Barron heard her stifling a sob on the other end of the line. Millicent still missed her sister, twenty six years later. He’d never even had the chance to know his mother.
“We have got to get to the bottom of this,” he said urgently. “Mackenzie’s life depends on it.”
“Well, it all started with your fathers, so that’s where I wouldlook,” she said. “I wasn’t that close to your mother at the time that she met and bonded with them, and I will always regret that. We’d just drifted apart. Silly sister arguments, nothing which was worth fighting about, in hindsight. Anyway, I hadn’t seen her in a couple of years when she bonded with your fathers. Then she got pregnant with you right away of course, and she called me, and we were starting to reconnect. I came out to visit her one time when she’d slipped on the ice and broken her leg. She was maybe six months along at the time.”
“And you weren’t aware of my fathers or their pack having any problems with anybody at the time…”
“Barron,” she said patiently. “ You’ve asked me that many times. Nobody that I know of. But if you went back there, and asked around, people might know. You could go after the festival.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep you posted as soon as I know anything,” Barron said grimly, and hung up.
He couldn’t wait until after the festival. Mackenzie might not last that long.
Chapter Seven
“Curses are a thing? They’re real?” Karlie asked skeptically. Barron had sent for her, and Vita had tagged along. Mackenzie was inside the cabin napping, and Ajax and Barron stood outside, keeping a watchful eye as if the cabin might burst into flames.
Ajax nodded. “They are very real,” he said. Vita nodded too, vigorously.
“So that’s…legal? You can just get a Mage to curse anyone that you want?” Karlie was appalled. “Like, if I lived in your world and wanted a promotion at work, all I would have to do is get someone to curse whoever else was up for the job?”
“No. There are rules.” He shook his head. “The person who’s been cursed must have committed a grievous sin against the person cursing them. The Mage placing the curse must do a truth spell to ascertain who orders the curse is telling the truth, and they really have been wronged. This curse shouldn’t carry over to the next generation, though, and as far as I can tell, it originated with my fathers. So it shouldn’t still be affecting us, but is. Not only that, but it’s only supposed to affect the person who is cursed.”
“Well, then, if the curse is breaking the rules, can’t you get it lifted?”
“Only the person who placed the curse can lift it. And we don’t know who did it,” Barron said. “We tried to talk to Cornelius about it – he’s in charge of all the Curse Mages. He refused to speak to us.”
Vita’s forehead wrinkled in concern. “Even if you can find the person who placed the curse, they must have believed that there was a reason to place it, so why would they lift it?”
Ajax scowled. “Because if they don’t, I’ll rip their god damned head off. Literally.” His fangs briefly descended and his ears went pointy and hairy. Karlie had no doubt that he meant it.
Barron shook his head at him reprovingly. “We need to be able to prove that the curse was placed in bad faith, and then they will have no choice. If we could get that kind of proof, then even without Cornelius, we could go to the Council of Mages and force the person to lift the curse.”
Karlie folded her arms, pacing back and forth. She thought about the family history that they’d just recounted. “Wouldn’t it make sense to go visit your fathers’ former pack mates and ask why somebody would have cursed your family? If they see you face to face, if they understand what the stakes are…”
“They absolutely freak out whenever we contact them – the few that we can find. They refuse to talk about it or try to pretend they don’t know what happened,” Barron said.
“If that’s the case your fathers must have been cursed because they did something dishonorable,” Vita said, looking puzzled. “Something that brought shame on the pack.”
“That is my family that you’re talking about!” Ajax’s face went hairy and his jaw lengthened. His fangs shot out, and his voice dropped to a guttural growl. “There is nothing more important to a wolf’s pack than our honor. You will not disrespect those who are no longer alive to defend themselves.”
“Hey! You’re not the only one who lost their parents.” Vita blinked back tears, stepping back and clutching at her sunflower necklace defensively.
Barron grabbed Ajax by the arm and dragged him aside. “Get a grip on yourself. Blowing up like this isn’t going to help anybody.”
