Forgotten Curse

by Owens, C. M.

  Everyone turns to look at me, and Brazen’s hand tightens on my shoulder as I slump down.

  “Can your undercover ask his or her source to put us on the right track?” a man chirps, and I’m appreciative when all the eyes move away from me and trickle back down to Clay.

  “That’s not going to be a possibility,” Clay mumbles.

  “Why is that?” a woman asks.

  “Because the source is now dead. The interrogation took a nasty turn when it got too intense. The people making this blood are using it as payments. The undercover operation is still underway, and our officer did what they had to in order to follow the original investigation. Should you run across any information, Captain Hale Banner and Captain Brazen Mordel must be present for the interrogation when you take them to Araya. I’m your first call, she’s your second, and the captains will be your third. As advocates, the captains will be taking in all information for both species, and they’ll report to their groups every time something is found.

  “Please get started on this right away,” Clay prompts, and people almost rush from their seats.

  Fuck. I’ll have to see Hale so much more now. Damn it.

  “They’re in a hurry,” I murmur.

  “This is a really big fucking deal. I didn’t know we had an undercover working a blood scam. If this works, I’ll be around to hold you a lot longer than I thought I would be,” he smolders out, and my heart almost breaks.

  “I’ve never given the human problem much thought. I didn’t think about the effect it could have on you,” I almost whimper.

  “It’s not going to affect me anymore. Let’s get back up to the room and start packing. I’ve got several contacts I can get a hold of, and we can stop by on the way home.”

  “That sounds good.”

  “One more thing,” Clay quickly interjects before everyone disperses. “We’ll be escorting Sevian Whissman to Stringham today. He’s the full blood who went rogue and attacked seventeen humans ten years ago. It was one of the worst outbreaks we’ve dealt with, and we’ve finally reached the point of his execution. He’ll go to Stringham for the next two months, and then he’ll be put to death by the sun’s sentence. We’re in need of volunteers to help us with this if anyone can spare the time.”

  “We’ll help out,” Brazen chimes in.

  “We will?” I whisper.

  “It’s on our way,” he continues while ignoring me, and Clay smiles softly while accepting Brazen’s offer.

  Hale takes a deep breath, and his eyes reveal the grimace his mouth stifles when Brazen’s lips find mine by surprise.

  “I love you,” he murmurs softly.

  I smile foolishly, and then he starts walking me out of the room and away from the complicated man whose name haunts my dreams. Hale.

  “Why did you volunteer us to help out?” I ask while clinging to his hand in the sea of business suits.

  There’s not a damn person in pajamas. Jackass.

  “It’s on our way, and I’ve escorted prison runs for dangerous infectors before. It should be a smooth run.”

  “I hate prison runs,” I grumble, and he snickers lightly.

  “Grayson and Angelica should be out since his test isn’t too far away. I’m sure he’s practicing, and we could have the place all to ourselves before we join them if you want me to make it up to you for volunteering us,” he sizzles out.

  I stifle my smirk, and then I show him a very sexy vixen’s lip bite before giving him my come-hither look. He playfully growls before wrapping me up in his arms, and then I feel the wind against my back as he lifts me to the air. I laugh uncontrollably as he rushes me up the stairs, and I force all the bullshit out of my head as the door to the apartment closes.

  Grayson is all smiles as he walks over with his officer’s credentials. The fact his test scores were altered to keep him out of guarding the parking lot is still a secret from his egotistical ears.

  “See Araya. I told you I wouldn’t be walking in circles or opening doors,” he snarks far too cockily.

  He acts as though he’s the marksman Brazen is rather than acknowledging his meager skills.

  “Just don’t shoot yourself in the foot before we get back,” I grumble.

  Brazen jogs over with a menacing grin, and I know he’s thinking the our afternoon of entertainment we’ve had. I let my blushing smile free, and he leans into my window to kiss me.

  “Angelica and Grayson are going to ride in the middle of the pack to drive the SUV back. You and I are taking lead,” he chirps.

