A Curse Unbroken
Page 10
“I caught her putting the moves on him once,” Taran said.
“When you say, ‘putting the moves,’ what are you saying, exactly?” Emme asked.
Taran reached for her elbow-length gloves to cover her hands. “It was back when Celia was living at vamp camp. I walked in on them in Aric’s office. Gemini was looking up something on the computer. She was leaning against him.”
“Are you sure it was, you know, definitely flirting?” Shayna asked.
Taran gave her a hard stare. “I know what I saw.”
I crossed my arms. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Taran tightened her jaw. “We exchanged words—well, magic really—so she’d know he was mine and that she needed to respect that. The thing was, the flirting didn’t bother me. I know females hit on my—on Gemini. And it was obvious he wasn’t interested.” She huffed. “He didn’t even seem to notice her.”
I approached her slowly, keeping my voice neutral. “So then why are you so upset he suggested that Genevieve come here?”
She held up her right arm. “A few things have changed since then, don’t you think?”
I shook my head. “Taran…he loves you. You’re mates.”
“You’re wrong,” she said. Her deep blue eyes shimmered. “Nothing has been the same since I lost my arm. He’s distant, and now I’m starting to have nightmares again.”
I drew closer. When I had nightmares, it was because things were wacky in my life or I’d had bad takeout. But when Taran had them, they presented themselves as a warning.
“What have you been dreaming about?” I asked, although I was afraid to know.
“Eyes,” she answered.
“Eyes?” Shayna repeated. “That doesn’t sound as bad as demons tearing at your clothes.” She held out her hands in surrender when Taran tightened her stance. “T, you have to admit. Those were pretty damn bad.”
“But in a way, these are worse. They’re dark—almost black.”
“Like Tía Griselda’s?” I asked. She was the crazy witch aunt who cursed us before we were born. Good ol’ Tía Gris meant to harm us, but her curse backfired and gave us our “weird” powers.
Taran nodded. “Yes. Just like coals—and like you’d described them, so black, they didn’t seem to have irises. And, hell—” She shuddered. “Just murderous.”
“So were Tía Gris’s the way I remembered.”
Emme placed her hand carefully on Taran’s arm. “You don’t think Tía Gris is back, do you? I mean, if you keep seeing her eyes like you do, and if she’s as powerful as our cousin Nieve claimed, is it possible she was resurrected?”
Taran looked to me. “I don’t see how,” I answered. “People, even those of magic, simply don’t come back once killed. That said, I don’t think any of us should brush off the warning if that’s what it is.”
“Fantastic,” Taran mumbled. “One more screwed up thing in my life that I need to worry about.” She stormed out of the kitchen and toward her room.
Shayna jerked her chin in the direction Taran had disappeared. “She’s so not herself. What do you think we should do?”
I gathered my hair in my hands before letting it drop. “I don’t know. I’m hoping these dreams are nothing, but we’d be stupid to ignore them.”
“What about her and Gemini? Can we help them work things through, you think?”
I considered what to say. “I’m not sure how. He’s not himself, either.”
Emme played with her hands. “Does Aric say anything about Gemini’s behavior?”
“No. It’s a wolf thing, and a guy thing. He won’t say much about what Gemini’s going through except that he blames himself for failing to protect Taran.”
I lowered my eyelids as one of the painful spasms stabbed at my belly. This one was worse than the last. I clutched my stomach, breathing slowly to help it recede, only to fall to my knees as a horrible pain ripped through me. Shit. I slumped to the side, clenching my teeth.
Our landline rang. As did my cellphone in my room, and Shayna’s phone, then Emme’s.
My sisters’ frantic voices filled my ears. I was vaguely aware of Emme’s pale light as it cocooned me.
Several long seconds passed before my eyes blinked open. Spots danced in my line of vision as the pain slowly subsided. Taran stood over me with her cellphone clutched in her hand. “Don’t tell him,” I mouthed, knowing who was calling.
Shayna cradled me in her lap. She exchanged glances with Emme, who removed her hands carefully from my face. Taran spoke into the phone. “Celia’s fine,” she said.
“That’s not what I felt,” Gemini responded.
“I said she’s fine,” Taran answered, her voice terse. She disconnected when he tried to ask more.
The phones continued to ring as I sat up and pushed the hair out of my eyes. “It’s Aric and the others.”
“No shit,” Taran said back.
I wiped the sweat from my brow. “Don’t tell him what happened. It will only upset him.”
Shayna shook her head. “Ceel, he needs to know.”
“It’ll only make things worse,” I told her. “I’m all right. The pain comes and goes but it’s getting less frequent.”
“What if it gets worse?” Emme asked.
“Then I promise I’ll tell him,” I answered quietly. “For now, it’s best that he doesn’t know. He’s not coping well with what happened to me and is carrying a great deal of guilt.” I met Taran’s stare. “All the wolves are having a hard time.”
The perfect angles of Taran’s stunning features softened with sadness when Emme and Shayna reached for their phones. “You heard her,” Taran said. “It’s best the wolves don’t know what Celia’s dealing with. Any of it.”
Chapter 4
Aric’s alarm clock rang too early a few weeks later. He let out a deep groan. I cuddled closer to his warm, naked body. My sleep had been deliciously content. A huge part of it was due to Genevieve’s reassurance that no crazy evil had invaded our house. She’d scanned every inch of our home with her magic whoop-ass staff while we’d waited patiently outside. Well, except for Taran who was so furious to have her in our house, she’d left—without Gemini—and didn’t return until Shayna called her to say Genevieve had gone.
