Curse Breaker

by Karina Espinosa

  “What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment,” I chuckled.

  Those dark eyes softened, and I could tell he was worried.

  “Now tell me,” I changed the subject, “how did you get out of the cathedral?”

  He grinned, and then we spent the next hour talking about everything under the sun—or the moon, in his case. Lucian even ordered a hot dog, and I invited Amy inside to join us. For the first time in a long time, everything seemed to be getting back to normal, even as I still had the lingering question: Why did you almost kill me? But right now was not the time to ask. Maybe when it was all over, but not yet. Not when our relationship was so fragile.

  After we went our separate ways, Amy and I headed back to the house. I looked up at the sky and noticed it was almost a full moon. I hadn’t shifted in days, and I should probably get with Jackson to go for a run before I let myself get taken. I needed all my strength to fortify me for the coming days. The last thing I needed was to be out of control and taken over by the wolf.

  If things were truly back to normal, I would have shifted with Bash. I sighed. I wonder what he’s doing?

  9

  All the puzzle pieces had been put into place. I was the last one left, and we were just waiting for the full moon to pass so I wouldn’t be stuck in a cell while my wolf raged. I wasn’t moon-bound anymore, but I still felt the effects a little stronger on full moons. In an already agitated state, it wouldn’t be a good idea for anyone.

  “How are you feeling?” Jackson asked during our drive to the state park later that night.

  “I’m fine,” I answered noncommittally. It was just me and him. The other day when Amy and I left to see Lucian, he’d gone to run some errands that took all night and most of the morning. I didn’t ask questions, but I was surprised that Amy didn’t, either. “So, where did you go?”

  His hands tightened on the wheel. “Go?”

  “The other day when you were gone all night. Where did you go?” I asked nonchalantly.

  Jackson cleared his throat. “What are you, my parole officer?” He laughed awkwardly. “I just had some stuff to do.”

  Some stuff to do? Stuff to do, my ass. He was up to something, and I didn’t like it. “This isn’t the time to have trust issues between us.”

  “You know you can trust me, Kenz. On Jonah’s honor, I swear I’m not doing anything that will hurt you or mess up our plans.”

  I stayed quiet. If he swore he wasn’t up to something, then I believed him. At least that meant he wasn’t up to something that could put a kink in our plans. Everything had to go as smoothly as possible. My life was on the line.

  Jackson pulled into the park and we got out of the car. From what we could tell it was empty, but you could never be too sure. With flashlights in hand, we entered the dense forest and went deep into the woods until we found the perfect spot.

  “Here,” he said. “There’s an alcove beneath the tree we can put our things in.”

  At my nod, we dropped our flashlights and started to undress under the starry night and its round, full moon. Carefully folding our clothes, we tucked them into the little hideaway under the tree. Clicking the flashlights off and placing them on top of our clothes, we stood before each other completely bare.

  I remembered a time when this used to frighten me; when being naked in front of someone made me turn redder than a tomato. By now, I’d shifted in front of so many other wolves, I didn’t care who saw me. I was comfortable in my own skin.

  I dropped onto all fours just as Jackson did, feeling deep inside for my wolf. C’mon, Wolfey. Come out to play! I taunted. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. She awoke with a ferocity I felt deep in my bones, and I felt the liquid fire run through my veins as my spine arched and snapped, my bones cracking and making way for the wolf. This process used to hurt when I was moon-bound, but now it was more of a relief whenever I shifted.

  My arms twisted in unusual angles, my muzzle protruded, and my canines and claws slid out as I turned into a full, black as night, wolf. My eyes turned silver as I bristled and shook my fur. I padded around the area, looking for Jackson—my night vision making the inky darkness clear as day.

  A honey-brown wolf with amber highlights and golden eyes brushed up beside me and I huffed as I saw Jackson. He looked just like Jonah. It made my wolf want to cry. She missed him so much. Instead, I licked my canines and bumped his hindquarters, then made a mad dash through the forest, giving him a silent invitation to follow me.

  Let’s run.

