Curse Breaker

by Karina Espinosa

  Curse Breaker

  Mackenzie Grey: Trials #2

  Karina Espinosa

  Copyright © 2019 by Karina Espinosa

  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.

  Cover design by © Christian Bentulan

  Edited by Stacy Sanford

  Copyright 2019 by Karina Espinosa

  ISBN-13: 9781686208737

  ASIN: B07WD6Z17B

  For my best friend.

  I’d totally kill a vampire elder for you.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Also by Karina Espinosa

  About the Author

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  1

  The temperature had to be just right. Not too hot, but not cold, either. Body temperature was preferable—ninety-eight-point-six degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact. Using a microwave always made that temperature hard to replicate, but typically, one minute did the trick. I should be grossed out. Anyone of my kind would be. But I’ve had so much practice in the art of heating blood bags, it’s a skill I should add to my resume.

  The microwave beeped to let me know it was done and I opened the door, grabbing the blood bag by the tip. A little bit of steam billowed out and I knew I might have overheated this one. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea; she always complained that the middle was cold.

  Holding it by the corner of the bag, I dropped it onto a plate. I wanted to pour the blood in a cup, but Amy preferred to drink it straight out of the bag. In her words, it was like drinking a Capri-Sun. I shook my head. She definitely had a twisted sense of humor. I went to the freezer, got my tub of ice cream, and with her plate in hand, made my way back to the living room.

  “Here, freak.” I handed it to her over her shoulder.

  She peered up at me and smiled warmly. “You’re a doll.” She grabbed the plate and licked her fangs. None of this grossed me out like it should have. Roman, my ex, who also happened to be a vampire, got me used to a lot of their customs.

  “So, what are we watching?” I asked as I popped the top off the Chunky Monkey ice cream.

  “How about that Stranger Things show that everyone watches?” she suggested. “We’re kind of late to the party, but at least we can binge all three seasons at once.”

  I scrunched my face. “I don’t know, Amy. We try to stay away from fantasy. Our life is a fantasy.”

  “Kenz,” she sighed. “There are demogorgons on the show.”

  I had a mouthful of ice cream in my mouth when I straightened. “Demogorgons?” I asked, the word coming out muffled. She nodded. I quickly swallowed the Chunky Monkey, nearly giving myself a brain freeze when I said, “Count me in.”

  She quickly turned the TV on at the same time my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. Sebastian’s serious face stared back at me. It made me chuckle. He refused to smile for a picture.

  “Hey Bash,” I answered the call while getting comfortable on the sofa. “How’s it going?”

  “Mackenzie,” his voice was deep through the phone line as he sighed my name. “We’re doing well. Everyone is settled in.”

  Since the Brooklyn Pack lost their home when Enzo and his followers burned it down, they’ve had to take temporary residence at Cadwell Estate until repairs could be completed. Which meant Bash and I were hours away from each other, and I couldn’t leave the city because of work.

  “That’s good. How are the Lunas?”

  “You don’t have to always ask about them. They’re safe, Mackenzie,” he reassured me for the hundredth time. Unfortunately, it didn’t ease my troubled heart. Lunas didn’t have the best of luck at the Estate, and it worried me. “I miss you,” he whispered.

  I deflated, and my cheeks warmed. “I miss you too,” I mumbled. “I can’t wait for you to come home.”

  “Gross,” Amy groaned as she laid on the living room floor and clutched at her heart dramatically. I threw a pillow at her.

  “I can’t wait to come home, either,” Bash said, “but I have to be with the Pack. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Of course.” I nodded as if he could see. And I did understand. It’s just that it had been three weeks since he left, and the distance was starting to get to me. I was tempted to make a weekend trip up to Little Falls just to see him, even if Charles hated the sight of me. “Amy and I are going to watch some TV.”

  “Then I won’t take up anymore of your time. I just wanted to say goodnight and I love you.”

  “Goodnight, Bash. I love you too,” I said before ending the call. I bit my lip as I looked at my phone, wishing I could see him, touch him. I felt like a love-sick teenager. The thought made me roll my eyes.

  “Just have some phone sex,” Amy interrupted my thoughts. “It’s what Jackson and I do.”

  “Amy!” I shrieked.

  “What?” She shrugged. “It relieves some of the tension.” She smirked, and I threw another pillow at her before she hit play on the television.

  We were starting season two when we hit pause. We were spread out on my living room floor with an empty tub of ice cream and two empty blood bags. The lights were turned off and every little sound made us jump.

  “I didn’t realize how scary this was going to be.” Amy stared at me with wide green eyes.

  “Yeah, but Eleven is a total badass.” I grinned wildly. “This show is so messed up, but fuck, I can’t stop watching.”

  “Facts.” Amy pointed at me and yawned. “But I have to get going.”

  “I thought you were spending the night?”

  She shook her head and began quickly grabbing her things. “I can’t. I have to get back to the cathedral.”

  “For what?” I asked casually as I cleaned up the mess we’d made in the living room.

