The Curse

by Jaimi Wilson

  "I didn't NEED saving; I just couldn't get out alone," I mutter sullenly, my defense sounding weak, even to my own ears.

  He chuckles at that, and pulls me into a bone crushing hug. "Well, whatever you want to call it, you needed me, and I won't let that happen ever again. From this moment on, consider me glued to your side until further notice. That is, unless that bastard in there decides to trap me in the house again with his magic, something I'm not likely to forgive anytime soon, I might add," he growls against my head.

  I've got to give Josh credit where credit is due. He convinced two Alphas to come back to the pack, despite the fact it meant leaving their mate behind. How he managed to convince them to stay in the house long enough for him to cast a spell locking them in, is completely beyond me.

  "And, uh, how do you feel about the whole hybrid situation?" I ask nervously against his chest, trying to think of a way to subtly twist the conversation towards my father. Maybe I should summon Benji for this too, but I figure I can talk to him after we eat. Maybe one-on-one is best for now.

  I know Josh would have told Liam and Benji about the hybrid situation by now. It was probably unavoidable, especially after they saw him, a wolf, use his own magic to lock them in the house.

  Before, being just a witch seemed hard because of the whole binding ceremony, and the fact I wouldn’t be able to give them what they wanted: a true mating with a wolf. However, now telling them about the whole hybrid revelation and the fact I am one feels like I’m giving them false hope where there may be none, because I still don’t know if I can shift or not. I mean just because I am some wolf-witch cross, do they now expect everything to work like it would for a wolf during the binding ceremony?

  Liam freezes before pulling away to look down at me. I meet his eyes hesitantly, scared of what I may see. But all that shows within their depths is clear acceptance.

  "Honestly, I'm beyond relieved. I imagine Benji is too. The thought of you going through the pain of the binding ceremony as nothing more than a witch, made me want to avoid the whole thing all together. We would have figured out how you would avoid the pain eventually, but now that we know you're part wolf, I feel much better, even if you don’t shift. Your body should be able to handle the ceremony and all the things that come with it."

  He presses a gentle kiss to my cheek before stepping away to stack all the containers. Then he grabs the plate of seasoned steaks and starts walking towards the glass sliding door. He pauses, turning back towards me with a wicked smirk. "Though I have to admit, I wouldn't mind hunting you in wolf form in the woods, if you ever did shift, that is. Just imagine what the mating would be like.”

  I stand frozen in shock from the image he put in my mind. He grins at my reaction before opening the sliding door and walking out to fire up the grill, all the while chuckling under his breath.

  Once I've gotten myself under control, I grab the now stacked containers and take them out onto the table on the porch, before going back inside to get some cutlery.

  When I make another trip inside for the bread rolls that are in yet another container, Benji opens the kitchen door and comes in, followed by Jenkins and Josh. The two of them grin at each other before heading out onto the deck. Benji hovers for a moment, before grabbing a few beers from the fridge. Once I have the container of rolls in hand, he walks outside with me, a happy smile on his face.

  Benji hands out the beers and then moves over, taking a seat near the grill where Liam’s cooking. He and Liam begin chatting, talking about the game Liam missed that the others had been watching on tv.

  Josh grins as he drinks his beer and I purse my lips at him. "So guys, there's something else Josh has to tell you."

  Josh instantly pales and looks at me like a deer caught in headlights, while Benji and Liam turn to stare at him with narrowed eyes. When he doesn't say anything, I sigh in annoyance. So much for making him suffer through the explanation.

  "My father is coming here and should be here any time, actually. Apparently, from what I just learned, he also happens to be head of the Soldiers."

  Surprisingly, both guys remain pretty calm after hearing this. They ask Josh a few questions, but then they all resume talking about the game of football they just watched. I stare at them open-mouthed, feeling completely flabbergasted. I thought for sure that they'd be pissed and start storming around, much like I did earlier.

