The Broken Curse

by Taylor Lavati

  "I'm heading to bed, but I'll see you tomorrow." They both nod, and I sprint out of there, searching for Ari.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  loving you

  Ari lays Kara down in her bed. Junior follows and tries to help as much as he can. She broke her arm pretty badly, so they don't bother trying to get her clothes off. Instead, Junior just climbs in with her.

  I shut them in the room and follow Ari into the hall. He lifts me into his arms and sprints down the stairs and out the door, towards his house. The lights are on in the top left bedroom, and I assume that Cristos is in there somewhere.

  "Do you want something to eat or drink before we go to bed?" Ari asks as he unlocks his front door and places me on the welcome mat.

  "I'm good." I take his hand in mine and run up the stairs to his bedroom. My back aches with each step, but I'm not going to let that stop me now. Ari laughs as I slam the door shut behind us, eager to make him mine.

  I jump onto his bed and sprawl out, immediately melting into his comfortable bed. I pat the bed beside me for him to get into, but he shakes his head.

  "I have to get all this off of me. I'm showering. I'll be right back." He slowly pulls his blood-covered shirt off his chest and over his head. He walks into the bathroom, while undoing his pants. He lets them drop right before he shuts the door.

  He's my soul mate.

  Once I hear the water running and the glass door shut to the shower, I jump off the bed and quickly undress. As I pull my shirt over my head, my shoulder cries in pain. As I bend to pull my pants down, my spine cracks. My legs are bruised; I look like a hot mess. But, all I can think about is being with my soul mate.

  I sprint into the shower before he has a chance to look at me, and I press myself against his back. I hold him in place, my naked body pressing against his as hot water cascades down our bodies. I sigh it feels so good.

  "What are you doing?" He chuckles as I hang onto him. We're both drenched under the water. But I don't let go of him. I never want him to be away from me again.

  "I just love you so much." He turns, so we're face to face now. My cheeks instantly heat with embarrassment at the full view of him. I try not to look down, but I can't help it, especially when he's pressing right against my stomach, so hard and ready.

  "Let me wash you." He grabs a loofa from the corner of the shower and squirts some gel onto the top. He starts right below my ear and lathers the thick liquid on my body. "Then, I'm going to love you," he whispers, his voice chilling.

  My body gets goosebumps at his words. I shut my eyes and let his hands roam over me. I clutch his shoulders with my hands to keep my balance as he finds his way up and down my body, over and over again.

  His hands dive into my hair with shampoo as he lathers it into my scalp. I moan it feels so good, and he laughs from behind me. He rinses me without getting a single drop in my eyes.

  "Now, let me do you." I look over at his heat-filled eyes and take the loofa from his hand. I start at his chest. I rub the soap over his dark hair. The water turns red from dried blood as I rinse his hair. I move the loofa around his shoulders and down his sides.

  "That tickles!" He pushes the loofa off of him as he fights the spasm. I shake my head, and bring the loofa back, going lower on his body. I rub his upper thighs and bend lower, my face right in line with his waist.

  "Okay. I've had enough." He lifts me up into his arms, and I wrap my legs around his waist. He presses right against me. My heart rate skyrockets, and I'm filled with adrenaline.

  He kisses me with hopeless abandon. His lips are hard against mine. I open myself fully to him, and follow his lead. Our tongues meet and refuse to part. I can barely breathe, he's moving so fast, but it's so good that I don't want it to ever stop.

  He turns in the shower so his back is to the head and presses my back against the wall. A few aches and bruises shoot pain through me as I collide with the wall, but I ignore them completely.

  "Are you hurt?" he asks, noting my discomfort. Apparently I didn't ignore them well enough.

  "I'm fine. Just keep going." I pull his head down to mine and kiss him like he kissed me. But I don't fool him.

  "You're hurt, aren't you?"

  "No…maybe…"

  "Eury…" He pulls back, his eyes narrowing on me.

  "Let's go on the bed." I say and press against him, pushing my chest against his.

  "Only if you tell me when it hurts."

