Cursed Vengeance

by Brandy L Rivers

  Footsteps made me jump as I stepped under the water. Sean didn’t knock, and he didn’t try to open the door. Maybe he was checking on me.

  The book of spells popped into my head. Those symbols. Why hadn’t I thought about that memory since I was a kid? Why would Mom block something that big from me? The magic I could feel. That I believed. The rest made me doubt everything about last night.

  With my body finally relaxed, I stepped out and quickly dressed in fresh clothing. My hair went up in a ponytail. It wasn’t like I had anyone to impress. I slung my bag over my shoulder and stepped into the hall and into a hard chest. Big hands caught my shoulders.

  A scream escaped my lips and I backed up, back into the bathroom as Dylan closed the distance. I never expected him to be there.

  My heart raced at the intensity of his golden hazel eyes. “Whoa,” I squeaked as I collided with the counter behind me.

  God, his chest and abs were a sculpted masterpiece. I remembered the warmth of his arms and the steady rhythm of his heart under my ear while I cried the night before.

  “How you feeling?” he rumbled in a way that sent my imagination down a path I planned to avoid at all costs.

  With a shake of my head, I got my eyes to his and shrugged. “Fine.”

  His nostrils flared, and his gaze darkened. “Liar.”

  He was mad. At me?

  “Why do you care?” I shot back, ready to be out of the enclosed space, because now I was getting pissed, even if my body craved him. Bad idea, I reminded myself.

  “I…” His mouth snapped shut.

  “Whatever.” I shoved past him, not caring if it was juvenile, but the last thing I needed was having the hots for my creeper.

  Sean was nowhere in sight. Of course not. What the hell was going on with my brother? Normally he would be growly at anyone showing any kind of interest in me, and I’d caught last night’s growled warning I was off limits.

  Confused, I dropped my bag by the couch and moved to the kitchen. Thankfully, there was a fresh pot of coffee, and I grabbed a cup with a contented sigh.

  Warmth closed in, and I knew it was Dylan. Afraid to meet his piercing stare, I refused to turn.

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  “About what?” I snapped.

  He let out an exasperated sigh. “Last night. What I showed you. The curse. More.”

  My logical brain kicked in, discounting everything from the previous evening. I took a sip of my coffee, wishing it could transport me anywhere in the world, without Dylan ramping up my hormones with his sexy growl and tempting body.

  “Last night I was drunk,” I answered quickly. “What did we discuss?”

  His snarl confirmed the irritation I felt rolling off him. “You wouldn’t be avoiding me this hard if you didn’t remember.”

  I set my cup down and spun to find him inches from me. His eyes glowed eerily. Like his wolf. Reaching for any other explanation, I asked, “If you’re so close to my brother, why haven’t I ever met you?”

  “You weren’t part of our world. He kept secrets to protect you.”

  “And now?”

  He shrugged, one corner of his mouth pulling up. “You know. You felt something from that book. Welcome to the club.”

  “You can’t be a werewolf. They’re fiction. Maybe the combination of wine and rum made me hallucinate, or maybe I was more tired than I thought. I don’t know, but this doesn’t make sense.” I rubbed at my head, the headache only getting worse.

  He moved another step closer and pulled my hands from my head before taking my face in his hands, his thumbs rubbing circles over my temples. My eyes slid shut as the pain dissolved.

  I groaned in relief, and he pressed against me. My hands landed on his chest as he pinned me against the counter. Hot, hard, and I cursed my clothes for keeping his skin from covering mine.

  His mouth pressed against mine in a gentle caress. Surprised, I gasped and he sucked my bottom lip, nibbling. His tongue danced with mine. I fell into the kiss, craving more until he pressed his erection against me, and I remembered I was in Sean’s kitchen.

  Panic shot through me. This wasn’t right. I didn’t fall for guys without getting to know them. Hell, I hadn’t ever really craved a guy like this.

  Pushing him back, I shook my head. “No, no, oh hell no, get off me!”