  Men and their goddamn football. I tune them out and go back into the kitchen to grab a soda. The sight that greets me when I return has me taking a deep breath. Benji and Liam have their heads thrown back in laughter, joy evident in their expressions. Josh sits there with a beer in hand, talking to Jenkins, who stands off to the side, but is still very much a part of the group.

  He seems to have slipped his way into my life somehow, and it feels like he belongs there just as much as the others. I watch him, wondering about the connection between us. I haven't mentioned it to Benji and Liam yet, only because I don't quite know how to explain it. But there's something there, like with Josh, only slightly different.

  When Jenkins touched me and eased the pain from my overflow of magic, it felt like a piece of me returned that I didn’t even know was missing. I suspect he might think I'm his mate, but we haven't really had a chance to talk about it.

  While I really want to know, I'd rather not bring it up now while we're having such a good night. I'll just find a chance to talk to him about it soon.

  I take a seat at the end of the patio table, listening as they joke and laugh among each other, while Liam grills the steaks to perfection.

  When he finishes, he places them on a plate in the middle of the table, and tells us to dig in. For some reason, none of the guys touch their food until after I've piled two steaks onto a burger roll, and have filled the whole thing with salad stuff.

  When my plate is full, all the guys dig in at once, leaving me annoyed. Why wait for me to eat? That makes no sense! They were all obviously hungry, but not one of them touched their plates! Ugh, men!

  Liam looks across the table at me, shifting his gaze to where Jenkins and Josh sit on either side of me. I didn't choose this seat on purpose; it was just where I ended up, and they chose to sit beside me. I look over at the empty seats and wonder if I should move. But before I can make up my mind, Josh's phone goes off.

  He looks down at the caller ID and his face pales. He gets up from his chair, it almost falling back in his rush. "Uh, I'll be back in a sec," he says nervously, hurrying back into the kitchen without waiting for any kind of acknowledgement.

  I glance between Jenkins, Liam and Benji, the latter just shrugging his shoulders before returning to his food. My hand reaches for the can of soda in front of me when a sudden chill runs through my body, freezing me in place for a few seconds. Then I'm on my feet, the chair flying out from behind me as I quickly back away from the table, my eyes wide with fear. I recognize that magic. I've only felt it once before, but I could never forget that feeling.

  Josh comes back outside, a man hovering behind him in the doorway. The stranger pushes past Josh so he can step outside. I watch as the other three guys get to their feet slowly, each of them seeming confused by my reaction.

  The newcomer steps out from behind Josh and my heart rate begins to pick up, my magic coiling inside me, ready to strike. He takes a cocky step towards me and holds out his hand to greet me. "Hello, Jasmine. It's nice to finally meet you."

  Instinct takes over and before I realize what’s happening, he goes flying from the full impact of my punch.

  Josh stares at me as if he's never seen me before, while Benji stares down at the man on the ground, his brows furrowed as he tries to make the connection. He too has seen him once before, and I can tell the exact moment the memory comes back to him.

  Suddenly, Benji launches himself across the table, shifting in one quick movement and lunging at the newcomer.

  That's when all hell breaks loose.

  Six

  Everyone watches on
in silence. The only sounds come from Benji’s wolf, who growls as he lunges at the man who claims to be my father.

  My so-called father gets to his feet slowly and erects a barrier between Benji and himself that effectively stops Benji's wolf in his tracks.

  The man rubs his jaw, sending a grin my way. "I see you’ve got a nice right hook. At least you got something good from me. I was worried it might only be the magic," he muses, his eyes alight with mirth.

  Benji growls ferociously and runs at the barrier again, only to be sent flying back with a yelp. He gets to his feet and tries again, his wolf in complete control as he tries to get at and neutralize the threat.

  I wince at each impact, wishing Benji would stop. He's just going to hurt himself if he keeps going like that.

  After one final attempt at rushing the barrier, Benji moves around, trying to get past the edge of the magical wall, looking for a way to get closer to me. I can see in his eyes that he feels the need to protect me, like he did all those years ago.

