A Cursed Embrace

by Cecy Robson

My lips parted and I shook my head, the deliberation and execution of the demons’ tactics too frightening to believe. Aric had lost everything. But he still had me.

  I reached out, ready to console him. Again he reeled away. My terror intensified. Why wouldn’t he look at me? And why couldn’t I touch him? My blood turned to ice and my body trembled. I knew what was coming. “Aric, what aren’t you telling me?”

  Aric dropped his arms to his sides and let out a deep breath. “I’m one of the last purebloods left, Celia. I’m being called to fulfill my duties, to continue our race.”

  The testament of my fears kicked me hard in the stomach. Somehow I ended up sitting on our bed.

  Aric covered his eyes with his right hand. His left remained at his side, balled into a fist. I thought he was crying, but I couldn’t be sure. “Forgive me, Celia. I never should’ve let things get this far.” He swallowed hard. “I was never supposed to feel this way.”

  With those final words, he turned and stalked out of our room.

  Aric’s voice downstairs stung my ears like a swarm of hornets. “I’ll expect you back at the Den in an hour.”

  “Aric, what’s wrong?” Taran asked. “And where the hell are you going?”

  “Go upstairs. Celia needs you.” It was the last thing Aric said before the door slammed behind him.

  I scented my sisters, Bren, and Danny entering our room. Shayna’s voice echoed in the distance. “What happened, dude?”

  Tears slid down my face, blinding me. “He left me,” I whispered.

  CHAPTER 25

  My room became my refuge and my prison. I kept it dark, blocking light by draping a thick blanket over the window and unplugging the lamps. The only light that crept in was from the hall, when some well-meaning soul would open the door to visit.

  “Liam and the others are moving out,” Emme whispered. I awoke to her gently stroking my hair, unaware if it was night or day, and not caring enough to ask. “He and the remaining weres are hunting the Tribe. Th-the vampires have joined them on their quest. The witches, too. They’re calling themselves the Alliance. It’s bad, Celia. Really bad. They realize none will survive without the other.” She sighed. “We offered to help, but their Leaders forbid it. I—I—I don’t think they trust us. . . .”

  “Aric’s mother was spared from the attacks, dude,” Shayna said one day. “Koda thought you’d want to know.” She positioned the tray of food she’d brought on my nightstand when I didn’t answer. “Please eat, Celia. You’re wasting away.”

  I’d try to eat the food she’d leave me, but my stomach ached painfully after only a few bites. God, everything hurt. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to simply think. So I didn’t do much of anything. Mostly I just cried and slept, haunted by memories that seemed more like impassioned dreams than anything real.

  I remembered Taran coming in a few times demanding that I get up, then swearing when I buried myself deeper beneath the covers. And although I often heard the hushed voices of the other wolves, they never came in, only Bren. He and Danny took turns sleeping with me at night. I think they were afraid to leave me alone. It wasn’t necessary; no one was worth killing myself over, not even someone like Aric.

  I stumbled out of bed one morning to use the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized the pathetic mess staring back at me. My long waves were little more than greasy knots and my eyes bloodshot and swollen. I ran my hands down my emaciated form. My shirt hung loose, despite the stretchy fabric. Maybe that’s what it took. Maybe I just needed to see what I’d become. I was done crying. Crying made me feel weak and vulnerable, and I refused to be either. Ever again.

  I brushed my teeth and spit out blood from the force I had used. My glare fixed back at me in the mirror. I no longer felt depressed; I was pissed.

  I lurched toward the shower and turned the water on, only to turn it off again. My breath quickened, and the beat of my racing heart pulsed in my ears. I marched back into my bedroom—our bedroom. The same room we’d made love in so many times.

  I made the mistake of looking around. My eyes wandered to the bed, the place I’d bared my soul to him over and over again. I turned my scowl on the dresser, where I’d posed the night I seduced him. It seemed empty, but I wasn’t sure why. Then it hit me—the pictures of us were gone. Someone must have removed them. The one taken of us at a restaurant captured a loving moment between us; the other Shayna had snapped of us on the couch downstairs. Aric had sat behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist. I was laughing in it. He was smiling and nuzzling my neck. Aric had placed both in beautiful and expensive frames, gifts from him, back when I thought he gave a damn.

