This Curse: (The Grace Allen Series Book 2 )

by Basso, Alisha

  I turned on my heel, Seth’s hand shot out, gripping my upper arm as I tried to go. I glared at him and he dropped his hand, hurt filled his eyes and I turned, flashing my nightgown on; I cleaned my teeth with a thought and had an armful of blankets before I took another step.

  I slumped on the couch. Tears threatened and I sighed and pushed the heels of my hands into my eyes. I waited for Jamie and Seth to approach.

  “No, I’m not going to flip out again and accidentally kill you.” I sighed when I could no longer stand the anxiety beating at me from across the room. In less than a heartbeat, Jamie was sitting beside me.

  “I’m sorry, Grace.” She glanced at Seth as he knelt in front of me. I drew my legs up and looked at my hands.

  Seth placed his hands on my bent knees, “What did you see, Sweet?”

  “I saw Lucifer.” I began. “He took your place, Seth. One second you were hugging me, and the next it was him.” I looked at them. Jamie lowered her brows.

  “What happened after we left, Grace?” She watched my face closely.

  “Nothing, really.” I said, avoiding her gaze.

  She grabbed my arms, yanking the sleeves of my nightgown up to examine my wrists; I jerked them away quickly, hiding them behind my back like a guilty child.

  She watched me, shock widening her eyes; she sucked in her breath and then a moment later, her eyes filled with fat tears and she began to cry.

  Seth looked totally confused. “What the hell is going on? Jamie, dearest, do stop howling. That is not helping anything,” he scolded and she turned on him.

  “We never should have left her!” She yelled at him, he flinched back, clearly shocked at her anger. “She made a deal with the devil!” She shouted at him. “Does that help you understand?”

  Seth’s eyes bled solid silver and his teeth lengthened. He was vamping out and I cringed. He stood and backed away with jerking movements. He paced back and forth. “What have you done?” He growled. “YOU BELONG TO HIM, NOW?” He roared, shaking his head fiercely, his long hair burst from his head, falling to cover his shoulders and then spilling down to end at his wrists.

  Holy fuck, he could do that?

  His face was a mask of insanity as he turned and grabbed the front door. Screaming, he ripped it free of its hinges, threw it through the wall and onto the gravel drive.

  I sat back in complete shock. Holy shit he was strong. Jamie was a little ball slowly disappearing into the couch cushions.

  I stood. He was losing his mind and I was positive that if any neighbors were home, they were sure to call the cops, or the army.

  Seth turned his eyes to me. He was panting, his chest heaving up and down, his whole body trembling. Silver tears slipped from his eyes as he looked at me. “You are well and truly lost to me.” His voice was hollow; his chest continued its labored panting.

  I smiled at him and he took a step closer. “Is that what you want?” He asked, looking defeated.

  I shook my head, and smiled again. “No, you don’t understand.” I held out my hand to him and he took it, his face a macabre mask of vampiric anger and all too human confusion. I grabbed Jamie’s arm and pulled her out of the couch. She looked at Seth like he was the boogie man.

  “Seth, can you tone down your crazy, you’re scaring her,” I chided. “Now, lets everyone just calm down. It’s not like he owns my soul. I have free will. He can’t command me to do anything, I’m in charge.”

  “Yeah, looks that way.” Jamie drawled, picking a shard of glass from her hair. “Now, please, Grace. You need to give me your arm.”

  Resolved, I showed her my right wrist.

  “The glamour?” Her voice was a mix of anger and impatience.

  I removed the glamour and she frowned. “Oh?” She looked at Seth. “She’s telling the truth.” She smiled. “This isn’t the mark of slavery. This is something else, I’ve never seen.” She looked relieved.

  “So, you do not know what this mark represents?” He sounded less than satisfied although he had gone back to his normal non-vampire self. His hair was once again long and wild and I secretly wished that he would cut it again. That way I couldn’t picture it sliding across my body as he…” At his smile, I jerked my eyes from his silky locks and instead examined my cuticles.

  “Well,” Jamie continued, oblivious to my embarrassment and Seth's obvious enjoyment of it. “It’s a symbol of Lucifer, of that I’m sure.”

