Cursed by Fate

by Renee Shearer

  “You are an evil woman, lass!” Roman grumbled to her as he set Zoey in her playpen. Her laughter slowly dying down, Ariana watched, fascinated as he took the time to tickle Zoey a little bit before turning to her. She gulped at the look in his eye; he was looking at her like she was dinner and he was starving. Ariana stood rooted to the spot as Roman strode up to her and grabbed her face in his huge hands. Staring into her eyes, he seemed to be waiting for something, but she had no clue as to what. Was it rejection? Acceptance? Ariana felt only a slight twinge of apprehension at having him touch her.

  Roman swooped down and captured her lips in a searing kiss. Ariana’s knees went weak; she grabbed his arms to stay upright. As he deepened the kiss, Ariana was helpless to do anything else but return it with as much passion as he was giving to her. Fire licked along her spine again, stronger and hotter than last time.

  Holy shit! This man can kiss!

  Roman

  She is the devil. No! A vengeful goddess! A goddess Roman wanted to worship. Her dirty trick with Zoey, and the fact that she was the strongest, toughest, most stubborn woman he had ever met, meant Roman was falling hard and fast for this little trio. Avery was just like her mother, tough and sensitive at the same time. Zoey was all sunshine and light. Roman almost snorted at his thoughts. Damn, this woman and her girls were turning him inside out. He didn’t normally think things like sunshine and light.

  Roughly yanking back from the kiss, Roman’s breathing was harsh in the silence of the room. His heart beat so fast he was sure the others could hear it. They were going to rip him a new one. Aiden had decided for the team that they were all to go at Ariana’s pace. Roman, however, thought otherwise. If they just sat back and let her set the pace, they might never get anywhere. He knew her scars ran deep, and not just the surface ones he caught a glimpse of earlier that morning. Physical scars healed faster than the emotional ones. No, it was the emotional ones that clung to the soul, dragging you down. Forcing them to behave and react differently than they would—if they had never been touched by darkness.

  Roman knew first hand since he battled the Darkness in himself every day. Most Dark Mages ended up being evil spawn that had to be put down. He had helped take a few down himself. That was why they were paired with a Light Mage from an early age. The Mage council thought it would help stave off the Darkness in their souls. Roman didn’t know if East was helping him on that front, but he had lasted longer than other Dark Mages.

  Now, looking into Ariana’s eye’s, he could feel his magic reaching for her, and he knew what his magic would do. It would corrupt her beautiful soul; he wouldn’t let that happen. If this was the only taste of her he got—then so be it. He would take as much as she could give and pave the way for his brothers. With that thought riding him hard, Roman once again crushed her mouth with his. When she parted her mouth on a small gasp, he swept his tongue inside. She tasted of chocolate and heat. Fire and sweetness. Roman groaned, completely forgetting they had an audience. Not that he cared at all. Roman didn’t give a damn who was watching, in fact he reveled in it.

  Take notes boys.

  He wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her, to show her how he felt. He wanted to feel her writhing against him in pleasure. Hear her scream his name as she clenched around his aching cock. Roman knew he would never get that. If he were to make love to her, the Darkness in him would seep into her and she would be lost. Roman settled for having her hands grip his biceps. Her nails dug into his skin, causing small pinpricks of pain that only heightened his pleasure. His cock was raging with need, but this was all he would allow himself. He needed to stop before he lost control and threw caution to the wind. Consequences be damned.

  Gentling the kiss, he gave one last small nip to her full bottom lip before backing off. Ariana gave a small whimper as he released her. Her breaths were ragged, her skin flushed beautifully. She really did look like a goddess to him. Her eyes were wide as she gazed at him in wonder.

  “Wha…” Roman smiled as she cleared her throat. “What was that for?”

  “Be careful of the tricks you play on me, lass. I play dirty,” he answered her in a soft voice. With that, he swept past her. Not meeting the eyes of the guys, he walked to the door. He needed air.

  “Going for a walk.” Roman grunted as he slammed the door. Wincing, he shook his head. What the hell was the matter with him? He could usually keep his Darkness under control. Except for once.

