Curse Breaker

by Karina Espinosa

  All but one raised their hands and I chuckled slyly. The one who didn’t raise his hand was the other Fae. He watched me carefully, as if he had something to say but was holding back. I knew what it was, but I had to keep my lips sealed.

  “I’ll sit this one out. She can take my spot,” the stoic Fae, Malakai, said with narrowed eyes. I only nodded his way.

  Malakai was a Fae rebel during the Freedom War. He went against the Fae Queen and started a small rebellion in the Fae realm. When the Freedom War began, he joined our side and helped us defeat her. Not many people knew or wanted to believe that there were some Fae who actually fought against Drusilla and all her evil, but Malakai was one of them. What he was doing here with two vampires was a mystery.

  So, the game began. The other vampire, who had a head full of beautiful dreadlocks, broke and picked stripes.

  “I’m Carlos, by the way,” the Hispanic vampire introduced himself. “And this is my buddy Damon.” He pointed to his other vampire friend, who winked.

  “And I’m Arion.” My partner for the game held out his hand. I gave him mine and he quickly pulled my hand closer and gave me a gentle kiss on the top of it, followed by a smirk.

  I couldn’t stop the flush that rose up from my neck. “Charming,” I said, pulling my hand from his grasp. It was one thing to flirt for my cover, but it was quite another to let them get handsy. I’d have to keep an eye on Arion.

  “And you?” Carlos took a shot and made it into the corner pocket.

  “Me, what?” I asked dumbly.

  “Your name.”

  “Oh,” I laughed awkwardly. “Celeste.” I’d thought about it in the car, and I looked like a Celeste. Well, that was what babynames.com told me, anyway. It was the prettiest name out of the bunch on such short notice.

  “Celeste.” Damon let it roll off his tongue. “I like it. Sounds like you have an old soul.”

  “Maybe not as old as you,” I quipped at the vampire, and they all burst out laughing. “Sorry.” I gave him a flirty smile.

  “No, it’s okay, I like a girl with a sense a humor,” Damon smirked. “And I am old. A hundred and forty years old.”

  That made me raise both brows. I knew vamps were old, but damn, I hadn’t met many besides Lucian and Roman who were of a certain age, I guess you could say. It was definitely an eye raiser to see them so casually in the wild.

  “Your turn, Arion,” Carlos said, and we watched the Fae as he lined up his cue, aimed, and shot the ball into the left side pocket. He did it one more time before he missed. I saw Carlos nudge Damon from the corner of my eye and then ask, “So, what Pack are you from, Celeste?”

  I had two options. I could lie and say I was from Queens, but then I could easily be caught in a web of lies if they questioned me and I answered wrong. Or, I could say I was from the Brooklyn Pack, where I knew the ins and outs and could string a better story. I went with my best bet.

  “The Brooklyn Pack,” I shyly answered as Arion motioned for me to take my turn. I leaned over the table and lined up my cue. I was actually a decent pool player, but for the sake of my cover, I’d flounder a little to keep the game going. I missed on purpose and frowned apologetically. “Sorry, Arion.”

  “It’s okay, sweets.” He grinned like it really wasn’t a problem, but that sly look on his face concerned me.

  “Brooklyn, eh?” Carlos looked to Damon. “So you must know that lone wolf, the Luna Princess.”

  I had to hold back my expression because I really wanted to roll my eyes. These guys were not good at playing subtle. Their curiosity had been piqued, and they were going to try to interrogate me. If they only knew I was the one interrogating them.

  “Mackenzie?” I played stupid. They nodded slowly, but I saw the gleam in their eyes. They thought they’d hit the jackpot. It was no secret I was dating the Alpha of the Brooklyn Pack. Their rationale might be that I’d sought solace within the Pack. “What about her?”

  Damon shrugged nonchalantly. “She’s kind of a big deal to your people, right?”

  “She’s just a Luna like me,” I blurted, and the guys froze to stare at me. I quickly realized that might have been a mistake. In my quest to not boost my own ego and tone down my reputation, I might have raised some red flags. I bit my lip. “But she is our Freedom Princess,” I corrected and wanted to barf. I hated being called that.

  “Thanks to Queen Drusilla,” Arion murmured.

