Cursed Vengeance

by Brandy L Rivers

  “There’s only four days before his thirty-fifth birthday.”

  “Yes, and mine’s three days after and yours is a little over a week later.” He raked a hand through his hair and his eyes slammed shut. “And I still don’t have an answer.”

  It was hard to hear, but I understood. Sean put more pressure on himself than anyone to find the answer to the problem. Reaching out, I squeezed his shoulder.

  “We’ll figure it out. Let’s go check on Christian, then we’ll head back to your place and see what else we can find.”

  Climbing into Sean’s truck, I leaned my head back against the headrest. Neither of us slept much. Most of our nights were spent combing through every book on supernatural forces we could get our hands on, looking for some clue that might help end the cycle of death.

  “You were the one my sister hit, weren’t you?”

  My eyes snapped open and my gaze darted to his. Up until that point, I’d forgotten about the feisty redhead. Well, not technically forgotten, more like forced out of my head, so I could concentrate on the problem at hand.

  “I never saw her pull into the lot,” I admitted, remembering the way her simple touch took the pain away.

  Having a death sentence hanging over your head was no way to ask a woman out on a date. Some of the males of the pack decided to get married and have families anyway, in hopes a way to break the curse would be found. That hadn’t happened yet. The women claimed it helped to sustain our numbers while we looked for a cure.

  “Don’t worry about it. My sister has a giant fear of the Pine Barrens, thinks weird stuff always happens here.”

  That made me roll my eyes. “Weird stuff does happen here.”

  “Yeah, well, you and I know there are reasons for that.”

  “True. How is it your sister is human?”

  “She’s not, but my mother blocked her powers when she was little.”

  That caught my attention. “What? Why?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. She never said why. Mom taught me everything she knew and kept trying to find the answer to the curse until the day she died.” His eyes shadowed and I remembered the feeling of losing my own father. “Then when Sierra was born she blocked hers from the beginning.”

  Sierra. What a beautiful name. It fit her. Sassy, yet sexy. Shaking my head, I tried to clear it of the thoughts of Sean’s little sister. If he knew what I’d been thinking, he’d use his claws and attempt to tear me to shreds.

  Pulling the car to a stop in front of Christian’s house, he narrowed his eyes at me. “Did you just groan?”

  “What?” I tried to play it off. It wasn’t like I realized I growled, giving away more about what was going on in my head than I was ready to.

  “Don’t what me. Whatever is going through your head about my sister better stop now.”

  “Sean…”

  He shook his head. “I don’t want to hear anything. Sierra knows nothing about our lives and is off limits. For Christ’s sake, she doesn’t even know I’m days away from being gone forever. I will not put her through any more shit than she needs to deal with.”

  Without another word he stepped out of the truck. Sean’s actions made it clear he didn’t need to know about what happened when she touched me right then. I knew there was something more to it, but it could be explored later. At that moment our focus needed to be on Christian. Opening the door, I stepped out into silence. It was as if the whole forest knew something was wrong.

  There wasn’t a chance to knock when the door opened to reveal Theresa, Christian’s mate. Her chin trembled. Brushing past Sean, I pulled her into my arms. The first sob broke free before we made it all the way in the door.

  The four of us had been friends since we were pups. It was awful to know one of us was facing death in days. Theresa’s tears hurt me in ways I never wanted to cause anyone else. The kind of anguish wafting off Theresa was the whole reason I’d avoided relationships since the moment I found out about my fate. Unbidden visions of Sierra flew through my mind. Forcing them back, I looked down at Theresa.

  “Where’s Christian?”

  Her body trembled as she fought for control. “He’s…he’s asleep. Will came by and gave him something to calm him.”

  Leading her to the couch, I sat, pulling her down next to me. Sean slumped in the chair across from us. The room was a disaster. Books and magazines everywhere, there was even broken glass from vases and picture frames littering the floor.

  “What the hell happened? He should have four days before the sickness settles in,” he asked, leaning forward with his arms on his knees.

