by Sydney Addae
Halas looked up at her but didn’t say anything. “The gifts and curses come through the maternal line for some reason. I’ve never understood that. Why not the Alphas? Or the Betas?”
Sarita shrugged. “Maybe because pups come through the female and it’s easier to imprint them that way.”
“Exactly.”
They reached the hotel. Halas continued walking toward the entrance. Sarita wondered if the older woman was staying there as well. They entered and headed toward the lobby. Halas pointed to a few comfortable overstuffed chairs.
Sarita looked around, the place was conspicuously empty, a big change from when she checked in an hour earlier.
“Sit. We will chat.” Halas looked up at her expectantly.
SARITA LOOKED AT THE bag in her hand, placed it on the chair next to her and looked at Halas. “Okay.” She had no intention of telling the woman about her problems. Her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. Her eyes widened.
“I didn’t tell you about the pain or lines, how did you know about that?” The only thing Sarita shared was an unspecified disease that seemed incurable.
Halas waved her hand. “Tell me what you’ve been told so far.”
Skeptical but desperate for answers, Sarita spoke honestly. “I’ve been told the lines are a contagious curse that will destroy my mate, family and any chance of happiness.” She held up two fingers. “Then I was told it’s a blessing, but I’ll have problems in childbirth and may never know my mate because my wolf’s senses may be off. Oh yeah, most of Salah’s descendants don’t mate because of this.” Eyes narrowed, she held up a third finger. “Then I was told I could reverse the curse, but it was a difficult task because I would need to find the high-priestess of Salah and no one has seen her for a millennium.” Sarita threw up her hands. “A millennium? Seriously? How am I supposed to find someone like that?”
“With patience and by asking the right questions.” Halas held up her hand. “First off each person told you a part of a larger story. They were all right and all wrong.”
Staring at her companion, Sarita slumped back in her seat. “I’ve spent years searching for answers and a cure. I’ve been patient. But what you’ve just said, makes little sense. How can you be right and wrong at the same time?”
Halas’ eyes gleamed as she sat forward. “Right question. Take a pie. If you cut it into several pieces you still have the whole pie. But if you remove any piece of the pie, take a bite out of a slice, or pinch off a piece, the pie is no longer whole. That does not mean you don’t have pie, you do. Just not the whole pie.” She looked at Sarita with a look that asked, do you understand?
“So, they gave pieces of the answer but not the whole answer?” Sarita watched Halas’ smile widen while wondering where all of this was going.
“Pie. That reminds me I’m hungry.” Halas pointed to Sarita’s bag. “Whatever’s in there smells good.” She stared at the bag as if it held manna.
Sarita handed her the bag, thinking she’d be going out for dinner after all.
“Are you sure?” Halas asked taking the bag and opening it before Sarita could answer.
“No problem. Want something to drink? I don’t see anyone around, but there’s probably bottled water or soft drinks somewhere.” She stood.
“No, no. This is all I need. It’s very kind of you to offer. I appreciate it.” She gave Sarita a large gamin smile while waving her back into her seat. Within a few moments, she ate the entire sandwich and wiped her mouth with the napkin. When she finished, she covered her mouth with her fingertips and burped.
“Excuse me.” She smiled and stuffed the napkin into the bag. “Now onto important matters. The vines only appear on the direct female descendants of Salah. That part is true. It’s both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing to be a part of a blessed lineage. Have you read the story in the Apocryphal Book of Jasher?”
Sarita nodded. “A couple times.”
“Good. History is important.” Halas rubbed her palms together. “In grief over the death of his son Joseph, Jacob instructed his sons to bring the first wild animal they came across. Since he thought a wild animal killed his son, he would kill an animal. They brought Salah to him. As Jacob spoke out his grief and heartbreak, Yahweh blessed Salah and allowed her to speak to Jacob to plead her case. When she explained she was looking for her pup and had nothing to do with the death of his son, the patriarch released her. From that moment and experience with Yahweh, her entire line was blessed with gifts.”
“Gifts?” Sarita brightened. That sounded good.
“Salah found her pup a few hours later, he’d been killed by a hunter. In her grief, she cursed the delay caused by the patriarch. Yahweh took exception and cursed her descendants.”
“Cursed?” Sarita’s heart dropped.
“He couldn’t curse her after blessing her, but her line... that was different.”
“I knew it. These things are going to kill me.” Sarita’s heart filled with sorrow. She’d never have a den or pups. Never experience her mate or the joy of long life.
“The vines? They’re inconvenient but can be dealt with. They’re a small part of the curse. But also, a part of the blessing,” Halas said.
“I’m confused. Would you explain the curse, please? The whole curse? I need to know.” Sarita braced herself for a lifetime alone and stared at Halas. Please, please, please don’t be bad, she silently prayed.
“A grievous event caused Salah to forget the blessing she received. Everyone in her line will lose someone, and experience a grievous event that will break their hearts. How you handle it will determine the depth of the curse for you. Each person is different.”
Sarita couldn’t breathe through her tight chest. Lose someone? “You mean die? Someone close to me will die? Is that what you mean?”