  “Stuff,” she answered evasively, shrugging and nibbling on her lip piercing.

  “Stuff?” I chuckled.

  “You don’t have to know everything, Kenz!” Amy exploded.

  I froze. That was not the response I expected. That was defensive and not Amy-like at all. I slowly turned to face her and her eyes were wide, as if she just realized what she said.

  “I know I don’t have to know everything,” I whispered. “I only asked because we’re having a conversation. But now I’m super curious. What’s going on, Amy?”

  Her shoulders were tense and she wasn’t breathing. Although it was normal for a vampire, she typically tried to make the motions because it was still weird for her.

  “Nothing’s going on, Kenz. I overreacted.”

  “Overreacting, my ass. You’re having a full-blown meltdown. What’s happening at the cathedral tonight, Amy? Tell me, or I’m calling Lucian.”

  She ran a hand through her flaming red hair and I could see the war brewing in her eyes. “If I tell you, you can’t freak out.”

  Deep down, I knew I was going to freak out. But I nodded anyway.

  She swallowed and squeezed her eyes tightly shut before looking at me. “I told Lucian I was taking the cure.”

  I stared at her and shrugged. “Okay?”

  “He called the Elders. They’re having a hearing tonight.”

  I frowned. “I’m not following.”

  Amy rolled her eyes. “They’re meeting about the cu
re, Kenz. Whether I can take it or not.”

  It took me a moment to process what she said, but once I did, my whole body began to shake, my nostrils flared, and my claws extended.

  “I told you not to freak out, Kenz. I’m handling it.”

  “How?” I growled.

  “I get to attend the hearing and speak for myself. Lucian will also speak on my behalf. Between the two of us, the Elders will have no choice but to allow me to take it.”

  “They shouldn’t be deciding to begin with! It’s your choice! Just take the damn cure.”

  “I know, but if I take it on my own, they might kill me for disobeying. I need to follow their laws.” Amy rubbed at her tattooed arms as if she were cold.

  I couldn’t believe she hadn’t told me what was going on. How long has she been keeping this from me?

  “You’re not going alone,” I announced as I moved from the living room to my bedroom to get ready. She followed behind me.

  “I won’t be alone. Lucian will be with me.”

  “And I’ll be there, too,” I replied as I changed clothes.

  “You can’t go, Kenzie! It’s only vampires.”

  “And now a Lycan.” I stared her down, daring her to fight me on it.

  “Lucian will kill me when he finds out I told you. He specifically told me not to,” she said, her green eyes following me around the room. “Please let us handle this, Kenz.”

  I stopped moving and my unblinking, gray eyes drilled into her.

  She sighed. “Fine,” she relented. “But keep quiet and let me and Lucian do the talking.”

  I nodded and continued getting ready.

  The only reason Amy was a vampire was because she died and I was too selfish to let her go. There was a time when she hated me because of it, but we worked through our dysfunctions. In the meantime, I’d searched high and low for a cure for vampirism, and finally found it. Jonah sacrificed his life for it, and she was now ready to take it. But I’d fight tooth and nail if these Elders tried to stop her, because there was no way Jonah sacrificed his life for nothing. There was no way Amy would be stuck as a vampire for all eternity because of my selfishness. Not if I had any say over it. I promised I wouldn’t get involved, and I wouldn’t. Not unless they gave her the answer she didn’t want to hear.

  “How long will Bash be gone?” Amy made small talk as we strolled through the city in the middle of the night. Contrary to popular belief, Vampires could walk in sunlight; they were just extremely sensitive to it, so they mainly stayed indoors during the day and came out at night. Having a vampire best friend also made my sleep schedule somewhat erratic.

  I lifted a shoulder. “Until they rebuild the warehouse, the Pack is staying at Cadwell Estate. It’s also a good opportunity for Charles to keep a watchful eye on Bash.”

  “Does Charles blame Bash for what happened with Enzo?” Amy turned to look at me.

  I chuckled. “Aims, this is the Brooklyn Pack’s second strike. First was the massacre of the Lunas, second was the full-blown attack on the Pack that ended in their home being burnt down. I was a part of both. Charles doesn’t blame Bash, he blames me.”

  “That’s bullshit, Kenz. He can’t blame you for everything.”

  “His son died. He can blame me for the sky turning gray and the wind blowing west. It doesn’t make a difference.” I hung my head and looked at the empty space beside me where Jonah should have been. I didn’t hate Charles for hating me. I sometimes hated myself. But I was working on it. I couldn’t mourn him forever. I let Jonah go for a reason—so he could find peace, and I hoped he found it. Now it was my turn.

  “Well, Charles is driving Jackson crazy,” Amy said. “He can’t wait to come back home.”

  I snorted. “I bet.” Their relationship had always been rocky. Jonah was the one who bridged the gap, but with him gone… Well, it was tough for the Cadwell men. “It’s good they’re spending some time together up at the estate. Bash was so stressed out after everything went down. The Pack needs time to regroup.”

