Forgotten Curse

by Owens, C. M.

  I moan louder as the incredible sensations erupt without mercy, and then I fall forward to sink my teeth into his lusciously flowing blood that has been regenerated by his rapidly beating heart. The power of the erotic adrenaline pumps as does he.

  He moans as my venom enters his veins with even more force, and then he jerks the back of my neck to bring me back to his lips while fucking me from underneath. I try to meet his erratic motions, but the bucking force is almost too powerful. I feel my climax building, and his teeth scrape against my skin without fear as he grabs my ass.

  I rise back up, and then he pulls one hand around to grab my throat again while forcing me downward against his surreal thrusts. His grunts fuel my moans to be even louder, and my gasping disbelief for all of this becomes a backseat thought instead of a front seat concern. I’m worried reality has been interrupted with this delusion of mind-blowing sex in my deranged state from having denied a blood fuck for too long.

  Suddenly the metal beats against the floor as everything vibrates around us. I scream out my ecstasy, and he thrusts into me again before I feel his warmth inside me. He jerks me to his body, and I collapse willingly into his embrace.

  “Okay,” I pant out. “Now what the fuck?”

  He laughs, and then his lips close over mine again, his smile growing more and more.

  “I don’t know. I’ve watched full bloods die after bleeding the vein of a hybrid. I’ve seen them just go to sleep peacefully, and then I’ve felt their life leave their bodies. I don’t have a damn clue why I healed instead of taking my last breath.”

  I cry new tears for new reasons, and he wipes them from my eyes while kissing me again. The tattered remnants of his shirt lie on the ground, and his pants are barely still intact. His body is pristine though. There’s not a mark on him, and I don’t want to move out of his strong arms.

  Please don’t be a hysterical dream.

  “Well, I think Hale and Clay are going to be surprised,” he chuckles out.

  “I think everyone will be,” I mumble.

  “We need to tell them we found blood in here. If Clay hears, he’ll have to divulge it to the rest of the United per the law. I’m worried what will happen if this gets out. I’ll die before I let someone touch you, and I don’t feel like killing everyone wanting to experiment on you.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” I grumble.

  “You’re my girl. I think about everything that could affect you. Now let’s go cuddle in the backseat while we enjoy the closeness we never thought we’d have again.”

  He takes my hand in his, and I turn to face him while walking backwards as he pulls me to his body. His lips smile as they tangle in mine, and then I feel the door opening against my back as a signal to turn and face the men I know will be speechless.

  Brazen’s hand tightens around mine, and I see Hale leaning over the hood of the SUV Angelica and Grayson were driving - his convertible is missing. He’s holding two vials of olophine as if he’s ready for me to lose it. Clay’s eyes glance up casually, and then they gape wide when he sees Brazen’s bare, sexy upper body exposing the healed flesh. Hale turns to see what has rendered Clay dumbfounded, and he drops the vials of medicine to the ground the moment he sees Brazen. The glass shatters, and the medicine is soaked up by the dry sands instantly.

  Clay’s mouth finally releases breathy words as he stammers around for the right phrasing.

  “How the… where did… How is this-”

  “Araya found a stash of blood nomads must have left behind,” Brazen lies. “I suppose you should get used to me sticking around a while longer.”

  “But… but… but,” Clay stumbles.

  “I’m glad you kept the SUV,” I murmur to distract him. “The sun will be in full glow soon.”

  “Maybe five minutes or less,” Hale releases with complete breathlessness while still trying to process the impossibility of what he’s seeing.

  We climb into the back to escape the questioning eyes of the curious gaspers, and Brazen’s lips find mine the moment the door shuts. I run my hand over his cool, smooth chest, and he smiles more against my lips.

  “Why are you smiling?” I giggle out.

  “Because I’m still here with you. Coming that close to losing everything makes you appreciate how great life really is,” he murmurs genuinely, and then his lips play against mine some more.

  “I’m still curious about the blood you found,” Clay mutters while climbing into the passenger seat.

