Lifted Curse

by Owens, C. M.

  “I don’t know. I’m still working on that. You know what I know, and I hope we can use this to trace its point of origin. Something this advanced has to have a trail somewhere. I’m going to walk Araya out, and then we can discuss this further,” Hale murmurs while wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

  He’s not acting like he knows I’m still confused; he’s acting like my boyfriend. Crap. What a mess.

  “I’ll speak to you later, Araya. Thank you for finding this,” Clay asserts while pulling me into a hug.

  I just nod while shivering at the thought of spies getting close enough to plant cameras inside the walls of the commander’s apartment.

  “You need to check your place too,” I say to Hale as he walks me out.

  “I will. I’ll run a sweep of everyone’s place in rank. Those are the ones with the most confidential matters. When you get back, I want you to consider moving into my place. I don’t want you going back below. It would be safer at my place, and it’s bigger than Clay’s. Just come stay with me,” he almost pleads, and now I know what a real mistake it was to fuck him in his damn office.

  I braid my wet hair to the side while trying to think of a way out of this mess, and then I see Grayson and Angelica climbing into a SUV.

  “We can talk about this when I get back. I’ll see you then,” I mumble, and his arms wrap around my waist as his lips gently stroke mine.

  “Don’t forget to call me when you’re done,” he urges, and then his lips take a much stronger hold on mine.

  “You riding with us?” Grayson chirps while stifling a grin.

  I smile as I pull away and climb into the back, the world’s gravity finding my chest to sit down and rest on. Hale leans into the car while pulling me back to his lips. I can feel his extreme reluctance to let me go, and I can taste the pain I’ll leave behind if this goes wrong.

  “I’ll be waiting on you to call,” he breathes, and then my lips fall back on his so I don’t make any more promises.

  He withdraws with playfully puckered lips, and those damn things jutted out make me want to attack him again. I just grin my girly grin, and then I wave to him as he shuts the door and Grayson pulls out.

  “So you chose Hale?” Angelica muses.

  “I still haven’t chosen. Don’t make me think right now, please.”

  They both smirk, and Angelica leans over to rest her head on the arm of her hybrid.

  I spread out in the backseat, and my eyes tilt downward to remind me of my sleep deprived state. I let the sleep take me away from reality and the grave decision which lies at my feet.

  Chapter 4

  A Brazen Approach on the Road to Hale

  I’m exhausted to the point my mind is under protest, refusing to strategize, plot, or even think anymore. I have grilled over two hundred suspects in seven days, and it has taken its toll on me now. I feel the burn of the overexertion, and I relish the taste of the whiskey making me forget it all.

  “Great week, Araya,” a flirty guy releases.

  “Thanks,” I murmur gently while staring out over the fire trying to light the night sky.

  The log behind my back holds me up because I’ve consumed way too much liquor to do it on my own. I haven’t called Hale like I promised, but I can call him in the morning. If I call him now, he’ll be pissed I’m not on my way back. I worked hard. I deserve to celebrate.

  “It has been crazy busy,” Corbin murmurs while flopping down beside me.

  “Yes. Yes it has,” I slur out.

  “I see you’ve already found the whiskey,” he chuckles while stealing a sip from my bottle.

  “Yes. Yes I have,” I say with a slight giggle, and he starts laughing even more.

  “Have you seen Brazen?”

  “Not tonight. I’ve barely seen him all week,” I mumble while pulling the bottle to my lips again.

  “I’m surprised he has been able to stay away. I assumed he’d spend the week pining after you.”

  “He had to be professional. We had a job to do, and he’s a captain,” I laugh out - even though there is no reason for laughter.

  Oh damn. I’m that drunk girl who laughs at everything. Peachy.

  “Well the captain is off duty now,” Brazen sizzles out while bringing in a crate full of liquor.

  I smirk as those pale blue eyes catch mine, and people swarm around him to start divvying up his new haul. He takes a bottle for himself, and then he comes to take my other side.