  He backed up, his hands in the air in surrender. “I was trying to help. I could smell the pain. Didn’t like it.”

  “Smell?” Snorting, I grabbed my cup and brushed past him on my way to the chair, where I sat, glaring back at Dylan. My headache was gone, and I craved more contact. I wasn’t mad at him. Oh no, I was mad at myself. So what if he was walking, talking temptation. He was my brother’s best friend, and a creeper.

  He sat down on the couch, his eyes locked on mine. I didn’t miss how he dragged a pillow over his lap, or the fact it hid his erection.

  “Oh my God. You—”

  “Don’t, just stop!” he growled, a dark look in his eyes. “Ask yourself something, Sierra. Are you completely repulsed by me? Or somewhere in there, you’re finding it hard to resist me?”

  I shot off the chair and yelled, “Sean, where are you?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Dylan sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. The anguish on his face pulled at my heart. “He’s at Christian’s house. The one who only has a couple days to live. I thought maybe you could sense the curse, even if it’s not obvious, you can still feel it creeping up on him. Maybe then you’ll be willing to accept the fact you’re going to lose your brother if you don’t start trying to help.”

  “Do you have any idea how crazy this sounds?”

  He nodded, standing up. This time the boner was gone. I wanted to kick myself because it wasn’t a relief.

  Dylan pushed out a breath. “I’ve lived with this all my life. You haven’t, so I’m trying to cut you some slack, especially since this attraction can’t really go anywhere. I share the same fate as Christian and your brother. There are a lot of things I want to do for you, but I’ll never hurt you.” The last was admitted softly, wringing my heart in knots.

  “If this guy has limited time, why would he want to waste it meeting me? Witch or not my power was blocked. I don’t have a clue what to do. And I refuse to believe my brother is going to drop dead by the time he turns thirty-five. That is absolute insanity.”

  “It’s the truth, Sierra.” He walked toward me, and I shook my head. Stopping, he stared at me, burning a hole into my soul. “I wish it weren’t. I don’t want to lose Sean any more than you do.”

  If Christian died, Sean would, then Dylan. And for some reason, the thought of Dylan dying cut me deepest. A stranger, a creeper, someone I’d barely met, and the thought of losing him threatened to destroy me.

  “I don’t believe you.” I grabbed my bag and pulled my keys from my pocket before running to the door. I slammed the door behind me and climbed into my Audi, tearing off as he ran after the car.

  Swiping at the tears, I pulled onto the road and headed home. Later, I could call Sean, tell him to keep Dylan away from me. I didn’t trust myself around him. He made me feel things that scared me to death.

  On top of that, both Dylan and my brother believed they were dying. I couldn’t help feeling like the answers might be hiding in my attic with all of my mother’s things. She passed away nearly a year ago, but she had boxes of books and things I never even looked at even though I inherited the house.

  After the memory of her teaching Sean about magic I had to wonder what I would find. I hoped to find proof. Maybe some answers. Like why she locked away my magic my whole life. I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

  I was a mess by the time I pulled into my driveway. Tears ran down my face, my eyes red and burning. The comfort I craved was Dylan’s embrace. Instead, I planned to light some candles and slip into a bubble bath until everything made sense again.

  Someone’s eyes were on me. A woman stood on my por
ch, watching me. She was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place her. A shiver traveled down my spine as I met her gaze. Shaking it off, I grabbed a couple tissues and dried my eyes before getting out of the car.

  “Sierra, is that you?”

  “I’m sorry, who are you?” I asked snippily.

  She frowned. “Your grandmother. Did your mother never tell you about me?”

  “No. She never spoke of you.” Other than to tell me to never trust the woman shortly after Mom divorced my father. “Why are you just now coming to me?”

  “I heard about your mother’s death earlier this year. I thought maybe you’d find comfort in having your family around.”

  “Sorry, Grandmother, but now really isn’t a good time. Can you come back some other time?”

  “What’s wrong? Maybe I can help.” Her sweet smile gave me a chill.