“She insulted my pack’s honor,” he growled.
Karlie walked over, stood in front of him, and glared up at him. “Mackenzie’s life may depend on you being able to think clearly. What’s more important to you right now, having a temper tantrum, or figuring out why somebody would curse your family?”
He took a deep breath, and the fur sank back into his face.
“Now apologize to Vita,” Karlie said.
“I am sorry I snapped at you.” He didn’t look particularly sorry.
Barron turned to Karlie. “Here’s the reason that we called you here. You can get help me sneak out of the festival. There are Sentinels all around here so I can’t get off the festival grounds un-noticed , but you can lead me through to the other side, and then out of the festival area, and then back to my world.”
“They’ll notice you’re gone,” Vita protested.
Barron shook his head. “No, they won’t. We’ve officially checked in; they’d have no reason to think that we’d leave before the festival was over. Ajax will still be here, with Mackenzie, if anyone comes by the cabin. He’s just going to have to tell Mackenzie that the family emergency happened again, and I’ll be back in a few days.”
“Why do you need to sneak?” Karlie asked. “You could tell the Sentinels what happened, and they’d let you leave, wouldn’t they?”
“I can’t do that,” Barron said. “We can’t prove anything about the curse, and also, if I told the Sentinels, word might get back to Mackenzie, and like I told you, we believe that if we reveal the curse to her, she’ll die right away.”
“Maybe I should be the one to go,” Ajax said. “I’m more forceful than you are.”
“I think we need a clear head here. If you lose your temper and kill someone, that’s not going to get us anywhere.”
“Damn it! So I have to just sit here and do nothing?” Ajax glowered.
“No, you have to keep Mackenzie safe.” Barron glanced at the cabin. “And distracted.”
Ajax’s face lit up at that. “Yeah. Distracted. I can do that.”
Karlie grabbed Barron’s arm. “Time’s a-wasting. Let’s go.” She glanced at Vita. “We’ll be back before you know it.”
“All right. Anything that I can do?”
“Just keep your lip zipped,” Barron said. “And Ajax,” he added, “Remember to talk to the bartender at The Tavern this evening. Discretely.”
Ajax nodded, and quickly headed back into the cabin.
* * *
Mackenzie sat up in bed, yawned, and looked at the clock. Two p.m. Her time clock always got messed up during festival time.
She kicked off the covers and walked out into the living room, wearing her pajamas. Ajax was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine.
“There’s my sleeping beauty!” He stood up and gathered her into his arms, and she leaned into him. She loved the way that he smelled, so earthy and masculine.
“Do you want the good news, or the bad news?” he asked. “Actually, it’s all good news.”
“I guess I’ll hear the good news first, then,” she said, circling his waist with her arms.
“Barron had to leave for a couple of days to clear up some family business. And we can’t tell anyone about it, because he had to sneak out, with Karlie’s help.”
“How is that good news?” she was bewildered.
&nb
sp; “Because that means I get you all to myself. I’ll have to be twice the Alpha I ever was, but I’m up to the challenge. And when Barron comes back, all of this family business will be cleared up for good, and we can tell you about it, and get on with our lives.”
“But-” Mackenzie started to protest, but Ajax bent down and claimed her lips in a hungry, passionate kiss. She felt warm ripples of desire running through her body.
“What were you saying?” he asked.
“Well, I just- ” But he kissed her again, leaving her breathless.
Then he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder like a fireman, and stalked off towards the bedroom. “I know just what will take your mind off my dear brother,” he said, and gently set her down on the bed.
She wanted to protest. Wanted to demand that he fill her in on what was going on right now. She didn’t like being kept in the dark, and there was something her men weren’t telling her. But he looked so delectable as he crawled onto the bed with her, the muscles in his arms and chest shifting with each movement, that all common sense fled her mind. When he quickly and efficiently stripped off her pajamas, flinging them away so they dangled absurdly from the lampshade above the bed, she was completely lost. It was hard to think about serious things when faced with Ajax’s boisterous and seriously sexy charm.
