The Curse

by Jaimi Wilson

  Sabine is sitting just inside, her legs curled under her as she reads a book. She sets it to the side, and looks up at me with a serious expression. "I know you need to do this, and I won't stop you, but if you can avoid killing her, I would be incredibly grateful. She's the only family I have left.” I give one sharp nod, not quite agreeing to refrain from killing Neira, but acknowledging that she's the only family Sabine has.

  She points to a door on the opposite side of the room. "She's in there."

  Her voice, while husky, is filled with an underlying anger. My guess is that it’s aimed at her sister. Sabine was very much against me being traded for her, and if Neira had let us plan things out a bit better, we could have very likely saved her sister without me being taken and locked away in a dungeon.

  I meet Sabine’s eyes and nod slightly before walking across the hardwood floor to the door Sabine indicated. My boots clack on the floor, giving Neira plenty of time to prepare herself for my wrath. But when I step inside, I freeze at the sight before me.

  Neira is sitting at a dark wooden vanity, brushing her hair slowly as if she's some kind of Disney princess and I can't quite believe what I’m seeing.

  She's fucking brushing her hair like nothing’s wrong, while my anger has been building around me, thickening the air with each passing moment. All witches, regardless of power level, would be able to feel the energy as I got closer, so the fact she's blatantly pretending I'm not a threat only serves to piss me off to new levels!

  Neira’s gaze meets mine in the mirror and she turns around with a smirk, those brown eyes sparkling with malicious intent. "Oh, Jasmine. What a nice surprise! I'm so glad to see you made it out of the Order headquarters alive."

  The arrogance in her tone causes a red haze to descend over me and before I even know what I'm doing, I've grabbed her by the hair.

  She cries out as I yank hard and drag her from the room, ignoring her attempts to try and claw at my hands. I pull her through the cabin by her hair, past her sister, who still remains seated on the couch. Once I'm out on the front porch, I use my grip on her hair to throw her, propeling her out across the stairs, where she lands in the dirt in front of Liam.

  Liam takes a step away from her, a look of disgust on his face, and my inner woman smiles at the small move on his part. Neira stays on the ground, pretending to be hurt, but my magic knows better. She's perfectly fine.

  I take the steps down the porch and move to stand right in front of her, glaring down on her. My voice comes out low and deadly, filled with power. "You will get up and you will tell my mate what you did to him. You will tell him exactly how you used your magic to trick him into feeling conflicted about our bond. And you will tell him about every other time you used magic in order to influence him."

  Liam meets my gaze and I can see he wants to say something, but the time for him to speak has passed. He had days to get rid of her. He had every chance to tell me the truth about their relationship from the beginning, but he didn't. So now it’s my turn to deal with this in my own way.

  Whatever else he has to say can wait until the trash is gone.

  Neira rolls onto her back and scrambles to her feet, dusting the dirt off her pajamas as she glares at me. "How fucking dare you! Do you know who I am?!"

  "I don't fucking care who you are anymore! I once thought you were someone I could trust, but you shat all over that when you left me with the Order to do with as they pleased. But enough is enough. You are going to apologize to my mate, and then you're going to pack up your shit and get the fuck off my pack property. We don't allow traitors in our pack."

  "Jasmine-"

  I turn my glare to Liam, stopping him from interrupting me. "Don't. You had your chance to fucking deal with this, but you didn’t. Now it’s my turn."

  I was half expecting him to say something about how this pack wasn't mine, but that ship has sailed. Just as Benji is my mate, this is most definitely my pack now.

  I feel Neira's magic as it brushes over me without affecting me. I turn slowly, my eyes narrowing dangerously. "Did you just try to use your magic on me when that's the reason you're in this shit in the first place?!"

  Her smirk is all the answer I need, so I respond in kind, letting go of the thinly veiled control I have over my power.

  My magic flies at her, the wildness of it surprising me. I knew I was angry, but this feels sentient somehow, like I am only guiding the magic rather than controlling it, which has never happened before.

