by Sarah Bailey
Cursed Heart
After Dark
Book 4
Sarah Bailey
Cursed Heart Copyright © 2018 by Sarah Bailey
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Please note the spelling throughout is British English.
Cover Art by Christian Bentulan
Published by Twisted Tree Publications
www.twistedtreepublications.com
[email protected]
After Dark Series
Demon’s Destiny
Vampire’s Kiss
Witching Night
Cursed Heart
Death’s Angel – Coming Soon
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For my father
My best friend when times were tough
My saviour when I got lost
My world wouldn’t be the same without you
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Playlist
Acknowledgements
Coming Soon
Demon’s Destiny
Vampire’s Kiss
Witching Night
About the Author
Chapter One
Feet pounded the dirt. Izzy’s heart hammered in her chest. The growling sound grew louder. Only a few minutes ago she’d been walking through Green Park, the light buzz of alcohol dulling her senses, when the unmistakable sound of a branch snapping underfoot came from the treeline. She’d glanced over only to see the massive form of some kind of animal. She’d run, almost tripping on her heels. She’d pulled them off when she reached the treeline on the other side of the path. Not bothering to stop, she clutched her heels in one hand.
What the hell is that thing? Why is it chasing me? This makes no sense. I haven’t done anything.
Bursting through onto another path and startling some late-night wanderers, she ran straight for the next lot of trees. If she could slow it down somehow, maybe she’d have a fighting chance. It was that small sliver of hope that spurred her on.
Faster, I just have to run faster.
Her dress was flapping up around her knees, but she didn’t have time to worry about it. Why hadn’t she gone straight home after her night out with the girls? Dread pricked at her skin. There was a very good reason why she didn’t want to go home. All she wanted was for an hour alone before she had to go back and face the music. Apparently, that was too much to ask for.
She could feel it behind her, stalking her through the trees. Why did it want her? She hadn’t done anything. There were any number of people in the park it could’ve gone after. She couldn’t keep this up. She was out of breath, her heart pounding in her ears. She could feel herself slowing down. Who knew how long she’d been running? It felt like forever. It growled again, closer this time. Was it playing with her? Taunting her?
She burst into a clearing. Padded paws stamped in the dirt, charging toward her. She tried to turn her head. Something slammed into her back, sending her sprawling in the dirt. It stood on her, growling again. She couldn’t get up. It was too dark for her to see. It was trying to get at her neck. She shifted, attempting to throw it off, but it was too heavy.
“Stop, please,” she whispered.
Its jaws clamped down on her shoulder, teeth piercing her skin. She screamed. Pain. There was so much pain. Its teeth tore at her flesh, ripping the skin from muscle. She screamed again before dissolving into sobs. She moved her arms, protecting her head and neck with them. The animal bit down on her arm, trying to pull it away. The new round of pain was excruciating.
“Stop,” she sobbed. “Please, I don’t know what you want.”
The animal let go of her arm, moving down instead to bite her side. She cried out, her voice growing hoarse. It hurt. It hurt so much. Its weight shifted back. The animal proceeded to keep biting her in various places. What is it doing? Every bite brought a new round of agony. She had nothing left to fight back. Her energy expended with the chase. Everything burnt.
The sound of footfall and a shout echoed around her skull. The animal bounded away. She cracked an eye open, watching the dark shape retreating into the undergrowth. She could’ve sworn it was a huge cat-like creature, but she might be hallucinating.
As she attempted to move, a new wave of pain shot through her. Moving is bad! This is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced.
She heard the sound of leaves rustling and crunching footsteps, which stopped beside her. The person knelt down, taking her arm and checking her pulse at her wrist. They cursed, the voice distinctly male. She didn’t have the strength to look up at who it was.
“Are you awake?” he asked.
She whimpered in response.
“Right, good. I’m not going to ask if it hurts.”
He placed two hands on her sides, turning her. She cried out. Moving jostled all of the places the animal had bit her.
“Sorry,” he said.
She peered at him, tears obscuring her vision. She could make out a dark-haired male, green eyes with a scar across his right eyebrow.
“What’s your name?”
“Izzy,” she whimpered.
“All right, Izzy. I’m not going to lie to you. This is going to hurt.”
She nodded weakly. She didn’t know who this dark-haired stranger was. Nor why he was helping her, but she didn’t have a lot of options. He put his hands under her, pulling her up into sitting position. She cried harder, the pain radiating down her back and legs. Her arm throbbed. He shrugged off his leather jacket, placing it on her shoulders.
