The Curse

by Harper A. Brooks

  “He must have thought you could handle it, Erec. He must have seen something in you, something you couldn’t see in yourself,” she replied.

  “That’s what he had said, too.”

  On cue, Mikel’s voice echoed in his head. “Even though we don’t share the same blood, you are my son, Erec. I wouldn’t want anyone else to lead my pack when I’m gone. One day you’ll be able to see the greatness that I see in you.”

  “I can’t lead an entire pack.” Erec’s mouth was suddenly dry, and he swallowed hard. “I couldn’t even save them when Jerrick invaded. I couldn’t even—”

  Astrid’s fingers weaving through his stopped his sentence short.

  “You did the best you could. You came back. You tried.” Her voice was as gentle as her touch. “Mikel believed in you for a reason. He loved you. Give yourself some more credit.”

  A smile snuck across his lips. Mikel had loved him like a father would a son. He had done so much for him, despite Erec’s hesitation and self-doubt. He’d always been there. “He always seemed to understand. Every time, he welcomed me back without questions, without punishment or speeches. Every time.”

  “Father used to talk very highly of him,” she replied. “I wish I could have met him.”

  Erec’s smile bloomed into a full grin at the thought. “He would have liked you. I know it.”

  Astrid’s gaze drifted up to the dark night sky, and her mouth turned down at the corners. When she lay back again, her sorrow flowed across the pack bond and stroked Erec’s aura with icy fingers. Following her line of sight, he realized she was staring at Vallor, and his heart clenched. He knew exactly what she was thinking. She missed her mother, and with her father’s health and delusions, how could the stars symbolize anything other than sadness from now on?

  Erec snaked an arm behind her head and drew her close. She didn’t pull away, only leaned into his hold until her entire body pressed against his and her cheek rested on top of his chest.

  “You know…” he murmured against her hair as a buried memory resurfaced. “Mikel used to tell me a story whenever I would get upset about my parents. He would tell me that when our kind died, the sky spirits would bring us home to live beside the moon. The souls became stars. And whenever I felt lonely or angry, all I had to do was look up and know my parents were there, watching me, guiding me, until we could be together again.”

  Even though he couldn’t see her face, he could feel her cheeks lifting as she smiled.

  “That’s beautiful,” she whispered. The warmth of her breath fanned across his bare torso. “Do you think Vallor was once a real wolf, too?”

  “He could have been,” he replied. “But I think he gave up his place in the night sky for your mother. Maybe your father has just found her soul among the stars.”

  Astrid’s aura pulsed as her happiness grew. “Mother would be the brightest star. Just like she was in life.” She tilted her head up to meet his gaze. “Thank you, Erec.”

  The moment their eyes met, a different sensation washed over him through their pack bond. It was a heat that seemed to reach out and stroke his skin, leaving warm kisses wherever it touched.

  For some reason, the feeling made Erec’s body ease. Even his wolf calmed as the warmth enveloped him in a soothing embrace. He’d never felt such a powerful emotion before, but he had a good guess as to what it could be.

  Love.

  Astrid loved him.

  Erec’s heart hammered with excitement. Despite everything he wasn’t, Astrid loved him. She hadn’t said the words, but she didn’t need to; he felt it. The heat radiating between them was as intense as the summer sun, as if their spirits had finally accepted each other completely. As if their souls had claimed their mate.

  Erec grinned, his entire being buzzing with new power. She was the one destined for him.

  Then Astrid’s desire rocketed through the pack bond; the power of it smacked into him so hard and fast, it stole his breath away. It showed itself in her darkening gaze, too, making Erec’s pulse race for a different reason.

  In the next second, Astrid was on top of him, her mouth claiming his with an urgency that surprised him. The night of the dance, when he had followed her into her tent, Erec hadn’t expected Astrid to be as demanding as she was. She had met his challenge, matching his movements and appetite perfectly. And although it had shocked him at first, he quickly realized he had loved seeing this side of her. Aggressive. Needing. Dominating.