  “Liar.”

  Bren sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. “Did you say something, Ceel?”

  I kicked open the door to my closet, only to be smacked in the face by Aric’s scent. It clung to every last stitch of clothing still hanging neatly along the racks. I couldn’t get dressed or shove sneakers on fast enough. His aroma overwhelmed me with a barrage of feelings too raw to deal with. I bolted from the room and down the stairs. “Celia, wait!” Bren called.

  “Dude, what are you doing?”

  “Shit, go after her!”

  I dashed into the greenbelt behind our house. Bren, Koda, and Liam beat feet after me, forcing me to sprint faster. My beast possessed me, fleeing as if wounded and trying to outrun the agony. She busted across streams to hide our scent and circled trees to confuse our pursuers. She succeeded, losing them within miles. Except my human side couldn’t escape our pain, our anger, our sense of betrayal.

  “Liar.”

  Aric had lied to me with his body. He’d lied to me with his words.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “Liar.”

  “You’re the best thing in my life.”

  “Liar!”

  Aric’s words reverberated in my mind as I raced farther up the mountain. “Can’t you understand what you mean to me? Losing you is my greatest fear.”

  “Liar!”

  “Don’t be afraid. I won’t ever hurt you.”

  “LIAR!”

  My thighs burned, but I pushed on, forcing my legs to move faster. The forest became a blur as some of his last words rang through my head.

  “You’ll always be mine. And I swear to always be yours.”

  “You goddamn liar!”

  Hours passed before my legs finally gave out. I collapsed on a bed of thick ferns, screaming until my voice turned to roars, roaring until my throat burned with the acid from my shriveled stomach. My body was done, beaten physically and emotionally into submission.

  And yet it was all my fault.

  I’d never mourned my parents’ deaths, though my tiny heart had beat because they’d given me life and a love without prejudice. My sisters were young, Emme barely five. They sought me out to help them through their grief. How could I be selfish, when they needed my courage so desperately? When our foster mother died, again there was no time to wallow in my emotions. I had family to take care of and support. So instead of tears, cement and steel took over my soul, building up the walls I needed to survive.

  Then Aric came into my world. He demolished my barriers with his kind words, his protection, and his touch. Like a fool, I allowed him into my heart and into my bed, permitting the happiness he bestowed on me and begging for his pleasure. I should have known better. Freaks like me didn’t get a happily ever after. This was all I’d ever know.

  I swayed to my feet, covered in dirt—empty, numb, and once again alone.

  Shit.

  The return trip took hours, although I scarcely noticed. I stumbled up my front steps on wobbly legs, barely managing to stay upright. When I pushed open the door, all eyes locked on me.

  Emme appeared out of her mind with worry. She tripped over her feet as she hurried toward me from the kitchen. “Celia! We’ve been searching everywhere for you—” She stopped short, clasping her hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened as she took in my scraggy and ta
citurn form. She wheeled from me, her voice strained. “I—I—I’ll let Bren and Misha know you’re home.”

  Taran met me with a glare, and her phone glued to the ear. “It’s okay, baby,” she muttered into the phone. “She’s back now . . . No. Don’t. That son of a bitch doesn’t need to know anything.”

  I expected my sisters’ stress to morph into anger. Instead they regarded me with pity. I scoffed. Their fury would have been more welcoming.

  Shayna approached me slowly. “How are you, Ceel?”

  My expression didn’t waver. “Hungry.”

  Danny rose from the kitchen stool and walked over to me. He sighed before taking my hand and leading me to the table. I followed him almost blindly, looking at everything without really seeing.

  My sisters dispersed one by one, busying themselves in the kitchen and piling a week’s worth of food in front of me. I ate until I thought I’d burst, but somehow I still felt barren on the inside. Without a word, I headed upstairs to finally shower.

