Curse Marked: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (The Marked Series Book 1)

by Rinna Ford

  "Yeah, I know he won't." I groaned. "By the way, can you give him his dragon back now? I think he's shown that he's trustworthy, don't you?"

  Just then, the house rocked again, but this time the explosion was deafening, and it felt as if the orb actually made contact with the house. Ainsley and Xander came running down the hall toward us seconds later.

  Chapter Seventeen

  "They broke through!" Ainsley yelled and shut and locked the door behind him. "Dev, you better get to moving on that spell because I don't think we have that much time.”

  Devlin looked from Ainsley to me. "Emelia, wish for the backpack in your closet," he quietly told me. How he knew about my go-pack was beyond me, but the fact that he did and he wanted me to have it at that very moment, frightened me.

  "Why do I need it now, Dev?" I gulped. "We're teleporting the cabin.”

  "Firecracker, they're already making their way inside. It's no use."

  "What do we do then?" Xander spoke up and came to stand beside me. "Dragons aren't known for running."

  "No, they're not," Ainsley deadpanned. "And you wonder why there are so few left."

  Xander gritted his teeth but otherwise remained silent instead of getting into an argument with Ainsley.

  "Okay then, what's the plan?" I asked. I held out my hand and called for my backpack, slipping it on my shoulders after it appeared.

  Devlin walked up to stand beside Ainsley. They looked at each other and had a silent conversation, but I could tell that it was one filled with sadness.

  "We'll hold them off, and you run," Devlin said, never taking his eyes off of the man that he loved, he took Ainsley's hand in his own and gently squeezed it.

  "What? No!" I took a step forward. "We'll all fight together or run together!"

  "Firecracker, they're after you, not us," Devlin told me, his smile was sad.

  "Yeah, and they will kill you anyway! Guys don't do this! We can all run together!"

  "Xander, we're trusting you to take our girl somewhere safe," Devlin turned to my mate, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Someplace they won't think to look. I know it's not in your nature to run, but she's not ready to face them yet. You have to protect her at all costs."

  I looked up at Xan, pleading for him to listen to me and not my uncle, but he never returned my eye contact. His gaze remained locked on Devlin. "I understand," he told Dev. Then, he crumpled down to his knees as if the air had been knocked out of his lungs. He quickly looked up and smiled at his breathtaking smile. "Thank you." I assumed that Devlin returned Xander's dragon because he stood back up and looked stronger than before if that were even possible.

  My dragon purred and rubbed against the mating bond, and I chastised her for it. It wasn't the time for that. Everyone was trying to get me to leave two of the most important people in my life!

  Ainsley let go of Devlin's hand and walked up to me, grabbing my upper arms and pulling me close. "Sugar bear, please do this. We'll be alright, I promise. We'll hold them off and meet up with you later. You should have more faith in your Uncle Ainsley and Uncle Devlin." He tisked as if he were disappointed in me, but I knew he was only trying to lighten the mood. Goodness, I loved him.

  A tear rolled down my cheek. "Promise me, Ainsley. You and Dev will do everything you can to get away."

  He turned his head to Devlin. "We promise," he said.

  "Okay," I wiped the stray tear off my face, "so I teleport Xan and me out of here, and then what?"

  "We run," Xander said.

  "And we'll find you later." Devlin handed me a ring with a red ruby in it. "This was your mother's," he told me. "I've put a tracking spell on it so I'll be able to find you as long as you're wearing it."

  I slipped it onto the ring finger on my right hand and nodded. Then, I wrapped my arms around my uncle and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Dev."

  "I love you too, Firecracker."

  I then gave Ainsley a hug, and he said that he loved me more than Devlin did, making me laugh at the worst possible time, but that was Ainsley's way. He loved filling uncomfortable moments with laughter.

  I walked over to Xander, adjusted my backpack, and took his hand in mine. "See you soon," I waved to my uncles, and teleported us just beyond the tree line on the opposite side of the house from the creek.

