by Kim Loraine
Cursed Heart
The Siren Coven
Kim Loraine
Edited by
Ellie McLove
Copyright © 2018 by Kim Loraine
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Author’s Note
Dear reader,
Cursed Heart is the second book in a series of interconnected stand alone novels. This series follows three witches bound together by a sisterhood, a curse, and their desire to fight on the side of good.
Each book follows different main characters, but there is a connected storyline. If you haven’t read the first book, Eternal Desire, there will be minor spoilers for that first story.
If you’re new to me, thank you for taking a chance on my books. If you’ve read me before, thank you for coming back!
If you want to start at the beginning of The Siren Coven’s story, grab Eternal Desire HERE
Enjoy!
Kim
Cursed Heart
The Siren Coven
Kim Loraine
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Sneak Peek
About the Author
Also by Kim Loraine
Sneak Peek
Waking the Watcher
Acknowledgments
1
Helena
Kidnapping a fallen angel might not be the best way to start my day.
I stare at the sleeping potion in my hand, knowing I’ll have limited time once I dose Tamiel with this. He’s strong, but not immune. And the fact of the matter is, I need him. Uncorking the vial, I tip the contents into the glass of bourbon I’ve prepared. A swirl of glowing blue steam rises from the amber liquid as the spell settles. This will work. It has to.
I woke this morning with a scream caught in my throat, the taste of dark magic on my lips, and the dream of my sisters' deaths trapped in my memory. The black moonstone was clutched in my hand rather than buried under the floorboards like it should have been. That's when I knew I had to leave.
I can't stay with Gwen and Izzy. Not now. Last night Gwen had a vision that solidified the truth. Her word’s burn in my mind. The angel is the key to our survival. Tamiel is the only angel we know. He is the one I need.
I find the angel sitting on the back patio watching the sunrise. Everyone else in Grant’s country home is still asleep. Soon, Gwen and I will move on, leave Izzy to her beast, and the two of us will find a new flat. But over the last two weeks since we fought Calista, I’ve come to understand one thing. I’m a danger to my coven. My dreams and Gwen’s vision make that abundantly clear.
“What’s all this, then?” Tamiel asks, jutting his chin toward the two drinks in my hands.
“Celebration.”
“For what?” He cocks an eyebrow. “Finally decided you’re actually desperate for me?”
I roll my eyes. “In your dreams, Fallen.”
He chuckles and takes the offered glass. “If I could dream, it’d be of you.”
“Do you practice those lines?”
“I don’t need to. They just come to me when you’re around.”
I roll my eyes, unable to respond.
“You know, love. It’s not normal to drink bourbon at five in the morning.”
A laugh builds in my chest. “Do you honestly think there’s anything normal about us?”
He raises the drink to his lips. “Cheers.”
I follow but don’t swallow mine down until he’s drained his portion. “Sweet dreams, Fallen.”
The handsome angel’s brow furrows and he slurs, “Helena, what did yo—”
It’s then I jump into action, rushing to his side with the moonstone in one hand and his firm muscled arm in the other. This will take more power than I’d like, but the house will be stirring soon. It’s now or never.
Eyes closed, I whisper an incantation and pull the two of us through the fabric of the world until we reach our destination. The house is as cozy as always, and after settling my captive on the couch, I start a fire in the hearth and pace the floor as I wait for him to wake. He’s been out much longer than I’d anticipated. Settling next to him on the small sofa, I let myself relax a fraction, the adrenaline crash causing my body to beg for sleep.
The dream is short but terrifying, blood and death, grief and loss, and above all, me standing over the bodies of my sisters while Calista holds my hand. I jolt awake with my heart racing and a sob on the verge of escaping.
Tamiel is still unconscious beside me, and I breathe a sigh of relief. He's going to be livid when he realizes what I've done, but there was no way around it. Standing, I head across the old wood floor, careful not to step on the worn creaky spot and wake him. I need fresh air, a moment to clear my head. I don’t know what I’m going to do now that I have him here. But I’ll figure out a better plan. All I know is I need the angel, the rest will come to me.
First thing’s first. I need to hide myself until Tamiel can give me more protection. I walk the perimeter of the cottage I brought us to, setting a veil over the property in a weak attempt to hide. "Forgive me, sisters. This is for your own good." I can imagine them waking and trying to find me. Their efforts to use locator spells will fail as long as I can keep hidden, but it won’t take long before they simply summon me to them. Guilt swamps me. I close my eyes and tilt my face up to the sky.
Warm rain hits my cheeks, showering my closed eyelids, my hair, my lips—hiding my tears as I stand, shivering from the remnants of adrenaline. This shouldn't be happening. We stopped Calista's plot to have us murdered, to steal our power. Our former coven leader shouldn't be able to reach me. But ever since we thwarted her, my dreams have grown more disturbing. I may not be a seer, like Gwen, but I know these nightmares ring with truth and feel like prophecy.