  We spent almost two days at the state park in wolf form. Had we been at Cadwell Estate, we would have continued for a third day, but time was of the essence.

  With twigs in my hair and my body black from the loamy soil, I lay on the ground naked, staring up at a canopy of trees and squinting my eyes at the setting sun.

  “We should get going,” Jackson said from behind me. I looked back and found him standing there barefooted in low-slung jeans, carrying all our things. “Have a good run?” he smirked, tossing me my clothes and the cloaking spell potion.

  I caught them as I sat up, downing the potion immediately. Bobby told me they could only track me, not the wolf. “You know I did.” I smiled broadly. We’d spent it mostly together. Hunting, playing, and trying to stay away from humans.

  “Ditto,” he replied, refreshed. “I brought some waters. They’re in the car. Although they’re probably not cold anymore. I put them in a cooler.”

  “It’s all good.” I pulled my shirt over my head. “I’ll drink it hot. I’m just thirsty.” I stood and put on my jeans, following Jackson out of the woods.

  We got back to the car and dumped our shoes and other miscellaneous items in the backseat. Jack went to the trunk and took out two water bottles. He tossed me one and I gulped it down greedily.

  “Any messages?” I asked as I watched him check his phone.

  “Yeah, Amy wants us back at the house. She sent it last night.”

  I reached in the car for my phone and checked for messages. I had a few. Some from Amy, Alexander, Mason, Lucian—and my brother, Ollie. That made me raise a brow. Seemed like I was a popular girl. I ignored everybody else’s messages and opened the one that Ollie sent two nights ago at midnight.

  Miss you. Want to Skype?

  It was all he said, which was weird as hell. Why would he want to video chat in the middle of the night?

  I didn’t wait to respond. Especially since I didn’t know when I’d get to talk to him again.

  Sorry, I’ve been busy at work. Just seeing your text. You ok?

  I sent it and checked the others. Alexander was just responding to my updates, Mason wanted to know what the plan was, and Lucian was giving me the all-clear. And just like with Jackson, Amy was calling us back to the house.

  “I got the same text as you,” I told Jackson. “Call her. Make sure everything is okay.”

  He nodded and walked away for some privacy to make his call.

  I looked down at my phone and wondered about Oliver’s text. Something didn’t sit well with me. Was something wrong with my brother? Why the late-night chat? Ugh. Just what I needed, something else to worry about just as I was about to be taken and tortured. And there would be nothing I could do about it.

  “We might have a slight problem,” Jackson said as he came back toward the car. “It’s Bobby.”

  “What about him?” I frowned.

  “Amy overheard one of his phone conversations. Apparently, he was discussing the sale of the elixir.”

  I tightened my hands into fists. My nails dug so deep into my palms, crescent moons formed on my skin. “That two-timing son of a bitch,” I growled.

  “How can he have the cure?” he asked. “You haven’t told a soul where it is.”

  I shook my head. “I think he can track it. He did create it, after all,” I mused. “Now, I’m no witch, but the only way he could do that is by using something of Jonah’s to track it.”

  “He’d have to use m
y blood,” Jackson offered. “That’s all we have left of Jonah.”

  I paced by the car, my jaw clenching and unclenching with frustration. I couldn’t believe I trusted that slime ball for even a second. The other night when we were talking, I really thought he wouldn’t betray me. He actually made me believe it.

  “Let’s get back to the house,” I finally relented. “And you better sleep with one eye open, Jack. There’s no way in hell you’re giving that piece of shit your blood.”

  We made it back to the house and surprise, surprise, Bobby wasn’t there. He’d left for Chinatown and wouldn’t be back until morning. If that was really where he went. I didn’t know what was true anymore with Bobby. He was always coming and going, and we never really questioned him. That was my mistake.

  “What are we going to do?” Amy asked as we glumly sat around the kitchen counter.

  “There’s nothing we can do at this point,” I replied. “Now it’s up to us to finish this. We need to stay on track, kill the Elders, and be done with it. Then there will be no one to give the cure to.”