  Her kiss was just as breathtaking as before. Hard and eager. And it stirred something primal in him. Because of their nakedness from the shift, his length was already pressing into the most private part of her, and the closeness was tempting already. Just a slight move of the hips and he could be inside, enjoying the mesmerizing feel of her warmth around him. Erec’s hands settled on her hips, but before he could wiggle a little and take her, she broke the kiss and stared down at him, her green eyes ablaze with her arousal.

  “You didn’t let me taste you last time,” she said, voice low and dangerous. “It’s my turn.”

  “Oh?” There was something about her words that made him tremble with longing. During their first time together, he had wanted nothing more than to give her pleasure in every way she craved.

  Astrid began to leave searing kisses along his jaw, neck, and down his chest as she traveled the length of his body. Their eyes remained locked, her gaze a fiery beacon of green, and when her lips pressed against his hip bone, he jumped a little. He was so hard and ready for her, it hurt.

  Then she took the tip of his manhood into her mouth, and every nerve ending sparked to life. Fire laced his veins, and he moaned as his vision fogged. Her tongue swirled around him, and she took him deeper into her mouth, sucking hard.

  He teetered on the edge of climaxing right then, but he held back. There was no way Astrid was getting away with just this. He wanted more. Much more. Especially now that he knew how she felt about him.

  If this was just a sample of what life was going to be like with her, then Erec had found paradise.

  She continued to tease him, pulling him deeper into her throat and sliding up to the tip. Watching her movements was enough to break his control, so he closed his eyes briefly.

  “You’re driving me crazy, Astrid.” His voice was more like a desperate groan than anything else.

  “Good,” she replied when she lifted her head. She flashed him a wicked grin. But when she dipped her mouth to take him again, Erec sat up and grabbed her arm.

  “If you keep that up, we won’t be able to do much else,” he warned. “Come up here.”

  Astrid pushed her lips into a pout but crawled back up his body slowly. She straddled his hips again, this time, lowering herself directly onto his rigid heat. He slid right in, her warmth encasing him like a perfect fit, and then that same devious smirk appeared on her lips.

  Damn, she felt good. No, more than good. Erec searched for the right word but came up empty. Maybe there wasn’t a way to describe the sensation of the two of them together yet. It was still beyond language, beyond comprehension.

  “It’s still my turn,” she whispered as her nails dug into his chest and she began to move on him.

  Pleasure rippled through every fiber. She pushed him deeper, her head falling back, and she moaned. Erec marveled at the sight of her. The way the moon illuminated her skin and highlighted the coppery strands of her hair made her appear ethereal. And the freckles dusting her cheeks and shoulders were one of his favorite features of her; their pattern was unique to her, and he loved that. This was his Astrid, the one his star would burn for if he ever died. His love.

  Her creamy breasts bounced as she rode him, begging to be touched. He reached up and palmed them in his hands, squeezing lightly. Astrid rocked, speeding up her tempo, taking him deep. Eventually the pressure began to build low in his stomach, slow at first, until it was a force he couldn’t contain anymore. Astrid’s sheath tightened around him as he spilled warmth into her and her own orgas
m hit. Her body shuddered under his fingers, and after what seemed like hours, everything calmed again.

  She fell onto his torso with her ear pressed close to his heart. Breathing hard, Erec waited for the rest of the spasms to leave his body before kissing the top of Astrid’s head.

  “I love you.” The words spilled out without thought. He was too entranced by what they had just shared, in the sweet pressure of her on top of him and the burning heat still emanating from her aura, to be afraid of rejection this time.

  Astrid jerked upward, supporting her weight on her arms. “What?”

  He blinked a few times, wondering if he should have said it. Too late. He had. And he couldn’t retract it now. Besides, it was the truth.

  “I love you,” he repeated. And she loved him, too. She had to. But then, why did she seem surprised by his words?

  She was quiet for a long moment. Just stared at him with the same confused shock on her face. Worry seeped into her aura, sliding across the bond and cooling the sunny warmth there. Erec frowned.

  What was wrong? Why wasn’t she saying it? What was holding her back?

  Fear clenched his chest. “Astrid?”