  We continued to walk to the cathedral, making idle chit-chat, and when we arrived at the church, I was shocked by what I saw. Typically, St. Paul’s cathedral was a ruin. It had always lain in shambles, but it got worse when part of it burned down during the Freedom War. The gothic church that had once barely stood, littered with garbage, was now fully restored to its former glory. The stained-glass windows were intact, the building was fully erect, and the grass around it was actually green.

  “Where the hell are we?” I gaped at the ornate stairs that led up to the church doors.

  Amy grinned. “We’ve had some renovations of our own, in preparation for our guests. You should really see the inside.”

  “I’m almost afraid,” I muttered as I gazed around me.

  “Come on.” Amy hooked her tattooed arm in mine and dragged me up the stairs.

  She pushed the heavy doors open and they groaned on ancient hinges as they gave way. The smell of incense was the first thing to attack my senses as we passed through the dark entrance into the cathedral. We approached the fountain of holy water on muffled steps and I dipped my fingers inside, making the motion of the cross starting at my forehead, down the center of my chest, and then side to side. I wasn’t religious by any means, but we were going to need all the help we could get, even from the big man upstairs, if this hearing was going to go our way.

  The pews were in neat rows facing the altar, a slew of vampires seated in them. It was the first time I’d ever seen so many of them congregated in one place since the Freedom War. At the altar was a table with ornate, throne-like chairs behind them. No one was seated in them, but I imagined that was where the Elders would be. Below the altar was Lucian, dressed in his customary black slacks and button-up with his blond hair tied at the nape of his neck, pacing.

  As Amy and I walked down the center aisle that separated the pews, we could hear the murmurs of the vampires on either side as we passed. The whispers of She brought the wolf rang through the cathedral as their accusing eyes followed us. Lucian saw us before we got to him, and his dark eyes grew darker under furrowed brows as we approached.

  “Amelia,” he reprimanded in a hushed tone. “What did I tell you?”

  “Nice to see you too, Luce,” I snorted. “And thanks for the invite.”

  “You should go, Pet.” He turned to me. “This is vampire business.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. That cure is my business. Amy is my business. And the fact that you both thought you could get away with not telling me is insulting.” I crossed my arms over my chest and gave an imperious sniff. “Now, I will be staying for this bullshit hearing, and you better make sure it goes our way or we’re going to have some serious problems.”

  Lucian’s nostrils flared as he watched me. “Mackenzie, you will behave.” He only ever called me by my name when he was pissed. “Or I will have you escorted out.”

  I grinned. “I’d like to see your vamps try.”

  “Okay, enough.” Amy pressed a palm on each of our shoulders and stood between us. “Fighting amongst ourselves won’t solve anything. We need to prepare what we’ll say during the hearing.”

  Lucian exhaled. “Amelia is right. The Elders are wary of change. We need to prepare our arguments.”

  “And who are these Elders?” I quirked a brow. Besides Lucian, Roman and Amy, I didn’t know much about vampires. For the most part, they kept to themselves and stayed out of trouble.

  “They’re the oldest vampires alive,” Lucian answered, “and our governing body. Just like the wolves have their monarch and summits, we have the Elders. They’re comprised of five ancient vampires, Pet, and there’s nothing on this earth they haven’t seen. That said, this cure is an anomaly for them.”

  “What do you think they’ll say?” I asked, true curiosity in my voice. I looked to Amy with concern. Amy was like the sister I never had. All I wanted to do was protect her.

  “Honestly, Pet, I don’t know. It has been deca
des since they visited my city, and they’re a fickle bunch. Real old school.”

  There was a general shuffling of feet and hushed voices as the vampires around us stood from the pews. Our attentions snapped to the front of the church where behind the altar, four men and a woman came from the back room in a single file line, made their way to the table situated for the Elders, and took their seats.

  They ranged across different ages and ethnicities. The first one on the right was a younger looking man with a bald head and almond-shaped eyes that narrowed further as he scanned the crowd. Beside him was a woman with long, auburn hair braided back from her face, revealing one of the loveliest women I’d ever seen. To her left were two gentlemen who looked much older than the other two. I assumed they must have been changed in their later years. The last one on the end was a man who looked to be in his thirties, boasting a head full of dark hair and twinkling, navy blue eyes that made me do a double take as I noticed the smirk on his face that was directed at me.

  Lucian directed Amy and me to stand before the front row pew, and when the bald Elder motioned with his hand, everyone took a seat. The quiet in the church was deafening, and I couldn’t shake the look the vampire at the end was giving me. His eyes hadn’t left me since he entered, and the intensity of his stare made my hackles rise.

  “I see we have an unexpected guest,” the one with the navy-blue eyes spoke as his grin widened. “A wolf?”

  I went to stand and speak for myself when Lucian beat me to the punch. He stood and adjusted the collar of his black shirt, moving to stand before the council.

  “Isaac, apologies for not giving you notice, but I thought it was imperative that Mackenzie Grey, Princess of the Lycans, be present for our hearing since she was the one who acquired the cure for Amelia.”