  I drew in a breath and shook my head. “I’m sorry. Not today. I’ve recently received some very bad news and I’m really not the best company. I need to be alone.”

  “I’m sorry.” She dipped her head and walked down the steps. She turned back and held out a card. “Call me if you need guidance. I’m always available.”

  I took the card, but almost dropped it when a thousand invisible spiders crawled up my arm. Shoving it in my purse, I nodded. “Sure. Thank you.”

  “I’ll see you soon,” she promised.

  Creeped out even more, I went inside and locked the door. My phone nearly startled me out of my skin as I set my bag and purse down. I quickly grabbed it and hurried up the stairs. “Yes?”

  “Hey, Sierra,” Sean said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Christian wanted to talk and I couldn’t deny him.”

  I groaned, feeling betrayed by my own brother. “Right, so you leave me with Dylan. Who, by the way, you best keep far away from me.”

  “Why? What did he do?” he asked slowly.

  “He...ugh…he creeped me out. Just tell him to stay away.”

  “Did he touch you?” He seethed.

  I blushed furiously, thinking about his body pressed against mine, his breath on my lips. The memory made me ache for Dylan. I couldn’t accept the irrational attraction. I’d never felt anything like it, and I didn’t trust it. Still, I didn’t want anything happening to Dylan. Squeezing my eyes shut, I sucked in a breath. “No, God no. There’s something about him.”

  “What did he do?” Sean demanded.

  “He’s crazy, okay? I don’t want to be around him. He needs to leave me alone.” A tear streaked down my face. I wanted to see him again, needed to, which was exactly why I couldn’t. Whatever chemistry was between us was dangerous. Either he was a werewolf who was dying in a couple weeks, or I was insane and needed to be locked in a mental ward.

  “Is this about the pack? The curse? The fact I’m going to die in a few days?”

  I stopped before the bathroom and leaned against the wall. “I don’t know what I think about that.”

  “Then what?”

  “Fine, he was too intense. Dylan was in my face, demanding answers and spewing shit that makes no sense. Then he kissed me out of nowhere.”

  “I’ll have a talk with him.” I heard the growl in his voice. “One thing first. Do you feel something for him?”

  “Like what?” I blurted out defensively.

  “Shit.” He sighed. “Did you find yourself wanting to touch him? Maybe more.”

  “What? No! You’re crazy. He freaked me out with his growly in my face demands. I left.”

  “You don’t feel any kind of magnetism toward him?”

  “No, he’s a total creeper.” Tears sprang to my eyes. I wished like hell I believed it was so simple.

  “He won’t talk to you again. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “Thanks. And I’ll be out tomorrow. I just, I need some time to think about everything you all said.” And see what I could find in Mother’s things up in the attic. There were old books, books I never looked at. Something told me I might find the answers.

  “Even Dylan?”

  “Did he really turn into a wolf in front of me? Please tell me I was hallucinating from too much wine.”

  “You weren’t hallucinating.”

  I slid down the wall with a groan. “Are you really going to die?”

  “Unless I can find a way to break the curse, yes. I’ve been looking for years, though, and I’m not any closer.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  He laughed softly. “Didn’t figure you’d believe anything. Or you’d go all doctor on me.”

  “It’s what I know. Look, I need a bath. I’ll come by tomorrow. Okay?”

  “I’ll see you then. I need to go kill a jackass.”

  I couldn’t resist a laugh. “He didn’t do anything to warrant a death sentence.”

  “I’ll see what he has to say before I pass judgment.”

  “Don’t be too harsh. Just keep him away.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Pushing to my feet, I went into the bathroom and started the bath before lighting the rose scented candles. Later, I planned to find everything magic related my mother left behind.

  Chapter 6

  Dylan

  The morning was off to a fucking spectacular start. Sierra ran out the door, pissed as hell at me. I never intended to kiss her. The feelings were too strong to control. I hoped they wouldn’t be, but the need to protect her from any type of pain overruled any common sense in my brain.

