Cursed Hadley

by Jessica Sorensen

“Stop calling me sweetheart,” I hiss. “And I’m not playing dumb.”

  “Yes, you were, by asking me if I did it instead of just accusing.”

  “Is that your way of confessing you put those flyers up all over the school?”

  “Confessing would mean I care.” He gives a lazy shrug, working his jaw from side to side. “Which I don’t.”

  My fingers fold inward. “I warned you to stay away from my sisters.”

  “Is that another threat?” He extends a hand toward me.

  Figuring he’s going to hit me, I start to raise my fist, but freeze when he combs his fingers through my hair.

  The corners of his lips kick up into a grin. “You need to stop threatening me.” He winds my hair around his finger, watching the movement, captivated.

  “And you need to stay away from me and my sisters.” I smack his hand away from my hair. “And don’t ever touch me again.”

  His eyes flash, his lips parting. “Did you just smack my hand away?”

  My lips part, but no words come out as shock lashes through me. Because, when I say his eyes flashed, I mean, literally flashed bright green, like a goddamn traffic light. Bright green like they did in my dream.

  “Your eyes …” I manage to get out.

  Blaise takes a few measured breaths before abruptly relaxing back in the chair, the light in his eyes dimming. “I know. They’re gorgeous, aren’t they?”

  I glare at him. “How did you do that?”

  He cocks a brow. “Do what?”

  “Make your eyes … glow like that.” The instant the words leave my lips, I realize how crazy I sound.

  Blaise stares at me like I’m a total nutjob. “Have you ever considered putting yourself into an insane asylum?”

  “You’re an asshole,” I snap. “And I know what I saw.”

  He taps a pen against his desk, his gaze boring into mine. “What you thought you saw.”

  What you thought you saw.

  What you thought you saw.

  What you thought you saw.

  No, this time I’m not crazy.

  I carry his gaze. “No, what I saw.”

  He searches my eyes, a flicker of worry crossing over his face before he puts on a blank expression. “You might want to get your head checked out, sweetheart. I’ve heard seeing flashes of light can be the first signs of insanity.”

  Before I can quip a comeback, the bell rings and the teacher walks in, along with Jaxon. He hurriedly takes a seat in the desk across from Blaise’s, but his attempt to rush into class doesn’t go unnoticed, and most of the people in the room sneak a glance at him. They do the same thing with Blaise. Even a handful of girls throw him flirty smiles. Strangely, though, neither Blaise or Jaxon seem to notice or just don’t care.

  Jaxon offers me a coy smile, which I return with the dirtiest look I can muster.

  His gaze nervously drops to his desk, which sort of makes me feel bad. Out of the four of them, Jaxon seems a bit shy. But I keep the apology to myself as the teacher announces class is starting.

  I rotate around in my seat, putting my back to Blaise and Jaxon, and try to figure out what could’ve made his eyes glow green while the teacher takes roll. When she calls out my name, the entire class snickers of course. My jaw ticks, and before I can even comprehend the consequences of my action, I kick my foot back and straight into Blaise’s shin.

  He groans, a sound of sheer ecstasy. “You act like that’s a punishment,” he whispers, his breath hot against my ear. “But I like pain, Hadley.”

  I shield my forehead with my hand as I lower my head, my cheeks flushing.

  When his chuckle tickles my ear, I consider kicking him again, but after what he just said, I keep my feet glued to the ground.

  No, if I want to get him back for outing my sisters’ and my secrets, I’m going to have to find a non-violent way to do it.

  And I will get my revenge.

  Because no one messes with the Harlyton sisters and gets away with.

  Chapter 10

  When the bell rings, I gather my books and hurry out of class, taking the front exit instead of the back to avoid making eye contact with Blaise.

  As I’m hauling ass out the door with my head tipped down, I smack straight into a solid chest. And to add to my cursedness, I accidentally step on their toe and elbow them in the stomach.

  They grunt, steadying me by the shoulders, their touch scalding, even through the fabric of my shirt.

  I know that touch.

