Gifted Curse (Curse Trilogy)

by C. M. Owens

  “It’s okay, baby. She could have hurt me, and you saved me. You acted in defense.”

  “If it was so dire, then why didn’t you draw your weapon?” I whimper loudly, and he kisses my forehead softly.

  “Because you beat me to it. I would have done it myself.”

  I should feel better, but I don’t. He’s probably just saying that to make me feel better.

  “How did a full blood get in with the humans?” Clay gushes as he runs over to us. “Only the officials are allowed to mingle.”

  “We don’t know. We came up on the fresh blood spilled. We didn’t know there was an infected until she was staring us in the eyes. Araya had to…” his words trail off as he looks into my eyes, and then he looks back up to meet Clay’s confusion and finish his sentence differently. “I’m taking Araya up to the room before… something happens. I’ll call you later.”

  “Araya put her down?” Clay whispers, and the wall beside us drops several bricks out of place as the building it’s attached to shakes violently.

  “Fuck. I said I’d call you later,” Hale scolds, and Clay tightens his lips as Hale rushes me back to the apartment.

  He lays me on the couch, and then he swishes to the cabinets to come back with another vial of olophine. I do as I’ve done twice already, but I feel the medicine finally being abundant enough to start working.

  “We really need something stronger,” I grumble while watching my wrist close back up on its own.

  “Yes we do. This will have to do for now though. There’s plenty more if you need it,” he murmurs while pulling me into his lap.

  “I think I’m fine now. Just hold me, please. Don’t let it take me,” I whisper out when my voice flees.

  “I’m here for you, baby. Nothing is going to happen, I promise. I’ll inject you myself, and you know I will.”

  I let a half laugh escape before more of my tears fall freely. He just holds me to him as I cry into his shirt, and his hand strokes my hair again while he tries to soothe me.

  I killed a human.

  I keep my eyes closed as Hale watches a movie because I don’t want him to know I’m awake. If he knows, he’ll try to comfort me, and I’ll start crying all over again. I’m too exhausted to cry again right now.

  His arms are still wrapped around me, and every once and a while his lips press softly against my head. I’m still curled up in his lap, and his hand still strokes my hair as it has since before I fell asleep.

  I hear a knock on the door, and it opens before Hale has to say anything. I can feel him tensing up around me, and I know it has to be Brazen.

  No one else makes his skin crawl and his heart beat in such an angry way without saying a word.

  “Is she okay? I just heard she was the one that had to put it down.”

  It? It wasn’t an it. It was a she.

  Tears threaten to sneak out of my sleeping eyes, but I’m able to hold them back before I give myself away.

  “She’s been asleep for two hours. She had to inject herself with olophine… numerous times. She’s emotionally exhausted right now. Everything seems to keep happening to and around her. She’s not getting a second to breathe before something else slaps her in the face,” Hale says so softly while his lips stroke my cheek.

  “I was hoping I could stick around until she wakes up. I brought her something I know she’ll be asking for when she gets a minute to wrap her head around things.”

  Now I’m almost curious enough to open my eyes, but I know if I do, they’ll both be trying to soothe me. I can’t handle that right now.

  “What is it?”

  “The infected woman’s personal file. I gathered everything I could when they told me Araya had to take her down before she fully turned. I know she’ll want to know everything about her, and I think this might help her feel a little better.”

  Tears burn as they water up and seep out of my eyes to drip on the gentle arm supporting my head. Hale sighs as he pulls me up, and his lips rest against my teary cheeks before they play lightly on my lips.

  “I know you’re awake, baby,” he coos, and I open my eyes to let the remainder of the trapped tears fall free.

  Brazen’s eyes carry a heavy amount of pity, forcing my shameful ones to look away. He hands me the file as I shift to be on the couch. I take a deep breath, and more tears pour out when I’m unable to open the folder.

  “You don’t have to look,” Hale says so warmly, and then he slides me back into his lap.

