A Cursed Embrace

by Cecy Robson

  “I’ll kill you! I’ll tear out your goddamn throat!”

  Emme tried to help hold Aric with her force. Shayna quickly manipulated the fire poker into restraints. Taran stepped in front of me and gathered her magic to stun him.

  Although Misha remained calm, I didn’t want to risk another confrontation. I shut the door and led him back to the limo. “I’m sorry for everything, Misha. Thank you for your friendship tonight. I would have been lost without it.”

  “It is not your friendship that I seek, my beautiful kitten. But it will do for now.” With that he kissed my lips and left.

  Everything stopped when I entered the house. Their combined strength had succeeded in restraining Aric.

  I scoffed, disgusted, and moved toward the stairs.

  “Release me now.” Aric’s command sounded more animal than human.

  As soon as they did, Aric scrambled to his feet. “I’d lay down my life for you to be happy, Celia,” he said behind me. “With anyone but him.”

  Aric’s words hit me like a tangible force. I dropped my purse and slowly turned to face him, meeting his anger with my own. “You walked out on me without looking back.” The lump in my throat ached when I swallowed it back. “You don’t get to decide who makes me happy!”

  There was more I wanted to say, but it was torturous to stand there and look into those brown eyes I had once cherished. I moved quickly and reached for the railing.

  Aric grabbed my arm before I could take the first step. The moment I felt his skin against mine, that familiar warmth I’d longed for spread throughout my body, making me shudder. When I met his eyes, his anger was gone. Only the tenderness I knew so well remained.

  I ripped my arm away from him. “Don’t you touch me!” I sobbed at him. “Don’t you ever touch me again!”

  Aric’s face and voice were nothing short of an agonized mess. “Celia . . . Mon âme fait mal sans toi.”

  I fled. I couldn’t take more of his games. When I reached my bed, I collapsed, crying. Emme and Shayna tried to soothe me, but the pain was too overpowering to suppress.

  “You asshole!” Taran screamed downstairs. “Can’t you see what you’re doing to her?”

  I presumed Aric could, because I heard him leave. It sounded like Koda and Liam followed him.

  “What the hell did he say to her anyway?” Taran asked Gemini, her voice cracking from her rising emotions.

  Gemini let out a sigh before he spoke. “He said, ‘Celia . . . my soul hurts without you.’”

  CHAPTER 27

  Sleep evaded me that night. A million thoughts raced through my head, but the emotions remained the same. Aric’s actions had pummeled me back into despair and left me angry and confused.

  Does he still want me? Or does he just not want Misha to have me?

  Regardless, I still wanted him. And while I knew I loved him, my tigress would never have allowed me to beg or plead with him to stay. No matter how much my human side wanted to.

  Around seven in the morning, I sluggishly crawled out of bed and made breakfast. My sisters and their wolves emerged from their bedrooms one by one. No one spoke, and no one appeared to have slept all night. I loaded their plates with the mountain of food I’d prepared. My sisters regarded me with empathy. The wolves kept looking at me like I might snap. Maybe I should have. But then maybe I already had.

  “How did Aric find me last night?” I finally asked.

  Liam brought his chair closer to the table, staring at his plate before answering, “He came by shortly after Misha picked you up. I guess he wanted to talk to you about what happened at the pizza place.”

  Koda put his fork down. “Aric was pissed the moment he smelled Misha in the doorway. When he realized you’d left together, he went crazy.”

  You think?

  “Aric tracked you to the restaurant, and we tracked him,” Gemini said quietly. “We called everyone, knowing Aric wouldn’t hesitate to attack Misha.”

  “We tried calling you, dude. But you didn’t take your phone.” Shayna reached into the back pocket of her jeans and placed my cell phone on the table. “When I used your phone to call Misha, the vampire who answered refused to put me through. She said he didn’t want to be disturbed for the rest of the night.”

  Liam wasn’t eating. He pushed his plate away, worry wrinkling his brow. “When Aric saw you and Misha all over each other, he completely lost it.” He shook his head. “I’ve never seen him like that. He’s always had such control. Then he met you. And everything changed.”