  “It’s not coming earlier, is it?” My eyes moved, meeting Sean’s troubled gaze. Under no circumstances did we want to hear we had even less time.

  Theresa sat up. “I don’t think so.” She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. “But I’m not sure exactly what happened. One minute we’re having dinner with the kids and the next thing I know he’s throwing dishes around, yelling and screaming.”

  Once again, her eyes filled with tears.

  “Do the kids know what is going on?” I asked.

  Theresa shook her head. “No. We both agreed keeping everything normal would be the best choice for them. At least until what happened tonight. I sent them to stay with my mom, until Christian wakes up.”

  “That’s good.”

  Sean hadn’t said anything more, but I could see his leg bouncing up and down, his hands shaking in his lap.

  “Sean?” Theresa turned to face him. “Have you figured out anything?” The anguish in her voice would make even a grown man cry.

  Sean stood and stepped over to kneel in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he said, “I wish I had. Christian is one of my best friends and I would do anything to save him.”

  “I know you would,” she whispered.

  I placed my hand on her back. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah.” She sniffled. “I’m gonna go lie down with him. If it’s one of my last few days to be close to him, I’m taking advantage of every moment.”

  Sean stood and helped Theresa to her feet. We both said our goodbyes and let her go to spend time with Christian, promising we’d be back tomorrow to check on him. The minute we got into the car, Sean turned to me.

  “We need to figure this out. Now.”

  “I know and we’ve been working on it every second we have. We’ve looked in every spell book your mother left you and there’s no answer. Who or whatever cursed us to this fate knew more about wolves and magic than your mother.”

  He sighed and started the car. “Whatever magic is behind it, I’m starting to wonder if it’s me. Is it a spell I don’t have access to or does my wolf side weaken my powers too much?”

  “Either way, the only thing we can do is go back to your place and keep looking for an answer.”

  He nodded and backed out of the driveway. Silence filled the car and it was hard to stop my mind from wandering to earlier in the evening. Sierra and her indigo blue eyes held me captive even in my memory. Whatever my body recognized about Sierra and her scent did not bode well for my very short future.

  Chapter 3

  Sierra

  My sense of victory dried up the second I drove into the Pine Barrens again. Thick fog surrounded the car and I could have sworn I heard a howl over the music blasting in the car.

  “Fucking hate the Pine Barrens,” I muttered.

  For the millionth time I wondered why my brother had to move out to the creepy as hell town in the middle of nowhere, two seconds after he turned eighteen. Sean would tell me I read too many horror novels growing up, causing me to look for a monster hiding in the shadows.

  Another howl made me jump. Maybe Sean had a point.

  I drew a slow breath as I looked for Sean’s driveway. He lived down a gravel road heading deeper into the woods. Country roads surrounded by thick forest were the worst. I was always waiting for the mothman or some other creepy monster to fly out at m
e.

  My headlights washed over Sean, who stood on the porch. I could have sworn the light was reflected back from his eyes like a damned wolf in the night.

  A nervous laugh bubbled up as I parked behind his truck. Climbing out, I grabbed my bag and made my way for the porch. “What’s the smirk for?”

  “You startled when you found me on the porch.” The jerk chuckled.

  My eyes narrowed. “I don’t get why you have to live in the middle of bum fuck Egypt.”

  “It’s peaceful. No big city to drive me nuts.”

  “I still think you’re getting crazy in your old age,” I ribbed.

  He glanced away with a heavy sigh. “Come in. I have movies, food, even some of that chocolate wine you like so much.” Sean rolled his eyes even as he took the bag from me.

  The living room was slightly disheveled. Usually everything was in its place and tidy. Books were stacked on the shelf, not neatly lined up. In the proper order. The table was skewed off center. I thought back to dinner the night before. Something was going on, and Sean was hiding it. I had every intention of finding out what.

  “Sorry it’s a mess. I’ve been doing a lot of reading,” he muttered before heading to the kitchen.