  • • •

  I returned to work the next day, embracing the distraction the stress of my job provided. Shayna had been calling me out sick, claiming I had the stomach flu. By the way the other nurses reacted when they saw me, it seemed no one doubted my fake illness. “Oh my,” I overheard one of my coworkers whisper. “Celia looks like hell.” She was right. But slowly my appetite bounced back, helping my physical self to rejuvenate and to camouflage my vacant spirit.

  I remained unusually quiet, not wanting to talk to anyone, including my sisters. And while I had started to run again, it was more from a desire to be alone than to return to something I’d once enjoyed. I ran midday in the busy streets of Incline Village, instead of early morning along the desolate Tahoe beaches, deliberate attempts to thwart a potential attack, and to avoid seeing Aric. The Alliance believed the Tribe had abandoned the area. The absence of local activity suggested as much. But after I’d been jumped by evildoers galore, no way was I taking any chances.

  Aric had returned for his belongings one day while I was at work. I’d come home to a half-empty bedroom, his key on my dresser, and his aroma lingering. Instinctively I took a deep breath, only to be sideswiped with memories induced by his scent. My head spun with images of our time together. I toppled back, clinging to the dresser for balance until my eyes finally focused upon the key.

  I stared at it for a long while, wondering if Aric had hesitated, felt regret—felt anything at all. I pushed away from the dresser resentfully, deciding it was best not to know.

  The weres remained unclear of where the demon lords leading the Tribe harbored their secret lairs. Each time a captured Tribesman divulged any information, he’d explode. Just like the wereraccoon had done on my doorstep.

  “It’s probably some kind of internal spell, or curse, to ensure Tribe secrets and loyalty,” Danny rationalized. “I think the wereraccoon knew what was happening. From what Koda has said, the Tribe’s recruiting methods are very cultlike. They target lones, using their isolation and bitterness to lure them into joining. Maybe that guy got sucked in. And maybe he didn’t like what he saw.”

  “You think he was trying to warn me?”

  Danny nodded. “You or Aric. Based on the picture Liam found, the raccoon realized you knew him. Why else would he have run to your house?”

  It made sense. I’d scared the raccoon off a few times, but I’d never given him a reason to want me dead. In looking back, he’d seemed so feeble and frightened. It would have been easy for someone like him to get in over his head. “He didn’t reveal anything, though. Not one word. Why would he just explode like that?”

  Danny removed his glasses and cleaned them against his shirt. “Look at this way. If you planned to take over the earth, would you risk leaving any trace of evidence that could possibly implicate you? Or warn the good guys?”

  I honestly never thought to make the world my playground. Yet I knew what Danny meant. “No. I guess not.”

  I shuddered. It was a frightening time. The world as I’d known it had become a hellish nightmare almost overnight. Not only did humans continue to disappear, but many powerful witches had gone missing, and were numbers persistently dwindled. In response, Elders nationally expanded their Dens to become safe havens for the remaining weres and their families, while head witches grouped their covens.

  The wolves never discussed the details of Alliance missions, but my sisters and I knew their assignments were explicitly dangerous. After all, weres as young as fourteen were being used as assassins. Some didn’t make it back.

  CHAPTER 26

  “Get the hell out of my house!” Taran screamed.

  Gemini’s tone carried the hurt Taran’s words had caused him. “Taran, tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Just leave. You’re going to do it anyway. You might as well do it now!”

  I hurried down from my bedroom, confused and worried about what could have caused her to react so viciously. The wolves had returned after an almost-two-week absence. Taran and Gemini should have been locked in her room, not fighting in the kitchen.

  Gemini had his arms around Taran. She shoved against his broad chest, trying uselessly to push him away. “I won’t leave you, Taran,” he said gently. “I love you.”

  Taran stopped struggling and sobbed into her hands. “It doesn’t mean shit. You’re going to dump me, just like that asshole dumped her!”

  Gemini tucked Taran into his shoulder and stroked back her dark hair. “No. I won’t,” he promised.

  Taran continued to cry in his arms. I was going to return to my room when her retort halted my steps. “He broke her heart,” she whimpered.

  Gemini looked up at me then. “I know.”