  Roman couldn’t fight the swell of memories as they engulfed him, dragging him down. Roman was nineteen when he had finally lost his virginity, with a bang. His girlfriend, Heather, was beautiful. She had tanned skin and almond shaped eyes of emerald green. Heather had played sports, so she was incredibly toned, not to mention flexible. He chuckled darkly, the things they did when in the throes of passion. Heather was sweet and kind at first, always thinking of everyone else before herself. She was the type to apologize if someone ran into her. Over the course of their year together, Roman noticed a change in her. Heather wasn’t as sweet and kind as before; she had taken to snapping at everyone and being heavy handed. When Roman caught her beating the shit out of another girl for daring to bump into her, it was the last straw for him. When he confronted her about it, she had yelled that he did this to her. He denied it, but he could tell Heather hadn’t been feeling like herself. She had described a darkness slowly taking over her, and Roman knew in that moment that it really was his fault. His Darkness had twisted her.

  He had broken things off right then, only to find out the next day that Heather had killed herself. He had spiraled hard after that. He had run away from Easton, from the Light. Roman had retreated inside himself, drinking himself into a stupor, trying to forget everything to do with Heather. He was a monster, and he deserved to be alone. Roman had been in danger of losing his soul and his life until Easton had found him and pulled him back from the brink.

  That was five years ago. At twenty-four, he knew better than to let anyone get too close. One-night stands were all he would ever have. One night wouldn’t corrupt the soul too badly. Roman had been okay, even content with that.

  Till Ariana. Now he wanted more because one night with her would never be enough.

  What the hell am I going to do?

  Twenty-Two

  Ariana

  What the fuck was that? The man just kissed her senseless then walked out the door. Ariana fought the urge to fan herself. For a woman who didn’t like touch she sure was getting used to it quickly, and damn what a way to get used to it. Ariana didn’t miss the fact that Roman had kept his hands on her face, cradling her head and making her feel special and cherished. How the hell he had made her feel that while ravaging her mouth, she didn’t know. Roman had skills, that was for sure. Ariana felt a tug on her hand and looked down into the scowling face of Avery.

  “Mom! What the heck! Are you dating that guy?”

  Ariana sighed and got down on her knees, grabbing Avery’s shoulders. “And what if I was? Would you be ok with that?”

  “But what about spiky dude?” Avery glanced at Jayden.

  “What are you talking about munchkin?”

  “I saw you kissing him earlier! Everyone saw!” Avery stomped her foot and crossed her arms.

  Ariana swallowed hard and looked around. Jess was smirking, and Jayden had a sheepish grin on his face. Aiden and Easton were chuckling. Mateo appeared indifferent. Oh, boy. How was she going to explain the fact that she had to have at least four men in her life to her daughter?

  “I can kiss whoever I want darling. I’m not attached to anyone.”

  “So, I can kiss whoever I want?”

  “Uh… No. Not until you’re 20. At least.”

  “Or ever,” the guys all growled.

  The room broke out into laughter. Shaking her head, Ariana rose and patted Avery’s hair. “We’ll discuss this more when you’re older. Okay, Munchkin?”

  Avery sighed and walked to her room. “Fine, but don’t think I’m going to
let this go!”

  Groaning, Ariana turned to the guys. “Okay, we were discussing this cabin thing, weren’t we?”

  “We can’t leave in a week, Ari. That’s not how this works. We need to get you to safety before this stalker ups his game.”

  “Ups his game? Really, Aiden?” Ariana rolled her eyes.

  “Before he gets serious and more desperate for your attention.”

  Ariana thought about that for a minute, then shook her head. “I doubt a week will change anything, and I am NOT having my daughter possibly fail kindergarten because of some stupid fuck who thinks he can scare me.” Ariana would never admit to them that she was scared. She was terrified it was the Monster somehow back from the dead. She would just have to be more vigilant. Easily accomplished, since she no longer had a job.

