by Cecy Robson
Aric drew out a long sigh, his voice deepening once more. “He’s a manipulator and a bastard. Don’t be fooled into believing he meant to save anyone but himself.”
I thought about how Misha kept close to Emme during battle, how he’d carried me in his arms…and how his family shielded my sisters when the frigging Greyhound took out the entire front hall. Yet I kept those details to myself. Aric hated Misha. Nothing I said could change that. And arguing the point meant arguing with him…and the last thing I wanted then was to fight with Aric. I adjusted the thick sweater around me. From inside I could hear my sisters bustling around in the kitchen. I’d offered to help clean, but Shayna had practically shoved Aric and me outside together.
I lowered my lids briefly. “I understand what it’s like to feel the world is against you. My sisters and I have always been ostracized for being different…even as children.” My fingers played with the big round buttons of my sweater. “The kids at school knew we weren’t like them, but they didn’t know why. Since our last name is Wird, our classmates nicknamed us the ‘Weird Girls.’ No matter what school we went to, the nickname followed.”
“That must have been hard.” Aric’s voice lost that edge and grew quieter.
“It was.” I kept my tone casual, like the cruelty we’d experienced no longer bothered me. Some things, though, hurt forever. I nibbled on my bottom lip, wishing I hadn’t brought my past to Aric’s attention, and thought it best to move on. “But my sympathy alone is not what compelled me to help Misha. In the end, saving Tahoe seemed like the right thing to do—the only thing to do.”
“You sound like a were. Our kind is always trying to save the world from something evil.”
I smiled, feeling humbled. “I think you’re giving me too much credit. I don’t always do the right things.” I examined my palms. From time to time it surprised me that the blood from my first kills hadn’t left permanent stains. I’d been so vicious, brutal…and they’d been only human. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”
“Like what?”
My head angled toward him. I hadn’t expected him to be so direct. I wiped my hands against my sweater. The soft cashmere remained gentle against my palms in spite of how hard I rubbed. “Nothing I’m willing to discuss, at least…not tonight.”
Aric nodded, remaining preoccupied with my face. My pulse raced; I was unsure his focus was a good thing. My sisters had strutted out of their rooms like they were going club hopping. I’d slipped on a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved gray tunic, and hadn’t bothered with shoes or socks. No, I wasn’t the odd sister out or anything.
A soft breeze blew my curls into my face. Aric took a long strand and tucked it behind my ear. The trickling heat as his fingertip slid along my neck made my toes wiggle beneath me. “Another day then?” he whispered.
I didn’t answer, caught up in the strong angles of his heart-stopping face. Aric leaned closer and smiled. He had such a nice smile, one I found easy to return. And his eyes—they were business and bedroom all at the same time.
Aric’s clean, enticing aroma mixed with the fragrance of male spice. I wanted to taste his lips, to run my hands against the hard muscles of his body, to feel him pressing against me—
Liam threw open the front door. I jerked back like we’d been caught naked. He shoved a beer in Aric’s hand, then mine. Aric stared at the beer and back at Liam like he’d handed him an irate scorpion. “Hey, Aric. One of your babes keeps calling my phone wondering where you are. I think her name is Selene. She said you had a date tonight.”
Aric glared at him while my jaw fell to the floorboards. He had a date. With someone else. Not the chick who preferred bare feet, comfy clothes, and lip balm instead of lipstick. I stood abruptly, unable to keep the bite out of my voice. “Maybe you should give her a call.”
I stormed inside, more pissed at myself for getting my hopes up than at Liam. Damn, what was I thinking? Aric probably needed Shayna to beat females off with a battle-ax. “Do you need help with dessert?” I asked Shayna a little too loudly.
Shayna paused in the middle of placing strawberries around the chocolate fondue pot. “Ah…you could set the table if you want.”
I threw the silverware on the table and grabbed an armful of plates. Shayna abandoned her fruit and rushed to yank the plates from my grasp. “Ceel, let’s do paper instead.”