  I covered my head with my hands, wanting to scream. “I didn’t do anything to him. He’s the one who left me. We’re not together anymore.”

  “No, but he’ll always belong to you, Celia,” Gemini added gently.

  Taran stood so fast she knocked her chair over. “Like hell!”

  My arms dropped to the side with defeat. Nothing I said seemed to get through to the wolves. Their loyalties to Aric blinded them. He was their friend and hero. “I can’t believe you would say this to me, Gemini. Aric is not mine. He’s marrying someone else. She’s the one who gets him forever. I don’t have that option.”

  “Barbara may be his fiancée.” Koda paused. “But, Celia, you’re Aric’s mate.”

  Of all the things Koda might have said, nothing could have hurt me more. I gripped the counter tightly. “That’s not true.”

  Koda exchanged glances with Gemini, who took a deep breath and reached for my hand. “Celia, Aric has known you’re his mate since the first time he saw you. I think he’s tried to suppress his feelings to spare you both. Our Elders . . . they never wanted you together. Perhaps he’s always known he’d have to leave you.”

  A strange shiver crept up my spine despite the warmth in the kitchen. I could barely breathe. “Did he tell you this?”

  Koda mimicked a statue, hard and barely moving. “No, but as his Warriors, we sensed your bond the night you claimed each other as mates.”

  I blinked back at Koda, certain I’d misheard. He dropped his eyes and glanced around awkwardly. “Koda . . . I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

  Liam smiled. “Celia, the moment you and Aric accepted the claim, our connection to him linked us to you. That’s how we know. And that’s why we’ll always protect you, just like we’re duty-bound to protect him.”

  Shayna appeared as confused as I felt. “Okay, so you’re all connected to Celia. But what’s a claim, and how do you make one?”

  Liam and Koda looked right at Gemini, with the expectation, it seemed, that he would elaborate. Gemini didn’t appear eager to do so. In fact, his head shot to the nearest exit. “I don’t feel it’s my place to discuss this.”

  Koda grew impatient, and so did his tone. “Don’t be such a wimp. You’re Aric’s Beta. This is your territory.”

  Gem scowled. “My duties do not oblige me to explain delicate matters to my Alpha’s mate.”

  I turned to Taran. She got the hint right away. A slow, seductive smile spread across her face. She danced her fingertips up his arm and whispered closely in his ear, “Please, baby. We’d like to understand more about your ways.”

  Gem’s eyes followed her hand, before he cleared his throat. “Celia, do you remember a time when Aric asked you during your, uh, lovemaking if you wanted him?”

  My body grew warmer, and my cheeks immediately flushed. “Um, yeah, a few times.”

  He fidgeted in his chair, glancing back at Taran before continuing. “Did he also ask if he could have you?”

  I thought back to the night I’d posed for Aric and nodded.

  “And at the time, was there a, um, barrier, when he, ah, finished?”

  I shook my head no. That was the first night we’d made love without a condom.

  Gemini clasped his hands together and rubbed them. “Well, then, that was the night you claimed each other as mates and consummated your union.”

  “But Aric’s wolf recognized you as his mate before then,” Liam explained. “The claim
is performed after the human side accepts what the beast already knew. It’s the official way of becoming mated.”

  “The claim only works if both partners feel the same way,” Koda added when he saw my blatant disbelief. “Otherwise, it would have failed.”

  I gaped at the faces staring back at me, not knowing what to think or do. Then I remembered Heidi had referred to me as Aric’s mate a few weeks back. “Gemini, is Heidi also one of Aric’s Warriors?”

  He nodded. “Yes, but she’s not close to him like we are.”

  Yeah, sure she’s not. I stood there, dumbfounded. Why would Aric keep this from me?

  Shayna practically glowed. She draped her arms around Koda’s neck and smiled. “Is this what you were trying to talk to me about the other night?”

  Koda returned her smile and stroked her cheek. “Yes. There’s no doubt in my mind,” he answered softly.

  Shayna rested her cheek against Koda’s massive chest. I didn’t remember ever seeing her so happy.

  Taran turned the color of sand. “Oh, shit,” she whispered.