  “You were incredible this week, babe,” he smolders out while wrapping his arm around me, and my drunken state of mind allows me to just snuggle into him without over thinking things.

  “You were incredibly professional,” I playfully retort. “I suppose your full blood companions will be satisfied now.”

  His grin grows suspicious, and his lips almost touch mine before he pulls back and takes a sip of his whiskey.

  “So you were the one outside my room. Why didn’t you just come in?”

  “It sounded like a very serious conversation, and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  “You wouldn’t have been an interruption. I wanted you to stay with me,” he seduces, and my lips brush his before I stand to my feet.

  “I love this song,” I say, seduction dripping from my tone when I start swaying my hips to the music.

  Brazen’s eyes catch mine, and he holds me captive as the dance meant for my amusement becomes a dance of seduction meant for him.

  “I happen to love this song too,” Corbin chimes in from behind, and I feel his body pressing against mine as he tries to keep my rhythm.

  I smirk as I turn to face him while twitching my finger.

  “There’s only one guy here I’ll dance with,” I seduce, and then I turn to face the very intensely turned on pale eyes of Brazen burning against me as his devilish smirk comes to life.

  I strut back over to him, and I straddle his body before lowering myself to his lap. My lips consume his without warning, and he grabs me to jerk me closer to his growing erection. I can feel him smiling against my lips as I devour him, and the cat-calls that follow our showy display are almost comical. I’m so drunk, it wouldn’t faze me to fuck him right here.

  A girl sitting close to us pulls at a guy’s hand to lead him toward the tents.

  “Come. Let’s fuck like hybrids,” she slurs.

  I look up, and her eyes grow a little wide from her drunken slip.

  “Sorry. No offense, Araya,” she quickly adds, and I burst out laughing with Brazen which brings a sigh of relief to her buzzed lips.

  “I know how to fuck like a hybrid,” I whisper into Brazen’s ear, and he groans slightly as if he’s tortured.

  “We can’t, baby. You’re drunk. I can’t fuck you drunk,” he grumbles, and my lips grab his again while I grind against him.

  His firm piece of glory hiding beneath his pants begs him to reconsider, and my body presses tighter against him to make myself impossible to refuse. His hands tangle in my hair, and I feel the desire he’s trying to deny as it pours free into my mouth.

  “You’ve fucked me drunk before,” I crudely murmur against his lips, and he groans again.

  “We were together then. You wanted me sober and drunk. We’re not together now,” he explains, but I’m not ready to give up.

  My hands slowly unbutton his black shirt that dangles too perfectly, and my hands slide up his smooth stomach and chest before heading back down to his belt buckle.

  “Araya, please stop, baby. I can kiss you all you want me to, but this can’t go any further unless you want to drink some blood and sober up.”

  He’s so sexy when he tries to fight me, but I’m on a mission to get fucked. He tries to remove my hands from his belt, but I just use my gift to strip it away. He rolls his eyes as he groans out his exasperation, and then my lips take over his again.

  “You’re going to fuck me,” I smolder out, and he rips me up from the ground to carry me to his tent.

  Success.

  He la
ys me down$ and then he grabs a pack of blood from a cooler.

  “Drink this, and I’ll fuck you all night long,” he murmurs, his rasp, tormented breaths making his tone heavy.

  I smirk deviously while launching myself at him, and I free his erection before he has time to stop me.

  “You’ll fuck me like this. You know I can make you,” I warn, and I can see the excitement sparking in his eyes to show me how incredibly hot he finds all of this.

  “I’m hoping you won’t. You’ll hate me in the morning if we do this now in your condition. Just drink the blood, and let me pray you still want me then.

  “If I drink that blood, I’ll sober up. If I sober up, I’ll have to think. If I have to think, I’ll just turn you down no matter how badly I want you. Just fuck me and shut the hell up,” I huff.

  He pushes me to the ground, and his body falls between my parted legs before pressing against me as he threatens to cede to my forceful request. His grinding hips and exposed erection drive me crazy as he starts undoing my pants. I begin feeling the throbbing consuming me as our lips tangle together.