  “You mean the blood they claimed to have found,” Hale growls.

  “What’s your problem?” Brazen snarks, and I snuggle into his body as he tries to provoke the interrogative Hale.

  “I think that’s pretty damn apparent, don’t you?” Hale barks.

  “The last time I checked, you fucked her over again,” Brazen snaps back.

  “Fucking stop already. There’s a reason the two of you aren’t allowed to communicate directly,” Clay blares, and Hale’s eyes dart back to the front as he cranks the SUV. “If you don’t want me ripping off your stripes, then start acting like the adults I know you both are.”

  Brazen’s jaw tenses until my lips stroll over his jaw line, and then he’s forced to smile against his will. My kissing trail continues across his neck, and I can feel Hale’s eyes burning against my back as I climb over to sit in Brazen’s lap. He tilts my head up to kiss me softly, and I’m the one smiling like a fool.

  “You think I’m stupid, don’t you?” Hale growls.

  “Just drop it,” Clay snaps. “The two of you can’t communicate without arguing. I’ll just speak to Araya later.”

  Brazen’s grip tightens on me, and it’s his fear of my being a science test that has provoked his tension. I disengage myself from the tension and continue my wonderful show of adoration for the full blood who shouldn’t still be breathing. His firm chest feels like heaven beneath my lips, and his erection is ever steadily growing.

  “Clay, it’s her fucking blood. He took her blood,” Hale snarls out, and Clay’s eyes are popping out when I turn around.

  Ah crap.

  “That’s absurd,” Brazen lies.

  “I know better than anyone how she looks, acts, and even smells after a blood fuck. I can smell it in your fucking veins. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I know it’s there. What I don’t understand is why in the hell you’re denying it,” Hale breathes out, and my heart slightly crackles when I feel like there was hidden emotion behind it.

  “Fine,” I grumble. “It’s my blood. He took it because he didn’t want to die like that. Neither of us know what the hell happened, so fucking get over it, Captain Banner, Sir.”

  Hale’s eyes seem to burn, and he cuts them away from the rearview mirror.

  “Why didn’t you just tell us?” Clay gripes.

  “Because I don’t want her getting turned into a science project. She’s been through enough, and I don’t want a group of white lab coats surrounding her while studying her like a new breed of interesting,” Brazen mumbles, and then his lips stroke my forehead so gently.

  “You think I would do that to her?” Clay asks, disbelief and insult buried very shallowly in his tone.

  “You think I’d let someone do that to her?” Hale steams out with fury.

  “I just didn’t want to take any chances.”

  “Araya? You don’t trust me?” Clay asks with such a wounded tone, and now I feel like an ass.

  “I didn’t want to put you in the position to lie. Your rank requires absolute transparency when it comes to something as groundbreaking as this. I knew you wouldn’t send me off to play lab rat, but I also wanted to keep you from having to lie to everyone about what happened.”

  “And me? What’s your excuse for me?” Hale crackles out.

  “I don’t need one, Captain Banner. I simply wanted to keep this matter quiet from everyone since I couldn’t tell the commander,” I retort, and his eyes almost appear to water before he rolls up the divider glass be
tween the back and the front.

  “The full glow is about to be in play,” he murmurs softly, and then I turn to face Brazen whose lips are glad to have mine returning.

  Hale doesn’t give a fuck about me, he doesn’t love me, and he cheated on me. Why the crap does he insist on acting as if I’m the one who has betrayed him?

  “I love you,” Brazen murmurs, and I smile as I lean over to his ear.

  “I love you too.”

  His lips envelope mine, and I turn to straddle him as I latch onto the back of his neck. His hands grip my ass and jerks me against his firm, glorious erection as his twisted fantasies become evident.

  He wants to fuck me with them up there.

  I smirk against his lips, and then I start my downward descent - letting my lips trail seductively down the perfect line of his chest to his stomach. I’m seconds away from undoing his pants, and his head drops back as he squirms with anticipation.