Halas sighed. “What is death other than separation from one plane to another. Salah and her pup have eternity together but in her grief, she forgot and was ungrateful.”
Forget the different planes, there was no one in her life she could comprehend losing. The idea of her parents or siblings or she stopped and closed her eyes as David’s face appeared before her. Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks.
Throat clogged with tears, she couldn’t fathom living without him somewhere alive in the world. Sure, they discussed how they’d handle not being mates, but she never factored in him being dead. That... that broke her heart into a million pieces.
“Why are you crying?”
“Someone’s going to die. I don’t want to be a part of that.” Sarita rubbed her face with the back of her palm.
“Death is a natural part of life. But you know this already, we all know this,” Halas said sounding confused.
“Yes. Natural death. But for someone to die as a part of a curse... because of me. Someone special, I don’t want to be a part of that.”
Minutes passed without either of them speaking.
“We don’t choose our families. Someone greater than us handles those assignments,” Halas said softly. “But we have choices and those decisions shape our destiny.”
“Can I choose for someone not to die?” Sarita snapped.
Halas smiled. “Good question. You want to know if you can die in their place?”
“Not exactly,” Sarita said, surprised the woman jumped to that conclusion. “But can I?” There were a few people she’d die for in a heartbeat.
“Of course, you can. It’s a choice you may have to make.” Halas sat back in her seat with a satisfied smile.
“Is that all of the curse?” Sarita prayed there was nothing else but needed to know all of it.
“Yes, child. That’s the curse. That’s why you were told it’s contagious and would impact your mate and den and any chance of happiness. One of them may be the source of your grief, to lose a mate or pup is devastating. Most full-bloods die at the loss of their mate, the curse prevents it, increasing your grief to live after your heart is gone. It’s one of the reasons most desce
ndants don’t mate.”
Sarita’s breath caught in her chest. This was worse than she imagined. And over the past few years, she imagined all types of scenarios but never living through that kind of pain.
“Your wolf’s senses are off because of it, you may not recognize your mate,” Halas said.
Stunned, Sarita stared at the woman without saying anything. Her mind blanked at the impossible situation she landed in. “So, it wasn’t the drink at the party that night?” It was such a trivial question at a moment like this but right now she needed trivial.
“No, of course not. They would have displayed at some point. The vines prove you’re a part of Salah’s lineage.”
Sarita wasn’t impressed and wanted nothing to do with this Salah mess. Immersed in the gloomy prophecy she wondered how to explain this to David and her parents. She had run out of excuses and would be returning for Renee’s wedding. There was no way to hide her disfigurement or the pain she experienced.
After several minutes passed, Halas cleared her throat. “Ask the right questions, Sarita.”
“How can I get rid of the vines?”
Halas smiled dimmed. “That part was true, the high priestess can remove them for you. Remove is the wrong word, but she can help you with them.” She stared at Sarita.
“Will the pain ever stop?”
“Yes, child. I said the vines are part of an ID system, like a birthmark.”
“How big will it grow?”
“Unchecked, they’ll cover your entire body.”
Sarita’s heart slammed in her chest. She couldn’t breathe. What had she ever done to deserve this? Goddess help her.
“Sarita?”
She looked into the soft, glowing eyes of Halas.
“Don’t you have other questions now that you know about the curse?”
Sarita blinked and tried to think. “Yes, the blessings. What are they?”
Halas smiled so brightly Sarita blinked and looked away briefly. “Finally!” She sat forward. “You have to ability to move quickly and can change forms to avoid detection and capture, think invisibility. The Divine did not want Salah to become prey again and gave her this gift. The gift of her beast speaking to humans was never rescinded. Many of her descendants excel in working with animals. You also have the ability to travel between different planes just as Salah did after finding her pup.”
Sarita didn’t see how any of these things would help her but didn’t want to seem ungrateful since Halas was so excited.
“Your beast’s senses are off when it comes to intimate relationships but keener in every other area. It’s the only reason you’re sitting with me, right now. I’ve been judged as non-threatening.”
Sarita’s brow rose but she didn’t say anything. So far, the blessings didn’t seem like a fair trade-off to losing a mate or a pup.
“Then, of course, there’s the ability to prove yourself worthy to avoid the full impact of the curse.”
“What? How?” Finally, something she could get excited about.
“It’s different for each person. The High Priestess will tell you.”
Sarita’s face dropped. Not that again. “She will?”
“Yes. One thing I don’t think you understood. Your vines are a calling card. Once they appear, you’re known. It’s just a matter of time before you’re in her court. I have a good feeling about you Sarita Farkas.” Halas stood and looked at a surprised Sarita.
“What I’ve told you hasn’t settled, you’re focused on what could go wrong instead of the tremendous opportunity set before you. To be a descendant of someone who’s been blessed by Yahweh is awesome in and of itself. Think about that before you decide to throw away your birthright.” Turning, she walked toward the lobby and it was as if a bubble popped. Sounds of people talking and walking around filled the air.
Sarita turned to ask Halas what she meant but the old woman had disappeared.