The black moonstone sits heavy in my palm, a dark power indeed in the wrong hands, but in mine? The difference between breaking my curse and saving us all.
My dreams have gotten worse, more vivid, more painful since I took the moonstone and hid it away from Gwen and Izzy. But they still have a chance. Izzy found her true love, her destined mate, and if anyone deserves that same fate, it's Gwen. I can ensure she gets that opportunity.
Overwhelming desperation for something I know isn't possible for me has my chest so tight I can't draw breath, and the only way to calm myself is to cry. The clock is ticking for me. Soon I'll reach twenty-seven, and my curse will take me. But, if my dreams are true, this time I won't be reborn as I have been for thousands of years. This time I'll be sent to purgatory, to await judgment until the end of times. I can't let that happen yet. Not until I know my sisters are safe.
"Pull yourself together, Helena," I mutter, taking a deep breath and shoving the stone into my pocket. Standing out here feeling sorry for myself isn't going to help solve this problem. I need a way to kill the coven leader, Calista, and brea
k the curse permanently—for all three of us. The moonstone is the tool I need. It has to be.
"Are you trying to have a one-woman wet T-shirt contest out here, love?" Tamiel's voice curls around me like a blanket and I don't like it one bit. The fallen angel has sexy bad boy dialed in just about perfectly, with his impossibly chiseled jaw and tousled hair. He's leaning against the front door, staring at me with a look of amusement creasing his brow.
"Possibly. What concern is it of yours, Fallen?"
"Since you seem to have drugged me and spirited me away, I'd say it's decidedly my concern. If you wanted to get me alone, all you had to do was ask, love."
Crossing my arms over my chest, I do my best to hide the reaction my nipples have when he's around.
"Where the bloody hell are we?" he asks, glancing around the Irish countryside. "It smells like the sea. And…sheep."
"Ireland. I'd apologize for my actions, but I'm not sorry in the least. I need you."
A smirk turns up his lips. "Ah, so you did want some time alone with me."
Rolling my eyes, I sigh. "Not so fast, pretty boy."
He shoves off the door and strides out to meet me, immediately shrugging out of his leather jacket and placing it around my shoulders. "It's not exactly summer out here. You must be cold."
I have to fight the need to savor his scent. "I'm fine. The rain is warm. Can't you feel it?"
His hair is damp now, dark strands curling in his eyes and the light gray shirt he's wearing is plastered to his skin, revealing a body made for sinning. Lust builds in my core at the sight. I wonder, not for the first time, if he's put that body to use. I'd sin with him, over and over if I didn't think I'd be wasting precious energy that could be better used on magic.
"Oh, fair Helena, you honestly believe I'm able to see or feel anything other than you?"
I groan at his obvious antagonizing. He's been poking at me since the day I summoned him. "You feel plenty. Now stop playing the gentleman and tell me what our next step is."
"What are you on about? I know as much as you do at this point." With a slight huff, I head toward the house, but he wraps his fingers around my wrist and gives a gentle tug. "You're not well. I can see it in your eyes. Tell me what's happening, Helena."
Annoyance builds in my chest. He's not my boyfriend. This angel might think we've got some sort of twisted friendship going on, but all I want him around for is to be my eye candy and to supply me with the power I need.
"I'm fine."
I move to pull away from him, but he holds me fast. "You're not. We've got too much else going on to keep secrets. Now, you'll tell me what is going on in that pretty head of yours, or I'll be taking this up with your sisters."
"Ugh," I growl, raising my hand as though I might hit him with a spell. He stares me down and shakes his head.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The burn of unused power in my hands works its way back through my arms and into my chest. "I need to get out of here," I mutter.
"What?" His brows draw together.
"I'm not safe for them to be around. I can't explain it right now. But even here we're too close to them. All they need to do is summon me."
"And where do you think you can go that will keep them from calling you back?"
Taking my lower lip between my teeth, I contemplate his question. I've been asking myself this very thing since the dreams started. Where could I go that would keep me out of sight of my sisters while at the same time allowing me to hunt Calista?
"Don't you have somewhere I can stay? You're older than dirt, and quite well off, I imagine. Vampires always are."
He smirks. "I'm more angel than I am vampire."
Another eye roll threatens to win out over my control. "Do you still feed on blood?"
He shakes his head. "Not since you called me to you."
"So how have you been building your strength?"
"Let's just say, I'm starting to get hungry."
A shudder runs through me. For what? Blood? Fallen angels can feed on blood or sex, depending on the state of the mind of the vampire they inhabit. If the vampire is strong, sometimes the battle for control turns ugly. More often than not, the fallen angel stakes his claim and destroys the vampire's mind. This one though? Tamiel has been the sole occupant of this body for a very long time.