  My seductive ploy is halted when I feel my whole body tense up so tightly I almost get sick. I stare in disbelief as the sun’s rays streak through the window that has been cracked. The faintest of the golden streams has found his stomach, but he’s not burning from it. He doesn’t even feel it. I leap up, and his startled eyes question my bizarre reaction.

  “What?” he prompts.

  “The… the… the sun,” I stammer out, and I point to his exposed stomach taking on the beaming stripe.

  “What the fuck?” he gasps.

  He puts his hand in front of it, and still, nothing burns. The severe allergic reaction he should be having is absent, and his complete bewilderment is etched with astonishment as he tries to process what’s going on.

  He rips the door open, and I scream, “Stop the car,” just before Brazen leaps out to face the object on this earth he’s never seen - the full glow of the sun.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Hale blares as he hops out and stares at Brazen in disbelief.

  Brazen shields his eyes from the blinding beauty he has never seen before, and I grab a pair of sunglasses from the dash as Clay climbs out with a gaping mouth that continues to clap shut and then fall back in its unhinged position.

  “Here,” I murmur softly while handing him the dark shades.

  “No,” he gently counters while pushing my offering away. “I want to see it completely without any tint.”

  I almost cry when I see his pure elation, and he finally manages to keep his eyes open long enough to see the surface lit up.

  “It’s amazing. It’s not orange, it’s just clear. It’s so… perfect,” he gushes in disbelief, and then he stretches his arms out like a bird testing its wing span for the first time as he basks in the rays he’s never before felt.

  I walk a little closer to Clay, and then I whisper, “You can test my blood. Definitely test my blood.”

  “Oh yeah. We sort of have to now,” he murmurs while watching Brazen relish the heat of the excited sky climber. “You won’t be a lab rat though.”

  “I know. Do you really think this has anything to do with me?” I mutter.

  “I know it does,” Brazen smolders in interruption, and then he walks over to pull my hand in his.

  I see the tears starting to waver on his lids, and he pulls me up in the tightest embrace I’ve ever felt. It feels as though he’s praising me for this, and I’m not certain it was my doing.

  “How could her blood save him and allow him to run free in the full glow of the sun?” Hale asks.

  “I don’t know,” Clay says with distraction as Brazen’s lips close over mine.

  “I don’t think it’s good to have him out here in the open bathing in the sun with pale eyes glowing for all to see he’s a full blood,” Hale growls.

  “It’s the first time he’s seen the sun, Captain Banner. With all due respect, I think he deserves to enjoy the sunlight for a fucking minute,” I snap.

  Hale’s eyes show his pain once more, and Brazen’s hand takes mine.

  “For once, he’s right. Though I’d let them tear me apart before I told them it was your blood, we do need to take precautions. I don’t need to be risking you at all,” he murmurs softly, and I smile before his lips seek mine.

  “We need to know if this is permanent or temporary. It’s possible once the lingering bits of Araya’s blood are cleansed from your body, you could revert back to the way you were.”

  “It would probably be safer for Araya if I did,” he mutters guiltily.

  “Don’t say that. You’ve been wanting this your whole life. No more dodging the sky when it’s out of tint. No more setting alarms so you don’t lose track of the time outside. No more worrying about whether all the shades are drawn tight. You can just enjoy life a little better. If it’s temporary, then you better start drinking my blood regularly.”

  He smiles lightly before kissing my lips, and he snickers at my excitement. Hale exhales loudly before walking away from us, and Brazen’s arm slides around my waist before he withdraws.

  “We’ll need blood samples from the both of you. Hale and I are going to spend the night in Circuit after we go speak to the officials in Stringham since it’s such a long drive back. Would you mind staying with us. There’s an excellent lab there, and it would only be for a couple of days.”

  “I’m okay with that,” I murmur while stroking Brazen’s lips with mine. “I’ll be buried with backed up interrogations when I get back, so I could use a short little vacation.”

  “So could I,” Brazen chirps.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Clay sighs out, and he jogs over to take the passenger seat again.