  Neira cocks her hip, resting her hand on it in a smug gesture. She raises her free hand, as if to simply deflect my magic away. But instead of blocking it, she's sent flying, landing with an ‘oomph’ a few feet from where she previously stood.

  "You keep trying to fucking attack me and I'm getting sick of it!" I weave a truth spell over her, watching her stiffen as I begin to speak. "Tell everyone here the truth. Tell Liam what you did and why you did it. While you're at it, why don’t you tell him the real reason his relationship with Sabine ended?"

  She pales at my words and from the corner of my eyes, I see Liam take a step closer to me. Unlike a few days ago when he looked at me with anger regarding her actions, this time his fury is directed at the appropriate target.

  "Please tell me you didn't," Liam begs her, as if the very thought of such a thing might break him.

  Neira hangs her head sadly. "You never noticed me. It was always Sabine. I just wanted you to pay attention to me. Then, when you called me back, I thought you finally realized how much I loved you, but instead you asked how to propose to Sabine. So, I cast a spell to make you both grow apart."

  Liam clenches his fists at his side and shakes his head, disgusted and hurt by her actions.

  "And you spelled him again when you got to the pack to help us, didn't you?" I prod, wanting it to be all out in the open, so we can hurry and get this over with. I just want her off my land.

  "Fine! Yes, I used a persuasion spell on him to get my sister back. So fucking what?!" Neira gets to her feet angrily, her hands rising quickly as she blasts her magic at me. Pain tingles through me and I waver for a split second, but ultimately the pain passes in the blink of an eye, leaving me otherwise unaffected.

  She glares at me, her eyes filled with malice. "You think you're so powerful, but you're nothing! I did what I fucking had to in order to save my sister. Why does it matter the way it happened? Or is this all some show of power because you want to prove to everyone you're strong, when you’re nothing but weak and pathetic. Just a pitiful woman, with mommy and daddy issues that can't even protect her supposed mates."

  At the mention of not protecting my mates, my magic explodes out of me. Everyone is sent flying back a few feet, and while I feel guilty that I could have hurt the guys, there's something so satisfying about the shock on Neira's face.

  I pant in place, waiting for the energy drain, but feel still filled to the brim, ready for whatever she tries next.

  Neira climbs to her feet again, this time more slowly, and she grimaces in pain. "How the fuck are you still standing?" she demands through ragged breaths as she glares at me.

  All of the guys have gotten to their feet and are assembled a few feet from me, unable to get closer because of all the magic in the air. I look at the knowing expression on Josh's face and have a sneaking suspicion he knows exactly why I'm still standing. Benji, Liam and Jenkins are each watching me with looks akin to fear, but there’s awe in their gazes, too.

  I open my mouth to speak, but Sabine suddenly calls out from behind me, surprising me. I didn't even notice she had come out of the cabin.

  "You won't tire her, Neira. If you had listened to our mother and everything I tried to teach you, then you would know exactly who Jasmine is and what she's capable of. Now, stop acting like a brat and apologize for what you did!"

  "Apologize?! I'm not apologizing to that pathetic little twit! I saved you from the Order when she would have left you there! Hell, Liam would have left you behind too, because he was to
o wrapped up in what her pussy could offer him to even think about you!"

  Sabine glares down at Neira from where she stands in her fluffy pajamas on the front porch, with her arms crossed across her chest. You can see by the way her eyes flash that was not the answer she wanted. "You will fucking apologize, or I will bind your magic!"

  Neira sighs in frustration, muttering under her breath for a moment before meeting my eyes. "I'm sorry I spelled your mate and traded your life for my sister’s." She rolls her eyes before adding, "But, I'd do it all again if I had to."

  I shake my head at her weak attempt at an apology before smiling gratefully up at Sabine. "Thank you for that. I appreciate you trying."

