Lifted Curse

by Owens, C. M.

  “Need some more ice?” he jokes playfully, and I let a laugh escape while kissing his cheek.

  “Ice sounds nice. Maybe in a minute. I’m hungry and I need more than chocolate and two sips of champagne,” I snicker out.

  As if I had said something terrible, his lips turn down in a frown, guilt washing over his hybrid blues.

  “The champagne was probably a bad idea considering the baby,” he murmurs guiltily while strumming his hand over my belly.

  “It would have been if I was carrying a human instead of a hybrid. Our metabolisms burn alcohol quicker. So does our baby’s,” I say reassuringly while kissing his forehead.

  I rise up and pull on the shirt he was wearing. He smiles as I sniff his scent buried within the fabric. He props up so he can see me better.

  “Still, it might be wise to cut off alcohol for a while. We really don’t know anything about our child just yet. He or she could be very different. There’s never been another.”

  We’ve already got something in common, little one.

  I smile tenderly while rubbing the flat surface of my stomach that hides the secret of a growing child. I see Hale smiling too out of the corner of my eye, and then he stands to pull his pants back on while following me into the kitchen area.

  “You look beautiful carrying around my baby,” he murmurs in my ear, and I blush under his admiration.

  “It’s so crazy, isn’t it? We’re going to be parents. I can’t tell you how many times I pictured this knowing it was an impossibility, but yet here we are. The firsts.”

  “Maybe not the lasts though. Clay thinks he can duplicate the healing process by using small bits of your blood infused with a synthetic cloning machine.”

  “I didn’t think we could clone blood.”

  “We can’t, but he can. He just can’t tell anyone how he’s doing it. If everyone can have children, no one can stop us from raising ours. He’s going to tell him you were his first test subject. He said if he clones it, there won’t be the blood fuck need, and others can start conceiving in as few as a couple of months. It’s the perfect ruse.”

  I giggle lightly, and then he pulls me in for a brief kiss before another tapping at the door interrupts our moment.

  “Never a moment of peace,” he grumbles while buttoning his pants fully.

  I walk behind the counter to hide my legs from our new visitor. I pick up a fork before opening a container of food Hale brought back, and it clanks to the ground when I see Symphony’s face.

  Her hybrid blues are still intact, and I sigh out in relief when I see Clay walking in behind her. Her eyes lower in a shameful glance, and I immediately feel guilty for my accidental cast of judgment.

  “I’m sorry to just show up, but Symphony wanted to speak with Araya,” Clay murmurs softly.

  I look at her expectantly, and her tearstained eyes finally rise to meet mine. I see so much pain, that a pang of misery stings my heart which is breaking for her right now. Her tears roll free, and she barrels around the counter to jolt me forward in a hug.

  I gradually return the embrace, and she sobs wildly against the side of my head as she shows me what she can’t say in her crumbling state.

  “It’s okay, Symphony. You’re safe now,” I coo while slowly slipping my eyes over to Hale and Clay.

  Hale’s eyes have softened, and I can see how badly he wants to pull me into his arms right now. I’m worried once he does he may never release me again. I could have been Symphony if Ty had mastered this process with my blood.

  Clay wipes away his escaped tears, and that’s enough to make mine fall. I hold her tighter as she falls apart in my arms. It’s surreal to know I was fighting her for my life just yesterday.

  “Thank you, Araya,” she chokes out over the sobs. “You saved me.”

  “I didn’t save you, Clay did that. I just subdued you,” I say very lightly to help ease her out of her anxiety attack.

  She pulls back smiling, and her eyes fall on the man who has been tortured without her for far too long.

  “Yes he did, but he couldn’t have done it without you.” She turns back to me before continuing with, “I want to help.”

  “We don’t expect that out of you. You’ve just endured more pain than I even know how to fathom. You deserve a break. We can handle this without you,” I gingerly offer.

  “That bastard enslaved me for years. He stole me from the man I love. He stripped me of my true counter, and he used me as a substitute when he couldn’t have the girl he really wanted.”