  She leaped to her feet, crossed her arms about her chest, and started walking back into the woods, toward Svanna Rock.

  Erec jumped up and followed her. “Astrid…” he called when he caught up with her. He didn’t know why she was being so reserved still. He knew what he sensed across the pack tie.

  She continued to trudge through the forest, not looking at him or responding. Even though their spirits had seemed to accept each other, maybe she still wasn’t ready to confess her heart. Maybe she needed more time.

  Although Erec wanted to hear her say those three words, he couldn’t pry. He’d let her tell him when she was ready. He had felt her love for him and that was enough for now.

  They walked in silence all the way back to the pine tree where they had discarded their clothes. A passing lumibird tweeted its winter song from a low branch, and Erec whistled back, mimicking the high-pitched tune. The brightly colored animal hopped along its perch and answered with another flurry of chirps.

  “How can you do that?” Astrid asked as she dressed. “You sound just like him.”

  Erec tugged on his pants and slung his cape over his shoulder, then slipped into his boots. “I taught myself.” He shrugged. “It’s come in handy over the years. Allows me to give direction or a location without words.”

  “It certainly helped when we were saving Henrick and the others,” she said. “Are there any other tricks you know? Ones that may be useful later?”

  Of course. He had learned many skills while living on his own. How to treat a bad wound with nothing other than moss and water. How to repurpose fish bones into just about anything. How to track prey when everything was too wet to hold a scent, like in the rain. Some of those lessons he’d discovered by mistake, and some had been because of mistakes. Dangerous ones.

  A memory resurfaced, making him smirk. “I remember the first time I left Mikel’s pack and was alone, I ran into another rogue. He convinced me he was harmless, and I was still young, so I believed him. That night, while I slept, he stole from me. Stole the only weapon I had and the rest of the food and clothing I had packed.”

  Astrid’s eyes widened. “He could have killed you,” she said. They began walking back to Svanna Rock, their pace slower this time.

  “He could have,” Erec agreed. “I was so angry, I tracked him for days, and for all that time, it rained and rained. I would catch his scent and then lose it. Catch it, lose it. Then I got lucky. The bastard had cut himself somehow. I found his blood caught on the leaves of a bush.”

  Astrid glanced at him, urging him to go on.

  He did. “Blood is easier to track. It seeps into the ground, or in this case, the pores of a leaf, and stays there. Even with the rain. I had him.”

  Then icy dread slithered down Erec’s spine as his words jerked something else forward. It was recognition, and it seized him in a tight, suffocating grip.

  He halted, his heart in his throat. Flashes of the past tumbled forward like rapid fire—Claus’s missing ear continuing to bleed, even when their kind’s speedy healing should have at least clotted the wound; his constant stumbling; the trail of crimson in the white snow; the smear of blood across the bark of the tree.

  “You’re. Going. To. Die.” Claus’s threat shot through Erec’s head loud and clear.

  He was leaving a trail for Jerrick to follow. And they had brought the bastard right into Svanna Rock. Through the hidden entrance!

  “Erec, what’s going on?” Astrid’s rising panic was because of his own, he knew. But they weren’t as safe as they had been led to believe.

  His chest was painfully tight. “Jerrick knows where we are,” he gasped. “He knows how to get into Svanna Rock.”

  Terror flashed across her face. “What? How?”

  “Claus.” He was still laughing at them. Even after death.

  “Jerrick knows where we are, but that doesn’t mean we can’t beat him,” Astrid said. Her words were meant to be comforting, but her voice wavered, revealing her trepidation. “We’ve been training. And Rohan’s messenger said he’d supply us with more men and more weapons—”

  Another arctic chill darted down Erec’s spine. “Rohan?” He couldn’t control the volume of his voice now. It boomed in the silence of the forest. “Did you say Rohan sent a messenger? When?”

  “This morning,” she rushed, her fear radiating out of every pore now. “Why?”

  Erec was off running in the next second. That hadn’t been Rohan’s messenger. That had been one of Jerrick’s scouts.

  And that meant Jerrick knew everything. He knew how many were in the west-side pack, knew the layout of the camp, their weaknesses, and strengths. He had gotten in and right under their noses, too.