  Gemini gathered her in his arms and pulled her close. “It’s okay,” he told her patiently. “We’ll wait until you’re ready.”

  Two of my sisters were next in line to be “claimed” and “mated.” But when Emme faced Liam expectantly, his head dropped and he let out a weary breath. Her cheeks flushed and she turned to Gem. “Now that Aric is with someone else, will he remove his claim on Celia?” When she saw the hurt on my face, she quickly explained, “So Celia can move on, I mean.”

  “It doesn’t work that way, Emme,” Koda replied, holding tight to Shayna. “Even if Aric never claimed Celia—oh, hell, even if they’d never met—she would still be his mate.” He offered me a sad, sympathetic smile. “She’s the one. He’ll never love another.”

  My escalating frustration caused my hands to tremble. “But then how could he leave me?”

  Gemini rubbed his goatee, searching for the right words to say. “Celia, you can’t fathom how much Aric is struggling. All he’s ever known is conflict with what he feels for you. Believe me, there’s nothing he wants more than to be at your side. But he’s bound by blood and obligation to our pack. It’s his duty to ensure our survival.”

  My stomach twisted uncomfortably. As much as I wanted to believe I was Aric’s mate, I couldn’t. After all, he never admitted to loving me, even after knowing that I loved him.

  I left them in silence and returned to my room, with the realization Gemini was right: Aric had to help continue his race. Without the weres, our world would perish. So as much as I wanted to hate him, I couldn’t. How could I hate someone who would put the world’s needs before his own?

  • • •

  “This is stupid. Why are they having sex if the psycho with the machete is after them?”

  Bren tore his eyes from his flat-screen just to roll them at me. “Ceel, graphic nudity in slasher flicks gives the viewer a chance to breathe before the next set of limbs gets hacked. Everyone knows that.” He shrugged. “Besides, the blonde has awesome hooters.”

  “I thought they were designed to warn teens against having sex?”

  “Hooters?”

  “No, Bren. You know, slasher movies?”

  Bren shook his head. “I don’t think so. I lost my virginity while watching Halloween.”

  I rubbed my eyes, though I shouldn’t have been surprised. When the blonde with the awesome hooters arched her back during the “act,” the psycho in the mask stabbed her in the chest. The tip of his machete pushed her still-beating heart out through her back in pure slasher-flick glory. I knew how she felt. I rubbed at my own chest, still sore from crying.

  Bren’s phone rang. “Yeah?”

  Taran screamed over the phone. “Tribesmen attacked Emme and Liam. Emme’s hurt and she’s not waking up.”

  Bren scrambled to his feet. “Where are you?”

  “The Den. Please hurry.”

  “We’re on our way, Taran,” Bren promised.

  I bolted after him. “Bren, wait. I don’t know how to get there.”

  “I’ll show you.”

  We raced down his apartment stairs and into my car. I started the engine. “How do you know where the Den is?”

  “Aric offered me asylum there once we became aware of the Tribe. Take Eighty-nine to Squaw Valley.” He frowned. “How come you don’t know where it is?”

  I thought back to Paul’s funeral. “I’ve never been there. Only weres are allowed through the gates.”

  Bren scoffed. “What a bunch of snobs, just one more reason not to belong to a pack. I tell you, the day I call one of them is the day hell freezes over.”

  I drove fast, worried about Emme and uneasy about what would happen once I reached the Den. Would I have to fight my way in?

  Bren interrupted my thoughts. “You and Aric were pretty serious, weren’t you? I mean, it wasn’t just physical?”

  I had the impression Bren had been watching me closely. “I thought so.”

  “Did you ever meet his parents?”

  “I spoke to his mother a few times on the phone, but his father died on a mission when Aric was fifteen.” I became quiet. Eliza Connor had thankfully survived the attacks.

  “What is it, Ceel?”

  “Nothing. It’s just that his mother had invited us for Thanksgiving. I was supposed to meet her then, but of course that’s no longer possible.”

  His eyes softened before he turned back to face the road. “Sorry I brought it up, babe.”