SARITA LAY ACROSS THE bed looking at the ceiling while scratching the persistent itch just beneath her skin. She thought of reaching out to Gem, her brother Damian’s wife. Gem was an excellent doctor who probably would’ve have found a cure by now. When they learned the real reason she stayed away all these years, her brother was going to be pissed she didn’t share it with him or Gem.
But how could she? They would’ve rallied around her, talked her into coming home. Then what? Damian’s three pups would’ve been at risk or her two brothers. Rose and Tyrone’s four, Tyrese’s four? She couldn’t take this home, not as long as there was a chance someone could catch it.
“Sarita?” Jackie reached out to her.
“Hi Jackie, how’re you?” Sarita sat up, wondering what was going on. Jackie and Renee had stopped contacting her since she’d been shaky about being in Renee’s wedding.
“Okay. Have you talked to David?”
Chills ran down Sarita’s back. “David?” She thought back. “Not today. Now that I think about it, we haven’t talked since he left for the mountains in Northern Canada.” She paused and reached out to him. “David?” After a few seconds, she tried again. “David?”
“We haven’t been able to reach him either. But something’s happened, we all sensed it.”
Cold dread clogged Sarita’s throat. “Happened? Like what?”
“We don’t know yet. I’ll let you know when I learn something, okay?”
“Thanks, Jackie, I appreciate it.” They disconnected. Sarita curled into a ball and tried to reach David. She glanced at the clock. It was too late to head out, first thing in the morning, she’d return to Aunt Piamitsu’s house, pack and fly to Canada.
CHAPTER FOUR
DAVID AND CAIN MOVED cautiously through the caverns searching for signs of life and saw nothing. It didn’t take long to realize they landed in what amounted to a holding cell with no noticeable exit.
“This makes no sense,” David told Cain.
“Us falling through rock or being stuck in this place?”
David turned slightly and looked at Cain’s gray wolf. “There has to be a way in and out of here. It makes no sense otherwise.” David shifted to human, stood and stretched. His litter-mates had done a good job healing him. Cain remained in his wolf form and sat on his haunches watching.
David moved to one corner of the space and searched for the scent he’d smelled earlier while touching the wall. He’d made it half-way across the wall when the fragrance struck him.
“Come here,” he told Cain. Once Cain brushed against his leg, David grabbed him by the scruff and pushed through the wall taking Cain with him. On the other side was a larger cavern but with layers and natural steps in the stone. Unfortunately, the only direction to go was down. Cain loped ahead of him.
“Watch your head, it’s low in certain places,” Cain said. They crouched and duck-walked a few steps before the clearance changed and they could stand. A shaft of overhead light filtered through the cave lighting it in several places while leaving most of the area in dark shadows.
David thought to morph into his beast for easier, more sure-footed navigation on the stone but realized he might need his hands to push through more illusions. They moved downward at a measured pace, watching and searching for anything out of the ordinary.
David heard water and headed toward it. He stooped and looked through a crevice at a pool of crystal blue water below. Inhaling, his mouth watered. He moved aside so Cain could see.
During the walk downward, the temperature spiked. David wiped the perspiration from his brow and looked around. Unable to shake the sense of being watched he took a few more steps. The scent he’d picked up outside teased him. Swirling, nose upward, he inhaled deeply to find the source and heard Cain fall.
Turning he watched Cain’s tail disappear through the rock and splash into the water below. “Dad,” David called moving closer to the rock and lightly touching it. His hand disappeared, and he pulled it back. “This is some weird stuff.”
“What happened?” his dad asked, linked with Ad
am this time.
He explained Cain had fallen and stooped so his father could see Cain in the water below.
“I don’t want the two of you separated,” his dad said.
“I know but we’re going deeper into the mountain,” David said expressing his deepest fear of not being able to find his way out again.
“I understand son. Stay together. We’ll get the two of you out as soon as we can.”
David pressed the rock, walked through, and fell several feet into the pool of water. He dropped deep and swam up. Cain watched him and shifted to human. Together they climbed out and sat on the smooth stone bank for a few minutes catching their breath.
“This isn’t good,” David said looking around at the low hanging stalagmites and standing water a short distance away.
“Agreed. It’s hotter down here.”
“It’s sapping my energy, making me sleepy,” David said as his limbs felt heavier and his eyelids drooped.
“Should’ve known it was a trap.” Cain’s head dropped, he shook it and looked around. It dropped again.
“Soon we’ll know who set the trap,” David said falling to the side as lethargy over-took him.
TALL, WITH A MUSCULAR build from decades of warfare and a need to subdue her quarry, Nadira strode naked into the cavern looking down at the two men. She wondered who they were and how they’d entered her prison. No matter, they were here now and all hers.
She picked up the big, blond full-blood and carried him to her lair. Hopefully, he could amuse her for a short time. Maybe she’d use them both, but for now, this one would do. She lay him on the stone slab and undressed him without fear of him waking or objecting. The grotto mists were faithful in lulling the unsuspecting to sleep.
Sensual hunger awakened in her as she took in his naked magnificence. Eager, she took his thick cock into her hand and stroked it a few times, excited to see it come to life. When nothing happened, she closed her eyes and ushered in a sensual fragrance designed to stimulate the libido. He stiffened and throbbed in her hand.