  “Listen, I can take Avery to school and pick her up. And since I’m not working anymore I’ll be here at night. We’ll be fine.”

  “Fine, if we can’t leave till she’s out of school, then I have a condition of my own.” Aiden was smirking at her, and Ariana felt apprehension slide through her body. She wasn’t going to like this one bit.

  “What?”

  “One of us stays with you at all times.”

  “What! Oh, hell no! that is not going to happ…”

  Aiden prowled right up to her and placed a finger over her mouth, effectively shutting her up. Ariana didn’t know what to do. Part of her wanted to nip the tip of his finger. Another part wanted to yank her head away and growl at him. While yet another part wanted to stay still and feel the warm soft pad of his finger against her lips. In the end, she chose option four. Opening her mouth, she lightly sucked his finger into her mouth, laving the tip with her tongue. Ariana watched as his eyes darkened, his mouth opening on a small gasp.

  Ariana chuckled, releasing his finger with a small pop. She stepped back and grinned at him. “You were saying?”

  “Huh? Oh, yes.” Aiden cleared his throat. “One of us will stay with you at all times. In case something like what happened with the box happens again.”

  Damn. He had to bring that up, didn’t he? Aiden made a valid point. But she just couldn’t have a man in her space all the time. At the cabin was one thing as that was their domain. But here? This was her sanctuary. Where she could go to destress and hang out with her kids. Then again, that had been violated by the stalker already. At least this way she wouldn’t feel so alone with dealing with everything.

  “Okay. Fine. One at all times.”

  All of the guys grinned at her.

  Great. Just great.

  For the last week, Ariana and the guys had a pretty good rhythm down. It wasn’t as bad as she had first thought. Although, to her disappointment, none had kissed her again. The only thing that dampened the happy feeling Ariana had, was Roman. Ever since their kiss, he had distanced himself from her. While he was great with the girls—always playing with them and even helping Avery with what little homework she had—when is was his day, he made sure to never be alone with her. Roman had started the week and was ending it. Tomorrow they would leave for the cabin, and all of the guys were coming to escort them. It seemed a bit like overkill to her. Ariana was a bit nervous about how the girls would handle the change. Avery would probably be fine, if a bit angry. Zoey, however, had never moved. Had never spent the night away from her own bed. Ariana had been debating all week on asking the guys if she could bring Zoey’s toddler bed.

  Mysteriously, there had been nothing from the stalker. Radio silence, the guys called it. While it gave her relief that maybe the stalker had moved on, the guys were more on edge than ever. Ariana was just starting to think that maybe this whole thing was a fluke even though just yesterday the body of another redhead had been found. Ariana was ready to chalk everything up to her paranoia.

  As Roman, the girls and Ariana came back from the park, she stopped to get her mail. Inside was a black rose with a small letter attached. Her blood ran cold. Ariana glanced around, subtly seeing if anyone was nearby. The guys had told her that some stalkers liked to stick around to see their victim’s reaction. Roman instantly noticed the change in her and he stepped between her and the wall. They were only inches apart. Ariana’s gaze traveled from his broad muscular chest to his wide shoulders, thick neck, and finally up to his handsome face. She breathed deeply, catching his scent; he always smelled of cinnamon. Her mouth watered as she looked at him, hoping for a kiss, but he gently pushed her back and placed Zoey in her arms.

  “Take them upstairs, Ari-Lass. I will handle this.” She shivered slightly at the nickname he had given to her. Recalling his words, she bristled and was ready to fight him. To tell him she wasn’t some weakling who couldn’t even handle her own mail. Zoey hugged her tightly, and all of the fight went out of her. If that thing did have some sort of spell on it like last time, she did not want her children anywhere near it. Ariana nodded briskly and turned towards the elevator, grabbing Avery’s hand.

  As they waited for the elevator, Ariana turned back towards him. “Please, be careful.”

  Roman’s eyes darkened with an emotion she couldn’t name. His eyes were still focused on hers as the elevator doors shut, blocking him from her view. The thought of anything happening to him or any of the guys made her stomach churn with acid.