  I could have picked up the house and thrown it at them, sick of their relentless pity.

  I’d started to growl when Liam bounded down the stairs. “Hey, Ceel,” he said, oblivious of the fact that I was about to gnaw on Gemini’s eyeballs. “We just ordered food from Lakeside Pizza. Come with me to pick it up.”

  I didn’t want to go with Liam, but begrudgingly agreed so not to upset Emme or crush Liam’s feelings. My loneliness made it difficult to be around my sisters and their wolves. I found excuses to leave the house when they were around. My actions upset my family and had strained our relationship. They probably thought I was incapable of being happy for them, but they were wrong. The wolves were just a constant reminder of what I’d had and lost.

  Liam drove with the windows down, allowing the unusually warm October breeze to hit our faces. We were waiting for our pizzas when the door opened, and I was struck by a scent that threatened to stop my heart.

  Aric froze the moment he saw me. Only at the insistence of the gorgeous blond were clutching his arm did he slowly move toward us. It was the first time I’d seen Aric since he’d left me and, my God, it hurt to see him with her.

  She was tall, almost as tall as Aric. Cascading waves of shimmering blond hair swept down to her elbows, while her short red dress showed off her ridiculously sensual curves. As for me, I still wore my sports bra and shorts from my earlier run and hadn’t showered.

  The were bitch pretended I wasn’t there. “Hi, Liam,” she said.

  Liam stiffened and answered with a nod. Aric continued to stare at me, just as he had from the moment he walked in. “Hello, Celia,” he said.

  At the sound of my name, the blonde tightened her grip on Aric’s arm and finally acknowledged me. Oh yeah, I had her attention then. The scowl she initially greeted me with was quickly replaced by a condescending little grin. “I’m Barbara.” She paused to lick her lips. “Aric’s fiancée.”

  Aric closed his eyes and let out a pained breath. But you know what? It couldn’t have possibly compared to the pain I felt. The crumbled remains of my heart sank to my stomach. “Of course you are,” I said through gritted teeth.

  I stalked out the door and into the parking lot, stopping only to dent the mailbox in with my fist. Fiancée. Aric had a fiancée after only
a few weeks. We’d been a couple for more than five months!

  Rage and grief sent a tidal wave of tremors up my body. My encounter with Aric and his fiancée had torn the scab off my emotional wounds. I had tried not to picture him with anyone else. But now I knew, knew what she looked like, knew what she smelled like, knew that she now shared his bed.

  I turned when I heard Liam. He fumbled with his car keys while juggling eight pizzas in his left arm. “I’m sorry, Celia. I’m so, so sorry. I had no idea they’d be here.”

  Liam apologized the entire way home. I was too busy fuming to talk. As soon as we arrived at the house, I stormed up the stairs.

  “What happened, Lee?” I heard Emme ask. “Why is Celia so upset?”

  “We ran into Aric and Barbara,” Liam muttered.

  “Who the hell is Barbara?” Taran asked.

  “Aric’s fiancée!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  • • •

  “Dude! He has a fiancée?”

  “That son of a bitch.”

  “Oh, gosh, Liam. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Yeah, Koda. You must have known. We could have told Celia gently. It didn’t have to be like this, dude!”

  “Stupid, insensitive bastard.”

  “What were you boys thinking?”

  “Angel, Aric asked us not to say anything,” Liam said.

  “So you just listened to him?” Shayna argued. “This is Celia we’re talking about, not some stranger. Didn’t you think she had a right to know?”

  Apparently not.

  I fell back onto the bed, draped an arm over my eyes, and firmly reminded myself that I was done crying. Downstairs, Taran had momentarily stopped swearing. I could almost picture her glaring at the lot of them when she spoke again. “Well, it’s pretty damn obvious where your loyalties lie, right, boys?”

  “Taran, please calm down,” Gemini said. “Aric didn’t want to hurt Celia more. He’s been waiting for the right time to tell her.”

  “There is no right time!” Taran was officially screaming. “Shit, after what he did to her, he’s a goddamn coward for not telling her to her face!”