They knelt up together in the center of the bed, swaying gently together as they kissed. Ajax’s tongue darted playfully been her lips and she nipped at his mouth with her teeth, making him laugh. Mackenzie fumbled urgently with Ajax’s fly, unzipping him and wrapping her fingers around the hot, hard length of his shaft. He twitched in her palm and she giggled. “I think he likes me,” she said, and Ajax moaned his agreement and tumbled them both over backward so that Mackenzie landed solidly on top of him. She tried to draw away but he wrapped his arms around her and held her against him, grinning like a fool.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled, a wicked glint in his eye. “The Big Bad Wolf is going to eat you up.”
She squeezed again. “Yes please,” she said. “And what a big –”
He cut her off with a brief kiss. She wriggled against him, working her hand between their bodies to grasp his dick more firmly. His smile faded as passion clouded his eyes, and she lowered her mouth to his and kissed him, lapping at his lips until they parted then stroking his tongue with hers until his hands came up and tangled in her curls. He moaned into her mouth and jerked his hips up against her, seeking the delicious friction of her hand. Her clit gave a sympathetic throb and tingling waves of sensation swept up and down her spine.
She pulled back and gave him a wicked grin, then started to move down his body, opening the buttons on his shirt as she went and parting the fabric so she could see the ridges and planes of his muscular chest. The strength and heat of his flesh was intoxicating; the slight crinkle of hair beneath her palms. He was so responsive to her touch. She sucked one flat brown nipple into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it and making him moan, then gave the other the same treatment. Ajax stroked her hair as she moved lower, over the taut expanse of his belly, dipping her tongue into his navel then peeling the denim away from his hips to get an up-close-and-personal view of his incredible cock.
It was hard and huge, with a glistening pearl of fluid gathered at the tip, and Mackenzie’s mouth watered. She fondled his balls, nestled in their soft nest of pubic hair, rolling them gently in her fingers, then took the very tip of his dick between her lips. She lapped at the slit, gathering his seed on her tongue, and sucked on him like a lollipop. He gave a harsh groan and fisted his hands in her hair. The slight pull felt good.
She moved down his shaft, taking him inch by inch, swallowing around his head and listening to him moaning with pleasure. Then she drew back equally slowly, just for the delight of tormenting him. He was panting now, his cock leaking salty-sweet fluid which she lapped at before swallowing him once more.
Then he was pulling her up his body, into his arms, and she mewled at the loss of contact before he kissed her deeply, licking his own taste from her mouth. “I told you I was gonna be inside you next time,” he said, and drew her knees up so she was straddling him.
Ajax was still wearing far too many clothes – his shirt drawn down off his shoulders and his legs tangled in his jeans. For that matter his still had his boots on. But they were both beyond caring.
She rolled her hips, allowing her wet pussy lips to slide again his rigid heat. He closed his eyes, reveling in the sensation, and she reached down to position him against her tight opening. She impaled herself on him slowly, deliciously. With every inch gained they groaned in unison, until he was all the way inside her, stretching her and filling her.
He dug his fingers into the ample of flesh of her hips as she started to ride him, setting a languorous pace that had them both trembling on the verge of crisis until she couldn’t bear it any longer. She gripped his biceps hard enough to leave bruises and quickened the pace, throwing back her head and crying out as her orgasm built in a dizzying crescendo. With one hand she reached down and rubbed her clit in quick, hard circles until her whole body shook with the force of her climax and she all but shouted her release, lights flashing behind her eyes and her heart banging like a drum.
As she contracted around him, Ajax growled and jerked, coming in long spasms with a look of exquisite pleasure-pain etched on his handsome face.
Mackenzie slumped against him, exhausted and replete, and he stroked her hair. He was breathing hard and his fingers trembled.
She rolled away from him and he leaned over to kiss her again. “Jeez,” she gasped, “give me a minute to recover!”