  Seth eyed Jamie and she flushed. “Well, I don’t know!” She defended. I guess I’ll have to do some checking.”

  “Please do, in the mean time.” he stood. “Morning arrives, and I’m afraid that this room is even less secure for me now. I’ll retire.” He nodded regally, “Ladies.” He turned and strode from the room, slamming the door to his room.

  Jamie followed him with her eyes; her adoration was far too obvious. “He really is something, isn’t he?” She looked a bit goofy, then she frowned, sadness replaced her doe eyed expression. “God, he loves you.” She stood and walked to the huge gaping hole in the wall. “No one has ever shown such emotion over me before.” She looked at me and I shrugged.

  “Look, James, don’t judge his feelings for me, I don’t even think he understands them, they’re way too complicated.” At her frown I sighed, “You need to understand something. Seth and I have history together, that’s all. And there is the matter that he has been surviving off of my blood. I play a pretty big role in his life, seeing as I’ve been inadvertently changing him into a Madea.” I flushed at that. “I represent power to him, but that won’t always be the case. One day he will be a full Madea, and the angry selfish vampire will be gone and a more caring being will emerge. A Madea knows pure love, James. A vampire doesn’t. Just hang on. He already likes you. Look how sensitive he was when he thought you were hurt.”

  She smiled. “He was so gentle.” She spun in a circle, hugging herself. “When he looked into my eyes, it made my temperature go up about ten degrees!”

  I frowned and pointed my finger at her. “That move was all vampire!” I warned. “He may be on our side, but that part of his nature is still very deadly. He can’t help what he is, but you can help him by not acting like lunch. Letting him feed is not the same as making love, James. I once met a vampire who screwed his victims and then sucked them dry. He called them cows, and that is just what Seth will think of you if you throw your blood at him. Make him see you, not your ready food supply, okay?”

  She looked at her hands and I grimaced. “Oh, man, Jamie!” I sighed. “Tell me you didn’t.”

  “No, but I did sort of offer.” She looked dejected. “I must look like such a desperate little puppy.” She cried. “What do I do?”

  I snuggled into the covers on the couch and looked at her. Her feelings were as plain as day and written all over her face. God, this conversation really sucked. This was Seth I was talking about. Seth, the man that I had grown to care about in the last few days. Seth, the man that made me crazy but still managed to make me smile. I looked at her face as I thought this new situation through. She was a good woman and had power of her own. I couldn’t guarantee that he would ever return her affection, but I wouldn’t stand in the way, either. “Well,” I began, “you need to take the offer back. He’ll respect you for it. After all, he is used to women throwing their blood at him. This should raise his opinion of you greatly. You are better than a mere juice box, James.” I winked at her and she smiled. She rose to her feet and began to walk to her room.

  “Grace?” She stopped, her face serious all of a sudden.

  I sat up and looked at her, “Yeah?”

  “Keep him out of your bed.” She blushed and before I could sputter my shocked response, she fled to her room.

  I flopped back onto the couch and sighed. Not that I had any intention of sleeping with Seth ever again, but it was a blow to discover that from now on, I would have to keep him at arms length in order to respect my new friend.

  Fuck. This was going to be a problem. Seth wo
uld resist, that was for sure. He didn’t do well with the cold shoulder. I thought about Jamie and her kind heart. If Seth didn’t change over soon, she was going to get that heart stomped. Well, I snuggled deeper into the covers, I guess I had some more work to do.

  I sighed and closed my eyes as sleep took me straight to Hell.

  TWENTY FOUR

  “Does it always have to smell so bad?” I walked from the shadows into a dimly lit room. I smiled and shook my head as I was immediately surrounded with the scent of sandalwood and oranges. “Thanks.” I passed by a mirrored wall and stopped short at my reflection. “Are you kidding me?” I cocked my hip and goggled at my reflection. My legs were wrapped in thigh high, black stiletto boots made from shiny patent leather. My panties were tiny and made of the same plasticky feeling crap as the boots. Tiny little triangles covered a quarter of my breasts leaving them mostly exposed. I looked at my reflection again and concentrated. I replaced Lucifer’s S&M suit of sin with a fluffy white angora sweater and a pair of grey wool slacks. I smiled, and then a second later, I was wearing the tiny underwear again.