  My gaze snaps up and meets Rhyland’s beautiful eyes.

  The corners of his lips kick up into a half-smile. “Sorry about that.”

  “I don’t know why you’re apologizing.” I shift my books in my arm and, despite my body’s protest, step back. “I’m the one who ran into you.”

  “Yeah, but I really wasn’t watching where I was going.” He rakes his hands through his dark hair, leaving the strands askew. Then he scans the hallway and tenses.

  I note my surroundings and immediately understand his tension.

  Everyone moving to and from their lockers is staring at us, like we’re stars in a play.

  “Man, they don’t let up, do they?” I mutter through a weighted sigh.

  “Yeah, people tend to stare at my brothers and me a lot.” No arrogance is evident in his tone, just a simple matter of fact.

  “I’m sure they do. But this time, I’m pretty sure they’re staring at me.” I brush strands of my hair out of my face and turn around, heading to my next class.

  “Wait.” Rhyland jogs after me, tucking his books under his arm. “What did you mean by that?”

  I shoot him a really look. “Like you haven’t heard the rumors.”

  His gaze remains focused solely on me as if I’m the most fascinating person in the world. “I generally don’t listen to rumors, so no, I haven’t.”

  The longer he stares, the more my heart sprints in my chest, not in a frightened way, but in an intense, holy-hell-I-can-barely-remember-to-breathe sort of way.

  Why on earth am I suddenly reacting to these guys like this? I swear that damn dream messed with my head.

  I stare straight ahead as I weave around people. “Maybe you should ask your brother then.”

  “My brother?” A crease etches between his brows.

  “Yeah, your brother.” I quicken my pace, bolting away.

  “Hadley, please just wait a minute.” He captures my sleeve, and I grind to a halt. He waits for me to turn around before he says, “What do you mean I should ask my brother …?” He releases my sleeve. “Did he do something to you?”

  I search his eyes, questioning if he’s really as clueless as he’s acting, but I don’t know him very well to be able to determine that.

  Huffing in frustration, I move over to the trash can, grab a flyer out of it, and slap it against Rhyland’s chest. “Those were all over the school this morning, and I’m pretty sure your brother was behind the prank. I also think maybe you had something to do with it since I told you about our … colorful past with the law.”

  He swallows hard as he skims over the flyer, then his gaze elevates to mine. “I didn’t have anything to do with this. I swear.” He inches closer, lowering his voice to an intimate level. “I’d never do anything to hurt you.” Warmth pours over me as a calmness soothes away any of my irritation.

  “Go back to sleep, our little cursed fire reaper. You’re safe now. We’d never do anything to hurt you.”

  I blink away the memory and trip back from him. “I have to go,” I sputter, then reel around and jog away.

  The farther away I get, the dimmer the calmness becomes.

  Does that mean Rhyland actually caused the calmness? Just like Blaise did in my dream?

  I’m not sure. I’m not sure about much of anything anymore, but it’s time to start looking for answers.

  Chapter 11

  I ditch my next class and go to the library to find that book about cursed fire reapers. Probably not the best start
to the first day of my senior year, but I couldn’t even concentrate when I was in class.

  The book ends up being way in the back, in a section labeled: Library Use Only. It is extremely thick, leather-bound, old, has a circular symbol on the front that traces around Greek letters. It also has no index, so finding the section on cursed fire reapers is going to take some time.

  I stuff the book into my bag with the intention of discreetly walking out of here. Of course my curse kicks in and, as I’m moseying down an aisle of books about the human anatomy, I end up knocking off several rows of books. I’m not even sure how it happens. One minute I’m cruising along, and the next, books are tumbling onto my feet.

  “Effing mother of all klutziness,” I curse my damned cursedness as I scramble to pick up the books and shove them back on the shelves.

  “Can I help you?” The librarian, a thirty-something-year-old woman, appears on the aisle beside me. She takes one look at the mess and frowns. “Don’t just shove them all back on the shelves. There’s a system to it.” She crouches beside me and snatches the books from my hand.