"Blood or sex?" I ask.
He smirks. "That all depends."
"On what?"
Running his hand over my arm, he leans in to whisper. "On what you're willing to give me."
Tamiel
Helena stiffens at my words, and for the first time, I think I might have shocked the woman. But, before I can layer another proposition on top of the last, she locks gazes with me.
"And what would I get out of it?"
My throat tightens. There's so much she doesn't understand. So bloody much. But I can't tell her. If I do, that'll be the end of this. She'll run from me and I'll lose her again. "I can think of a few benefits to both options."
I expect her to toss her long hair over her shoulder and laugh at me, but Helena never does what I think she will. She's a challenge, a beautiful mystery. She's mine.
"If I give you my blood, you'll drain my power."
"And your body?" I know I'm leering, but I can't help myself. She stirs something deep inside me. She has since the moment I saw her. "That would be a much more satisfying way to sate my hunger. But either would be enjoyable for you, I can promise that."
She sighs. "Do you have a place I can go, or don't you?"
"I have somewhere, but I'll need to build my strength before I can take both of us."
"That's not enough of an answer to sway me. Your place could be anywhere. I have to be getting something well worth my effort if I'm going to give you any of my power."
"Fine," I say, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her against my body. "This. You'll get this." I lean my head down until my lips hover a breath away from hers. She smells faintly like rosewater and rain. My free hand cups her nape and holds her in place. No getting away this time. She needs to let herself want me.
Those wide eyes of hers burn into my very being as she waits and watches. She's not the type to swoon. Not my Helena. This woman is the embodiment of strength. Her mouth quirks into a tiny grin before she closes the distance and brushes her soft lips on mine and immediately backs away. "You wish I wanted it."
I release her and step away, resisting the urge to groan. But I've waited millennia for her. I can wait a little longer. Helena will have me. She's just got to come to the decision without me making her think I put the idea in her head.
"If not you, I can find another to sate my needs."
Her brow rises and, if I'm not mistaken, anger flashes in her eyes. "Can you?"
No. But I won't tell her that. I'm starving. I have been since I got here. There will never be another for me as long as Helena lives. And if I have anything to say about that, she'll be with me for eternity. Instead of answering, I let her go and walk inside the small cottage by the sea where she transported us.
I turn on my heel and nearly go back to her, but I have to bide my time. I have to have faith she'll come to me. Hunger gnaws at me, making my gums ache with the need to release my fangs. Heading upstairs to the small room I claimed as mine the last time we were here, I fight a wave of pain in my muscles. My body is shutting down, conserving, waiting to be put into a sort of dormant hibernation. I've done it before. Hundreds of years ago I'd grown tired of the monotony of life and spent a decade in a death-like sleep in a crypt. But I'm not doing that now. I can't. There's too much on the line. Helena will die in a few months if her curse isn't broken. I won't watch her be killed. Not if I can help her stop it from happening.
Sitting on my bed, I grip my knees until my knuckles turn white and breathe slow and deep. I can go a few more days without feeding. It's not going to be easy, but I know I can do it. As if in answer, my head spins and I have to close my eyes against the unse
ttling feeling. And then I catch her scent and I can't keep away. The hunger is too strong.
She's standing in my doorway, her expression a mask of frustration. "You've not been honest with me, have you?"
"About what?" I bite out.
"You're fading. It's not just a little hunger. You've been weakened. How can you be trusted to help me when I doubt you even have enough energy to take on a human?"
Oh, she's properly angry with me now. She's not concerned in the least about how I'm feeling. This woman is looking out for herself and her sisters. "Then fucking feed me."
"Fine," she mutters, pulling aside the collar of her top before striding across the room with her soft throat bared and begging for me to touch. "But know this, I'm not into vampires."
I cock my brow. "I'm technically a vamp—"
"Stop. Don't ruin it."
What the bloody hell am I doing? She's offering me her blood right here and now, and I'm arguing.
"Sit astride me," I force from a raspy throat. "I want to take your neck."
Her eyes lock on mine, and I see a flicker of something behind them. Desire? Fear? Both send need straight to my cock. Instead of doing as I say, she settles next to me on the bed and pulls her hair to one side. "You'll take what I offer, how I offer it."
I have to fight the laughter building in my chest. This woman drugs me, demands I take her where she wants to go, and now she dictates how I feed? Reaching out, I wrap my hand around her nape and pull her close. Her scent is intoxicating, and the pulse of her heart has my fangs descending. I press my lips to her skin and fight the moan of pleasure desperate to escape. Her taste, her softness, everything I've needed is within my grasp.