  “Hale and I will be following behind you, and the prisoner will be riding behind us in an armored vehicle,” Clay chimes in as he walks up behind Brazen.

  My eyes flash to the rearview mirror instantly, and I see Hale climbing into his convertible. I really wish he wasn’t going.

  “I’ll get us started,” Brazen says with upbeat enthusiasm, and then he takes his driver’s position.

  The car fires up, and he leads the convoy out of the gates before taking my hand in his. His soft, cool lips graze the back of my hand, and I lean over to put my head on his chest.

  “I want you to move in with me when we get back,” he casually murmurs out of nowhere.

  I swallow hard, but it’s not like we didn’t live together for almost the whole two years we dated.

  “Are you sure?”

  “You know I am. I plan on being with you every second I’m there, and I’m thinking about taking a position which will allow me to be on the road less and at home with you more.”

  “You’d have to lose rank to do that,” I say in objection.

  “Not necessarily. There are several captain positions that offer stability. I could be in charge of the missions from afar as opposed to being in the field. I’ve been talking to Commander Jude about it, and he said he’d see what he could find.”

  I cover my smile with my hand when I can’t suppress it, and he pulls me over to his body to be closer. I slide in behind the wheel as he scoots his seat back to give me more room, and then he kisses my forehead.

  “That makes you happy?” he asks curiously.

  “It does,” I giggle out, and then my lips carefully find his while keeping my head out of his view.

  It would look bad if he started swerving given my reputation for moving vehicles and sex.

  He smiles into the kiss, and I nestle into his chest as his chin rests on top of my head. He shifts gears to speed up the convoy once we’re out of the residential areas, and I stare out into the vast wasteland our uranium touched fights have created.

  “It’s hard to believe this world was once green instead of brown,” I huff.

  “We’ll fix it one day. We just have to find all the right pieces. This blood is a huge deal.”

  To the full bloods.

  “My kind will still cease to exist,” I huff out, and his lips stroke my forehead again.

  “You’ll still be here though. I don’t care what I have to do, I’m going to make sure I have all the time in the world with you.”

  I smile lightly, and then his fingers trail up and down my arm while he keeps just one hand on the wheel.

  “What about kids? You’ll never have kids unless you wait on my life span to end before finding someone who can,” I huff out.

  “We never really talked about kids before, so why are you bringing it up now?” he muses.

  “Because it’s been eating at me lately. I don’t want to take that opportunity away from you. You could have a full blood child or even a hybrid child. You can’t have any child with me though.”

  Tears threaten my eyes, but I hold them back.

  “Araya, I don’t give a damn about having kids. The world is changing, and soon they may allow abandoned hybrid children to be adopted. My future is with you. When your life span ends, then so will mine because I don’t want to live an eternity without you.”

  “Don’t say that,” I scold.

  “I’m only saying it because I mean it,” he murmurs a
gainst my head, and my lips fold over his without concern for the swerving I cause.

  He smiles again, and then I lower myself back down out of his view when I get done rewarding him for his sweet words.

  “At least I’m a non-ager,” I laugh out. “You probably wouldn’t want to spend a few hundred years with someone who looks as old as I really am.”

  “I wouldn’t care, baby. I’ve got it that bad for you,” he grumbles out, and I giggle more before climbing back over into the passenger seat.

  I daringly drop the straps of my halter top, and it drops to my waist to reveal the strapless black corset hiding underneath.

  “I don’t think this would look too good on someone with wrinkles,” I seduce, and he swerves wide right before jerking the car back straight.

  His phone buzzes, and he narrows his eyes at me playfully before answering.

  “Captain Mordel,” he murmurs very formally.

  “Is everything okay up there?” Clay asks innocently.

  “Yes Sir. Araya just let her gifts seep out,” he mutters misleadingly while eyeing my breasts.

  I cover my mouth to stifle my laughter, and Clay grumbles under his breath.

  “Tell her I said to behave, and that’s an order.”

  Brazen’s laugh is far too big, and he covers his mouth with the same hand he’s holding his phone, and then he shakes his head before clearing his throat.