Instantly a look of concern flashed over his face and he sat bolt upright, touching her forehead as if to check for fever and clutching her hand to his chest.
“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you? Do you need to see a doctor? A mage? Tell me what’s wrong.”
Mackenzie struggled into a sitting position, satisfaction replaced by confusion. “What? No, of course not. What’s the matter with you? You guys are going to have to get past this macho-man stuff. I’m not a china doll. You and Barron are pretty darn good in bed – phenomenal, in fact – but I don’t think you’re going to boink me to death.”
She didn’t miss the shadow that passed through his blue eyes as he drew her back into his arms.
Chapter Eight
They stood on top of a steep hill, with a breathtaking view of the city, and a noticeable chill in the air. “Wow. Your San Francisco looks just like our San Francisco,” Karlie said. She could never stop marveling about how similar Clair De Lune was to Earth – until you saw werewolves strolling down the street.
They’d decided to visit Cornelius the Mage first, because his house was only a few hours away from the festival grounds. He’d refused all of Ajax’s and Barron’s telephone calls over the previous year, so they had no choice but to make a personal visit to plead their case.
Cornelius lived in a beautiful, colorful old Victorian. They were a famous fixture of San Francisco, known as “painted ladies” and were larded with dollhouse-like architectural details– decorative trim, fish-scale shingles, painted wooden plaques, and lace-like wooden adornments trimming curved archways. It was painted in glorious jewel like shades of blue and green.
They rang the front doorbell, which sounded a melodious chime. After a minute, a voice crackled from the wooden lion’s head mounted on the door, making Karlie jump.
“Who seeks entrance?”
Jeez, melodramatic, much? She thought. Who even talks like that in the 21st century?
Before Barron could answer the lion head, she jumped in; “I was referred to you! I can’t give my name out here; I have a problem of a very private nature.”
Barron raised an eyebrow, and nodded approvingly. Given that he’d refused all of their phone calls, there was a good chance Cornelius wouldn’t have let them in if he knew Barron’s identity.
There was a pause, and then a cli
cking sound and the door opened and swung in. “Wait in the foyer,” the voice intoned. When they entered, it shut behind them with a bang.
“That’s not at all creepy,” Karlie muttered.
At the end of a long hallway, they could hear voices coming from behind a half opened door. They waited for several minutes, and then Barron muttered impatiently, “The heck with this,” and headed down the hallway.
They walked past a row of portraits whose eyes moved. As they approached an office door at the end of the hallway, an overpowering smell rolled out. Karlie could have sworn it was men’s cologne. Was the Mage inside using it for some kind of spell?
The office looked exactly the way Karlie had expected it to. Shelves along the back wall held ancient books and several skulls and jars of tiny little eyeballs and a severed hand holding a candle. There were old maps on the wall, next to a new map that held a criscrossing network of ley lines.
Karlie squinted at it. It was a ley line map of Northern California. It wasn’t very well done; she knew the ley lines like the back of her hand, and this was only passably accurate, and missed a number of ley line intersections, which were the areas where the most power was concentrated.
The man sitting behind the desk didn’t fit Karlie’s preconceived perception of a Mage at all. She’d expected a conical hat and robe covered with stars. Probably in purple or deep blue. Cornelius was a short, rotund, gray haired man in a business suit, with a severe expression on his narrow face.
He shot them an angry look and quickly covered several small jars on his desk with a newspaper. Karlie could have sworn the jars were full of tiny eyeballs floating in fluid.
His guest was a tall, skinny man whose hair was spiked up with gel and whose shirt was unbuttoned almost halfway down his chest. Man-cleavage had never really been Karlie’s thing. Also, the cologne cloud seemed to be emanating from him, in almost visible waves.
He looked Karlie up and down appreciatively and let out a long, low, whistle.
“Does that actually work on anyone, ever?” she asked, annoyed.
Twin Alphas: Desired (A BBW Paranormal Romance) Page 5