  “Fuck,” he growls, and then he rips free from my web while tossing the blood pack to my chest.

  “Please drink the blood. You’re fucking killing me, baby,” he strains out.

  I roll my eyes while rising to my knees, and I rip open the blood pack. Then my knees give out beneath me, and the blood sloshes all over the place. Brazen’s arms wrap around me to steady me, and I seize my opportunity to have my way.

  “I’ll get you some more. You need blood,” `e murmurs softly.

  “Yes I do,” I sizzle out, and my blood bringers sink into the flesh of his shoulder without giving him a chance to stop me.

  The moment his incredible blood breaches my mouth, sobriety sets in and slaps me in the face.

  Oh fuck. What have I just done?

  His eyes spark with the erotic bombs bursting inside, and the throbbing inside me erupts as his lips attack mine without mercy. His coarse breaths rattle into my mouth as he jerks his pants back down. My hands grip the back of his neck as this dangerous game now turns to the real thing, and I’m sober. Well… sort of. Now I’m on the blood high I instigated without permission.

  “Araya,” he scolds lightly into my ear, and my nails slide up his back as he surges inside me.

  I moan out as the erotic tingles continue to burst, and then I feel the incredible painful twinge as his teeth break the surface of my skin to take my blood. The adrenaline surges through me once he injects me with his intoxicating venom, and I become even louder.

  His lips fervently grip mine again as his rhythm quickens, and I grip him even tighter as he pounds into me with his glorious relentless force.

  His moans match mine as our ragged breaths quickly begin gasping for air. He jerks my legs at the thighs so he can force himself into me that much harder, and my moans become almost screams.

  “That’s it, baby,” he growls through his gritted teeth, and then his lips attack mine again.

  I clutch his back as the fragile tent covering us threatens to collapse. He slams into me more as his lips suckle my neck, and then I feel the quivering inside me begging to erupt. The tent finally does collapse, and the thin fabric slides over our thrashing bodies as his merciless strides only hasten.

  He suddenly flips me to be on top and the tent slides up and down my back as I take over. His hands grip my hips to make me move faster, and my hands press against his chest to help me steady my balance as I find the pace he’s trying to set.

  I lean over to let my lips find his again, and he continues jerking my hips as he fucks me from underneath. I finally scream out my ecstasy when it becomes too overwhelming to deny it any longer, and I collapse to him as he pumps in twice more before filling me with his glorious warmth.

  “Fuck,” he exhales while pulling me in his arms.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whimper as my lips close over his.

  “No. Please don’t say you’re sorry. It’ll make me feel like you regret this, and I’ll be stuck feeling guilty because I knew you didn’t really want to.”

  “I bit you, Brazen. I wanted to do this… very badly, but I can’t stand the thought of hurting you. I’m still confused, and now I’ve just royally fucked with your head.”

  He sighs out as he begins pulling his pants back on, and then he starts reassembling the tent with a smirk.

  “Baby, I realize you didn’t do that because you were desperate to be with me - although it’s one hell of a way to avoid a hangover,” he chuckles out, and I cover my embarrassed grin. “I think this is one incredible step in the right direction though.”

  I huff through my grin as he finishes standing the tent upright, and then he lies back down to pull me to his body to fill the need for closeness.

  “I don’t want this to fuck with your head,” I reiterate.

  “It’s not. It’s fucking with other parts of my body right now, but my head is still fine,” he jokes, and I let a slight chuckle free as his lips close over mine.

  I snuggle into his chest as the night stirs with restless creatures nocturnally charged and seeking their prey. Brazen continues kissing me, holding me, and making me feel guilty by enjoying this so much. I’ve fucked up somewhere - did I fuck up with Brazen or Hale?

  I’m clinging to Brazen as his shirt whips in the wind and my hair blows free from my neck. The vibrating beast between our legs roars out its power as he barrels toward Seminole. My stomach is in knots, and my shades aren’t dark enough to hide my shame. We were the first to leave, and after our blood fucks, it’s been a little hard to be separated.