  At that very moment, I saw a couple of casters make their way through the front door, and into the cabin. I began to run toward them when Xander caught my arm.

  "Emi, please stay with me. We need to stick to the plan."

  I nodded and watched for a few more seconds, and as I began to turn and sneak away, Ainsley rushed out of the house in his wolf form, attacking one of the casters. He latched onto the man's throat and shook until the other guys stopped fighting and went limp.

  He let go of the caster, but before he could attack someone else, he was knocked onto his side and swarmed by three more casters.

  "No! Ainsley!" I broke free from Xander's hold and began to run straight out toward Ainsley. He was doing his best to fight them off, but it was too much. Every time he tried to get up, he was knocked back down, blood spraying the ground around him as he kept getting cut and lashed with magical objects.

  I removed my backpack as I felt my body begin to shift, but before I could fully transform into my dragon, I felt Xander catch my arm and something prick my neck.

  "I'm sorry, Emi," he said, and my body began to lose strength. I felt my dragon pull back into myself and fade away as if asleep.

  "Xan, what did you do?" I asked, my voice slurred.

  "I’m keeping you safe," he replied. I slowly turned my head back toward where Ainsley was fighting for his life.

  "Ainsley." The image of his prone body lying on the ground was the last thing I saw as my eyes closed, unable to fight the darkness.

  "Dad? Where are you?" I was in the field that I met my father in after my powers returned to me, so I knew I was going to be able to talk to my father. It was obvious I was asleep, but the last thing I remember was Ainsley falling, dying. I couldn't get to him. I needed my dad's help.

  "Right here, sweetheart." I heard his voice from behind me. I suddenly turned to see him standing there, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and a look of sadness on his face.

  "Please tell me that Devlin and Ainsley made it. Daddy, I can't lose them too." My voice became thick with anguish as the last few words passed my lips.

  He dropped his head and sighed. "Emelia, I can't tell you that, because I don't know. I'm sorry."

  "What do you mean you don't know?" Desperation filled my voice.

  "Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I'm all-knowing," he told me. "I can only see what relates to you directly, and whether they live or die doesn't impact your path in life."

  "How?" I threw my hands up. "How would it not impact me? They are my family, and Devlin has watched over me my whole life! The two of them potentially being dead would impact me in ways I can't even imagine!" I quickly breathed in and out, trying to hold the tears at bay. Crying wouldn't help anything right now. I turned around and walked several steps away through the wildflowers.

  "I know," he said. "I have always been so grateful for Devlin and his commitment to you." I turned back around to face him. "But Emelia, I don't make the rules. I wish I could help you with this, but sweetheart, I just can't.” His eyes were pleading with me to understand his position. And, I did.

  I took a moment to think about what I should ask. It had to be something that would impact me directly. "How could that have happened? How did they find us?"

  "You were right to assume it was your caster who led them to you," Dad confirmed.

  My thoughts went to the stranger’s handsome face and the desperation in his eyes when he said that he'd take care of me. He didn't know who I was other than his mate, so how did he lead them to me?

  "Michael Ironshot is an extremely clever man," Dad then said, releasing me from my thoughts. "Your mate works directly with Ironshot," I gaspe
d as I realized what that meant. Dad sighed. "Ironshot knows that you are still alive, Emelia because your mom told him."

  "What? Why would she do that?"

  Devlin told me that she was with her mate against her will, even though Xan told me that she appears happy. But then, why curse me at all if she really was happy with her mate? Why not just let them kill me?

  "I don't know. I do know that she wouldn't hurt you willingly, but she told him anyway." He shrugged his shoulders. "But, Ironshot knew that you were still alive, what kind of curse your mom put on you, and when it would wear off. So, when your second mate felt the pull to find his mate around the same time, Ironshot knew you'd regained your paranormal powers and he took a chance on it being his man."

  My eyebrows furrowed, and I looked down at the ground. So, although my mate knew that he was looking for his mate, he didn't know that the person he was sent to bring in was her. Just that she was nearby. His ignorance didn't completely let him off the hook, though. He did work with the enemy, and closely, if my father was telling the truth.