  Bren gave me more specific directions when we arrived at Squaw Valley. He had me turn onto a winding dirt path that led up a steep mountain. It made sense why the wolves owned SUVs; the stomach-churning drive up the path took almost fifteen minutes. I rolled down the window, hoping the magic of the area would settle my nerves. The Jeffrey and ponderosa pines and California red firs added a fresh aroma. Yet the growing scent of were magic fed my anxiety. Unlike the bewitching power of Tahoe, the divination of the mountain told me I wasn’t welcome. And that only danger waited.

  “Do you feel that?” I asked Bren.

  “Huh?”

  I shuddered. “Never mind.”

  We veered onto a paved private road and approached a colossal wrought-iron gate. My shoulders relaxed slightly when a familiar figure stepped out, smiling. “Hi, Celia, it’s nice to see you. Come on in.”

  “Thank you, Heidi.”

  Bren gawked at her as we pulled away. “Are those real?”

  I glared at him. “How the hell would I know?”

  Bren lowered the window and placed an arm against the doorframe. His laid-back demeanor dissolved as he took in the campus. “You know, this place sits on over a hundred acres. With so much land, I never understood why Aric ran at Tahoe. I’d think his wolf would prefer the rugged terrain.”

  “Aric was out exploring the area the day we met. The beach was close to the lodge where he and the other wolves were staying. They liked Tahoe and thought they’d find a place around the lake.” My tigress paced inside me, vigilant of the danger we continued to perceive.

  “But then they moved in with all of you.”

  I continued to take everything in. “Yes.”

  “Makes sense,” Bren said.

  “Why?”

  “Wolves are pack animals, Ceel. In becoming their girlfriends, you became part of their pack.”

  I thought about us all living under one roof. How easily we’d grown accustomed to their presence and how we had depended on one another. “I guess you’re right.”

  The trees cleared. Rows of beautiful, three-story lodges simulating a majestic ski resort occupied the clearing. Each building, while unique, was adorned with stone steps and railings leading to sweeping wraparound porches with stout granite pillars and outdoor fireplaces. The landscaping consisted of strategically placed shrubs, trees, and plants that intermingled with sculptures designed from boulders and petrified wood. The Den didn’t so much resemble a school, but rather a vac
ation spot that catered to the ridiculously wealthy and the power elite.

  I stopped the car in front of one of the larger structures and jumped out. Bren and I wandered down the stone-paved road trying to figure out where to go. I feared the worst when I dialed Taran and my call went straight to voice mail.

  “Hi, Celia. Aric is in the main building over there.” The little wolf who snagged my flag pointed to a building across the street.

  I looked at the building, then back at him. “Hi, John. I’m not looking for Aric. I need to find my sister.”

  “Oh, the little blonde who was hurt? She’s there, too. Follow me.”

  The building John led us to was at least three times the size of the other lodges. He had us wait in the massive foyer while he jogged up the steps of a sprawling wooden staircase. Moments later, everyone, including Emme, appeared at the top of the stairs.

  I sprinted up the stairs, grabbing Emme in a tight embrace when I reached her. “I’m okay, Celia, really. It just took me a little while to heal,” she said.

  I released her slowly and hugged my other sisters before addressing their wolves. Worry and anger shadowed Liam’s boyish features. “She was knocked unconscious, Celia. I thought she was gone.”

  Rage prickled my skin. My baby sister had almost died at the hands of those bastards. “Did you kill them, Liam?”

  He turned back to Emme. “Of course I did. I—”

  A ripple of strength and authority swept in, similar to the small waves before the tsunami hits. In the arched doorway, Aric stood with two men and a woman. My tigress recognized them as the pack Elders; their power was unmistakable.

  Liam and Gemini took Emme and Taran and hurried toward them. Koda grabbed Shayna and me and followed them with Bren at our heels. Koda released me only when Aric came to stand by my side.

  The larger and most commanding of the two male Elders examined me closely. He was a tall, African-American with broad shoulders and bulging muscles, despite his advanced age. Gray touched his short black hair, and deep-set wrinkles framed his eyes. His gaze didn’t appear challenging, yet he seemed to expect something of me.