  I’m fine now. I don’t feel the need for closeness since the drive has taken us so long, and the sun isn’t far from flashing its full glow. I’m glad we’re almost there, otherwise he would have to stop and take shelter in order to keep his secret. I don’t need to be alone with him anymore. I don’t need to be alone with either of them until I fucking figure out who I want.

  The gate opens when the guards see us approaching, and I hold onto him that much tighter as he skids the bike to a halt once inside. He smirks as he pulls off his shades, and I roll my eyes.

  “You promised you wouldn’t over think this,” I caution.

  “I’m just enjoying my afterglow,” he mocks, feigning innocence, but my mimicking smile fades the second I see Hale stalking toward us.

  “You never called,” he says with a touch of a wounded tone as his eyes glare at Brazen.

  “We were busy,” Brazen inserts with malicious intentions.

  “Sorry,” I huff while stepping in between them.

  Hale’s jaw has clenched shut, and he speaks through his gritted teeth as he strains out, “So the two of you-”

  “It’s not really any of your business,” Brazen interrupts while smirking deviously.

  “Unbelievable. So what, you fuck me and then go fuck him? Are you weighing your options based on who is better in bed?” Hale scoffs, and I slap him across the face before I even realize what I’m doing.

  “I’m not doing this right now,” I snap, and I start to walk away when Brazen catches my arm.

  “You were with him before you came to camp? You seem to have forgotten to mention that,” he scolds.

  I rip free and stare at the two men who don’t know when to stop.

  “I told you both I was confused. I told you both I need time. Neither of you will just leave me alone. Just give me some damn space.”

  “I think that will be a little easier for me to do now,” Hale grumbles while walking away and stomping his anger into the ground.

  “I think I actually agree with him for a change,” Brazen huffs, and his eyes cut away before he abandons me too.

  Perfect.

  “Araya Crush, please report. Araya Crush, please report,” a loud speaker bellows.

  Report where? I just fucking got here.

  I walk through the main building, and I see Clay speaking with the two men who are beyond
pissed at me. I almost hold my breath as I deliberately keep my eyes on him and off my hybrid and full blood.

  “Where am I supposed to report?” I gripe.

  “To me. I need you to coach up an interrogation on a woman we have in custody. Hale and Brazen will take lead on this interrogation, but I want your expertise on the other side of the glass.”

  “Okay. Is this one of the leads we sent you from our many interrogations?” I muse.

  “It is. If I’m right, this full blood woman is in the middle of this somehow.”

  “Why would a full blood be in the middle of a hybrid conspiracy?”

  “The benefits of receiving the blood possibly,” he answers.

  I nod as we all head into the room, and I stare at the pretty face behind the glass as her lack of concern for her predicament shows in her bored face. I toss my bag to the corner, and then I take a seat as I study her. There’s something in her eyes I’ve seen before - it’s desire, and it’s carnal.

  Wendy enters the room with the woman to leave a file across from her on the table and to leave the scent of her human blood lingering as we always do when a full blood is present. But she’s not affected by the blood in the vein. She’s not the least bit concerned or provoked by it.

  “Damn. She’s unfazed by Wendy’s blood,” Hale mumbles to reiterate the thoughts in my mind.

  I watch the full blood woman stare at Wendy for a fraction of a second too long, and something clicks.

  “She looked at Wendy before she walked out, maybe she’s just hiding it,” Brazen says as he starts to strategize with Hale.

  “Maybe. I’ll see if I can work it out of her,” Hale murmurs.

  “No. I’ll go. I understand the craving more than you, and I’ll push her buttons if they’re there,” Brazen objects, and then he walks out before Hale can offer a rebuttal.

  “Just let me know when I’m supposed to help,” I grouse.

  Hale ignores me, and Clay returns to the room just as Brazen walks in with the full blood woman. I try not to show my fumes that have to be exuding from me like radioactive flares as I stare into the room.