  Now that made me freeze.

  “Arion!” Malakai barked. “That’s enough.” He’d been so quiet behind us, I’d forgotten he was there. I peered over my shoulder and saw he was looking directly at me, his eyes unwaveringly intense.

  “It’s true,” Arion said. “She got her fame by killing our elders. First the Fae, and now the vampires. Who’s next? Her father?”

  “She would never do that!” I snapped back. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Was this how they viewed me?

  The Fae looked at me sympathetically. “I’m sure she seems nice, Celeste, and no offense to your people, but she’s a wild card. If they don’t reign her in, she’ll be your destruction.”

  I gaped at him stupidly, unsure what to say or how to react. What did you even say to that shit? I really wanted to say fuck you, but I was working on my attitude, so I swallowed the obscenities.

  “Don’t act like you liked Drusilla, Arion,” Malakai scoffed. “You were one of the first to join the rebellion. And I’m sure some of you weren’t fond of Ephraim, either.”

  I raised my gaze to the two vampires, who had stopped the game and were staring at one another.

  “Ephraim was a dick,” Damon said with a chuckle.

  “Damon!” Carlos scolded, but the other vamp just rolled his eyes.

  “It’s true.” He shrugged. “He withheld that cure on purpose. You know it just as much as I do,” he lowered his voice.

  Carlos leaned forward. “Doesn’t matter,” he whispered. “The Elders are still in town, and if they hear what we’re saying—”

  “They’ll stake us?” Damon snorted. “Those old timers can come for me if they want to.”

  “No one’s coming for anyone,” Malakai said and stood from the stool he was sitting on, walking toward us. “We’re just having a casual conversation with our new friend.” He grinned at me. There was something in Malakai’s expression, a mischievous, knowing look, and I could have sworn he knew who I was.

  I cleared my throat. “I don’t understand what’s going on.” I acted oblivious and let it show on my face as I looked at each one of them.

  “You really don’t know?” Carlos asked me, and I shook my head. “Where have you been?”

  “The Brooklyn Pack has been out of town since our warehouse burned down. I just got in to stay with a friend today,” I said by way of explanation.

  The lightbulbs in their heads clicked and it made sense to them.

  “She might be hiding with the Pack,” Carlos suggested to Damon.

  “Who? Mackenzie?” I asked. Carlos nodded. “She’s been in a fight with our Alpha. We haven’t seen her in weeks,” I lied effortlessly. It wasn’t necessarily a lie, but more like a stretched truth.

  The guys looked at one another and frowned. Their one and only lead just went down in flames. I pushed for them to tell me what happened and finally, our pool game forgotten, they directed me to a high-top table and we all sat down. Arion ordered some beers and we settled in for story time.

  “Mackenzie Grey killed one of our Elders,” Carlos started, going on to tell the story about the night of the hearing and the cure for Amy. Some details were left out, but overall, the tale was left intact. Between Damon and Carlos, they repeated what happened, though I could tell they were on opposing sides.

  “The Elders have us running around searching for her, when there are more important things to worry about,” Damon said as he took a swig of his beer.

  “But you’re not looking for her now,” I noted.

  “That’s not necessarily true,” Ma
lakai chimed in. “It’s why Arion and I are here.”

  Carlos nodded. “If she comes in, they’ll know.”

  I swallowed deeply. “How so?” I squeaked. I needed to eject myself from this group A.S.A.P., or I was in deep shit.

  “With Fae magic. It’ll notify us if she’s here,” Arion offered.

  Oh, fuck. “Why would she come in here? Seems kind of silly,” I chuckled.

  Damon lifted a shoulder. “She was spotted here by the SIU not too long ago. She might have some unfinished business. It’s worth a shot.”

  I could feel Malakai’s gaze on me and I wanted to disappear. Was this all a trick by him and Arion? Who was working the magic, and why hadn’t they busted me yet? The anticipation was killing me, and I just wanted to get out of there. I knew what I needed to know, and I’d pass the info along. Jackson and Amy could do the rest, but I needed to go.

