Cursed
Page 1
Contents
CURSED
Copyright
A Craving Like No Other
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Grandma's Date Night
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Cursed
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
An Amusing Weekend
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Never Bet on A Succubus
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Rock-a-bye Baby Succubus
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Contents May Have Shifted
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Other Titles by Shawntelle Madidon
About the Author
These stories are a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
A Craving Like No Other
Copyright © 2016 Shawntelle Madison
Grandma’s Date Night
Copyright © 2016 Shawntelle Madison
Cursed
Copyright © 2015 Shawntelle Madison
An Amusing Weekend
Copyright © 2016 Shawntelle Madison
Never Bet On a Succubus
Copyright © 2013 Shawntelle Madison
Rock-a-bye Baby Succubus
Copyright © 2016 Shawntelle Madison
Contents May Have Shifted
Copyright © 2015 Shawntelle Madison
eBook ISBN: 978-0-9966701-0-4
Version 1.5
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author.
Chapter 1
Reader Note: This story takes place before Collected (prequel novella) and Coveted (Coveted #1). So this is a prequel to the whole series.
The University of Pittsburgh campus was dead. Not that there were zombies lurking about, but Pitt tended to have a few students who looked undead during midterms. Spring break had hit earlier this week and now Pitt had quieted a bit. After the weekend ended, everything would be business as usual.
Right now I lugged a suitcase and backpack across campus to meet my ride for a weekend of fun. As to why he didn’t just meet me outside of my dorm was another story. He’d sent me a brief text message not too long ago: Meet me outside of the Chevron Science Center. If you don’t show up, I’ll still make you come.
I snorted even though a delicious shiver went down my spine.
I’ll still make you come.
I’d only known Thorn Grantham for a few months, yet just thinking about him tossed my mind headfirst into the gutter.
I hit a bump in the sidewalk, and my black luggage teetered a bit. The honeyed feeling left quickly as I tried to reach my destination.
I’d tied my hair back, but a wind had pulled several light brown strands into my face. They got into my mouth often enough to frustrate me to no end.
“Son of a bitch.” By the time I reached the Chevron Science Center, I was ready to perform evil science experiments on Thorn for making me haul my stuff this far. And the science center was a perfect place to dish up a chemical cocktail or two.
A black Ford Explorer was parked in the nearby car lot. Even though it was running, I wondered if it was his, until I spotted a tall blond man waiting outside. The wind blew toward me, and there was no mistaking I’d found him.
He leaned against the truck, watching the cloudy sky. Spring had arrived, but the bleak weather still lingered. Just looking at him sparked every nerve in my stomach. He was beautiful to behold.
“What took you so long?” he grumbled. Then he looked at my suitcase and bag and frowned.
“If you would’ve picked me up at Langley you wouldn’t have waited so long.”
He grunted. “First of all, I had to turn in a report. Second, don’t think we’re heading into the woods with your super suitcase there.”
I patted my bag, which might’ve looked a bit bulky, but everything I needed to feel comfortable was inside. “It’s just a few things.”
“You won’t need all that.”
“How do you know what’s in there? Your vision isn’t as good as Superman’s.”
Thorn opened the back of the SUV, then he waited with his arms crossed. Did he want me to take a peek inside? I checked and couldn’t miss the obvious: only a single camping backpack was there. Apparently, he’d left his life behind in his apartment.
“I don’t need x-ray vision to know you packed half of Pittsburgh in there,” he said. “Was there a few students who didn’t have a place to go and you threw them in there as snacks?”
I sneered for good measure. “It’s my chemistry professor if you really want to know.”
Thorn smiled and I about melted. “Yeah. I would’ve packed him, too.”
He took my suitcase and tossed it in the back. When I watched the way his jeans hugged his ass, I was just a little bit ashamed. His gray T-shirt molded over his chest and offered the best view I’ve had all day.
I looked at my clothes. Thank goodness, I had a pair of jeans to wear or I would’ve looked out of place. Normally I’m set in my ways when it comes to clothes. I like things in a certain manner. The placement of my suitcase was one of them. After Thorn went around to the side of the car, I added my backpack and turned my suitcase so it lined up properly with my backpack and his. I could’ve left it alone, hell things might get jostled on the way to the park, but at least I’d worry less about it.
Then I reached for my suitcase again.
“Let’s go, Natalya!”
I slammed the back shut and hurried to the front. He seemed to get a lot bossier when he was around me. Not that I minded it. It was more of a “push” as we werewolves would call it. A gentle bite on the scruff of the neck. I liked it.