  Unable to stop myself, I walked to the bookshelf and frowned at the symbols on the page. A sense of déjà vu settled over me as I ran my fingers over the glyphs.

  My eyes slid closed and I was at Mom’s house when I was little.

  Sean sat beside Mom, running his fingers over the symbols and saying weird words that gave me tingles. Neither noticed me as I crept closer and climbed up on the chair beside him.

  When I started making the same strange sounds, Mom shot off her chair and scooped me into her arms. “Oh, baby, you don’t need to look at that. It’s special homework for Sean. Come on, I’ll read you a bedtime story.”

  Taking another look at the book, I pointed. “I want to learn. It’s magic.”

  “It’s not for you. I never want you to go through losing the man you love because of some horrible spell.”

  “But Daddy’s asleep?”

  She gave me a sad smile and tucked me into bed. “Let’s read a bedtime story, shall we? You can pick.”

  Sean took the book and shut it. “Don’t worry about that.”

  “Don’t worry about it?” I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked at the most ridiculous notion I could muster. “Why the secret? Are you some kind of witch or something?” I snorted at my own joke.

  Then it dawned on me. He was reading something similar in the memory. It really was magic, and I—and I knew what it was when I was little. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. “Holy shit! You are!”

  “It’s research, okay? Important research.”

  And I knew it was so much more to him. I started to believe because Sean wasn’t much of a joker and he was taking this much too seriously. “Research for what?”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “What is that book? Why does it seem familiar?” I demanded.

  He groaned. “It was Mom’s. You’ve probably seen it.”

  “What’s in it?”

  “Spells, healing and counter spells.”

  And now I was starting to wonder about my brother’s sanity, and my own for that matter. I was the one who figured out magician’s tricks. Forever the skeptic.

  Arching a single brow, I asked, “Your friend? You think magic is your miracle?”

  Sean placed the book on the shelf and paced away. “And there’s the skeptic I know and love. You’re so wrapped up in science you couldn’t believe in magic.”

  Determination rolled in, regardless of reason. “Why not? Try me,” I challenged.

  “Damn it, Sierra, there’s no time to explain, and you’d have me committed. I know how it sounds to an outsider.”

  “Outsider? I’m your goddamned sister. I’m not going to have you committed because you’re willing to try some freaky mumbo-jumbo to help your friend out. My offer still stands. Let me see him. Maybe the doctor here hasn’t kept up on new treatments. Maybe there’s a new way to treat him. In the meantime, keep doing the magic. What harm can it do?” Unless it was real, then what did I know. Frowning, I pushed the thought away.

  Sean scrubbed a hand over his face. “Since when do you believe in hocus pocus?”

  I shrugged and looked back at the book. Normally, he’d be right, but something about that book...I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was no denying that I felt a calling from the book. “I don’t know. It’s like something’s hiding on the outer edge of my memory, covered by shadows. Every time I look at the symbols it reaches for me, but I can’t quite close the distance.” Dropping my hands, I turned toward him. “If you’re a witch or whatever, why is that?”

  He stood perfectly still, staring at me like I’d lost my damned mind. “Mom said you couldn’t tap into your powers. That they were blocked.”

  I clamped my jaw tight, refusing to let it drop as I processed that gem. Granted, besides one memory, I never believed in magic. I was a skeptic through and through. But the sensations the symbols invoked made me reevaluate everything I thought I knew. Power hummed around me, trying to break through some barrier.

  After a slow breath I looked him in the eye and asked, “What was blocked and how?”

  “You’re a witch, Sierra. Only Mom somehow blocked your magic. The symbols are spells. You shouldn’t feel anything.”

  “I do, though.”

  “Clearly. Look, I don’t know. There isn’t time to train you. No time to see if you can figure it out.”

  “Figure what out?”

  The pounding on the door made me jump.

  “Shit, I told him not tonight,” he muttered, heading for the door.

  He glanced over his shoulder at me. “Stay here. Please.”

  My eyes narrowed as he slipped outside. I caught a glimpse of what looked like my creeper.