  "Deal." I kiss him to seal it.

  With one hand behind him, he shuts the shower off. He carries me to the bed, stepping through the bathroom and bedroom to get there.

  Within a second, I'm placed on the bed. He immediately gets on top of me, covering me, but hovering just enough so that he doesn't hurt me. I circle my arms around his neck and hang onto him while he kisses me.

  "Do you hurt here?" he asks, pressing a kiss to my neck. I shake my head as a no. "How about here?" He kisses my shoulder, right above my breast. I shake my head no. "Here?" he asks, kissing my stomach, above my belly button and I nod, because I'm pretty sure that's where my rib is broken.

  "I guess you'll have to be extra gentle," I tell him, smiling. I grab his head and pull it back up towards my face. I kiss him. He kisses me back. I'm completely lost to him.

  He's being too gentle. I want more. I use whatever strength I have left and flip us over so that I'm on top of him. He's pressed so hard against me that a chill runs up my spine in anticipation.

  I don't want to wait any longer. I want him now. I reach between us and press him right at my opening. His eyes spring open and meet mine, their emerald tones shining with love.

  I slide him inside of me until there's nowhere left to go. My breath catches in my throat at the fullness. My eyes shut at the pressure building within me. I grab onto his shoulders and dig my fingers in as I get used to his length.

  "Look at me, Eury." His thumb presses against my lip, and I suck it. I open my eyes to Ari's burning with need. He grabs onto my butt and starts to lift it and then drop it. He's slow, so it isn't too intense.

  I begin to fall into a rhythm. I move with him instead of against him, and we work together to stay on the same beats. I roll my hips over him, and a moan escapes his lips. It's deep and throaty; immediately, I do it again.

  "You're killing me," he mutters out between clenched teeth.

  "Now, you look at me." I play with his words. He opens his eyes, and I roll my hips over and over again, the grinding making me feel light. He clings to my waist, guiding me as he moves along with me. Thrusting in and out in fast pumps.

  "I love you so much, Eury." His words push me over the edge, and I can barely hang on. Pulses push through me with pleasure, and I'm left shaking on top of him, unable to do anything but ride the wave.

  "I love you, too, Ari." He pulls out of me, rolls me over and then leans over the side of the bed, grunting. I laugh as I roll over, my orgasm still ripping through me. I lie back on the bed as he cleans himself up.

  I watch through hooded lids as he runs into the bathroom. He returns not too long after with a pair of basketball shorts on and nothing else. I wrap myself in the sheet, feeling exposed.

  "Do you have any clothes that I can wear?" I smile at him, delirious with pleasure.

  "Here." He sprints to his dresser, quickly tugs open the door, and chucks a black t-shirt right at my face. Luckily, I'm fast, so I dodge it and throw it over my head.

  "It's like that, huh?" He lunges for me, catching me off guard. I jump into the air, and he misses me by just a fraction of an inch. I laugh as I land on the ground behind him.

  "I should've warned you. I'm pretty fast." I sprint towards him and jump into his arms. He catches me and pins me down to the bed. He grabs both of my wrists and locks them to the mattress with his hands.

  "I think I should punish you for teasing me." His whisper trickles down my neck. Lust fills me, and I stick my neck up, reaching for his lips. "No, no, no. It's my turn to tease you."

  He l
icks my neck from my collarbone to the back of my ear. He nuzzles me as he sucks where my pulse thumps, leaving his mark for all to see. I arch back and shut my eyes, savoring his sweet licks and kisses.

  He falls to the side so we're each lying face to face, and I wince as my ribs shoot out in pain. Ari immediately moves me over and lays me at the top of the bed on a row of fluffy pillows.

  "I think playtime is over. Rest my beautiful soul mate." He pulls the blankets up to my neck and kisses my forehead.

  "Don't leave me."

  "I wasn't planning on it."

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  the first time

  A strange animal smell wafts into my nose and shocks me. I am dropped into a vision. I look around and see small, farm-like stands with no roofs lining a dirt path. Behind each stand is a person, who's yelling in a foreign tongue at each passerby.