  “Fine!” I shouted to the air, not knowing where he was. “Have it your way, I don’t really care, It’s not like you’re going to touch me, anyway!”

  My back slammed hard against the glass of the mirrored wall. He was pressed against my body, his hand wound tight in my hair. My neck arched painfully as he pulled my head back. He was overwhelming. His presence made my stomach lurch with fear.

  “I will touch you all I choose.” He ran his lips along my skin. “After all, you are not really here. This is your dream, Darling. You came to me just as I knew you would.” His whisper was soft, moist breath, hot against my neck.

  “I did not come to you.” I shoved him away hard. “You’re really full of shit, you know? You even tell lies to yourself.” I walked deeper into the room. It appeared to be empty. I turned and glared at the father of lies. “You went back on your word. Lucian almost died!” I spat.

  “You accuse falsely. I did nothing. Possession takes its toll. At any rate, your friend was never in any real danger. You are Madea; it is within your power to heal. So, tell me, how did you go about it?”

  “As if I’ll ever tell you! You let a demon squat inside him and then tell me he will be fine only to find out that possession can almost kill the possessed!”

  He frowned, “I did not tell you, because you did not ask and it isn’t often that the possessed become ill, especially when the squatter is...” He stopped mid sentence and looked at me while his eyebrow arched. “Well, we shall continue this chat later. Your Lucian does not interest me.”

  “Oh, no you don’t!” I shook my head. “What were you going to say? When the squatter is what, precisely?”

  He chuckled, shaking his head he moved away from me; cutting off any further discussion. He stood in the darkest part of the room and with a casual wave of his hand, an enormous bed appeared.

  “Uck!” I stepped away and threw my hand over my mouth. It was made of human bones. Rib cages and long shining femurs made up the entire structure. Skulls, fused together in a macabre scream lined up to form the headboard. I took another step back. Black shining sheets, like bat wings covered the blood red mattress.

  He strode to the bed, morphing into a tailored tuxedo he produced a tray. Champaign and two tall goblets appeared. He sat on the edge. The bed bent with his weight as he stretched onto his side. He smoothed his hand on the spot next to him and smiled seductively at me. “Sit, my love. Sit and visit a while.”

  “Oh, you’re good, but not good enough. You could have killed my friend. I’m not entertaining you, Lu. Get that through your head.”

  He shrugged and poured the Champaign into the glasses. “Oh?” He looked at me. “Pity.” His eyes landed on a spot behind me and I turned.

  Revulsion had me staggering back several steps. “Oh my God!” I threw my hand over my mouth again, this time fully prepared to vomit. “Hurp.” My mouth flooded with saliva and my eyes watered. “Is that Lydia?” I choked out in a sob and grabbed my stomach. I swayed and he was suddenly there, holding my weight as my knees gave way.

  “It was Lydia.” He spoke close to my ear and I flinched, knowing that he could do such a thing was just another reminder. “She hurt you, my darling. She had to be punished. I thought you would be pleased?” He frowned, lifting my limp body; he carried me to the bed.

  Over his shoulder, I could see the horror that was once Lydia. She had been nailed to the wall at her shoulders and her body was flayed of all of its flesh. Her head had been removed and placed into her hands, as if it were some sort of satanic offering.

  “You’re disgusting! How could you?” Once on the bed, I rolled onto my side. Tears flowed. I knew she was a demon. I knew she was his to do with as he pleased, but nothing living deserved that.

  He crawled onto the bed beside me and tried to pull me to him. I jerked wildly and shot off the opposite side of the bed. “Are you kidding me?” I screeched. “I wouldn’t touch your horrible, evil body with a ten foot pole!”

  He sat up and smiled. “Why do you always resist? I know you, Grace. You always desire the bad boy. The man who takes what he wants. I see it in so many. That excitement you feel when no one else but you can pet the beast. A woman thrills in the triumph of taming the animal. It’s exhilarating is it not? Well, my darling, I am the bad boy and I promise to let you pet me as long as you wish.”

  “You know nothing about me.”