  Could have sworn I heard him say, “He’s getting worse.”

  With my curiosity piqued, I snuck toward the door.

  “Can you quiet down?” Sean said. “My sister’s here, dumbass. She doesn’t know anything, and I don’t want to freak her out.”

  That was all I needed. I pushed through the door and stepped outside. The golden hazel eyes of my creeper penetrated my soul as his gaze locked on mine. This time his brow was drawn, tension rolled off him, but it eased the second he laid eyes on me.

  Under the porch light I could better see how striking he was. High cheekbones, thick black hair, stunning eyes, and full, kissable lips.

  Tamping down my desire, I asked, “How’s the thick skull? Maybe your leg?”

  “You’re lucky my skull is thick. I’m fine. So is my leg. No thanks to you.”

  I snorted. “To me? Mr. Creeper, running around dark, foggy parking lots in all black.”

  Sean sighed, rolling his eyes. “Sierra, this is Dylan, thick skull and all. Dylan, this is my little sister, Sierra.”

  Glaring over at Sean, I nudged him. “Hey, I’m not little, and it’s not like I’m looking to hook up with some creeper from the Pine Barrens. Let alone one of your weird friends.”

  “Hey, I’m not weird,” Dylan protested.

  My brow arched. “Really? Are you indestructible? You probably bounced off the pavement, and refused to let someone check you out.”

  One corner of his mouth tipped up and he opened his mouth, only to snap it shut before his eyes darted away.

  He sighed and looked back with a serious expression. All sarcasm gone as he stared into my eyes. “What do you know?”

  A connection sizzled to life, drawing me to him.

  My eyes popped wide. A thrill of fear flashed through me as I turned to Sean to escape the intensity in Dylan’s gaze. The magnetism growing between us freaked me out. I’d never experienced anything like it.

  Trying to break the connection, I turned to sarcasm, making a joke. “Please tell me he’s not the one dying. I’m not sure I can help a cr
eeper who runs in front of cars in zero visibility.” My tone was light, but something unsettled me about the prospect of Dylan dying, not that he seemed sick. No, the prick seemed perfectly fine, and unharmed. I wanted him to stay that way, as infuriating as he might be.

  “No, not yet,” Sean answered grimly, glaring daggers at Dylan. Now I wanted to know why.

  Turning to Dylan, hoping to get a more direct answer, I crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you mean, what do I know?”

  His eyes didn’t leave mine. “About the curse on our wolf pack.”

  Wolf? As in werewolf? My gaze darted to Sean, but he dipped his head in a slow nod. “Clearly not enough.”

  Witches, I couldn’t deny. The book was full of magic that tugged at something deep within. Werewolves, actual monsters, and he had said our like Sean was part of it. My head spun through a million thoughts, none of which helped.

  “Hang on,” I told Dylan and dragged Sean back inside. “Okay, did your delusional friend imply you’re both werewolves?”

  “And you wonder why I said you wouldn’t believe. Those strange things you go on and on about out here in the Pine Barrens are real, Sierra. That’s normal life out here. And had Mom not done whatever the hell she did to block your powers you’d be right here with me.”

  In an attempt to wrap my head around the crazy-talk, I indulged Sean, “Okay, fine. Then how are you a werewolf and I’m not? Because I’ve never gone all furry once in my life.”

  “My dad was a werewolf. Not yours. Mom was a witch, but she locked your powers away, hoping you’d have a normal life and not have to deal with the heartache.”

  I blinked, trying to come to terms with what he was saying. Wasn’t happening, but I couldn’t fully doubt when he was so serious.

  The door rattled. “Hey, it’s not exactly warm out here, can I come in now?” Dylan shouted.

  Sean gave me a look, his brow arched.

  Throwing up my hands, I went to the door and opened it. “Sure, wolf-boy. Come on in.”

  Dylan chuckled. “See, she’s accepting it. Why not tell her sooner?”

  “Why worry her when there’s nothing she can do?”