  She responds with a smile just as kind as the one I gave her, but I see a hardness hidden in the depth of her green eyes. "I'm sorry we're in your mate’s house. I’m guessing, though, he forgot to mention that he moved all his stuff out of here and into the pack house before he even left to go on the mission to rescue me. When we came back, he offered to let us stay here because it was the furthest guest house from the rest of the pack members. He thought it would give the wolves a sense of calm having us seperated from them, especially considering the pack’s recent experiences with witches. So, that’s why this is our temporary lodging for the time being."

  Her soft tone calms me down a little and I begin to relax at her words. "No, he didn't mention that," I say before turning to glare in Liam's direction. He just stands there, a faint pink staining his cheeks.

  'Sorry,' he mouths. I sigh, rolling my eyes. Men.

  I turn back to Sabine, ready to apologize, but then I feel a wave of magic blast through me. I'm unprepared for the attack and go flying, hitting the wall of the house. My body falls to the ground, and I give an ‘oomph’ as pain spreads up my back.

  Ignoring the agony I feel, I scramble to my feet. I face Neira, prepared for the next assault of power, but instead of it causing any pain, I somehow absorb the energy. But it doesn't stop there. As soon as my magic has a taste for hers, it keeps pulling, beginning to drain her of everything.

  Neira drops to the ground, her mouth open in a silent scream as my magic drains her.

  Sabine hurries off the porch, watching me warily as she goes to help her sister stand, using her body weight to hold Neira up.

  "Please, stop," Sabine begs me, with tears in her eyes. "If you don't, she'll die.”

  Good, I think, but then shake my head, trying to clear it of the anger I feel. But there's something so satisfying about seeing the woman who attacked me looking weak and helpless.

  "I have no idea what's happening! My magic's doing this, not me."

  Jenkins comes to stand in front of me, pushing past my magic with gritted teeth, while Josh, Benji and Liam all struggle, unable to get within five feet of me.

  Jenkins caresses my cheek softly, drawing my gaze to his. He grips my hands firmly. "I need you to concentrate, Jasmine. Close your eyes, and just breathe. You're draining her because you're angry and your magic is too. It’s a defense mechanism to protect you from any who would seek to hurt you, but you need to override it and find the calm within yourself."

  Is he serious? How am I supposed to find the calm inside when I'm pissed she tried to attack me while my back was turned? Still, I do as he says, closing my eyes, although doing so makes me feel like a fool.

  Who closes their eyes right after being attacked? My mates better protect my ass or I'm gonna be a whole lot of pissed off.

  After a few moments of breathing deeply, I realize my breaths have now synced with Jenkins’. I open my eyes to see his reassuring smile and then shift my gaze to Neira, who seems to have lost a lot of color, but is no longer grimacing in pain.

  Sabine helps her sister walk back to the porch. As they pass, she stops beside me, placing her free hand on my shoulder, and offering me a touch of magic. "You will understand everything in due time. For now, I suggest you have a meeting with your four mates and clear the air. Anger isn't good for any relationship, especially with someone as powerful as you.” After her ominous words, Sabine lets go of my shoulder and walks back into the house, with her sister gripping her tightly for support.

  "Wait!" I call out, stopping them before they cross the threshold. Quickly, I jog up the three steps, my gaze fixed on Neira as I summon my magic. "You have betrayed the balance of magic. For causing such a breach in the earth’s balance, I am stripping you of your power."

  Magic builds within me, and I let it guide me in weaving the spell, since I've never performed something this complex before.

  Neira's eyes widen as she feels my magic, and she lunges for me, gripping me by the shirt. "No, please don't do this! I need my magic!"

  I look down at her, where she clings to me pathetically. "You made your choice and, you have to suffer the consequences. But don't fret, you can earn your magic back. Just think of someone other than yourself every once in a while and in time, you'll pay back your debt to me and the earth."

  I step away from her and Sabine nods grimly. "Thank you for not binding her. I appreciate your kindness, despite all she has done to you. You will make the earth proud."