She probably worried I’d break our ceramic ones. She was probably right. Liam trailed in, taking a swig from his beer. Koda frowned. “Where’s Aric?”
“He’s calling one of the girls who’re after him.”
Koda glanced my way. “Now?”
“Yeah, apparently they had a hot date scheduled for tonight.” Liam popped a strawberry in his mouth. “She’s texted me four times telling me everything she wants to do to Aric.” He laughed. “She sounds wilder than the last three.”
I could have smashed the fondue pot over his damn head, especially upon feeling the weight of everyone’s gaping stare. Outside, Aric paced along the length of our porch, talking low into his phone. His voice amplified, sounding angry before he finally disconnected. He hesitated at the doorway before walking slowly toward me.
“Sorry about that,” he said quietly. He motioned to the paper plates Shayna placed in my hands. “Can I help you with that?”
I shook my head and set the table, trying my best to ignore Aric. He gave me space, but the moment I finished, he stepped in front of me. “I’m sorry we were interrupted. I was enjoying our time together. Do you want to skip dessert and take a walk?”
“Don’t you have other plans?” I meant to sound harsh and cold, because then I could hide my disappointment and pain. Except the harsh and the cold flipped me off, leaving the hurt to fend for itself.
Guilt mixed with sadness along the planes of Aric’s face. “I only want to spend my night with you.”
My lips parted with surprise. I jerked away, knowing this…situation with Aric would eventually leave me devastated. And yet my tigress insisted we should take a chance. I fiddled with the plates in my hands, tracing the floral pattern before finally answering. “Okay, Aric…Let me get my shoes.”
Aric handed Danny a card. “Bring the blood vials to this address, in case we find more infected vampires.”
Danny stared at the card. “You’re staying at the Granlibakken Lodge?”
Aric nodded. “Just until we find a place to buy. We’re relatively new to the area. And while we can stay at The Den, we don’t want to live with our students full-time.”
“I’ll swing by the lab and get them to you tonight.”
Aric shook his head. “Don’t trouble yourself. It can wait.”
“It’s no trouble. Besides, I want to help.”
Bren yawned and tossed Danny his keys. We followed them into the crisp night. Mrs. Mancuso dragged out her garbage cans just as Bren and Danny piled into the car.
Bren rolled down the window and motioned me over. “Come here, Celia. I forgot to tell you something.”
Like an idiot, I went over. “Celia!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “For the last time, I will not have sex with you!”
Danny peeled away before it cost him a roommate. I looked for Mrs. Mancuso, and she did not disappoint. From the base of her porch steps she flashed me the stiffest, meanest finger ever.
Aric couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “What a horrible woman.”
“Yes, she is.”
We meandered toward Tahoe. While most of the neighborhood remained well lit by street lamps or lighting installed to show off elaborate landscaping, only the stars blinking through the branches illuminated the path to the lake. Like Aric, I could see in the dark, and I was tough. But darkness usually made me edgy, especially after playtime at Zhahara’s. With Aric by my side, though, the instinct to be overly alert seemed unnecessary.
We crossed the main road and headed toward the beach. The clouds spread apart, and a full moon broke through as our feet hit the sand. “You seem in charge of the wolv
es, but at the same time, I can tell you’re close with them.”
Aric focused ahead, though nothing approached. “Gem, Koda, and Liam are more like brothers than friends. At the same time, they are my Warriors. As I am their Leader, it’s their job to protect me with their lives if necessary.”
I jumped over a sand castle that had begun to crumble and thought about what he said. “So, one day, they could possibly die for you?”
“Yes, one day I could lose them.”
Aric’s comment bothered me. I’d never allow my sisters to die for me. “Then why did you choose them?”
Aric slowed to a stop. “I didn’t, Celia. They volunteered. It’s an honor to be named a Warrior. Only our best fighters are granted that title.” He pushed the hair from his eyes. “What those knuckleheads don’t realize is that they honor me by standing at my side.” He sighed. “Nor do they realize that I would also die for them.”
