Death (Cursed)

by Tara Brown

  "I've missed you." He says.

  Dorian snorts.

  "Well, you knew where I was." I say curtly. I don’t want to have the conversation with Aleks and Dorian and sleeping Hanna in the room.

  He takes a step toward me and puts his hand out, "Come, take a walk with me. I need to talk to you."

  I hesitate and then put my hand in his. I let him pull me away. It's not for the reason he wants it to be. It's guilt. I have a hard time denying him because of the guilt.

  His hand is warm and firm. It feels the way I remember, the way it felt years ago.

  I try not to see the boy I loved. I try to make myself see the animal I have made him into.

  He smiles and nudges me, "What's on your mind?"

  I frown, "You asked me to come."

  He shrugs, "I don’t like how that lug Aleks looks at you."

  I shake my head and look down, "He doesn't look at me." The lie feels weird crossing my lips. I know he looks at me. He does it all the time. Ophelia did something to him.

  "He does and you know it." He grabs both my hands and spins me around to face him. He plants his lips on mine. The kiss is forced and rough. I try to push him away, but he forces it. I pull slightly with my hands, zapping him almost. He snaps out of it and steps back, looking hurt. "What was that for?"

  I wipe my lips, "You didn’t have my permission."

  His eyes darken, "Will I ever?"

  I don’t hurt the way I used to when I'm around him. The guilt and anger at myself are there, but I see it. The truth. I didn’t mean to do it. I'm a victim of the circumstances as much as he is. "No. You won't." I say with a great deal of tension I my voice.

  He grabs my arms, "Why?" He shakes me and growls.

  I pull back, "Screw you." I shove him against the wall. He cracks a painting when he hits it. The frame breaks and the painting drops to the floor. The lit wall sconce flickers from the vibration. It flickers light across his face and fangs. He looks sexy and devastating all at once.

  "Tell me what I can do to fix things?"

  I shake my head, "Shane, I liked the school boy you were. I liked you for years. Years. But in the last couple we have become people that don’t match anymore. You kill things for food and so do I, but I maintain a strict diet. You feed off humans like they're cattle. I am against the things you do. We can never make a relationship out of that."

  His brow stitches together, "I love you still."

  I shake my head, "You don’t. You don’t even know me anymore. I'm not the same girl. You and me were always doomed. It doesn’t matter how many times Ari messes with the time, you and I don’t work. We never have and it's time we grow up and move on."

  He snarls, "I don’t want to move on."

  I grimace, "You have already. I can smell her on you."

  His face drops. He smiles sweetly, "I have to eat Aimes."

  I shake my head, "Not like Marcus you don’t. You chose that." I turn my back on him to leave. He grabs my arm and drags me back. He pulls me to a room and slams the door. I struggle to get away from him. Memories of Oliver attacking me flood my brain. I shove him hard. He staggers back. I point at him, "If you touch me again I end you. Childhood together or no."

  He smiles at me sadistically. I don’t know him anymore. Just as he doesn’t know me.

  I wink to the main hall. Tears have flooded my eyes. Aleks looks at me concerned. I shake my head, "I'm fine. Just finishing something."

  He takes my hand in his and squeezes. Marcus walks into the room behind Henry. He walks holding a man that looks remarkably like Aleks, only older

  Henry shoves him into the middle of me, Aleks, Dorian and Marcus.

  I look for it. The monster. He is apparently out of control. I always try to see the monster when I take their lives.

  He looks normal, smug but normal.

  He smirks at Aleks, "Aleksander, my son. It's been too long. You never visit."

  Aleks stands tall, "I need to say something to you."

  His father grins stupidly.

  Aleks steps into his face. "I forgive you for ruining my life. For making it so I was cursed alongside you. For destroying everything I held dear. For shaming me and making everyone think I hurt that woman. I forgive you for being weak and pathetic. May the gods take a small measure of pity on you. The small measure you never gave anyone else. Any of those girls." He grabs his arms and plants a kiss on his father's cheek.

  The man's face turns bright red. "You always were a weak pathetic little shit." He growls and twitches. He makes a movement toward Aleks, but Dorian is there in a flash. He grins, "I would like to say fuck you, you asshole wanker. You never were the father you should have been to my brother there and you have never deserved a son as remarkable as he is." He pulls back and punches him in the face. The man's head snaps back. He comes back with ferocity, but Dorian has already winked away. The man snarls and twitches as the monster tries to get out. He looks the way they all do, when I kill them.

  My palms are burning with the need.

  Aleks grabs my hand and an amazing thing happens. I suck from him. I remember the way it was on the beach. The way he fed me back then. He bends down while I suck from him and kisses my cheek. His father's face breaks into a grin that’s full of contempt. "I don’t believe you introduced me to your lady friend Aleks."

  "I never will father."

  Marcus grumbles, "On with it then Henry. Get your revenge."