  Jackson sighed. “What if he’s the Elders’ warlock? Bobby is extremely powerful and well connected. He could be the one.”

  “Then why hasn’t he turned me in?” I asked, shaking my head. “He only recently started asking me about where I stashed the cure. No, I don’t think he’s their warlock. But something in the game changed for him, and he’s playing both sides. For now, we pretend like nothing’s changed. We know nothing.”

  “The minute you leave this house,” Amy started, “I’m leaving. And I hope you come with me, Jack.”

  “You know it, babe.”

  “You guys don’t plan to stay here in the safe house? It’s safe.”

  “It was safe for you.” Amy reached over to grab my hand. “But we don’t need this level of protection. When you’re free, you can find us at your apartment.”

  I squeezed her hand. She was right. They were just staying in this house for me. I was the only one who needed the cloaking spell, not them.

  “Alright, then.” I let her go and shuffled to the coffee pot, pouring myself one last cup. “Just one more before I go.”

  I left the house without taking the potion. Jackson and Amy came along to offer moral support, driving me into the city and straight to the SIU building.

  It started to rain the minute we left the house, which I felt was an omen of what was to come. I didn’t really believe in signs, but when the thunder started, well, it was hard not to believe.

  When Jack pulled up in front of the SIU building I stepped out of the car and into the deluge, drenching my jeans, Converses, black t-shirt, and leather jacket within seconds. Lucian stood beneath the overhang at the front of the building, waiting for me.

  I turned to look at Amy, who exited the car quickly. Her flaming red hair was plastered to her cheeks as she squinted to see me through the downpour. “Are you sure you want to do this, Kenz? Please, think about this!” she yelled against the intensity of the rain and noises of city life.

  “I’ll be okay,” I shouted back. “You know what you have to do.”

  She nodded once and then pulled me into one of her bear hugs. I squeezed her just as hard, closing my eyes. I would do anything for Amy. She was my heart and soul, and without her, I would have been lost a long time ago. Everything I did, I was doing for her.

  “I love you, Aims,” I whispered in her ear.

  “I love you too, Kenz,” she choked out.

  I pulled away, thankful the rain hid the tears rolling down my cheeks.

  Jackson exited the car next, clearing his throat. “Bash is going to lose his shit. You better make it out of this alive.”

  I smiled. “That means you better keep your blood to yourself.”

  “I have faith in you, Mackenzie,” Jackson announced solemnly, lightly punching my arm. “I always have.”

  This felt too much like goodbye, like they didn’t think I’d make it out alive, and they wanted to make sure I knew how much they cared.

  I pulled Jackson into a hug and whispered, “Thank you.”

  After saying our goodbyes, I jogged across the street to meet up with Lucian. Jackson and Amy watched my retreating figure from where they stood at the car. Just as I approached Lucian, he clutched my upper arm seconds before Cas, Finn, and Michaels burst out of the building. Their locator must have informed them that I was there.

  Lucian and I spun around to face them, his grip tightening on my arm.

  “What the hell is going on?” Cas yelled to be heard over the rain.

  “I’ve just caught the elusive Mackenzie Grey and I’m taking her to the Elders,” Lucian purred.

  While I couldn’t see well in this weather, I could very well imagine the look of shock etched on Michaels’ face.

  “Give her to us,” Cas proposed. “We’ll have a fair trial, but let us handle it, Lucian. Please,” Cassidy begged. I felt sorry for him. He really was worried.

  “Gentlemen, you know the rules,” Lucian chided. “Whomever catches her first, lays claims. You almost had her, but you weren’t fast enough.”

  Finn hung back quietly behind Cas and Michael. He was the only one out of the three who wasn’t surprised.

  “Grey, why were you here?” Michaels asked suspiciously. I could tell he didn’t understand why I would have come out of hiding. I’d been playing it so safe since I went on the run. To suddenly pop out in the open like this just didn’t make sense. Hopefully, Finn would help them piece it all together.