  I shrug, not sure what she meant by making the earth proud, but I decide to push it to the back of my mind until a later date. I look over at Neira, holding back a smirk as she stumbles, having to rely on Sabine to keep from falling. I know that eventually Neira will get her power back, but it won't be anytime soon. As soon as she learns to play nice and starts making up for all the bad she's done in this life, her magic will slowly return. Until then, however, she is going to have to learn how to live as a human.

  "I've been bound before and I know how much pain that causes. I couldn’t stomach the thought of doing that to someone else, no matter what they’ve done to hurt me.”

  Sabine nods in understanding and helps Neira up the steps. I hold back a smirk at how much can change in just a few days. Neira used to punish me with her power, instilling in me that just because I was a level one didn’t mean I was strong. Well, I guess I’ve learned a lot since she last saw me.

  I wait until the two of them go back into the house and close the door behind them. Then I turn to meet the eyes of the four men standing nearby.

  Jenkins is still where I left him, off to the side by the stairs, while Benji and Liam are standing on the first step, watching me with expressions ranging from awe to apprehension.

  Then there's Josh, who is standing a few feet off to the other side of the stairs, a massive grin on his face and eyes filled with glee.

  Sabine said I had four mates, but I have no idea if she means these four or that I had two other mates yet to announce themselves.

  Either way, for the first time since coming back here, I'm filled with fear. Two mates was already hard enough. Can I really handle any more? I guess I won't really know until I figure out just who these new mates are.

  Four

  We head back to the house, all five of us. As we walk, I can't help but wonder why Liam didn't just tell me that he had moved his stuff out of the cabin?

  Either way, he could have been honest and upfront with me. Both about sleeping with Neira in the past, and about them moving into his house.

  He could have just said, 'Oh hey. Neira and Sabine are here, but I moved out of the house, so I'm not sleeping out there anymore. And you know how I said Neira and I were only friends? Well, that's not entirely true. I slept with Neira once, but it meant nothing.'

  Simple and straight to the point. Yeah, I would have been upset, but I would have gotten over it. The fact that he hid it, on the other hand, just makes things worse. And it’s harder for me to come to terms with the fact it didn’t mean anything, because he tried so hard to conceal it.

  While normally I’m sure I would experience some minor jealousy, having seen it with my own eyes just makes it a hell of a lot worse.

  And maybe if he had of been up front from the beginning, then I wouldn't have been subjected to the vision of them tangled in the
sheets, clearly fucking each other. Spells that remove a curse or hex from someone are extremely powerful and require the strength of the earth to aid you. Hence why the spell requires something mentally and physically in return. Mentally, I was forced to witness the vision of Liam and Neira together, something that would make me mentally unbalanced. And physically, I’m going to be depleted of magic and most likely go into a magic coma for a few days.

  And while I know subconsciously it's just another way of the earth testing my worth by showing me something I would have to overcome my emotions, it still hurts.

  They are my mates! No one is allowed to touch any of them but me!

  I pull up short, surprised by how intense that thought was. Never did I think I would feel this strongly for a person, let alone two. The strange thing is, I'm not even bothered by the possessive streak I feel.

  Liam pretty much staked his claim by marking my shoulder for all to see, and Benji has implied he wants to mark me as well.

  I know that's not all that’s involved in the binding, but I know receiving a bite is the first step in a long and complicated process.

  From what I've heard, the male wolf marks his mate with a bite, and then the female does the same in return. Once that has happened, they go to the Order, who holds a ceremony, binding them to the earth and melding the missing pieces of their souls, making them one whole. It's said that bonded mates can feel everything that their other half does. When one of them is hurt, the other feels that pain. When one is happy, so is their mate.

  The ceremony is said to be a very intimate moment between mates, with only the Order present to preside over the binding. Once the magical aspect is taken care of, the wolves shift and run together as mates. Then, they mate as wolves in order to seal the bond.

  However, I have no idea how I'm going to do that part. I may be a hybrid, but I still don't know what that means for my abilities. I've never shifted before, so does that mean I never will? Or will I shift when the binding takes effect? Just a couple more questions to add to my ever-growing list of things I need to ask Josh.