  “I’m really sorry about your Elder,” I apologized to the vampires. “Although he was a dick, no one deserves to die. I’m sure it wasn’t Mackenzie’s intention. But it’s getting late, and I’d best be going,” I excused myself and got off the stool.

  “Aw, Celeste don’t go,” Carlos said. “We’re sorry we ruined the night with talks of our problems. I promise we won’t speak of it again.”

  “No, it’s okay, I really must go,” I said, when suddenly Arion grabbed my upper arm, a little too tight for comfort.

  “Don’t go,” Arion urged and his fingers tightened, digging into my skin.

  Malakai got off his stool, but before he could intercede, I stepped into Arion’s personal space like I was about to hug him. He grinned to the others, as if he was going to get lucky, when I kneed him in the balls. When he hunched over, I kneed him in the face. He fell back, knocking down a couple of chairs with him.

  “Mackenzie Grey taught me that,” I snapped before stepping over him. “It was nice to meet you, boys,” I called over my shoulder as I walked away.

  I was maneuvering my way through the crowd when I heard my name. Well, my other name.

  “Celeste!” Malakai called out in the midst of the loud crowd. “Wait up!”

  I stopped in the middle of the bar, in a throng of supernaturals, and waited for the Fae to approach me.

  He grinned widely. “You don’t make it easy, Kenz,” he said, laughing.

  I couldn’t hide the shock. “Excuse me?”

  He rolled his eyes. “You can fool them, but not me. I actually know you, and I’d recognize your scent anywhere. Even when you’re wearing someone else’s face.”

  My eyes narrowed, but when I realized he wasn’t going to give in, I finally relented. “Damn it, Malakai. My scent couldn’t have given me away.”

  He chuckled. “You’re right. It’s that damn tattoo on your hip. My magic bounced off it. That’s when I knew it was you.”

  I frowned. “But it only protects me from malicious magic.”

  He grinned. “I know. I was testing a theory.”

  I smacked his arm. “You son of a bitch! What if you were wrong? You could have hurt someone!”

  “Ouch!” he rubbed his arm. “But I wasn’t wrong. I knew it was you.”

  I furrowed my brows. “So why didn’t you bust me in front of your friends?”

  “Yeah, right,” he snorted. “I’m not handing you off to those idiots. Whatever you did, I know it had to be for a good reason. I trust you, Mackenzie. Now get out of here before they start to suspect something.”

  I smiled. “Thank you, Malakai.”

  He nodded, and before I knew it, he was lost in the crowd.

  I scanned the bar and found the empty table at which Jackson and Amy had been sitting. I did a quick walk-thru of the bar, and when I found they were no longer there, I left. I headed down to our meet-up point, which wasn’t where the car was parked, but at a diner a couple blocks down the street.

  It had been a while since I’d been outside and actually had some fresh air, so I took advantage of my temporary freedom as I strolled through the busy streets of New York City. The noisy streets were loud, cars honking, sirens blaring, and people yelling, but it was music to my ears.

  When I made it to the diner after a twenty-minute walk, I found Jackson and Amy in a back corner with a perfect view of all the exits. I quickly made my way over and took a seat opposite them.

  “Yummy, coffee.” I plopped down across from them and reached for the pot and a mug.

  Amy let out a mild shriek. “Gosh, I’m still not used to seeing you like that,” she gasped, clutching her chest.

  “What? Blond and perky?” I tilted my head.

  “Yes,” she said, exasperated. “It’s weird.”

  “Well, it got me good intel tonight,” I said as I rubbed my left eye. “Except these damn contacts are so itchy.”

  “What did you learn?” Jackson leaned forward on his elbows.

  “For one, there are rumors flying around that I’m going to kill my father next. I’m so not cool with that.”

  “What?” Amy gasped.

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “They’re saying that since I killed the Fae Queen, then a vampire Elder, I’ll be coming for the Lycan King next.”

  “That’s absurd, Kenz. You know that,” Jackson said as if it were common sense. It didn’t make it sting any less. For anyone on the outside looking in, it looked like a pattern. I couldn’t deny that.

  “You’re not feeding into this nonsense, are you?” Amy asked with a pierced brow raised up.