  He frowned, “What must I do to get a kiss?” He leaned on his elbow. “Ah, how about this?” He smiled and I followed his gaze once more.

  Patrick Camden appeared beside Lydia. His wrists were wrapped with chains, he whimpered as he dangled from the ceiling. He was alive and scared shitless. Panic filled his eyes as he gazed at what was once Lydia. His body swung and grazed Lydia’s decapitated head, sending him into full on hysteria.

  I turned and glared at Lucifer. “You wouldn’t dare!” I challenged. “He is a living man, not a demon!”

  Lucifer smiled. “He sold his soul, precious. He is mine to do with as I please. Besides, didn’t he plan on kidnapping you? Raping you until he had you fat with his mewling pups?”

  I swung my head in Patrick’s direction. His deep brown eyes were filled with tears and he shook his head frantically. Struggling in his bonds, he whimpered.

  “No.” I turned.

  Lucifer’s eyebrows rose. “No?”

  “No, I’m sure you had a hand in that.” Remembering what I had done to Patrick after his plan had failed shamed me. “He’s been punished; besides, I think you put him up to it. You were the puppet master for everything so far you freely admitted it. Why not this too?” I folded my arms.

  “I knew you weren’t a stupid woman. But that does not cancel out his debt. I plan on tearing his wolf from his body, then his flesh from his bones.” Lucifer took a step toward Patrick and I grabbed his arm.

  He looked down at my hand and then at me. “Yes?”

  “Please, what did you give him? Why did he sell his soul?” I looked into his eyes.

  “Oh, my angel. Does it matter?” He turned.

  “Yes!” I yelled, jumping in front of him. “Please?”

  He stood for a long moment and I watched him. He was playing a game I knew I couldn’t win, but maybe Patrick could.

  He smiled. “I suppose it matters little.” He sighed dramatically. “I fear Voltaire promised him the position of pack master to all the packs in the state.” I looked at him and frowned. “He agreed, said he would give anything for it, so I took his soul,” he smiled.

  “Is he?” I demanded. “Is he the master of all the packs in the state?”

  Lucifer smiled. “Why yes, he was crowned their king only hours ago.”

  I gawked at him. “And now you’re killing him?”

  “Yes. He attacked you, my love. I can not allow such actions to go unpunished.” He moved past me and grabbed Patrick’s face, pressing his fingers into
his flesh. Patrick screamed as smoke billowed from his face. A stench like nothing I had ever experienced filled the room.

  I couldn’t stand it, this was all bullshit. Dream or not, I wouldn’t take the chance.

  “Stop!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  He turned. Lowering his smoking hands, he tilted his head, “What troubles you, my darling?” His brows drew together.

  “You have to stop this! Please, what can I do to remove his debt?” I looked at Patrick’s once beautiful face, now charred, and ruined. His tear filled eyes implored me.

  “I can think of nothing. A debt this large is not so easily swept away. You have been clear in all things. I may not touch you. I have no power over you. What is left?” He turned, raising his hands again; I flinched, as Patrick’s eyes grew huge.

  “I take it all back!”

  Lucifer froze. Turning slowly on his heel, he flashed me a smile of pure satisfaction. “In truth?”

  I looked at Patrick’s bubbling flesh. The smell that had filled the room from his smoking flesh was sickening me with each passing second and the pain he must have endured made me even more ill. Despite what Lucifer said about this all being a dream, I knew that when I woke up tomorrow, Patrick would be dead. I couldn’t just stand by and let another person be tortured and killed. It would kill a part of my soul.

  I drew in a cleansing breath, coughing from the wretched stench that filled my nose. “Take back his debt,” I lifted my chin at his frown. “Heal his wounds and never hurt him directly or indirectly again and I will take it all back.” I felt like my life was flashing before my eyes. The smile that spread across his face sped my heart. Fear at what was to come filled me from head to toe.

  Patrick vanished in a puff of smoke and I was naked, in the devils arms.

  He laid me down on his bed and lightly stroked my skin with his warm fingertips. I looked at his nakedness, even with his impossible beauty; nothing would ever make this okay.

  “I knew you would be mine. I knew you would somehow make the ultimate sacrifice. You for him? How lovely.”