  “Yes Sir,” he says without letting his laughter show in his tone.

  I roll my eyes, and then I tie my shirt back up before slouching in the seat as he hangs up.

  “You had to blame me?” I playfully retort, and he laughs all the harder.

  “He likes you more than me.”

  “Funny. Where are we?” I say with a mock sulking tone.

  “We’re coming up on Tallingston. It’s an old abandoned United uranium factory. It’s just barely a detour from our normal route. We’ll be home late tonight.”

  I smirk, and then I see the huge factory just ahead. We approach quickly to drive the dirt path in between the buildings stacked on either side. I taste too much uranium in the air, and then I feel a pressure shift. The imaginary bowling ball forms in my throat and plummets against my stomach before I throw myself on Brazen and go invincible as the explosion rattles through my ears.

  I scream as the car disintegrates around us, and I lose my grip on him as I bounce to the ground. Disoriented and almost deafened, the ferocious ringing in my ears is all I can hear as it blares wildly. My heart thuds in my chest, the vicious pace rising to my ears to join the ringing.

  “Araya!” Hale screams, or at least I think he screams.

  I can barely hear him as he surges through the smoke. My hazy vision blurs all the more, making it seem as though he’s a staggering drunk instead of a graceful hybrid. I think I hear gunshots being fired, and more explosions, but it’s too hard to tell what’s going on right now as I stagger to my feet.

  Hale’s arms embrace me to help me steady myself, and he starts inspecting me fervently to check for anything out of place. My clothes are tattered, torn, and charred from the blast. My heart sinks when I don’t see Brazen right away.

  “Where is he?” I scream over the dull ringing still in my ears, and I hear a parade of gunshots more distinctly as a stray bullet rips through Hale’s arm.

  He doesn’t flinch as he continues inspecting me, and I use my gift to clear the smoke from the air to reveal the cloaked snipers. Their eyes widen as I fling my arms out, and they go sailing into one of the buildings with enough force to bring it crashing down on them.

  “They’re here for Whissman. Kill him,” Clay screams, and I see the prisoner running with two armed men in an attempt to escape.

  I pull Hale’s gun from his waist, and I fire two bullets to take out the prisoner before firing at his accomplices. They drop to the ground in lifeless form from the perfectly executed shots, and suddenly Grayson and Angelica appear.

  “Find Brazen,” I yelp to them, and they both grimace.

  My heart sinks more, and I quickly run in the direction they just came. I see his legs broken and damaged from the wreck, and I gasp when I see his marred body lying in shambles as he gasps for air.

  No. No. Please no.

  His eyes are groggy, weak, and barely open. The blood pours from his mouth and ears. The hide on his hands, neck, arms, and so much more has been singed to the point the almost looks to have been thrown in a fire.

  I start wailing immediately as I dive to his side, and I scream out to Hale.

  “Get blood now.”

  “There’s not any,” Clay murmurs solemnly while pointing to the SUV that once held up the rear of the convoy.

  It’s obliterated, and the blood has bled into the dry grounds below. No.

  “There could be some in there,” I cry while pointing to the building I left standing.

  Clay frowns and then he sighs out before speaking.

  “Araya, these buildings are-”

  “I’ve got a stretcher,” Grayson interrupts.

  “I’ll help you,” Hale adds, and then they load him up while whisking him inside.

  I cling to Brazen’s hand as they lower him to a table, and then I hear the clanking and banging as everyone begins turning the place inside out in search of blood left behind from nomad travelers.

  “Fuck,” Hale blares as he slams another door to an empty cabinet, and I just sob all the harder as I hold the gurgling full blood in my arms.

  “Call it in! Have them bring us blood,” I cry out.

  Brazen’s hand barely makes it to my arm, and he leaves a bloody trail as it slides to my face. He’s dying, but he’s trying to comfort me with that sweet, gentle touch.

  Solemn eyes cast their hopeless burn to the floor, too afraid to show me their endless pits of pity as I wait for someone to make the call.