“Keep moving, woman. Daylight is running out.” He grinned.
“You cleaned out your truck,” I said.
The seat was free from fast food bags and candy bar wrappers. Thorn had a sweet tooth and did little to curb it. When I’d first rode in his truck a few weeks ago, I’d been horrified. Not that it was nasty or anything—I’d seen worst in most of the dorm rooms near mine.
Now that he’d recently washed and vacuumed everything out, the car smelled nice.
Had he done that for me?
“There wasn’t much.” He kept his eyes on the road as we left campus. I did the same, but I still squirmed a bit.
“How long until we get there? I wish you would’ve told me where we’re going.”
He chucked. “And spoil the fun?”
I groaned. “Just because I planned out our study date doesn’t mean I’m that way all the time.”
“I didn’t mind it. At first. But when we had exactly thirty minutes per subject, and I had to drink that god-awful tea, I thought you were pushing things a teeny bit too far.”
“Green tea is good for studying, and based on your attention span, you have me to thank for completing all of your assignments that night.”
Less than a foot separated us while we spoke. His hand lingered on the armrest just a few inches from my leg. The fingers twitched twice and naturally my imagination drifted to the wrong place. He had such long fingers. Thick forearms that flexed as the fingers moved. What would those hands feel like on me?
“I did get everything done,” he said, hopefully unaware of my thoughts. “But you need to loosen up. We could’ve had more fun.”
My heart sank. “You were bored?”
“Not in the way you think. There’s nothing wrong with sitting next to a pretty lady in a quiet study room.”
My mouth went dry and I broke my gaze away from his hands.
I wasn’t sure what to say. He was often a man of few words when we were alone.
Eventually, we left campus and Thorn drove us northeast on I-80. I still had no idea where he planned to take us. There were a few state parks north of us—they were ideal places for werewolves to run during the full moon. Not that I had done research. I was too busy completing homework due after spring break. A few teachers had given me assignments. Didn’t they expect most of the students to relax and waste perfectly valuable time? Perhaps sit around on beaches drinking fruity drinks? Since it was my first year at Pitt, I’d never had the spring break college experience. Until Thorn had poked me to go with him I’d planned to go home and hang out with my parents in Jersey.
“Are we going back to South Toms River?” I asked.
“Nope.”
I guess I would have to wait. The city of Pittsburgh slowly disappeared and turned into the countryside. Trees surrounded the highway. I rolled down the window and inhaled. There were so many wonderful scents: small birds, rabbits, maple trees, and even pine. The wolf within me twitched in excitement. Small game hid nearby. They lurked among the trees.
Thorn turned on the radio and oldies rock music blasted through the speakers. I hummed along to Credence Clearwater’s Bad Moon Rising.
He actually liked mellow music, which surprised me. When I first met him I thought he’d be one of those types who liked grunge or hard rock, but when he picked me up to take me to the coffee shop for our first date, I’d learned he loved jazz music—just like me.
“There’s just something about the rhythm and beat in those days,” he’d said to me at the time. “It gets under your skin and it stays there. I do a lot of thinking by myself and that’s the music I listen to.”
Less than an hour into the ride we approached the turnoff for the first state park. I looked at him, but he said gruffly, “Not good enough.”
He practically had a reply for every park we passed for the next two hours. “I wouldn’t run in that place if you strapped a rabbit on my back and told me to run.”
“Then what is good enough? We’re only an hour or two from New York?”
“You’ll see. Don’t you have any patience?”
“When I’m kept in suspense, I don’t.”
Four hours into the drive and the landscape had changed. We’d traveled for a while east and now the terrain was full of rolling hills covered with trees. We passed so many state parks—until we made the turn to go south on Highway 594. A straight shot to Hickory Run State Park.
“About time we got somewhere,” I said.
Thorn merely chuckled.
###
It was all he’d promised. The park entrance drew us in with welcome arms, but there were other scents here that seemed familiar. Other werewolves had been here. At least twenty-four hours ago.
Thorn parked the SUV in a nearby visitor parking lot. From a few spots down, a man strolled up to our car. Based on his scent—a sour sweaty musk—he was a werewolf who hadn’t been around other werewolves a lot. He was a rogue without a pack. He was also much smaller than Thorn, but he had a friendly enough smile. He tapped the driver’s side window to get our attention, and Thorn rolled his window down.
The stranger kept his gaze on the ground as he addressed Thorn. “Saw you two come in and I thought I’d warn you.”
“Is something wrong?” Thorn asked.