“There’s nothing like family, huh? Even one you’ve made for yourself.”
“No. Nothing at all.” He flicked the silver Native American earrings I wore. When I laughed, he did it again.
His teasing made me want to throw my arms around him. “You’re lucky they aren’t gold.”
Aric curled his upper lip in disgust. “Yeah, just another way the vampires screwed us.”
“What do you mean? Gold is their kryptonite, too.”
“You don’t know the legend?”
“There’s a lot I still don’t know about the supernatural world.” I smiled softly. “Will you teach me?”
Aric’s eyes zeroed in on my lips. “Ah…yeah. Sure.”
He paused. At first I didn’t think he was going to say anything. But then he cleared his throat. “When the world was still new and magic was at its strongest, a witch fell in love with a vampire. The vamp didn’t love her in return. He loved his gold and the power it granted him. So the witch cursed the gold, believing if she couldn’t have her love, he couldn’t have his.”
Aric was so tall I had to wrench my neck in order to see his face. That face of his, though, was worth the effort.
“The curse, fueled by the witch’s anger and bitterness, was powerful enough to extend to all preternaturals. None of us can hold gold without it making us sick. If we’re shot in the heart with a gold-tipped bullet, it’s like an atom bomb going off in our chests.”
I winced. “Have you ever been shot with gold bullets?”
“Yeah, it burns like a mother.” He regarded me once more. “Does gold affect you?”
“No. But bullets in general do.” I kicked at the sand. “I wouldn’t need one dipped in gold to kill me.”
Aric’s tone grew hard. “Well, then, let’s make sure that never happens.”
I smiled a little. “Yes. To either one of us.”
As we veered away from the water’s edge, Aric spoke again. “Is most of your family out here?”
Aric asked a simple question—had I lived an average life. “The family I know and love is here.” I elaborated when he frowned. “It’s just been my sisters and me for a long time. We’re estranged from our family.”
Aric tensed. “Even your parents?”
I concentrated on how little my human feet disturbed the sand. It was easier than the emotions the deaths of my parents riled. Aric didn’t push me to speak. Perhaps that’s why I chose to. “My parents were murdered during a home invasion. We went into foster care when both sides of the family refused to take us.”
Aric’s body blocked my path. “My God, Celia. Were you…safe?”
I averted my gaze from his, unable to keep the shame from invading my voice as it shook. “No. Not at first. But eventually we found a foster mother who loved and cared for us. Ana Lisa…made everything okay…for a while.”
Aric’s compassion permeated his aura, warm enough to heat my skin through my sweater. “I want to help you. Tell me who hurt you.”
“You don’t have to worry about that…they’re all gone now.”
The absoluteness of my tone made it clear I’d played a strong part in their departure. That in itself should have sent him bolting. It didn’t. His compassion continued to sizzle against me. So did something else….
“Good,” he murmured.
We walked in silence for a long while. He, like me, didn’t seem the type to fill the quiet with worthless ramblings. I liked that. I liked him. And the soft smiles he flashed me made me think that perhaps he liked me, too.
When we reached the rockier part of the beach something stirred behind a large boulder. I prowled along the sand to investigate, but Aric stepped in front of me. When he snarled, a guy jumped out. I could tell by his scent he was a wereweasel. He smelled…sleazy. I didn’t know what he was doing until he took a picture of us and ran.
Aric watched him disappear into the night. “What the hell was that about?”
Resentment burned deep in my stomach. “Since vamp court, every kind of supernatural beastie has shown up to get a look at us.”
“Tell me you’re joking.”
I shook my head. “It’s really annoying. That was the first photo, though. I’ll kick his ass if I ever see him again.”
“No. If you see him again, you tell me. I don’t want anyone bothering you or your family.”
I hid my shock and continued walking. I couldn’t understand why Aric had taken on the role as my savior, especially after I survived the predator showdown at Zhahara’s without him. “Don’t you know by now I can take care of myself?”