He collected her purse and shoes before tucking an arm under her legs and one around her back. She whimpered when he picked her up. His arm around her back pressed into her wounds. It hurt like hell. She turned her face into his solid chest, sobbing, not caring she was making his t-shirt damp. He started off towards the trees.
“At least she’s not dead like the last ones,” he muttered under his breath.
She frowned but kept quiet. Had this happened before? She got the impression whatever attacked her intended to kill her, yet something changed when she’d spoken to it. When it’d bitten her, it felt like it was doing something very different. But what? It wasn’t as if she had a reasonable explanation for any of this.
“I’m going to make sure you’re seen to, Izzy,” he said. “You need to hold on for a bit longer.”
She gripped his t-shirt in one hand, biting down on the side of her
cheek. The jostling made her back radiate with agonising pain. With her face pressed into his shirt, she could smell him. His scent distinctly masculine, pine and whisky.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
“Rex.”
“Thank you… Rex.”
He grunted in response. His body was very warm. She felt comforted by it. Her eyes drifted closed. Her back still hurt, but listening to his breathing, his heart beating in his chest made her sleepy. The rhythm was like a lullaby. The urge to drift away threatened to overcome her.
“Hey, stay with me,” he said.
“I’m so tired,” she whispered.
“I need you to stay awake.”
What did he know anyway? Her body was starting to go numb. She could barely feel the wounds on her legs any longer. All I want to do is sleep.
“I feel funny,” she said.
He cursed under his breath, his pace quickening. She had no idea where he was taking her. The numbing sensation radiated up her back. Why didn’t it hurt anymore? Her skin itched. Her fist clenched harder, gripping his t-shirt in an iron hold. Her body felt strange, like it wasn’t her own any longer. She opened her eyes to look at him, but her vision started to blur around the edges. Her head fell back, her hand loosening its grip on his t-shirt.
The last thing she saw before she fell from consciousness was Rex staring down at her with a grave expression on his face.
§
Rex cursed repeatedly. He had no idea who or what this damn shifter was who kept attacking girls. He’d interrupted the creature before it had a chance to kill the girl in his arms, but now, she was going to suffer the change whether she wanted to or not. He could feel it happening to her already.
“Fuck this,” he grunted.
He was going to take her back to his place. It was too far away. It was better he took her somewhere to clean her up first. Ten minutes later, he turned into a dark street before ducking into an alley which led to the back of the buildings. When he reached the right door, he shifted the girl in his arms, so he could pound on it. A few minutes later, it opened, revealing a dark-haired woman, frowning.
“Rex… is that you?” she asked.
“Can you let me in?”
The woman stepped back, nostrils flaring when she looked down at the blonde-haired girl in his arms.
“Well, bringing a bleeding girl to a vampire bar isn’t one of your smartest ideas.”
“Thanks for the update, Neave.”
She grinned, fangs gleaming. Vampires and their blood lust, typical. She pointed to a door a few feet ahead of them.
“You can put her in there.”
He carried Izzy into the room, placing her down on her stomach on a metal table. He placed her purse and shoes down next to her and pulled his leather jacket from her back, looking down at the bloody, torn rags of her dress. Her back was covered in bite marks and caked with blood. It looked like a mess.
“Shit, what the fuck happened?” Neave asked.
“She was attacked by a shifter. Can you get in contact with Dalia?”
Neave wrinkled her nose, looking markedly put out.
“Really? Shewolf? She hates me.”
“You and the rest of the population of the world. Fine, I’ll ring her. Can you get me something to clean her up?”
She ambled off to the counters nearby and began opening cupboards. Rex pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts before calling the local Alpha.
“What time do you call this?” Dalia said when she picked up.
“I need you to come to Fright Night.”
“What shit have you got yourself into this time?”
“Just be here as soon as you can.”
He hung up without waiting for a response, not caring it would probably rile her up. She can just deal. I don’t have time to play nice.
“Well, it seems you and Gavin have something in common,” Neave commented.
He looked up to find her placing a bowl of water, a cloth and clean bandages on the table next to Izzy.
“What would that be?”
“Talking to her without fear of having your head bitten off.”
“Wolves are always temperamental.”
“Says the feline.”
He rolled his eyes. He ripped away the rest of Izzy’s dress at the back. Taking the cloth, he cleaned up the blood, allowing him to see the torn flesh and bite marks. He cursed. Her skin was beginning to knit back together. It was too late for him to accurately tell what type of shifter had bitten her. Fuck. This was our chance to find out what we’re up against.