  "Watch it!" Someone shouts at me, and I understand it, so I jump to the side. A man on a horse zooms past me, shaking his fist in the air. On the back of the horse was some strange writing that reminded me of hieroglyphics with symbols and pictures.

  "Miss, I have beautiful pots for sale. You need this in your home." A man shoves the strange, large vase-like pot in my face and waves it up and down. The pot is red and gold, painted in not proportionate squares, but it's pretty.

  "Eurydice, what are you doing down here?" I recognize his voice and look towards it. Ari runs towards me with his arms open, and I run into them, hugging him. "You can't hug me out here." He pushes me off him like I'm a leper.

  "Why?"

  "Anyone could be watching." He looks from side to side, up and down the dirt street. I follow his gaze up to the top of a mountain. Clouds cover the very tip of it, but I recognize it from my mythology class senior year at RHS. It's Olympus. It towers over the village, looming like a volcano.

  Ari takes my hand and jogs up the street until we get to a stone temple just off the main path. We walk in together, and he pushes me against the wall and kisses me.

  "I'm sorry."

  "What's going on?" I ask him in a hushed tone, catching my breath from his passionate kiss.

  "Orpheus. He's coming for you. The great god Apollo says that you two are soul mates, joined on a godly level. He summoned me and demanded that I leave. He offered to put me on a boat to Troy."

  "You didn't leave though?"

  "Of course not!" He looks at me like I'm sick and shakes his head. "No matter. We have to go to your home, get a bag, and run. If we can make it past Thebes, we will be safe."

  "The gods will find us." Even though I have no idea what is going on, I know that this is a bad idea. My gut tells me so, and I'm sure my reincarnation from the past feels this too.

  "They won't. I promise. I love you. Come with me. Please?" I don't answer because I don't know what to say. Instead, I nod and wait for his next instructions.

  "Aristeus, the gods are descending the mountain." Cristos runs into the temple and smiles at me. But, when his eyes meet Ari's he becomes serious. "If we're running, we must at once."

  "And your brother?" Ari asks him as he takes my hand.

  "He's staying." Ari nods to Cristos, and I nod, too.

  Ari turns the corner out of the temple and sprints to what is apparently my home. I turn back as I follow behind Ari and hear a rumbling from Mount Olympus. Something like an avalanche tumbles from the top of the mountain, fog enveloping the dirt path of the town. I panic and run. The three of us pile into the small one room, and then Ari slams the door behind us.

  "Gather what you must and then we have to flee."

  "There's something happening to the town," I say as I walk around the kitchen area.

  "It's the gods. They're angry. We'll die if we don't run," Ari says.

  Cristos stands next to the door while Ari paces around the front of the room. I gather what I think I need. There's not much in the place, so I take a white woven dress, and what I think are undergarments. I shove them into a sack and then look in my drawers for anything significant.

  Right beside the bed, there's a small wooden box.

  "Eury!" Again, I recognize the voice. Both Ari and Cristos run towards me and escape through the back window. They jump out and crouch below. Ari puts his finger over his mouth, telling me to be quiet, and I nod before he's gone.

  I shove the box into my bag and put it next to the bed. The front door opens and in walks Ollie. He looks so happy that my heart squeezes in my chest.

  "Dearest, are you here?" He spots me instantly and runs towards me. I smile, not sure what I'm supposed to do in this situation. My heart pounds in my chest at his closeness. Even though I now know Ari is my soulmate, my mind in this moment is genuinely confused. I'm back to square one, and it's jarring.

  This me loves Ollie and loves Ari. That much is blatantly clear. I hold onto Ollie tightly. In my peripheral, something moves, and I look over and see Ari's eyes, just barely peeking through the window.

  They pinch in sadness, and my chest physically hurts. I look back up at Ollie. and he's staring down at me in confusion. My chest hurts again. I grab my bag from the ground and run out the front door.

  "Eurydice!" Ollie yells at the same time that Ari yells it.