  “I’m sorry.” My backpack slung over my shoulder feels as though it weighs a hundred pounds.

  “How did you even do this?” she asks curtly as she skims the numbers on the spines.

  “I tripped over my boots.” I offer her an apologetic look. “I really am sorry.”

  She slips a few books onto a shelf. “Why are you even in here? Do you have a pass?”

  “Yes,” I lie as I start stacking books on the floor.

  Her skeptical gaze settles on me. “Can I see it?”

  “Sure.” I pretend to reach for my back pocket, preparing to haul ass out of there.

  “Hey, Ms. G., Hadley’s actually helping me this period.” Blaise materializes behind the librarian—Ms. G.—from seemingly out of nowhere

  Ms. G.’s eyelashes flutter as she cranes her neck to look up at Blaise. “Oh, I didn’t know that. Thank you for letting me know.”

  “No problem.” He dazzles her with a smile, not the smirk he’s always throwing at me. “Do you need any help cleaning that up?”

  She nearly swoons herself to the floor, flashing him a flustered smile. “No, I think I got it. Thank you, though, for the offer. It’s so nice of you.”

  “Anytime.” He winks at her then scoops up a handful of books and places them on a shelf. Then he arches a brow at me, taunting amusement glittering in his eyes. “Hadley, are you coming?”

  I don’t want to accept his help. I want to run away or simply declare I’m ditching. But my desire not to get detention wins.

  Nodding, I rise to my feet. “Sure.”

  Flashing me a toothy smile, he nods for me to follow him out of the library.

  Once we make it into the hallway, I turn to head in the opposite direction as him. But he skitters in my path, nearly sending me tripping over my feet.

  “You know, most girls thank me when I come to their rescue,” he says, crossing his arms.

  “You didn’t come to my rescue,” I say through gritted teeth. “I totally had that handled before you showed up and flirted with poor Ms. G.”

  “She didn’t seem to mind.”

  “So? That doesn’t make it right.” I move to step around him, but he sidesteps, blocking me.

  A smug smile plays at the corners of his lips. “Are you jealous?”

  A snort escapes me. “Oh, my God, are you being serious right now?”

  When darkness swirls in his eyes, I tense, remembering how they glowed earlier.

  “You know, it’s been a long time since someone laughed in my face.” His tone is low, but not threatening. Just confused.

  I roll my eyes. “That you know of.”

  He rolls his tongue, as if restraining a grin. “The term laughed in my face means that I would know, seeing as how the act has to be done right in front of me.”

  Okay, he has me there, but I’m not about to lose this battle. “I don’t know. Maybe they did laugh in your face, but you were too busy staring in a mirror, admiring your own reflection.”

  “Are you saying I’m vain?” Mild curiosity sparkles in his expression.

  I give a half-shrug. “You do seem to like yourself a lot.”

  Tracing the tip of his tongue along his lips, he dips his head closer to mine. “You’re very infuriating. Has anyone ever told you that?” Before I can answer, he sniffs my hair.

  Yes, actually freakin’ sniffs my hair.

  “You smell good,” he murmurs through a soft sigh. “Like curses and warmth.”

  My eyes start to flutter shut at the feel of his breath against my cheek, but then his words register.

  Curses and warmth. Like the warmth they always instill in me. Like a cursed fire reaper.

  I jerk back and dodge around him, not looking back as I hightail it toward the bathroom. Still, I can sense his gaze burrowing into my back all the way until I round the corner.

  Something isn’t right with Blaise, or any of the Porterson brothers. I need to find out what’s going on. Hopefully, the book I just stole will help me find some answers.

  As I’m rushing toward the restrooms, lost in my own thoughts, I end up tripping over … well, nothing. Banging my elbow on a locker, I struggle to keep my feet under me. But then the locker beside that one swings open and smacks me in the face. My ears ring and my forehead throbs as papers tumble out of the open locker.

  Then, one by one, the rest of the lockers lining the hallway fly open, bags, pencils, books, and papers blow across the floor. As I take in the scene with wide eyes, I do what any normal cursed person would do in this situation.