  Guilt radiates from me, and my tears fall for a new reason now. Her eyes soften when she sees my inner turmoil, and she shakes her head.

  “Don’t. This wasn’t your fault, Araya. He’s a sick man with a twisted mind. If it hadn’t been me, it would have been someone else. I was strong enough to accept it, someone else might not have been. You need to know he’s obsessed with you though, and this is nothing more than a hiccup in his vain eyes. He believes he’s invincible now.”

  Yeah. I figured out the fact he’s obsessed with me all on my own.

  “I’m so sorry this happened to you,” I guiltily rattle out.

  “Like I said, this wasn’t your fault. Once he had me, he didn’t plan on ever letting me go. He’s jealous of Clay, Hale, and any other gifted hybrid male. I don’t doubt he planned on having an entire harem full of gifted women before it was over just to deny their counters the love they seek. He’s completely mad.”

  “I saw that,” I huff out, and she moves away to rejoin an eagerly awaiting Clay.

  He wraps his arms around her while pulling her in for a warm kiss, and I smile before feeling Hale’s arms pulling me to into his body. I was starting to ache to feel his body on mine. After just having endeavored on a blood fuck, the closeness was lacking, and it was so painful. It’s not like I could just blurt that out though.

  I lean back to feel his warmth consuming me, and then Symphony speaks to me again from across the counter.

  “His ruthless ambition is a force to be reckoned with, but it’s also his downfall. He was collected, calm, and calibrated until he injected himself into the investigation. I think he was eager to prove to you how strong he is. He can do so many things now. He can do as I could with almost everything, but he can’t block powers. It irritated him I could but he couldn’t. He has a lot of power still though. He holds it back because he knows a war is coming, and he plans on having the element of surprise. He doesn’t just have an army, he has a fleet like you wouldn’t believe. All newly turned hybrids with powers like you’ve never seen on a grand scale. It’s going to take divine intervention to stop him.”

  I’ll show him divine intervention.

  “Where was he planning to attack?” Hale asks softly while sitting on a stool and pulling me to his lap.

  “He originally planned on attacking Seminole first, but he doesn’t like someone anticipating his next move. He’ll change his plan, but I think I know where he’ll start. He’ll start with Selma to hit Araya where it hurts. Then he’ll move to Hershian. I know how he thinks because his blood has invaded my body for so many years.”

  Brazen walks in unannounced to join the conversation he has apparently been listening in on.

  “Sorry I’m late. I just saw your text,” he says to Clay.

  “It’s fine. I suppose you heard the important things on your way to the room.”

  “I’ve already contacted my men to build a perimeter around Selma. I was hoping you had some to spare for Hershian.”

  “I do.”

  “Are you sure he’ll hit Selma first?” I ask shakily.

  “Most likely. It was the place Hale took you when he stole you away. It only makes sense he would go there first.”

  “How long do we have?” Brazen asks the scared girl.

  “Days at most. He was still trying to unlock the part of his brain that allowed him to block gifts, but he’s impatient now. He’s lost me and his chance with Araya. He’ll be furious and illogical.
”

  And too strong for Hale or Brazen to face. They’ll both try though. I can’t lose either of them. This started with me… it ends with me.

  “We should probably speak with Gabe. He requested we fill him in. He has also requested to fight by our side,” Hale murmurs softly, unaware of my inner plotting.

  Our need for closeness still in play, his lips begin strolling over my head, his grip tightening on my waist, and I smile lightly to disguise the true anguish growing inside me. Brazen and Hale both seem oblivious to my scheming mind for once, and my hand grazes my stomach as my fear for my child comes to surface. Hale’s hand quickly covers mine, and he kisses me harder on top of the head, his warm breath heating me through my hair.

  I exhale softly, desperately hoping my breath doesn’t carry the secrets of my plotting mind with it as they continue their futile planning. No one here can face them… not until I’ve weakened the new hybrids so gravely they can’t fight at full strength. It has to just be me… phase three Araya… and my innocent child I pray stays safe.