  I ignored his question. “Whatever happens from here on out, just know it’s self-defense,” I shouted over the lashing rain.

  “What?” Cas looked taken aback. “What’s going on, Grey?”

  “Be ready when the time comes.” I looked directly at Finn. I knew he couldn’t see me well through the barrage, but he nodded, acknowledging my request. “Trust me.”

  With that last statement, Lucian tucked me against his body and whisked me away with vampire speed. In a flash, we were gone.

  We stopped a few blocks around the corner from the building and I struggled to catch my breath. I’d never experienced the speed of a vampire before. The world around me tilted and I felt extremely dizzy.

  Lucian held me up straight to keep me from falling. “Easy there, Pet,” he murmured.

  “A heads up would have been nice,” I groaned, feeling like I was about to barf.

  “No time,” he said, clasping his hand in mine. “But let’s get a move on before they send out a search party.”

  Soaking wet from head to toe, we stepped inside the cathedral, Lucian gripping my upper arm unyieldingly for effect. He dragged me inside kicking and screaming. Even if I’d wanted to, I wouldn’t have been able to pull myself away from his hold. That was how strong he was. Imagine if this was actually real.

  “Let me go!” I shrieked, beating and clawing at a chest made of stone. He didn’t even flinch. “Let me go, you son of a bitch!”

  “What is all this commotion?” a man’s voice came from behind the altar. It was too dark to see, but my attention was focused on thrashing in Lucian’s hold as he dragged me mercilessly between the pews.

  Suddenly, Lucian threw me to the ground with such force, I slid across the polished marble floor until my back hit the first steps to the altar.

  That was when I saw him.

  Isaac.

  He stood at the top of the steps and looked down upon me with disdain. A shaft of light silhouetted his dark figure, giving him a halo, and I was able to see him clearly now. That head full of ebony hair and those stunning navy-blue eyes. They gleamed with malicious excitement as they drank me in, as if he’d just won the grand prize.

  “My liege.” Lucian bowed to him. “As requested, I have acquired Mackenzie Grey.”

  My body trembled, not from fear, but because I was lying on a cold marble floor in wet clothes. Plus, the vamps kept the temperature in the church at a frosty level more suitable for penguins. My body ne
eded time to acclimate.

  “When you first asked me to release you to find her, I doubted you, Lucian. Please forgive me,” Isaac conceded with an imperious nod. “I see your loyalty has never wavered.”

  I spit at Isaac’s feet. “Fuck you.”

  He grinned. “You’re a wild thing, aren’t you? Reckless and out of control.” He squatted and lowered himself to my level. “We’re going to have so much fun, Mackenzie Grey. I have so many things planned for you.”

  “I know what you really want,” I whispered, “and I’m not giving it to you.”

  Isaac’s smirk faltered a little, and for a moment, I saw beneath his crafty façade. It wasn’t pretty.

  He didn’t waste any time. He grabbed a clump of wet hair, taking a nice handful from the roots, and hauled me up the steps to the altar, dragging me to the back door.

  I careened off walls and furniture along the way, bruising and battering my body. During the first moments of what I knew would be a long, excruciating ordeal, I focused on Lucian’s cold eyes until we disappeared into the depths of the church.

  I was taken to a room that appeared to be a dining hall. It was dark and windowless, yet held a table of dark wood that looked like it could seat at least fourteen guests. Isaac continued to drag me by the hair until he arrived at the head of the table and released me, but then he dusted his hands on my wet shirt to remove the few strands he managed to rip out of my head. He sat in the chair, unfolded a white cloth napkin, and placed it gracefully on his lap. I sat on the ground, unsure what to do.

  “If you try to run, I will throw this steak knife into your spine,” he said with ease as he uncovered the food before him, releasing the aroma of well marinated meat into the room.

  “So, I’m just supposed to sit here while you eat?”

  “You are a dog,” he sniffed as he took a bite of his food.

  I growled.

  “Precisely.” He set his utensils down and looked at me. “Between you and I, you did us a favor by killing Ephraim. He was holding us back from our true mission.”