  “I said call it in!”

  Clay shakes his head, his eyes finally meeting mine, and I see the despair, the dread, and that pity everyone else was sparing me.

  “He doesn’t have that kind of time. A blood drop would take at least three hours. He may only have thirty minutes left,” Clay says in a reluctantly hushed tone.

  “No,” I sob out, and my forehead presses to my full blood’s as my tears pour onto his face.

  His blood gushes out harder as it pools all around him, and I climb onto the table to tuck his head under mine while holding him the way he always has me.

  “Araya-”

  “Get out!” I blare while interrupting Hale. “All of you… get out!”

  My screams almost echo through the hollow facility showing no remorse for being the bleeding grounds for my full blood. The walls rattle when I start shaking from my suppressed cries, and Hale looks to the others.

  “Go on ahead. I’ll stay and carry her back,” he whispers.

  “I’ll stay too. The rest of you should take the bodies for burning, and explain to Stringham officials what happened,” Clay murmurs in a near whisper.

  Hale ushers everyone out, and then I see his trembling eyes as he walks out and shuts the door to give me the privacy I need.

  “Don’t… cry, baby,” Brazen wheezes out, his comfort still trying to find me.

  My tears fall out all the harder. He loves me so damn much, he’s more worried about me than himself even now. He’s so fucking incredible he’s tending to my emotional break despite his own excruciating pain.

  “You can’t die. The blood drop can be here in three hours. Just hold on,” I say as the tears burn against my cheeks and my chest becomes too heavy to expand.

  “Baby,” he coughs out while stroking my cheek. “I need a favor.”

  “Anything,” I wail out.

  “Let me do this… let me… on my own terms. I… I don’t want to… go out like this,” he murmurs, his eyes fading all the more.

  “What do you mean?”

  His lips stroll along my arm, and then they move to be just above my breasts. His teeth threaten
to break the skin, and I cringe when I realize what he wants.

  Why is he asking me for this?

  Can I watch the man I love die by the poison in my veins? Can I watch him shrivel up into a seductive sleep and feel the life leave his body under my breath?

  I cry harder, but I nod to grant my permission. He’d rather die by my poisonous blood than by the hands of the mercenaries sent. It may destroy me, but I can do this for him. He would do it for me.

  “I love you,” I cry out, and his eyes water up fiercely.

  “I love… you, Araya,” he chokes, his own blood trying to drown him, and then I feel the shooting pain of his teeth pressing into my breast.

  I cry when the erotic tingles begin to burst, but I know they’ll subside the moment his heart stops beating and his blood becomes dead blood. I close my eyes while keeping my hand stroking his hair as he continues pulling my toxic blood into his mouth.

  I think back to all the amazing times we’ve had together as the erotic venom burns through my veins. It hurts to deny it to the point where I physically start trembling and crying from the overwhelming pain. I have to though, and I endure the excruciating torture I know will soon be over.

  I can’t watch. I can grant him his dying wish, but I can’t watch.

  He continues to take my blood, and the throbbing intensifies. My eyes hurt from how hard I’ve tightened them, and I bite my bottom lip so hard it breaks the skin without my blood bringers.

  The unbearable torment is shockingly growing stronger instead of weaker, and then I feel his lips on mine as he jerks my body to be beneath his. My eyes jar open to see what the hell is going on, and I shriek when I see all of his wounds closed up and his body completely healed.

  “What the fuck?” I gush out.

  His lips ravage mine, as he jerks my pants off, and then I feel his erection pressing against me as he pulls my shirt over my head.

  “Don’t ask questions right now. Just be mine,” his smooth, unfazed voice says without a wheeze.

  I hear his pants dropping just before the cold steel table beneath me bows from his powerful force as he surges into me. I moan out before closing my lips over his again, and then he pounds into me harder. The table rattles until it crashes to the ground, but he doesn’t lose stride as we thud against the tile floor. I roll on top, and I sit straight up as his hands slide up my chest to grip my throat.