The man only wore a dirty blue T-shirt and jeans. His eyes were quite small for such a round face. I was surprised to find someone with such a strong scent—a raw fear that indicated he’d rank even lower than me in my pack.
“I’m supposed to ward off others. The local Pine Bluff Pack has closed off the western part of the park to rogues.”
We had entered the park from the west. So that was why the entrance smelled so strong. Another pack had marked the territory here. Their calling card practically yelled, “Piss off.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” Thorn said without blinking. “Thanks.”
The man backed away from the car. “No problem.”
Thorn didn’t say anything for a bit. He merely scanned the parking lot. Almost as if somebody would just pop up and force us to leave. I looked out the window and wondered what he saw, but he merely shrugged.
Maybe he thought we weren’t in immediate danger.
Thorn turned off the car and left the SUV. I slowly followed. Other families around us took out gear for fishing or camping. We weren’t the only one with plans.
Thorn unloaded his backpack.
“We’re staying?” I asked.
“Yep. “
“But that guy said—”
“He said there are rogues.” Thorn was calm. I wish I knew why. “No biggie. We’ll stay out of their way. Rogues don’t travel in large groups.”
“Why don’t we hang out with humans on the campgrounds?” I asked.
“I doubt the humans would want us nearby when the full moon comes.”
He did have a point there, so I nodded.
I reached for my suitcase, but Thorn closed in and placed his hand on it.
“No?” I whispered. I couldn’t look at his face, but I could smell his intentions. I wasn’t getting my way.
“No,” he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Thorn would be an alpha someday. Sensing it was easy. The need to cower or avert my eyes was second nature around him.
“What if I need something in there?” My voice had grown quiet.
“I’ll take care of you.”
“Flashlights? A tent? Cooking supplies?”
“All covered.”
Now that comment scratched my hide the wrong way. Did he really think his measly backpack had all that?
This time I did look him in the eye. Only to find him looking right back at me. I swallowed deeply and inhaled. His arousal was as strong as mine. In the past we’d sat next to each other. Studied next to each other. But it was almost as if a line was waiting to be crossed before our relationship would change.
One of us would cross the boundary sooner or later.
He leaned toward me, his free hand gripping my arm. Gently he pulled me away from the suitcase. Or should I say, he pulled me closer to him. His mouth brushed against my ear, eliciting a shiver that ran a path of fire down my stomach to my core.
“I’ll take care of you,” he insisted.
I sighed. He could’ve taken out a box of toothpicks as supplies and I would’ve said, “Sounds good to me.”
With no place to go, my hand fell to his chest. Perhaps I’d put it there to add space between us, but it did little good. We were body-to-body and I felt everything. His rapid heartbeat. The tight muscles under his shirt. Hell, the raging erection in his pants.
What the hell was I doing? I added some space between us. This was supposed to be a trip where I’d feel safe and less anxious during the full moon. Wouldn’t the forest accomplish that goal? Messing around with Thorn shouldn’t be part of the plan.
“How about I take what I absolutely need and put it in the backpack?” I suggested.
“Sounds reasonable.” He hadn’t moved an inch. His expression practically made me want to kick him right then and there.
He knew I wanted him, but would it make a difference that I’d never been with a man before?
“We heading out sometime today?” he asked with a chuckle.
His words were a stark reminder I’d stared at a bottle of sanitizer too long. An industrial-sized one at that. I’d live with the travel-sized bottle and some sanitary wipes. I added a few snacks, eating utensils, and another set of clothes to the backpack. They’d have to make do for now.
I turned around twice to rethink my decision, but Thorn took my hand.
“Let’s go.” He shut the rear door and tugged me toward a path into the forest.
When I glanced back, I couldn’t see his vehicle anymore. There was no turning back.
Chapter 2
We’d walked for two hours through dense vegetation. My smile never left my face the whole time. Thorn took the led at first, heading due west.
“I love this part of the park,” he remarked. “Just north of here is Fourth Run. If we had a canoe, I’d take you for a ride.”
“Sounds like fun.”
I wished I would’ve been able to explore more beyond my home state, but my parents didn’t travel a lot. Living in a small township was like that.
“Did you come here before with family or with friends?” I asked as we walked between thickets of trees with spring wild flowers growing around them.
“Both.”
His answer left my curiosity piqued. “I bet you came with a girl. You’re the kind of guy who looks like you’d never be alone.”
“Are you sure about that? I’m taking construction engineering. I’m about this close to showing my math professor what I look like when I’m pissed off.”
I laughed. “Sounds like me with my English professor. Can I be honest?”