  “I want to. I need to know who she was,” I whimper, and then I finally open it up to see what the woman should have looked like.

  Her light blond hair was curly, and her golden brown eyes were soft but slightly jaded. She lived a hard life according to her file. She was in an out of trouble, and she had a reputation for blood running. Most importantly, she’s not a mother.

  I sigh out in relief after seeing the fact no child is waiting for her, and Hale pulls me closer to him as he reads along with me.

  “Do you think it’s possible she was running her own blood? If she didn’t dilute it enough and the full blood found her, it’s possible he or she was driven to latch on without a choice,” Hale murmurs to Brazen.

  “That’s what I thought. It would explain why there was an attack from with inside the compound, and it would explain how they got to her. She would have felt drawn to them as well, though it wouldn’t have been as strong on her end. It’s possible she just let him in the back gate, and or she reacted out of instinct. I didn’t check for evidence of more considering they had already disposed of her remains.”

  He’s talking about a blood fuck. That just kills the sex appeal right now.

  “Thank you,” I murmur while standing up.

  I walk over, and he stands to wrap me up in those arms that have comforted me so many times. I can see Hale’s jaw tensing out of the corner of my eye, but he doesn’t say anything considering Brazen just gave me piece of mind. Just knowing she wasn’t a mother is enough to relieve me of the worst of the burden.

  “You’re welcome,” he utters softly before kissing my forehead.

  I pull back, and he wipes my tears from my cheeks before Hale can’t sit still any longer. He comes to wrap his arms around my waist with his possessive cloaking, and Brazen gives me a wink before letting himself out the door.

  “I really hate him a lot more when he does something I wish I had thought of,” Hale grouses while pulling me back to the couch.

  “You were preoccupied. You would have done it too if you had idle hands. I needed you in a different way, and he can’t have me like that anymore,” I murmur while my lips lightly dance on his.

  “I love you, Araya.” he sighs out happily once I’ve pushed away his lingering insecurities.

  “I love you. Thank you for holding me.”

  “Baby, I don’t need thanks for that. It’s by far one of my many favorite things to do with you.”

  “Could your other favorite thing to do be just sleeping in the bed with me tonight? I really don’t feel like doing anything else.”

  He looks a little hurt by my words, and I slink down when I feel like I’ve made him feel like I don’t want him anymore.

  “Araya, I didn’t plan on doing anything else. I love you for a hell of a lot more than sex. It hurts that you think that.”

  Oh balls.

  “I didn’t mean it like that. I just know we normally… we don’t normally just go to sleep. That’s all I was saying.”

  He frowns lightly, and then he leans back so that he can see me better.

  “We just reconciled, so we’ve been having a little fun. That doesn’t mean there’s not more substance. I’m perfectly capable of just holding the woman I want to marry.”

  I smile a little, and my lips gingerly stroll over his as my tears slip free once more. He wraps his arms around me to hug me while kissing me, and I feel so safe. Brazen has always had the comforting touch, not Hale, but now he’s proving he’s so much more than I ever
gave him credit for.

  “You hungry?” he murmurs softly.

  “No. Now I’m ready to go to bed.”

  “It’s still light out, but I’ll go to bed with you until you fall asleep,” he says with such an adorable touch of obliviousness.

  My lips fold over his, and then I slide my legs around until I straddle him. He grips me a little tighter when he realizes I’m trying to seduce him. He groans into my mouth, and I start undoing his pants very slowly.

  “I didn’t think you wanted to do this,” he mutters between my lips, and I free his erection before sliding my hand against it.

  “That was before you made me feel so damn good. You’re incredible, and I don’t think I’ve ever told you that,” I murmur back, and his eyes show such an enamored gaze as he lifts me into the air.

  His lips consume mine once more when his eyes close again, and his soft touch is less brutal today as he gently places me on the bed. He slowly removes my shirt, and his lips stroll up my stomach to meet my breasts. His tongue plays momentarily on my nipple, and then the cold air strikes it a little more noticeably when he moves to the other.