  No matter where Benji moves, though, my supposed father just shifts the barrier, keeping him from getting through. Liam, Josh, Jenkins and I all watch on, unsure how to diffuse the situation.

  Liam growls, apparently fed up with this man’s games. "Let the Alpha go to his mate," he snarls in anger. I can see him vibrating with the need to shift and protect me from someone he too perceives as a threat.

  My father looks between Liam and I with a knowing smirk. "No. If he's her mate, then surely he can figure out how to get to her." His grin is filled with arrogance, which only makes me hate him more, if that's even possible.

  My lips thin in anger and my magic crackles in the air around me. Josh and Jenkins are both staring at my father, obviously never having seen this side of him before. Then they look between me and my father, trying to figure out what's going on. But, they could never truly grasp the fear I have for this man.

  Benji's wolf growls angrily, pushing against the barrier again, as if by sheer force will help him get to me. I can see the hopelessness in his eyes and know I have to do something to stop this. I'm not the same weak sixteen-year-old girl who barely knows how to control her magic. No, now I'm so much more than that.

  I'm not afraid of him anymore. At least that's what I tell myself.

  "Three seconds," I say into the tense silence, lifting my gaze from Benji's to meet the eyes of the man I hoped I'd never see again. His eyes narrow at the determination and strength I'm projecting. "You're going to drop your magic barrier, and leave. If you don't, then I will make you. Do you understand?" I speak through gritted teeth, forcing myself to enunciate each word clearly to make sure he understands just how fucking serious I am.

  Josh looks between my father, who is grinning like a madman, and me, who is pissed beyond measure. "What's going on? I thought you’d never met your father?”

  He looks at me in confusion, as if hoping for some kind of clue. That’s when I realize that my 'father' didn't bother telling Josh about the first time he met me, probably because he knows Josh wouldn’t let him near me if he knew the truth.

  I laugh harshly, gesturing over at the man who refuses to let my mate come near me. "Oh, I've fucking met him alright. I just didn’t know he was my father at the time."

  Josh frowns but I don't let him interrupt me, the floodgates spilling open. "A week after Benji and I met for the first time, this prick," I gesture over at the man in question, who is still grinning wildly as if this is the best day of his life, "tried to kidnap me. He used magic stronger than I’d ever felt before, trying to magically lure me into his car! And he would have too, had Benji not seen the whole thing. He got there just in time.”

  I think back to that day, the memory still fresh in my mind. Benji was supposed to be picking me up from classes, but ended up being a no show. So I walked straight to the bus stop, intending to catch the next one home. I’d been waiting for roughly five minutes when a random guy pulled up in a dark van. He told me if I got in the car, he'd take me to freedom. That he could show me things I'd never before seen.

  Things weren't exactly good between Benji and I because he was still with my mother, or so I thought. But I wasn't a fucking idiot; I wasn't getting into some random’s car, no matter how bad things were at home.

  Instead, I flipped him off and told him to leave me the fuck alone. That’s when he used fucking magic to try and lure me into the car. It was so strong that I found myself obeying instantly. I was in the midst of opening the van door when Benji appeared out of nowhere. He tackled me to the ground to stop me from getting into the car, and with him touching me, it was like the magic completely fizzled out.

  The man, my 'father' apparently, drove away, and I never saw him again. Though that didn't stop me from having nightmares about him showing up and trying again. When I told my mother about the incident, she seemed more upset about Benji being the one to interfere than me being kidnapped, but I guess now that I know she is just a power hungry bitch, it all makes sense.

  Months went by before I was finally able to move past what happened. I decided to learn to defend myself, knowing then that if he came back for me, I would be better prepared. Benji was there by my side in those few weeks, teaching me how to punch someone in the solar plexus so I could distract them and make my escape. He noticed that I would start panicking any time a van drove by me, and decided to step in. He took me to see a therapist, convinced it might help if I could talk to someone else who wasn't biased. Meaning not him, because he would fly into a rage anytime I brought up the attack. It wasn’t me he was mad at of course. He hated himself for not protecting me better, and I knew he thought it was his fault I was almost taken, because he was late to pick me up.