  But, why would my mom tell Michael Ironshot that I was alive? I was just thankful that she didn't know where Dev had hidden me after I was cursed. I would have been dead a long time ago.

  I kneeled down and put my head in my hands. It was all too much. My life was turning out to be more than I could handle. But, I knew my dad had more to say.

  "Is there anything else I need to know before I wake up?" I asked, hesitantly.

  Dad walked over until he was directly in front of me, and then kneeled down, putting his hands on my forearms near my wrists. He gently pulled my arms toward him and my head rose up to look at him.

  "I know this is hard. I wish more than anything that you didn't have to have such a difficult life. It isn't fair, and I know that. I'm sorry that because of the actions of your mom and me that you're going through this."

  My eyebrows furrowed, and I started to become angry. "How is any of this your fault?" I asked. You didn't ask to fall in love with my mom, or to die protecting us!"

  "True, but I knew the rules, and decided to be with your mom in secret anyway."

  "Oh, come on, those rules are horse shit and you know it! For what purpose do they keep the races separate?" I jumped up and began pacing in front of my dad.

  "They say because it would dilute the races, mix them up and make them weaker."

  "Such complete and utter crap!" I threw my hands up and continued pacing, working myself into a frenzy. "I'm living proof that even though I'm half shifter and half caster, I still have the exact power of two full supernaturals. I even have two mates! I guarantee that if I had a kid with either one of them, that child would be either full shifter or full caster! Diluting the races! Bullshit!"

  I was still pacing back and forth when I realized my dad wasn't responding to my tirade. I stopped in my tracks and turned to see him sitting back with his legs crossed at the ankle in front of him. He was leaning back with his hands propping him up, and a small, knowing smile playing on his lips.

  When he saw that he had my attention, he asked, "If they're lying, then why do you think they forbid mixing the races?" He raised one eyebrow in question. I started to answer, but then I felt my body begin to wake up. My eyes rose up in panic because I wasn't done talking to my dad yet. "Time's up," he said and rose to his feet. He grabbed my upper arms near my shoulders and leaned down so that we were face to face. "Don't give up, Emelia," he said. "Don't ever give up. Life is going to get a lot harder, and when you figure out the answer to the question I just asked, it'll get even harder. I'm sorry about that. I love you, sweetheart."

  "I love you too, Dad," I gulped as he and the field around us faded away.

  Chapter Eighteen

  My body rocked back and forth as I began to wake from my deep sleep. It felt like I was on a boat or something, and it almost lulled me back to sleep. Remembering what my dad said, I make myself wake up, I needed answers. Slowly I began to open my eyes, I felt a series of sharp pains shooting through my skull and quickly put my hands on either side of my head, wincing. "What in the hell?" I asked starting to sit up with my eyes still closed but then fell forward into a wall of some sort. “What did you do to me?”

  I cracked open my eyes to see that it wasn't a wall, but the front seat of a car. I peeked to the side to see the wooded landscape zipping by, which confirmed the fact that we were moving, and moving fast if the feel of the turns were any indication.

  I looked around the headrest and saw Xan's chiseled profile, his gaze out the front windshield as he drove us to wherever we were going.

  "Xan?" I asked. My hands were still on my head above my ears, helping to numb the ringing.

  "Hey," he replied.

  I moved my feet down to the floor to make sure that my legs were stable, then I pushed off and climbed in between the two front seats. I plopped down in the passenger seat and closed my eyes again, leaning my head back.

  "Seatbelt," He said and I raised my eyebrows.

  "Seriously?"

  "Yup. You're in the front seat, you wear a seatbelt."

  I huffed and reached across my body with my left hand, finding the buckle and clicking into place.

  "Satisfied?" I asked, sarcastically.

  "Most definitely."

  “Xander, what did you do to me?” I rolled my head to the side so that I was looking at him. My eyes opened and closed slowly as if they were moving in slow motion. I felt drunk or drugged.