  Aleks squeezes harder, "If I disappear with him, I need you to know I have loved you with all of my heart for a very long time. I have loved you everyway possible. As a girl, as a Rose, as a lover and friend."

  My heart stops beating, I'm sure it has. I never realized that with the death of his father he could go too.

  I turn to face him, squeezing his hands, "I don’t remember loving you but I know I do. I know I have."

  He nods. We ignore the huge hands reaching for his father and the bright white light of the magic neither of us has ever seen before. We stare at each other. I hold my breath. His father screams, painfully. The room swirls suddenly, with the electrically charged air and voices, girl's voices. Tears stream down Aleks's cheeks. He grips me harder. He closes his eyes. The voices become whispers. Gratitude and kind words.

  They swirl above us in a storm like a tornado. The paintings, drapes and lamps tremble with the movement. My hair is sucked up inside of it, but my eyes never leave his face. I'm terrified he will be gone and I will never have the chance to fall in love with him again.

  The air becomes completely still. It stops so suddenly, I almost feel an impact from it.

  Aleks's hands grip mine. He opens his eyes one at a time. The intense light, that never seemed real, is gone but the icy blue color remains. I squeeze his fingers. He smiles a crooked grin making my heart beat start again. I sigh and let him envelope me. Dorian rips him from my arms and hugs him.

  Marcus rolls his eyes, "The women are free."

  I glance over at Henry. He stands perfectly still. A transparent woman is before him. She kneels and offers her hand. He takes the ghostly white hand in his, "Stand niece." Henry whispers.

  Marcus looks confused.

  Aleks looks sick.

  The girl's head lifts. She looks toward Aleks and smiles, "I forgive you." She whispers.

  He bows his head, "I'm so sorry." His deep voice is a whisper as well.

  The girl turns back to Henry, "Let them all rest uncle."

  Henry nods once and she is gone, but the blue ghosts that look just like Ophelia are there. They look the way she did.

  Dorian nods, "Ophelia's body will be brought to the Necromancer when it's all worked out. Aimee is about to go there. Oliver is there already. It's being done. Be ready. You can't go near the dark witches but when the necromancer raises her, you will need to release your power upon her before she uses her dark magic."

  They nod their heads and are gone again.

  I lean in and look at Hanna. She has her eyes closed still.


  Aleks sighs and looks around, "This is what it feels like to live. The forlorn feelings that weighed me down are gone."

  Marcus crosses his arms, "Time to go. I'm certain you can have this conversation elsewhere."

  Aleks laughs, "You're such an arse Marcus."

  Dorian looks at me, "Go where the doctor showed you. Oliver is there already. This lug and me are going to go guard O's body. Lorri is with Sam chasing down Jonathan and Giselle is with the wolves and Phillip and Tristan at Lydia's. We are meeting back there."

  Aleks cups my face and turns it to his, "Be safe." He looks like he's going to kiss me but he doesn’t. He steps away with Dorian and then they're gone. Marcus watches me for a moment. "You know he's only attractive because of the curse. The curse makes you love him."

  Henry shakes his bowler hat covered head, "Curse broken."

  I furrow my brow, "Broken? No more magic smell and weird aphrodisiac on his skin? No more angel irresistible weirdness?"

  The bowler hat shakes again, "Curse broken."

  I'm stunned, "But I smelled. I smelled it just there. He was going to kiss me and I felt that same feeling." I touch my lips with my finger and wink before Marcus can mock me.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hanna

  I watch her leave through my eyelashes and continue to pretend to be asleep. The whole thing is freaking me out. My body won't react but my brain is.

  The dark haired man I am left with turns to face me. His face softens when he sees me. He walks over and scoops me up. Instantly I smell it. I smell the thing Aimee was talking about.

  The man carries me down the hallway. He stops and turns at a door. He closes the door when we're inside of a room. I can't see it through my lashes but I feel the bed when he lays me down in it. It's soft with thick blankets and pillows.

  His breath is over my face, driving me crazy, "Pretending to sleep won't stop what I'm about to do to you."

  My eyes are open and I'm scooting away from him instantly.

  He chuckles, "Oh Hanna. I've missed you."

  I frown, "Who are you?"

  He shrugs, "Friend of your father's." His smile turns wicked, "And I guess your mother's as well."

  My heart skips a beat. "You knew her?" he looks too young to have known them well. He's not much older than I am.

  He lays on his side and smiles, "I did. How are you feeling? Still scared?"

  I nod slowly, "I just don’t understand any of this."

  He pats the pillow beside him, "I won't bite you. I swear." His eyes sparkle with delight and promises. And not the one's he is saying out loud.

  I lie on the bed too, facing him but not close. Luckily the bed is massive.

  "Are you afraid of me?"

  I almost shake my head, but I nod.

  "Why?"

  "I don’t know you at all. The ghosts in the other room and the people who are there one minute and gone the next. The man bowler hat killed is still dead on the carpet. The list is pretty long." I can't fight the smile at the end of it.