  Knowing now that Benji's my mate makes his reaction back then much more understandable. It’s safe to say the issues I have with male witches are a direct result of that one incident. Magic should never be used on another witch or supernatural without very good reason.

  "You tried to take her?" Josh splutters, finally finding his voice.

  My father grins in amusement at Josh, while Benji tries futilely to get past the barrier, growing more enraged by the second.

  I can see Josh’s growing anger, and he starts weaving his hands through the air, using his magic to make the barrier drop.

  As soon as it falls, Benji rushes to my side, rubbing his head against my leg to comfort me. Once his wolf is sure I’m okay, he moves to stand in front of me protectively, and growls menacingly at my father.

  I thought I was over my fear of him, but my heart still pounds rapidly in response to his presence, despite the brave face I'm putting on.

  It didn’t help that I just spent two days locked away with no access to my power, while my mother and Evan tried to rip my magic from me. It just brought the memory of my time as a captive to the forefront, and seeing him was not something I was remotely prepared for. Then again, how many people can say their father has tried to kidnap them before? It sounds more like something out of a human soap opera show than real life.

  Josh moves to stand beside me and my father raises his eyebrows. "Oh seriously, you too, Josh? It was just a small misunderstanding, that’s all."

  I shake my head at my father’s arrogance. "No, a small misunderstanding would be like me walking into the wrong house because they look identical." And yes, I might have done that before. "What you did was use your magic to convince me to get in that van with you! You were going to abduct me! Do you have any idea the kind of nightmares I had after that? No, you just fucking wanted to take me for God knows what reason and didn’t care how it would affect me! How about just showing up at the house and going, ‘Hey Jasmine, I'm your father. How about we go for a coffee, or get some ice cream? You don't just grab a sixteen-year-old off the street, you fucking psychopath!"

  I pant, still fuming, and wait for an angry response from my father, but he surprises us all by letting loose a loud belly laugh that echoes through the trees. "Oh, you really do have t
hat fiery streak from your mother. When your power unleashes, you are going to be truly magnificent. Maybe even more so than she is.”

  What the fuck is he going on about? "I hate to burst your bubble, ‘Dad,’ but I already have my magic."

  He grins smugly at me and a worm of doubt works its way into my mind. I look over at Josh and see him eye with me sympathy. I stumble back, shocked because he obviously knows what my father is talking about, and didn’t bother to tell me. For the moment, though, I push down the hurt I feel, and focus on my father’s next words.

  "The magic you have now is just from me, darling." The way he says ‘darling’ make me cringe for some reason. He seems twisted in the head, and the way he talks to me makes me think of the way a parent would speak to a young child. "You won't get the rest of your magic until your mother gifts it to you, which will be any day now. That’s why I’m here actually. It's time for us to leave."

  I can't help it, I laugh so hard that tears stream down my face. Liam and Benji both look at me with concerned eyes, while Jenkins and Josh seem to think I've gone crazy and have edged away from me.

  Finally I sober up enough for my laughter to subside, leaving small hiccups in their place. Staring daggers at him, I speak. "You must be fucking insane! I’m not going to believe your bullshit fancy ass lie, just so you can kidnap me!” I shake my head adamantly as I continue to glare at him. "I'm not going anywhere with you. And I’m definitely not going anywhere near my goddamn mother, who I only just escaped from! Nope, not doing it!"

  He grits his teeth and takes several deep breaths, as if trying to rein in his anger. Wow okay, maybe there are a few similarities between us. He regains his composure and meets my eyes with a steady gaze. "That woman, the one who raised you, was not your mother! Your mother is so much more than that pathetic piece of shit." He sighs, as if defeated and pulls a seat out at the table, sitting down and waiting for the rest of us to follow suit.