  I won’t be able to be the savage I was against Symphony. Even if I could somehow exercise such control again, it wouldn’t be strong enough to face Ty - not if what Symphony says is true, and I doubt he showed her all of his strength for fear of losing some power over her. Ty loves power now. He’s addicted, hungry, and he’ll be merciless. I’ll have to just as vicious and unrelenting, never staring morality or regret in the face.

  “Araya?” Hale asks as though he’s said my name a thousand times in the past five seconds.

  “Yeah… er… huh?” I stumble out.

  His eyes rise in confusion while he suspiciously examines my perplexed face, and he tilts his head to the side while slipping his fingers through my hair with concerned strokes.

  “Baby, we’ve been asking you what you think about our plan,” he says with a hint of worried bemusement, his eyes studying mine for falter.

  It’s pointless. That’s what I think because I’m going to take them down myself… alone.

  I steady my breath to hide my rattled composure while placing my hand over my stomach again.

  “I’m sorry. I got a little queasy for a moment, and I must have tuned you out,” I half lie.

  I tuned you out because I was devising my own plan of attack.

  Hale half smirks while scooping me up, and his lips stroll over my forehead while he keeps his shirt I’m wearing firmly placed so as not to show anyone the secrets they’re not supposed to see… in some cases, the secrets they’re not supposed to see again.

  “We can leave you two to get some rest. It’s apparent we interrupted a need for closeness, and in Araya’s state, it’s probably a good idea to over compensate on such things,” Clay sympathetically and apologetically murmurs while stroking his love’s hair and staring softly at me.

  “Oh I intend to,” Hale breathes into my ear.

  It’s loud enough to make the rest of the room squirm uncomfortably though. Brazen’s eyes look up to catch mine, and he gives me a soft wink before walking over to stroke my cheek, his cool touch possibly finding me for the last time ever… if this goes wrong.

  “Get some rest. We’ll fill you in tomorrow when you feel better.”

  His cool lips refresh the back of my hand as he kisses it to leave a chilly but warm spot behind. Hale’s jaw tenses, but he doesn’t say anything or act callous as he holds me. He doesn’t have to. Brazen is walking back to his empty room, and Hale is holding me to his body - where I’ll spend the rest of his life.

  “Thanks. I’ll see you later,” I murmur softly to the pale eyes almost glowing at me.

  His eyes shift, and I’m worried he has just read my secrets with his all too knowing mind. My eyes dart away to conceal the plan I have to execute without fail. He’d never understand, and he’d never let me go through with it. He’d also tell Hale, and together they’d lock me away in a tower to keep me from running into the fight alone.

  “Araya,” he says softly. “Are you sure you’re just queasy?”

  Balls. Damn you, you sweet full blood and you’re overly perceptive eyes staring into the depths of my frigging soul.

  “Yes, I’m sure. That and I’m still not fully recuperated from being in control of my savage for so long.”

  “Don’t forget to mention being pregnant while in your controlled savage state. I can only imagine the exhaustion you’ve suffered,” Clay says softly, completely oblivious to the clues Brazen has sniffed out with his overly developed talents.

  “Araya, if-”

  “I’m fine, Brazen. Really. Just tired,” I interrupt before those eyes find the truth hiding behind my deceitful mask.

  I get it now. I understand why Hale and Brazen both kept me in the dark. They loved me too much to watch me die, and they knew I would go after these monsters eventually. Now, it’s my turn to leave them in the dark. It’s my turn to ensure their safety. I’m stronger, faster, and damn near indestructible… I hope.

  “I’m going to take Araya back to bed. I’ll come talk to you later,” Hale murmurs to the others while kissing my head through my hair.

  I snuggle my head against the nook of his neck, and he just holds me that much tighter as the others start dispersing. I feel the soft bed beneath me before I ever realize we’ve left the living area.

  “Baby, I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re not being honest. Care to share the load on your mind with your fiancé?” Hale asks so sweetly.