“Is that meant to happen?” Neave asked, peering at the girl’s back.
“No. Whoever bit her did it with the intention of triggering the change. It explains why it took its time with her.”
“Shit.”
He did his best to bandage the worst of Izzy’s wounds with Neave’s help. They would heal of their own accord, but there was no harm in giving her body a helping hand.
“You know I’m going to have to tell him about this,” she said as she took the bloody bowl of water back to the sink.
“He should know anyway. This isn’t the first attack. The police and the pack have been suppressing the news, but there’s been a string of murders over the past six months.”
She turned, staring at him with concern.
“And she’s the first one found alive?”
“Yes, don’t know what changed. I’ve been keeping track, trying to work out who’s behind the attacks.”
“What do the police know about it?”
He shrugged.
“They think they’re animal attacks. I haven’t had a chance to examine any of the bodies myself. Dalia knows a little more. She has men on the force.”
He looked back down at the girl on the table. She was in for one hell of a shock when she woke up. Not knowing exactly what she’d change into wasn’t going to help matters either. They wouldn’t know until the first full moon. Three weeks away.
“She’s going to need some clothes,” Neave said. “Not dignified to leave her like that.”
“Why do you care?”
“Vampires aren’t devoid of feelings. Being turned against your will is traumatic. I’m sure it’s the same for those who are bitten.”
He looked over at the vampire, frowning. Had she not wished to be turned? They knew a little of each other, having crossed paths several times, but he wasn’t one to pry into anyone else’s life. It was better not to ask questions, rather just let people open up of their own accord.
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Isn’t the first time you shift strange even when you’re born that way?”
He shrugged again. It isn’t a walk in the park if that’s what she’s asking.
“Just a part of life. When you become one with your animal it’s less of an issue, but I suppose it’s difficult for most with dual natures.”
She eyed him for a moment, understanding in her expression.
“Well, I have some spare clothes in the office.”
“I imagine Dalia will be here soon.”
She scoffed, rolling her eyes before she zipped from the room. He looked down at Izzy again. Her blue eyes were closed. She was pretty despite her heavy makeup. She’d clearly been on a night out judging by her state of attire. He had no idea why girls didn’t take coats out with them and wore such ridiculous heels.
He sighed, feeling sorry for her. Her entire world was about to be flipped upside down. He wouldn’t blame her if she ran out of here screaming when she woke up. Pulling up a chair and sitting down, he watched the rise and fall of her chest and ran a hand through his black hair.
“Do you want me to change her?” Neave asked.
He looked up, finding her standing next to him, holding out a pile of clothes. Vampires. He rolled his eyes. They were always popping up out of nowhere. Usually he’d have noticed, but his attention had been on Izzy and what they were going to do about her.
“Not sure she’d appreciate me doing it.”
He got up from the chair, turning away to afford the girl some privacy.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The noise came from the corridor.
“I guess that’ll be Dalia,” he said.
“I’ll be done in a minute,” Neave replied.
He strolled out of the room before he pulled the back door open. Dalia glared at him.
“This better be good, Rex. I have a pack to run in case you’d forgotten.”
“Good evening to you too.”
He turned, walking back towards the room where Neave and Izzy were. The vampire turned at the sound of their footsteps. He could’ve sworn a blush crept up her neck when she saw Dalia.
The werewolf looked around the room, spying the bloody rag which used to be Izzy’s dress on the table along with Izzy herself. Neave had dressed her in a black t-shirt and some tracksuit bottoms, which looked far too big for her small frame.
“What is this about?” Dalia asked, turning to Rex.
He walked over to Izzy, pulling up her t-shirt and showing Dalia some of the bite marks which hadn’t been necessary to bandage. She frowned, looking back up at his face.
“Something attacked her?”
“Not something, someone. She’s going to turn at the next full moon.”
Chapter Two
Dalia was silent for several moments. Rex covered Izzy again, wanting to respect the girl’s modesty. The werewolf moved closer, looking at the unconscious girl with interest. Her gaze roamed down the length of Izzy before she turned back to Rex.
“Are you going to tell me how she ended up here?” she asked.
“It seems our little friend decided to induce the change rather than kill her outright,” he replied.
“You mean…”
“Yes, I interrupted whoever it was. This was the closest place to Green Park I could think to bring her. By the time I cleaned her up, her wounds had already begun to heal. I couldn’t tell what type of shifter it was.”