  Brazen’s eyebrows dance menacingly, and I giggle like a fool as he scoops me up. Hale’s eyes seem to teem envy which makes no sense at all considering he told me he could never love me. Brazen does love me though, and I’m tired of chasing the man who loves running away. I’m done trying to make him stay. At least I hope I’m done.

  Chapter 5

  Savage Love

  I laugh when Brazen leans over to take a bite of my eggs before jogging off with a smile. I smirk as I hear the shower running, and then I hear a knock at the door. I swish over to let Clay in, and his eyes grow wide when he sees the large breakfast spread along with all the empty dishes.

  “I suppose this means you were hungry?” he muses.

  I smile secretively before casually replying, “No, but Brazen was.”

  “What?” he gasps in a girly octave. “He’s eating solid food?”

  “Yes I am,” Brazen chimes in from the bathroom.

  “This is huge. What about blood? Is he still consuming it as well?”

  “Just mine,” I daringly roll out, and poor Clay is so serious that the obvious sardonic remark skates over his head.

  “He’s sustaining himself on your blood?” he gushes.

  I roll my eyes, and then Brazen struts back in, his perfect body only hidden by his low hanging shorts. His lips gingerly stroke my neck, and then he wraps his arms around my waist as the sunlight pours through.

  “So you’re only surviving on her blood and the food?” Clay prompts.

  Brazen lets out a laugh, and then he shakes his head.

  “I’m sustaining myself on the food only. Araya’s blood is for recreational purposes,” he teases, and Clay’s face blushes instantly while his eyes scold me.

  “I don’t know why I assume you can be serious for one damn minute,” he grumbles, and I can’t stifle my teasing grin.

  “He’s eating, drinking - something other than liquor- and he’s still unharmed by the sun. It’s amazing.”

  “This room is padded isn’t it?” Clay chimes out.

  “Very much so. I could barely hear you knock, and we’re not exactly speaking above a whisper.”

  “This is all so surreal. I think I need a drink, or two, or three, or a whole fucking bottle,” Clay exasperates.

  “How are the tests on our blood going?” Brazen asks while keeping his arms wrapped around me from behind.

 
“Excellent. I really think in two or three years I can replicate the process of healing Araya’s blood provides. It’s such an obvious difference, and I know someone kept this hidden. I know an expert in the field, but it’ll take me a while to get a hold of him. Now that I see you can eat solid food, I’m even more excited.”

  “Araya went out and bought everything she could. It’s been nice just staying in for a few days,” Brazen chirps, and I turn to meet his welcoming lips.

  “Captain Hawkins called to ask if I could relinquish you yet. He said he has some urgent matters to discuss with you, and Grayson has called me hourly. You both need to replace your phones.”

  I laugh lightly at the exasperation in his tone, and then I sigh out, “I suppose I should call to see what Nicholas wants. It has to be important if he’s resorted to calling you.”

  “He said he’d be in meetings for a while, but Hale and I aren’t too far from leaving, so we can drop you off.”

  “I think I’ll just call Grayson to come get us. We’re just an hour away,” I murmur dismissively.

  I’ve avoided Hale for three days in this small little place. No way in hell am I riding back with him.

  “Okay then. Go get phones first. That’s an order,” he chuckles out, and I playfully salute him before he leaves.

  “You want to join me in the shower?” Brazen smolders out.

  I smile as his lips embrace mine, and I wrap my arms around his neck when he pulls my body as close to his as he can.

  “I would, but we do need phones. The real world is back. I won’t be gone long, and it’s full glow out there right now.”

  He sighs as he opens the curtains to let the light peer in on him, and then he smiles so large.

  “This feels amazing, baby. Let’s get married in the sunlight. No one else but you, me, and Clay can be the one to marry us.”

  My smile instantly fades, and I sit down on the edge of the bed in the small room we’ve rented. The dark green walls remind me of ground up peas that have sat for far too long and then left in the sun. I pick a spot on the heinous wall to stare at while I think about the words he just spoke.