  He looks disinterested in my fears, "But me, are you afraid of me?"

  I almost nod but something in his eyes is so familiar I can't. I shake my head, "No. I know you from somewhere."

  He grins, "Excellent." He leans toward me, "Are you hungry?"

  I think for a second, "Yes. I guess I am." I don’t know what to think or say. I feel lost inside of myself.

  He climbs off the bed, "Be right back."

  He leaves the room, which gives me a chance to look around at it all. It's huge. Dark blue walls and huge fabric curtains made the room eerie. The limited light coming in seems odd. Like Marcus is hiding in the dark. I noticed it about the front room. It's the size of a basketball court but the light is limited.

  I climb off the bed and walk to the window. The glass is old, the home must be hundreds of years old.

  "I brought you some root beer and cook is making you waffles."

  I look back and laugh, "So do you run this as an inn or house hundreds of orphans?"

  He sighs, "Look, we've had this conversation many a time. I know you think I'm ostentatious and live beyond my means."

  I'm lost, "What?" I have to admit I think that but I never said it.

  He sits on the bed after he puts the root beer on the table, "We have met before. It was a different world maybe or just a different time and I don’t want to explain it."

  I cross my arms, "Are you supposed to be taking some kind of meds? I have this friend who is supposed to be on some kind of antipsychotic medicine and when she feels really good on the meds, she stops taking them."

  He laughs bitterly, "You make me psychotic, trust me."

  I frown.

  He lies back on the bed again and the look in his eyes pulls me across the room. I sit on the bed, I can't break the stare. He has me trapped in it. I see it suddenly and whisper, "What are you?"

  He grabs my hand and pulls me to him, "The man who loves you very much."

  I believe him. I don’t know why. His eyes have me bewitched. He lowers his face and brushes his lips against mine. It's soft and sweet but I can sense the kiss is about to explode into something else. His lips brush mine so softly, I shiver from the gentle touches. He drags a hand up into my long hair. He reaches around the back and grabs a fist full of it. He jerks my face. I moan, loudly. I pull away from him, mouth breathing and all. My face is on fire.

  I shake my head, "That hurt." I don’t know what else to say.

  His eyes flash at me seductively. He bites his lip and shakes his head slowly, "No it didn’t. I know for fact you liked it."

  I climb of the other side of the bed slowly, as if backing away from an animal, "This is too weird. Too weird." He crawls across the bed and then he's against me. My back slams into the wall across the room, I moan again. I can't stop myself. I'm moan-laughing. A sound I've never made before. He licks my neck, pressing his body against mine.

  "My sweet Hanna. I've missed you so." He spins me hard and fast, pressing my face into the dark wall. He lifts my hair and kisses softly along the back of my neck. My skin is shivering and going crazy. My brain is trying desperately to argue giving in to the seduction, but the pleasure is more than I ever imagined. I spin myself around and feel a growl creep out of my throat. An excited grin crosses his face. I shove him hard. He stumbles back towards the bed. I shove him again, knocking him onto the bed. He scrambles up the bedding. I crawl up after him.

  My body is on auto-slut.

  I couldn't stop if I wanted to.

  I pull my shirt off and crawl up to his face. He sits up and I wrap my legs around him. We are grabbing and pulling at each other's clothing. I shove him back and pull his shirt up over his face. He is blinded by it, with only his mouth sticking out. I bend and press my bare chest against his and suck his bottom lip hard, biting into it. I sit up and drag my nails down his body, marking him. He inhales sharply. My body is convulsing and pulsating and I can't get control of my breathing or get enough of him. I rip the pants from him. He throws me on my back and kisses my stomach. He pulls my pants off.

  There isn’t any foreplay. Neither of us have the patience. I want him inside of me. He grabs his erection and kneels between my thighs. I'm panting, waiting. The terror that should be there isn't. He rubs himself against my opening and then in a giant thrust, he's inside of me. I scream, expecting pain but there isn’t any. That doesn’t change the fact it isn’t the romantic moment I had planned for my virginity. He screams out after about a minute. He's pumping hard and crying out.

  "Hanna, you're a virgin." His voice is weak. I have no idea what he's talking about, but I'm lost in the heavy weight of the disappointment. My body doesn’t release the way I need it to. He's just gone completely rigid and collapsed onto my stomach.

  He looks up at me, obviously embarrassed.

  I frown, "What was that?" I ask. I don’t know a lot about sex but I know it should be better than that. "All that build up, for that?"

  He s
wallows and breathes hard, "You forgot to mention you were a virgin. That wasn’t how I planned for things to go either."

  I tilt my head, "I think I need a shower and then I think you owe me something."

  He laughs and climbs off of me, "Yes. Right. Well, of course I do. I dare say I might die from the horrors you put me through just now. I wasn’t prepared for that."

  I laugh and he laughs and I can't help but feel completely comfortable, considering the circumstances. His blushed cheeks and horrified look, are making it much better than an orgasm would have done.