  “I really am just tired. I’m still thinking of how I controlled my savage. I know I’ll have to recreate it soon enough,” I lie while veering the conversation.

  “You won’t have to do it alone, babe. I’ll be there with you,” he says, and I worry he’s figured it out.

  Drat. Damn you, you perfect hybrid and your insightful gift for reading my body.

  “I know.”

  He smirks before kissing me on the lips, and then he pulls the covers up around me while heading to the kitchen. I sigh out in relief for having successfully knocked him and Brazen off my scent. I’ve got to work on my poker face. I never was good at that damn game.

  Chapter 13

  No Other Way

  The creaks form from the howling winds pushing against the outside of the prison above me. They seem to be getting louder as the strong promise of a storm sweeps in. I’m chained, beaten, and broken. I can’t breathe as the rods protruding from my body drip my blood and the blood they’ve used to halfway heal me. The whispers from around the corner let me know I’m not alone… I never am.

  This place is purgatory, and hell is drooling, ready for me to fall headfirst into its pit. I’m so weak. I’ve fought so hard to stay alive because I know he won’t live without me. He won’t breathe another breath if he finds me destroyed… dead.

  “Speak bitch. Open your fucking mouth and tell us how to provoke your mother fucking savage!”

  The screaming man’s voice is a mere dull thudding against my ears. I almost laugh at him. I can barely even notice when he’s speaking anymore. His incessant yelling, verbal abuse, and physical torture no longer strike fear in me.

  Then a whisper of a voice draws my attention when the yelling seems to disappear all together.

  “How long has she been bleeding?”

  “A few hours. We’ve poured the blood down her throat numerous times, but she keeps spitting it back out before we can stop her. I think her gifts are getting stronger despite our attempts to subdue her.”

  “Crank up the juice on the rods. See how strong she is once those volts of energy light her up.”

  I recognize that voice. It’s Ty. I have to tell everyone… warn them. I look for Hale, but he’s not here. I’m alone with my tormenters. How can I tell him if he’s not here?

  A new face returns to my dank, windowless, cold cell and turns the dial on the box on the wall.

  “This is going to hurt. You might want to scream,” he menaces without a speck of remorse even trying to hide.

 
; The convulsing shock rattles through me, ripping me from the inside out. I scream for mercy, but he just snickers, completely unfazed by my tears running like a flowing river of expelled pain. I try to shake free, but I can’t. The chains rattle as the electricity surges over me and runs against them until it finds the stone wall behind me.

  I need him. He has to save me so I can save him.

  “Hale!”

  “Araya, I’m here,” the man I love screams while shaking me from the horrid nightmare.

  I gasp, and I see the rips on my skin that shouldn’t be there. It looks just like the gashes left behind by the overrunning electricity that blew out through my skin. Blood runs over me, and suddenly a bag of alien blood sets in front of me.

  “Drink this, baby,” he coos so softly, while wrapping his arms around me.

  I sob lightly while snuggling into his warm body. He kisses my forehead while stroking back the stray pieces of my hair I was using to hide the tears running down my cheeks. I sip the cold blood while trying to steady my trembling hands. The wounds on my body begin closing up, leaving only their red stain on the white sheets to prove they were there.

  “What was it about, baby?” he asks so softly.

  “I heard his voice this time. I heard Ty,” I choke out. “He was there. I never saw him, but I heard him. I should have known it was him. We would have known so much sooner.”

  “Shh,” he soothes. “Baby, you can’t do this to yourself. We’re going to beat him. We’re going to kick his ass, get married - for real this time- and we’re going to raise our child. This will soon be a bad memory. Nothing he’ll do will affect us ever again.”

  I nod softly, not fully releasing the mounds of guilt I deserve to feel.

  “Here. Lie back down,” he says while motioning to the bed still wet from the blood I lost.

  He sighs out before continuing with, “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you suffer a physical reaction to the dreams. Have you ever done it before… with Brazen?”