until we can control the situation.”

  Brazen rolls his eyes and flops down on his back to stare at the ceiling in disappointment.

  “Clay, this should be my choice. I think I’ve earned the right to go out into the field when I want to,” I grumble.

  “You’re right. If you were anyone else I would give you that choice, but you’re not anyone else. You’re Araya Crush. We’ve been friends since before we understood the world we lived in. We endured the wrath of what it means to be a hybrid, you more so than me, and then we suffered through change when our aging halted. We’ve seen hell together, and I can’t risk what happened five years ago ever, ever happening again,” he says with such a guilty rattle.

  “I’ll be fine. Brazen will be there,” I murmur softly, and then I’ve got my man’s arms back around me.

  He no longer cares about Clay’s objections. He just cares about my body being in his arms. His lips stroke my ear, and I nestle in closer while trying to stay focused on my arguing skills.

  “I can’t, Araya. It’s just too dangerous. Right now we don’t know where we’re going or what to expect. These people could be setting up an ambush. I won’t risk it.”

  I roll my eyes, and Brazen mimics my exasperation while pulling me even tighter into his arms.

  “Then at least take Hale with you,” I growl.

  Brazen’s jaw clenches the moment Hale’s name leaves my lips.

  “I can’t do that either. The Seminole is the strongest compound in our region. That’s due to him. We have several very prominent and important people that will be bunking here until this threat is eliminated. He has to be here to keep an eye on things,” Clay grumbles.

  Brazen huffs and pulls his pants on while walking over to the kitchen area to pull out a bottle of whiskey. I feel the agitation growing in me, but Clay isn’t going to budge, no matter how adamantly I beg.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I grouse, and then I hang up before pulling the sheet around me to sluggishly walk to the kitchen area as well.

  “He wants the two of you back together,” Brazen dryly remarks out of nowhere.

  “My accident really did shake him up,” I softly defend, but I also think leaving Hale behind is part of a reconciliation ploy.

  Now that I’ve had my drought thoroughly drenched, I should be okay to be around Hale. He shouldn’t get to me the way he did. At least I hope not.

  “I know it did. I’ve heard him speak of it numerous times, but it doesn’t mean I trust his intentions,” he sighs.

  I slide my arms around his waist while he sips his amber drink. His hand clasps over mine, his rigid body slowly loosening up under my touch.

  “Let’s not spend the night talking about Hale or Clay,” I seduce, and he almost smirks.

  “What did you have in mind?” he says with mock innocence.

  “Several things,” I smolder, and then I drop the sheet to the floor to leave his eyes teeming with pure, unadulterated desire.

  “I’m so glad I’m marrying you,” he murmurs with breathless enthusiasm.

  I grin the vixen’s smile as I successfully deter his worried mind, and he follows me back to the bed. Now that the frustrating bit is out of the way, we can take our time, and I plan on making it a night for him to remember for a while.

  Chapter 2

  The Wavering Barrier

  “I wish I had more time with you. I’m sorry I’ve been gone so much,” Brazen breathes into our kiss, and I snuggle up a little closer while checking the clock.

  “I wish I had more time with you too. They should have the tinted the skies by now,” I murmur softly, and then I walk over to check to be certain.

  I stick my hand behind the very thick shade. The filtered light promises to be no threat to my full blood piece of art, and I pull it back to let the harmless orange hue shine through freely.

  “I wish I could see the sun in ful
l glow,” he murmurs sadly, and it’s almost heartbreaking.

  “It’s nothing special,” I say with indifference.

  If I make it seem meaningless, then maybe won’t want to see it so badly.

  “It is when you’ve never seen it,” he snaps.

  I bow my head shamefully. I hate it when he’s upset, and I know how much it would mean to him to enjoy the warmth of the full glowing beauty instead of hiding from it.

  “I’m sorry. I was just trying to-”

  “I know. I didn’t mean to… I’m still just a little ill about your new living arrangements. I don’t like you being here alone with him,” he interrupts with a huff, and I can see the exhaustion in his eyes.

  “Please don’t worry. I love you, and that’s all that should matter.”

  “It is, but I really do want my girl on the road with me,” he says with an adorable pouting tone.

  My lips call to his, and he lifts me up to sit on the counter while filling my mouth with reluctant good-byes.

  “I love you,” I murmur between his lips.

  His soft, button up shirt dares me to free his immaculate body from its clutches, and I quickly oblige with a very slow seduction.

  “I love you,” he utters, and then my legs wrap around his waist just before a spoiler alert sounds out.

  “Attention all Seminole guests,” the loud speaker crackles out. “Training classes will start in fifteen minutes. Any personnel just visiting, please report to the gate in five minutes.”

  “Damn it,” he grumbles. “I have to go.”

  “I really don’t want you to go,” I almost whimper, and his lips pull mine back to them.

  He draws back solemnly, and then he walks over to the far corner to grab his bag.

  “Will you walk me out?” he sadly inquires.

  “I always do,” I mumble, and he pulls me to his body so that my heat is forced against his chill.

  “Fire and ice,” he smolders.

  “It’s always a good combination for steam,” I joke with corny finesse.

  “Indeed,” he seduces, and his lips offer another velvet stroke before we swish out hand-in-hand.