  Erec remembered overhearing Filip and Astrid mention a messenger being sent. Had this been what they’d meant? Why hadn’t he questioned them about it then? He scolded himself for being so stupid. Now his mistake may have cost them all their lives.

  Astrid’s footsteps thundered behind him as she followed. “Erec! What’s going on?”

  “Rohan is dead!” he called over his shoulder. He couldn’t slow. Not even for a second. “There is no north pack! Jerrick wiped them out months ago!”

  Astrid was at his side sprinting beside him then, her hair a red flag in the wind. The list of curses she rattled off were the same ones he was thinking. If Jerrick knew everything Erec had a feeling he did, they were all in a lot of trouble.

  When they reached Svanna Rock, the night was still peacefully quiet in the early morning hour. Erec and Astrid rushed through the weaving crystal entrance so fast, one of the stones nicked Erec’s shoulder, but the slice of pain was nothing compared to the stabbing in his lungs from the panicked run. Once they reached the other side, Erec was relieved to see everything was as it should be. Some of the men and women were even beginning to emerge from the tents and begin their morning chores. Filip and Mila were among them, walking together around the camp, little Finn crying in his mother’s arms.

  Thank Vallor nothing had happened while he and Astrid had been away. They still had time.

  “Erec? Ash?” Concern rang in Filip’s voice once he’d spotted them. He stepped away from his mate as they approached. “Are you both all right? What’s wrong?”

  “Jerrick knows where we are. He knows everything,” Erec blurted. Even though they had made it before an attack, anxiety continued to weave through him like a serpent. “We have to leave. Right now. We have to—”

  “Leave?” Filip repeated. His thick brows rose. “Wait, Jerrick knows? How?”

  “Rohan’s dead, Filip,” Astrid added in, breathless. “Jerrick took out his pack months ago.”

  “But then who…” Filip took a step back as the realization came crashing down. “Oh no…”

  “Exactly.” Erec wiped a hand across his sweat
y forehead. “We need to act fast. There’s no time now that he knows—”

  A piercing whistle made the words die on his tongue. Then there was another scream of air. And another. And another. Until the silence was replaced by the terrifying song of hundreds of strange shrilling things.

  Warning prickled across the back of Erec’s neck, and when Filip peered upward, his look of utter horror confirmed Erec’s suspicions. He spun around just in time to see a flock of arrows soaring over the crystal-stone wall of Svanna Rock.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Astrid!”

  Everything happened too fast for her to comprehend. Hands grabbed her and roughly yanked. Her back smacked against something hard, and it wasn’t until the scents of cedar and smoke filled her nose that she knew it was Erec who held her. Then, she was moving backward. The distance between her and the tents grew as screams of horror sliced the air. She watched Filip rush at Mila and shove her into a nearby cabin, his barked orders silenced by a chorus of sharp whistling sounds and frantic shouts.

  That’s when Astrid looked up. The sky had darkened as a cloud passed over the wall at her back. People scattered, covering their heads, and ran for cover. All her breath froze in her lungs as the realization hit. That wasn’t just an innocent drifting cloud.

  Arrows.

  They were being ambushed!

  Astrid’s scream of warning ripped from her lungs, but like her brother’s, it was muted by the chaos. Erec’s arms were tight around her as he continued to tug her backward. Then they both hit something, and his sudden sharp intake of breath was full of pain. She glanced over her shoulder to see that he stood against the crystal wall, his body creating a protective barricade between her and the jagged stones. The scent of his blood filled her nose.

  “Don’t move!” She read his words more than heard them.

  Her gaze whipped back to the scene before her. She could do nothing but watch in horror as the arrows met their marks, one after the other. Being close to the wall kept her and Erec out of range, but the loud howls of pain confirmed Astrid’s biggest fear. The fleeing bystanders who hadn’t found shelter in time dropped to the ground like rocks. Arrows stuck out of their backs and shoulders, reminding Astrid of porcupine quills, and another scream tore from her throat. Blood splattered across the whiteness, and its distinct metallic scent rode the wind.