Aric’s face hardened. “I don’t deny you’re tough or that you can fight. You have to be to endure the shit you have. But stop feeling like you have to rely on yourself all the time. I’m around now, Celia. You’re no longer alone.”
Despite how his words made me swoon, I refused to fall at his feet. At least, for the moment. “Why do you feel the need to protect me?” I asked softly.
His expression remained serious, yet he nudged me playfully and made me lose my balance. “I told you. You’re an innocent.”
Aric’s confidence, chivalry, and pure sexiness drew me to him like magnet. My tigress should have questioned or resisted his gallantry, but his wolf also attracted my beast. I coughed to hide a come-hither purr and scaled a large boulder. I breathed in Tahoe’s soothing aroma, trying my best to stay calm and not pounce on him like a werepoodle in heat. Must not tackle big, hunky werewolf.
Thunder cracked in the far, far distance, and the air filled with the sweet fragrance of witches’ magic. Aric joined me on the boulder, crouching when I did. He adjusted his position so he could sit, all the while keeping his eyes on me. “Tell me more about you.”
I sat next to him and hugged my knees against me, mostly to keep from squirming. “What do you want to know?”
“The same thing I’ve wanted to know since I met you. What are you, Celia? You’re a mortal of magic, but I’ve never met anyone like you.”
Being the center of attention had never appealed to me. That was Taran’s job. Yet Aric’s deep, gentle, voice made it all right to speak, and so did the way his knuckles grazed along my arm. “To be honest, Aric, I don’t know what I am.” I watched his hand as it continued to stroke along the length of my limb. “You come from a family of weres—a were mother, a were father.” He nodded, despite his obvious uncertainty where my train of thought headed. “My sisters and I come from human parents with no trace of magic. I guess you can say we’re the products of a backfired curse.”
Aric stopped rubbing my arm. A strong breeze swept some strands of hair across my face. I didn’t bother pushing them aside, preferring to hide my face. My uniqueness bothered me then more than ever. But since I’d already begun to explain, I thought I owed it to Aric to finish. “My mother was born in El Salvador. She moved to the U.S. when she was four years old. Most of her family didn’t like her. She had lighter skin and eyes, and I think they resented her for fitting in so well with the American culture. When she married my dad, a Caucasian American, they disowned her.�
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“For marrying outside her race.” It wasn’t a question. Aric understood based on his pureblood heritage.
“Yes. When Mom became pregnant with me, one of her crazy aunts showed up at the door and cursed her unborn children. But instead of harming us, the curse gave us our special gifts.” I twisted my hair until it rested against my shoulder in one long curl, waiting for Aric to say something, and petrified my “weirdness” would affect his opinion of me. When the worry became too much I stole a glance at his face. “Does it bother you not knowing what I am?”
Aric’s intensity spread into the warmth of his soft smile. His hand swept around my neck, separating the strands of my long waves. He played with them until they fell wildly against my back and shoulders. “I don’t care what you are,” he muttered. “I like what I see. You’re beautiful, Celia….”
My mouth went dry.
But not in a good way.
I felt myself falling backward. Aric caught me on the way down. “Celia. Celia!”
My vision blurred and I couldn’t stay awake. My last memory was of Aric as he raced us along the sand.
CHAPTER 21
I stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. The sun was shining, my head was pounding, and I needed to consume every last morsel of food in the house. Damn, my stomach growled like a cave full of pissed-off cheetahs ready to claw the nearest— Ooh, doughnuts!
I tore into the box like a woman possessed, pausing between swallows to pour milk into a glass. I rubbed my belly after the third powdered doughnut. Feel better, sweetheart? No? Let’s get you some nachos!
Nachos, a carton of bacon, and a few breakfast burritos later, I checked my phone. There were several texts from Aric, wondering how I was, asking me to call him…and one from the vampires.
Celia,
The master fell into a deep coma. That means you and your sisters will, too, since he gave you freaks some of his energy to help him fight Zhahara. Do not operate any heavy machinery, drive, or juggle knives or anything because you could like crash or die or something.