  I run in the opposite direction of the town and into the woods by the house. A few times I stumble on roots and rocks, but catch myself. Suddenly, a huge snake jumps at me, tangling my feet up and pulling me to the ground.

  Both boys circle me, looking down at me stuck on the ground.

  "Help me," I beg as the snake bites into my foot. I scream and reach down to my leg, ripping the sandal off my foot. I'm gushing blood where two small puncture wounds exist.

  "I warned you, the gods never lie."

  "She died because you showed up! I was taking her out of here, bringing her to safety."

  "But I love her."

  "I love her more."

  I lie there on the ground, whimpering as venom pumps through my veins. I look at the box in my hand. And then it all fades to blackness. I die for the first time.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  new beginnings

  I'm awoken by yet another smell. Only this time, it's pure euphoria. I reach across the bed without opening my eyes, but it's empty. My eyes dart open and search the room for Ari, but he's nowhere in sight. I recant my mind and know that we fell asleep together. His absence is startling.

  I leap up from my bed, my body aching, and I see a path of white roses scattered across his side of the bed, leading to the door. I pause, bending down to touch my toes, when the left side of my body shoots in pain. I slip on a pair of Ari's slippers and walk towards the door, following the trail of roses.

  I'm brought on a windy path to the kitchen where a lavish breakfast is set up for me on the counter. I grab what I'm guessing is my plate and take a bite of the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. It melts in my mouth, it's so good. The smell reminds me of my dad's home, safety, and love.

  "I've been working on my cooking skills. You like?" His arms wrap around my waist from behind me, and I lean back against his chest. I reach back after placing the food down and tug his head towards me. I kiss him on the cheek, and he sits beside me at the counter.

  "I like." I nod and lift the sandwich to my mouth, taking another bite.

  "You're going to have to hurry and chew because we're expected at the student center for breakfast."

  "Oh my god. I forgot!" I take a last bite of the sandwich and place it down, wiping my hands on my shirt. I look at my clothes and realize that I don't have clean ones here. Ari notices my concern. He smiles and sprints from the room. I'm about to follow when he returns, a tote bag in his hand.

  "You're the best. I'll hurry." I take the bag from him and kiss him on the cheek. Then I run up the stairs and lock myself in the bathroom. I quickly pee, brush my teeth, and dress, not putting too much effort into what I look like. As I rummage through the bag, I see that Ari brought me a pair of black leggings, a t-shirt, and my favorite lucky sneak
ers.

  After I throw my hair into a high ponytail, I splash some water on my face and leave. I sprint into the hallway and head-on collide with Cristos. When I step back, his appearance really strikes me. The bags under his eyes are an entity of their own, giving off a strange greenish purple color. His normally perfect complexion is pale and dull, almost gray.

  "Are you okay?"

  "I'll be better when you two get over the honeymoon period."

  "What?" I step back, my face heating with mortification.

  "You two were so loud last night."

  "No, we weren't!"

  "I'm teasing you." He chuckles and drapes his arm over my shoulder. "I'm typically a lover not a fighter. Seeing all those people…" He pauses, unable to finish his sentence.

  "I get it," I say, nodding my head and wrapping my arm around his slender waist.

  "You certainly got it."

  "God, you sound like your brother!" I slap him on the chest as we walk down the stairs.

  "Already trying to steal my girl?" Ari asks as we step into the foyer together. Ari is ready to go, boots on and tied.

  "If I wanted her, I'd have taken her years ago." Cristos lets me go, and I grab onto Ari's hand, squeezing it. The three of us walk to the student center together. I don't know about the boys but I'm way too tired to sprint today. I think it'll be a while before I get back into the training center.

  Ari gets the large double door for me, holding it for both Cristos and me. The second I walk in, the room erupts in applause. I look behind me, but Cristos and Ari stay back and begin to clap as well. Cristos is grinning wide, like he knew this was going to happen, and Ari just looks at me with pride.

  The recognition is too much. I try to shy away. I hate it. But, Ari pushes me forward. The remaining people in the student center stand and come forward towards me, each shaking my hand and congratulating me. On what, I'm not sure.