  Pulling a beer out of the fridge, I flopped down on the couch, popped the top, and took a long swig. The alcohol wouldn’t have any effect. Didn’t mean the taste of it wasn’t relaxing. How did I screw up so royally so soon? The worst part? I knew she felt the same things as me. It was there in her eyes for the world to see. She might have put on a big show, acting like she didn’t believe any of it. Part of her was starting to.

  A knock on the door caught my attention. Placing the bottle on the coffee table, I stood and went to answer it. The second the door swung open, a fist connected with my face, sending me flying back into the living room. The sensation of a warm, sticky substance made me reach up and wipe my lip. When I looked up, feral eyes glared down at me.

  “You couldn’t fucking tell her the truth before you stuck your lips on her,” Sean yelled.

  Staying on the floor seemed the safest bet. “She was hurting. I wanted to help her. When I stepped closer to rub her temples and erase the pain, things got a little out of control.”

  “Kissing her against her will is more than a little out of control.” He ran his hands through his hair and began to pace the room.

  Jumping up, I stepped in front of him and gave him a shove. “I would never kiss her against her will. She’s my mate. All I want to do is protect her.”

  He shoved a finger in my shoulder. “You protect her by not telling her the truth and then mauling her.”

  “Fuck you, Sean. Do you want the whole truth or just the shit your sister told you because she’s scared of what she feels?” Walking away, I grabbed my beer and sat back down on the couch.

  A few minutes passed before I heard the fridge door open and Sean came into the living room with a beer in his hand. Taking the seat across from me, he said, “Okay, spill it. What the fuck happened?”

  I took a long sip of my drink before I answered him. “I could smell the pain of her hangover and it didn’t sit well with me. When I tried to fix it, her hands landed on my chest and her eyes connected with mine. I’ll admit I kissed her, but only when I saw the invitation in her gaze. She kissed me back for a moment before she panicked and ran from the house.”

  Leaning forward, he rested his arms on his legs and rolled the bottle between his hands. “If you had told her—”

  “If I had told her, she would have freaked anyway. She’s not ready.” I dropped my head onto the back of the couch. “With such little time, she may never be.”

  “I know.” He sighed. “I wish things could be different for both of you.”
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br />   “Me too. You never know. There’s still time. She might be able to find something we haven’t.”

  “Only if she accepts her powers. She seemed pretty skeptical last night.”

  I laughed humorlessly. “Yeah. Not much changed this morning.”

  “Well, she did promise to think about it and come out here tomorrow. Although she wants me to keep you away from her.”

  The cut on my lip had already started to heal, but my jaw was still a bit tender. “Yeah, you said that loud and clear when you threw your fist in my face.” I rubbed the bottom of my chin for emphasis.

  “Oh, don’t be a baby. You’ll be fine in about ten minutes. Besides, I know I can’t keep you away from her. Your body’s cravings will take over, so will hers.”

  “Doesn’t mean I want to hurt her like that.” Lifting my head, I stared straight into his eyes. “All I can bring her is heartache. She deserves better.” The words were ripped from me. The pain in my chest like a heavy weight.

  “I know I said stay away last night, but she deserves to know and make up her own mind. At least then she’ll understand what’s happening to her and can make the choice to stay away.”

  I laid my head back and stared at the ceiling. Did Sean understand the feelings I had for his sister? Would she even understand the bond we shared? If she didn’t accept her witch powers, it seemed unlikely. Her body would sense something different, but could never truly be mine, until she accepted herself.

  I’d known my whole life about being a wolf, I couldn’t imagine how hard all of this was on her. She’d pushed me away, but had she let me I would have sat and offered all of the comfort she needed.

  Even though I didn’t want to admit it, Sean had a point. Sierra deserved to know the truth. What she chose to do with it was up to her. Now, I had to find a way to tell her. I’d tried to tell her this morning. Between her chagrin at our first kiss and anger over everything else, the right time never really presented itself. I had to find a way. At least she wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. I could come up with something before then.