  I haul ass out of there before the entire area starts to collapse.

  Chapter 12

  The day continues to get even crazier. I spend the first half dodging falling objects, tripping over my own feet, and breaking things left and right. Also, Rhyland and Jaxon are in my next two classes, which they choose to spend watching me. So, when I go to meet up with my sisters at lunch and Londyn and Bailey inform me that Payton went home before school even started, I volunteer to go check on her.

  “Are you sure?” Londyn double-checks as I put my stuff in my bag. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to miss half a day on our first day of school.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I assure her as I bump my locker shut. “It’s not like I’ve never missed a first day of school before.”

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t mean you should continually do it.” Londyn walks down the hallway beside me with Bailey trailing at our heels.

  Every person we pass sneaks a glance at us, but at this point, I’ve become immune to the rubber necking. Or, well, partially immune.

  “I’ll see if I can coax her into coming back to school,” I tell Londyn as we reach the exit doors. “I’ll text you if we do. If not, I’ll pick you guys up when school gets out.”

  Sighing, Londyn steps back. “Fine. But I’m really starting to hate the Porterson brothers.”

  “Me, too,” I agree, but my words don’t feel quite truthful.

  “Give Payton a hug for me,” Bailey says. “She was really upset when she took off … Those flyers … They said a lot of bad stuff about her—about all of us.”

  “I’ll give her ten hugs,” I promise, then wave goodbye and push out the doors.

  The drive should take about ten minutes but I manage to make it in seven by speeding and cutting corners. By the time I pull up, I’m fuming mad. Not at Payton. No, I can understand why she was upset and took off. She has one of the worst reps out of the four of us, and that flyer basically declared she was a kleptomaniac.

  All because of Blaise Porterson.

  I don’t give a shit if he bailed me out of getting detention. He never should’ve messed with my sisters.

  My rage only simmers more when I find Payton locked in her bedroom.

  “Go away!” she shouts through a sob.

  I knock softly on the door. “Come on, Payton. You’re stronger than this.”r />
  “No, I’m not,” she cries out. “Just leave me alone!” She then cranks the music up, the walls vibrating with the bass.

  I consider picking the lock, but decide to give her a bit of time to wallow before I go that far.

  I send Londyn and Bailey a text that Payton and I aren’t returning to school today. Then I trudge up to my room, tripping three times in the process and putting a hole in the wall with my elbow.

  “What’s going on?” I mumble, rubbing my elbow. “I’m way more cursed today than I normally am.”

  Blowing out an exhale, I stumble into my room and dig out the book I stole before settling on the bed. Then I start skimming through the pages, most of which talk about mythology, legends, strange creatures, the underworld …

  “Jackpot.” I slant forward and read below a section titled: The Underworld, Grim Reapers, and their link to the Cursed Fire Reaper.

  Grim Reapers are often known as the collectors and rulers of the underworld. They feed on souls to gain energy and stay connected to their kingdom and ruler. While the underworld has one ruler, also known as the Reaper King, there are multiple reapers roaming around. Most of them run in packs of four, their souls linked by an unbreakable, magical bond, and they share the souls they drink.

  They are also connected through a cursed fire reaper, a reaper who not only causes curses, but endures them. Back in the early centuries, they were referred to as Sacred Reapers until the Reaper King’s cursed fire reaper fell in love with a pack. He cursed the species to a lifetime of curses and most of them bailed from the underworld. Most roam the human realm and aren’t aware of what they are unless they stumble across a reaper pack that claims and bonds to them.

  Once the claim made, the reaper pack and their cursed fire reaper become bonded to each other for eternity and the reapers become even more powerful. The only thing that can break the bond is a cursed fire seeker. Cursed fire seekers can also control a cursed fire reaper if they find a way to get them to surrender their powers. If that happens, disaster will follow.

  “Well that’s … ominous.” I turn the page, ready to find out more, but the next paragraph shifts to the subject of vampires.