  I moan lightly as he travels back down, and he gingerly pulls my pants off before actually removing my underwear without shredding them.

  His breath stains my skin with perfect, arousing heat. Those perfect, plump lips continue their daring journey until he reaches the apex of my thighs, and I moan as his tongue begins swirling against my most sensitive of spots. He smiles when he feels the pleasure I’m obviously deriving, and then his lips close over it as a light sucking motion starts.

  I gasp when I feel the incredible sensation that sends the most delicious chills all over my body. He presses down against my hips when I begin squirming too much, and it forces me to fully absorb the sublimely erotic tingles. I grip his hair with one hand and the sheet starts ripping beneath the other as I feel the building of my inevitable moment edging toward an eclipse. I gasp as I reach the climax he’s been pushing me toward.

  A smug smile plays across his delicious lips as he pulls back and kisses the insides of my legs, and his lips very slowly make their way back up my shaky body. I grip his face and pull him to me, unable to play this game much longer. His lips engulf mine just as he thrusts into me, my whole body jarring from the unexpected connection. Everything tingles as he holds still - a piece of him inside of me.

  “You’re incredible too, baby,” he breathes before slowly withdrawing, and then he gently slides back in.

  I can feel him going so deep, and he just stays there again while kissing me. I almost want to clutch my legs around his waist and keep him there forever, but his slow, erotic motion continues once more as our lips just barely touch. His tongue enters my mouth briefly as he grips my hips to thrust in a little harder, and I gasp at the surrealism I’m feeling under his soft touch that I’ve never felt so intimately from him.

  He gradually builds speed until he reaches a tantalizing rhythm, and his hands grip my breasts before tangling in my hair and bringing me closer to his soft, exquisite lips that fold to mine so perfectly.

  We roll over and sit up together as I take control, and his hands grip my body as my chest presses to his. My knees dig into the bed as I lift myself up and down, and the sweat begins forming against our scorching bodies, sizzling as it rolls down my chest. His lips begin playing against my dampened neck as we make love in a way we never have before.

  I feel our connection growing in such an unfathomable way as he grips me all the tighter. My tongue invades his mouth, and I taste the sweat mingling with the desire as he grunts lightly at his close climax.

  I feel my legs quivering around him, and my breaths grow into ragged pants. He pulls me tighter as I scream out my release, and he moves my hips for me until he follows my climatic response.

  He holds me to him as he drops back, and I fall on top of him with my languid body motionless. His lips press gently against my forehead as his fingertips trickle up and down my back, and I smile against his smooth chest as I kiss it.

  “That was pretty incredible,” he murmurs softly.

  “That was very incredible,” I giggle out, and I feel his smile rather than see it.

  “I could sleep now,” he adds humorously.

  “Let’s do it,” I prompt, and he pulls me up to be beside him as he stares into my eyes and strokes my cheek gently.

  “I look forward to the day when we can do this anytime we want to. Once we track down the Rising, I want you to return with me to Seminole. You can interrogate and run the school as well if you want to. Please come back with me.”

  I stare into the hybrid eyes that anxiously await my answer, and I kiss him to ensure him I’m not going anywhere without him.

  “I planned on coming back, but I don’t know anything about running a school. I trust you’ve got far better people already in place for that. I’ll stick to grilling the suspects and curling up in your arms.”

  This time I see the full-flashing, panty-dropping smile before his lips thank mine.

  “Sounds perfect. I love you.”

  “I love you,” I mumble against his soft kiss.

  He holds me to his body, and I pull the sheet over us both as we shut out the world and just live in each other’s arms for the moment.

  Chapter 10

  The Rise and Fall

  The tinted sky stares into my eyes as I stare out at the Selma landscape. No one found my lead, and I’m sure he’s long gone by now after the infected fall of the woman I killed. No one wants to speak about it in front of me, and I can’t blame them. I was far too emotional yesterday. I’ve been trained my whole life to shut out emotion, but I’ve never been able to. Hale is so much better at that than me. His only weakness for emotion has been me.