  I scoffed, “Of course not,” but deep down I wasn’t sure. I knew I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Alexander. At least never intentionally. But— I shook my head. I couldn’t think that way. They were right. This was ridiculous. “Anyway, I met a vamp we might be able to tap into. I got a vibe he might not be all gung-ho for the Elders.”

  “Which one?” Amy asked.

  “Damon. The one with the dreadlocks,” I answered. “He commented that Ephraim was a dick, and overall just didn’t agree with what they were doing. I think there’s more to it, though. What do you know about the Elders, Aims?”

  She shook her head. “Not much. I didn’t learn about them until Lucian told me about the hearing that night. All I know is that they’re the governing body of the vampires, and are the strongest. Almost invincible.”

  “I might know someone who can help,” Jackson said. “Jonah once dated the supernatural archivist. She might be able to give us more information on the Elders. What are you looking to find?”

  I leaned back in the booth and sighed heavily, blowing my bangs from my forehead. “I don’t know, I just got a vibe. Damon mentioned they had much more important things to be dealing with than this, so what’s making them go up in arms? It must not be because I killed Ephraim. It must be because of the cure. At the hearing they acted like they didn’t care for it, but maybe they do. There’s something bigger at play, and I’m being used as a scapegoat.”

  Jackson nodded. “Let’s talk to the archivist. She might give us some insight.”

  “Archivist?” Amy and I said in unison.

  I’d heard of many things in my short time in the supernatural community, but this was a first.

  “There’s one in every major city. A historian, if you will,” he replied. “We must protect our history and make sure it doesn’t land in the hands of humans.”

  “And Jonah dated her?”

  “Why, jealous?” Jackson smirked.

  “What?” I said, taken aback. “Not at all. Just wondering who the hell didn’t Jonah date, is all,” I added with a grin.

  “Funny,” he deadpanned.

  Jackson tossed a few bills on the table for the coffees and we got up to leave. I pulled out my phone and noticed I only had an hour and a half until the cloaking spell wore off, so we were on a time crunch. Stepping into the crisp night air, I followed them to where they parked the rental car and we got in. We drove in relative silence for twenty-five minutes until we got to our destination. Traffic was heavy, and what would normally ha
ve taken ten minutes, took much longer. We were still in the city, parked before a clock tower I’d never noticed before. And I prided myself on the fact that I knew just about every square inch of Manhattan.

  When Jackson turned off the car and got out, Amy and I followed him as he walked toward the tower. The structure boasted gothic architecture and had an ancient, otherworldly feel. It looked like we were going inside, and I wondered if the archivist worked inside the clock tower. If so, that would be pretty cool.

  As Jackson opened the front gate, it whined from non-use and we went inside. The entrance was dark except for a single lantern at the entryway. As if he’d done this a million times before, Jack grabbed the lantern and kept walking forward, lighting the way.

  “This is spooky,” I murmured, my voice echoing down the path. My voice carried, and the sound of multiple wings flapping resonated around us. In my mind, all I could think of were bats. Bats aiming for my neck, bats tangling in my hair. I scrunched up my shoulders to hide my neck and scanned the area, but it was too dark to see anything.

  Amy clamped a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I flinched. “Relax, Kenzie,” she soothed. “It’s just pigeons.”

  We traveled up a winding staircase until it brought us to a landing where there was finally some light, and what it illuminated was amazing. All around us were stacks upon stacks of books, along with endless rows of bookshelves. I couldn’t believe this all fit in a clock tower.

  “Whoa,” I muttered as I spun around. “This is dope.”

  “Annette?” Jackson called out. “It’s Jackson Cadwell. Jonah’s brother?”

  We waited by the stairwell for a few minutes, just basking in the enormity of the collection. If this was the history of the supernaturals, we would definitely find what we needed to know. Hopefully. Hell, Bash and I might even be able to ask her about our soulmate bond.

  “I don’t think she’s here,” Amy said, tugging on his sleeve. “Maybe we should go—”

  “Jackson?” A woman I assumed was Annette came out from behind the stacks. She was the studious type, I could tell right off the bat. Her hair was braided down her back, and her reading glasses hung on a gold chain around her neck. In a pair of well-worn jeans and a sweater, she walked over to us with a warm and welcoming smile. “Goodness, it’s been so long.”