  As they rode the elevator up to the fourth floor, Ariana’s mind spun frantically. Tomorrow was Avery’s last day of school. It was a half day, so she would be home early, but did Ariana want to risk anything happening from now until then? The black rose was a symbol of death, and the stalker had to physically put it in her mailbox. She highly doubted the mailman would have delivered a rose, not in a box, with what was probably a creepy note attached to it in her mailbox. What was she going to do? It’s not like they really did anything on the last day at school. They had already cleaned out her cubby after today’s graduation ceremony. Ariana sighed as she recalled the proud misty eyes of the guys as they clapped and cheered for her daughter.

  Avery had worn the biggest smile when the guys had each given her a gift. Roman had presented her with flowers, Easton had given her chocolates, and Aiden had gifted her a framed photo of all the guys and her with money taped to the back. Grayson had given her a cute stuffed fox, and Jayden, not to be outdone, had handed her a stuffed white tiger holding a flower with money tucked inside. Mateo had presented Avery with a beautiful necklace. Ariana had laughed and cried at the display of love the guys had shown her daughter. They were already acting like proud papas, every last one of them.

  How could she not fall for these six devilishly handsome men? Ariana was getting used to all the little touches they gave her whenever they were near. It was as if they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. Even Roman, with his distance, was always brushing up against her or touching her hand. All of them were slowly driving her mad.

  With that thought, Ariana made up her mind that Avery could skip the last day of school, and they would leave that night for the cabin. She would not risk her children’s safety for one day of school. As they entered the apartment, Ariana let her magic fly out and scout the area, just like she had practiced with Easton. Looking for anything out of place, she found that everything was as it should be. Ariana breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Avery.

  “Hey Munchkin, would you be mad if I said you could skip tomorrow and we can all go to the cabin tonight?”

  Avery put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. Ariana was struck by how much her daughter resembled her. She had picked up on some of her mother’s mannerisms, and she looked like a little mini Ariana standing there deep in thought.

  “Is this because of the bad man?”

  “How do you know about that?” Suddenly terrified someone had managed to get to her daughter, Ariana fired off rapid questions as she set Zoey down. “Who told you? Did someone approach you? Did you get anything that was weird? Why didn’t you tell me? Are you okay?”

  “Mommy chill out. None of that hap
pened, I promise. You’ve been getting locked into nightmares again. I’ve had to help you out of them a few times. You don’t remember?”

  Ariana knew she had been having night terrors again, but had thought she was getting stronger by being able to pull herself out of them. She normally woke up in a cold sweat and had to sleep with the light on afterwards. Ariana thought back and didn’t remember anything but a warm calming presence telling her it was going to be okay. Then her dreams would change to something pleasant. She should have known it was her daughter helping her. As a dream-weaver, Avery had the power to control a person’s dreams. She could make them pleasant and happy or terrify them so much that they died from the stress.

  Ariana had done a shit ton of research after Avery had first helped her out of a night terror when she was only three, just after Ariana’s second attack. Avery had said she didn’t remember anything, but Ariana was terrified for her daughter. When Ariana had asked her how she knew Mommy needed help, Avery had shrugged her little shoulders and said, “I just did.” Ariana didn’t sleep for three days after that, digging into anything she could find about Avery’s powers.

  It wasn’t until Ariana had stumbled across some Native American articles about shamans that she found an answer. She had taken Avery to a well-respected Shaman of the Sioux Tribe. That was when she had first heard the term dream-walker. Ever since then, Ariana would take Avery to go see Shaman Howahkan every year for a week. While they were there, he would help Avery to better understand her gift. Avery had come a long way since they first started, but now Ariana was afraid of what Avery might do.

  “Sweetie, thank you, but please don’t do that anymore, okay? You know what Shaman Howahkan said. Don’t use your gift too much, or you may also find yourself trapped. Please baby girl, for me? Just let mommy handle them okay? I promise I will. Dreams are just a way for the mind to work through stuff whether it be good or bad, and I won’t be able to work through it if you change it all the time, right?”