  I smile as that thought comes to mind, and then I smile bigger as I feel his arms wrapping around me from behind.

  “You ready to go?” he asks softly while moving my hair to kiss my neck.

  “I won’t be if you keep doing that,” I seduce, and he turns me to face him so that his lips can caress mine lightly before picking up my bag.

  “We need to go, or I would definitely have some more fun with you in this old place.”

  “I’m glad we stayed in so much,” I chuckle, and he stretches playfully to dramatize the very long night we had.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever slept that much in my life, and I think it’s just what I needed. Thank you,” he chirps before pecking me lightly once more.

  “I’m surprised we didn’t run into anybody we knew. Not that I’m complaining.”

  “Compounds change almost daily. I had three assistants before I got Wendy, and I’ve had numerous other officials. It’s easy for people to come and go and then be replaced. You did all that worrying for nothing.”

  “I’m looking forward to returning to Seminole,” I smolder out.

  He smirks lightly before running his thumb across my lips, and then he sighs out before taking my hand in his.

  “It’s just a temporary stay until we catch a fresh lead. We’ll be back on the road before long.”

  “At least I get to be on the road with you.”

  He grins upon hearing my giddy words, and his arm drapes over my shoulder while his other carries our bags.

  “I wouldn’t go without you.”

  “I know. That’s what makes you all the more incredible.”

  His cheeks blush lightly as his perfect smile slips across his face, and he rolls his eyes at his own foolishly giddy reaction. I mimic his grin, and Clay walks up with a smile of his own.

  “I’m glad to see you feel better,” he says with delight.

  “Hale has a way of bringing out the best in me,” I giggle out.

  “I know. That’s why I’m glad the two of you are finally back with each other. You bring out the best in him too.”

  “Yes she does,” Hale sizzles free while staring into my eyes.

  “Let’s get back to Seminole. It’ll be a lo
ng ride from here,” Clay sighs in dread.

  “I like long rides,” I provocatively dare.

  Hale stifles his laughter, and Clay rolls his eyes while shaking his head.

  “I think you two bring out the animal in each other as well,” he grumbles before walking away in mock disgust.

  I make a playful purring sound, and Hale lets his laughter free before giving me a sweet kiss.

  “You feel better?” Brazen chirps from behind as he walks up on our moment.

  “Very much so. Thank you for what you did yesterday. I needed that,” I murmur genuinely while staring into his pleased, pale eyes.

  “You know I’d do anything for you. I’ll see you back at Seminole,” he mutters gently before rubbing the side of my arm, and then he jogs down the hallway to the outside.

  “I hate it when he touches you,” Hale growls with a grimace.

  I smirk lightly as I tug on his belt to make his body jerk closer. He tries to suppress his grin as I kiss his chest through his shirt.

  “He doesn’t get to touch me the way you do,” I smolder out, and his grin can’t be held back any longer.

  ‘Damn straight,” he smugly retorts while pulling me against his leaning body as he backs against a wall.

  “I dread driving forever all over again.”

  He smirks, and then his lips play over mine.

  “We’ll have passengers this time, so you’ll have to behave.”

  “That’s why I dread the ride.”

  He laughs lightly, and then we see dust stirring in the distance as shots begin ringing out. Hale grips my hand as we rush over to inspect the scene. I smell the toxic uranium as a grenade bursts violently into the air, and Hale injects his veins with olophine before leaping over the edge of the wall to jump in his car.

  I step off the ledge to plummet the fifty feet to the ground, and I hop into the passenger seat before he has a chance to leave me. Brazen’s feet slap the ground, and he pulls out his rifle to line up a shot as Hale revs the engine and blazes toward the fight.

  “Get out, baby,” he murmurs calmly while his eyes focus on the fight ahead.