“When you say, ‘putting the moves,’ what are you saying, exactly?” Emme asked.
Taran reached for her elbow-length gloves to cover her hands. “It was back when Celia was living at vamp camp. I walked in on them in Aric’s office. Gemini was looking up something on the computer. She was leaning against him.”
“Are you sure it was, you know, definitely flirting?” Shayna asked.
Taran gave her a hard stare. “I know what I saw.”
I crossed my arms. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Taran tightened her jaw. “We exchanged words—well, magic really—so she’d know he was mine and that she needed to respect that. The thing was, the flirting didn’t bother me. I know females hit on my—on Gemini. And it was obvious he wasn’t interested.” She huffed. “He didn’t even seem to notice her.”
I approached her slowly, keeping my voice neutral. “So then why are you so upset he suggested that Genevieve come here?”
She held up her right arm. “A few things have changed since then, don’t you think?”
I shook my head. “Taran…he loves you. You’re mates.”
“You’re wrong,” she said. Her deep blue eyes shimmered. “Nothing has been the same since I lost my arm. He’s distant, and now I’m starting to have nightmares again.”
I drew closer. When I had nightmares, it was because things were wacky in my life or I’d had bad takeout. But when Taran had them, they presented themselves as a warning.
“What have you been dreaming about?” I asked, although I was afraid to know.
“Eyes,” she answered.
“Eyes?” Shayna repeated. “That doesn’t sound as bad as demons tearing at your clothes.” She held out her hands in surrender when Taran tightened her stance. “T, you have to admit. Those were pretty damn bad.”
“But in a way, these are worse. They’re dark—almost black.”
“Like Tía Griselda’s?” I asked. She was the crazy witch aunt who cursed us before we were born. Good ol’ Tía Gris meant to harm us, but her curse backfired and gave us our “weird” powers.
Taran nodded. “Yes. Just like coals—and like you’d described them, so black, they didn’t seem to have irises. And, hell—” She shuddered. “Just murderous.”
“So were Tía Gris’s the way I remembered.”
Emme placed her hand carefully on Taran’s arm. “You don’t think Tía Gris is back, do you? I mean, if you keep seeing her eyes like you do, and if she’s as powerful as our cousin Nieve claimed, is it possible she was resurrected?”
Taran looked to me. “I don’t see how,” I answered. “People, even those of magic, simply don’t come back once killed. That said, I don’t think any of us should brush off the warning if that’s what it is.”
“Fantastic,” Taran mumbled. “One more screwed up thing in my life that I need to worry about.” She stormed out of the kitchen and toward her room.
Shayna jerked her chin in the direction Taran had disappeared. “She’s so not herself. What do you think we should do?”
I gathered my hair in my hands before letting it drop. “I don’t know. I’m hoping these dreams are nothing, but we’d be stupid to ignore them.”
“What about her and Gemini? Can we help them work things through, you think?”
I considered what to say. “I’m not sure how. He’s not himself, either.”
Emme played with her hands. “Does Aric say anything about Gemini’s behavior?”
“No. It’s a wolf thing, and a guy thing. He won’t say much about what Gemini’s going through except that he blames himself for failing to protect Taran.”
I lowered my eyelids as one of the painful spasms stabbed at my belly. This one was worse than the last. I clutched my stomach, breathing slowly to help it recede, only to fall to my knees as a horrible pain ripped through me. Shit. I slumped to the side, clenching my teeth.
Our landline rang. As did my cellphone in my room, and Shayna’s phone, then Emme’s.
My sisters’ frantic voices filled my ears. I was vaguely aware of Emme’s pale light as it cocooned me.
Several long seconds passed before my eyes blinked open. Spots danced in my line of vision as the pain slowly subsided. Taran stood over me with her cellphone clutched in her hand. “Don’t tell him,” I mouthed, knowing who was calling.
Shayna cradled me in her lap. She exchanged glances with Emme, who removed her hands carefully from my face. Taran spoke into the phone. “Celia’s fine,” she said.
“That’s not what I felt,” Gemini responded.
“I said she’s fine,” Taran answered, her voice terse. She disconnected when he tried to ask more.
The phones continued to ring as I sat up and pushed the hair out of my eyes. “It’s Aric and the others.”
“No shit,” Taran said back.
I wiped the sweat from my brow. “Don’t tell him what happened. It will only upset him.”
Shayna shook her head. “Ceel, he needs to know.”
“It’ll only make things worse,” I told her. “I’m all right. The pain comes and goes but it’s getting less frequent.”
“What if it gets worse?” Emme asked.
“Then I promise I’ll tell him,” I answered quietly. “For now, it’s best that he doesn’t know. He’s not coping well with what happened to me and is carrying a great deal of guilt.” I met Taran’s stare. “All the wolves are having a hard time.”
The perfect angles of Taran’s stunning features softened with sadness when Emme and Shayna reached for their phones. “You heard her,” Taran said. “It’s best the wolves don’t know what Celia’s dealing with. Any of it.”
Chapter 4
Aric’s alarm clock rang too early a few weeks later. He let out a deep groan. I cuddled closer to his warm, naked body. My sleep had been deliciously content. A huge part of it was due to Genevieve’s reassurance that no crazy evil had invaded our house. She’d scanned every inch of our home with her magic whoop-ass staff while we’d waited patiently outside. Well, except for Taran who was so furious to have her in our house, she’d left—without Gemini—and didn’t return until Shayna called her to say Genevieve had gone.