  He sighed. “I injected you with dragon venom,” he told me, almost a little sheepishly. “Dragons have poison in their bite and on the tips of their front claws, when half-changed.” I continued to blink my eyes. He poisoned me? “It slowly kills most human and supernatural victims, all except other dragons. With other dragons, it just puts them to sleep. I shifted my hand and pricked you with my claw.”

  I sighed. The one person who was supposed to put me first, always, and who I was supposed to trust, drugged me. “Did it not occur to you that because I’m not just a dragon shifter that your venom might kill me? Or that I could be put in a coma, or something, because of what you did?” Xander clenched his jaw but didn’t respond letting me know that he didn’t think about it at the time. I started to get angry.

  Not only did he knock me out with potentially dangerous venom, but he sat back while my uncles fought for their lives, and stopped me from helping them too! Not to mention, I was still a little raw over the whole bonding thing.

  “Emi, I did what I had to do to get you to safety. You are my only priority, and your uncle was right to make you leave!”

  “I could have helped them!” I screamed at him, the sound bouncing around the car’s cabin, making me slightly wince. “They’re my uncles, Xander. They’re part of the only family I have left. Had left.” My words got softer and softer as I talked, as the meaning behind them sunk in. Ainsley, maybe even Dev were probably dead. Died while Xander and I ran away.

  “Baby, you couldn’t have helped them.” Xander’s voice was gentle, kind. “The Council is like an ocean wave. It overwhelms everything in its path and washes it all away. I know from experience, remember? My father has been on the Council for longer than I can remember. They only pick the strongest of the strong to work for them.”

  “Then why did you agree to let them stay and fight if you knew it was hopeless? That they were essentially committing suicide by staying?”

  He was quiet for a moment and then said, “Because they asked me to. The two of them wanted to fight together, side by side, for the noblest cause they could think of, protecting you. I’ve only known the men for a few days, and I could easily tell how much they loved you, Emi. No matter how much I wanted to step in and drag them along for your sake, it wasn’t my decision.”

  “Then why didn’t you help them? You got your dragon back. You could have laid waste to them all.”

  “If I did that, I would have left you unprotected. Like I said, you are my priority, now and always.”


  We rode in almost near silence as he drove for several minutes. My head was hurting less and less, and I could even feel my dragon begin to stir. She didn't want out, thank goodness, but she did purr at the thought of being next to her mate. She especially liked that Xander had his dragon back as well. I could tell because her excitement was even greater than before.

  I pushed her down because even though I shared her need to be close to Xan, I didn’t want to. I heard his argument, but I didn’t like it. In fact, I was so hurt and angry with him for what he had done that I began to cry. I sat in the passenger seat with my head hung down, and silently let the tears flow.

  I cried because I mourned Dev and Ainsley. I cried because I felt betrayed by my mate. I cried because my feelings confused me, and I didn’t want to want that asshole caster. I cried because my life was so much harder than it should be.

  Xander reached across the armrest and took my left hand into his. Even though I was hurt and angry with him, I let him do it, because I needed the comfort that only my mate could give to me.

  I cried for a long time, and he let me do it without judgment or words. When the tears began to finally slow, I looked out the front windshield as we approached a big white sign that announced the town we were driving through. I let go of Xander’s hand and wiped the tears from my face with my sleeve.

  "Where are we?" I asked, reading the name of the town as we zipped by it.

  "We’re in Tennessee," he replied.

  "How long have we been driving?" I didn't know exactly where Dev and Ainsley’s cabin was, but I knew it was in the Northeast. “And where did you get this car?” Why didn’t it occur to me to ask sooner?

  Xan glanced at the clock on the dashboard then back to the road. “About nine hours, give or take. And this car is mine. I left it back at a Ranger station, about ten miles from your uncle's’ cabin when I knew I was close to finding you. I did, however, ‘borrow’ a new license plate after our first gas stop.”