A Cursed Bloodline
Page 46
Word to the wise: Don’t mess with a hormonal pregnant woman at the end of her rope.
My jumping, spinning back kick completely shut him up. There was a collective gasp when his head left his shoulders and landed somewhere near the Elders. My sisters, friends, and—to my surprise—Aric had all raced forward to help me.
I ignored them and followed the stream of blood to where Angelo’s head lay, careful not to soil my skirt. This time it was my turn to glare. “You ever threaten me or Misha’s family again, I’ll ram a stake through your goddamn heart—you got me?”
“Yes,” he muttered.
I addressed the other masters. “Anyone else want to challenge me?” Funny, they all found somewhere else to look. “I didn’t think so.” I bowed my head slightly at Makawee. “Sorry about the mess.” It was a stupid thing to say, but it was my way of showing her some respect. She tilted her chin slightly and tried her best to squelch her grin. With that I turned on my heel and left, but not before Misha’s vampires shoved Angelo’s body aside in another show of strength.
Tye dashed after me. “Oh, shit. I can’t believe you took down a master in one strike.” He followed me to the limo and jumped in ahead of me.
I dropped my arms to my sides. “Tye, what are you doing?”
“You’re my destiny, dovie. I’m going with you.”
“That’s a great idea. Isn’t it, Celia?” Danny’s insistence told me not to argue.
I wanted to tell them both they were nuts, except that chaos then blasted behind me like a siren. Leave it to Hank to escort Emme out with his arm around her waist. And leave it to him to then taunt Liam, the wolf, Warrior, and Emme’s ex-boyfriend.
Liam stepped between them, forcing them apart. His upper lip curled in a snarl. “Emme, tell me you’re not with this damn parasite.”
Emme clutched Liam’s arm. “Lee, don’t.”
He reeled on her. “Just because we’re not together doesn’t mean you should settle for a vampire!”
Hank swung, aiming for Liam’s face. Liam sidestepped, gripped his wrist, and they both toppled down the stone steps, punching and landing hard blows. I grabbed Emme and shoved her into Shayna and Taran’s arms to keep her back. The wolves leapt from the large porch and charged to where Liam and Hank pounded each other like sledgehammers meeting rock.
Emme screamed at them to stop, tugging them with force, unable to pry them apart. Misha’s vamps jetted to the rolling mound, their claws and fangs out. To say I was in no mood for a were-vamp smackdown was an understatement. Gravel flew up around me with how fast I moved. “Back,” I hissed to the oncoming vamps. They grounded to a halt. “Hank, stop.”
Hank did as he was told, like a good little vampire. Liam wouldn’t stop and ripped off Hank’s arm before Koda and Gemini could haul him away.
Aric broke from the crowd and stalked toward me. “I want to talk to you,” he said under his breath.
I couldn’t hide the hurt in my voice. “I wouldn’t want to keep you from your mate.”
He didn’t follow me when I gave him my back, but I felt him watching me.
Liam spat blood on the ground. “I don’t want you with him, Emme. You deserve better than him.”
“Go back to your coyote, mutt,” Hank snapped. “Tonight when you’re with her, Emme will be begging me not to stop.”
And with that one statement, Hank completely ruined his chances with Emme. Her cheeks burned red and she edged away from him.
“Nice one, Hank.” I yanked the dismembered limb out of his hand and smacked him upside the head with it. “Get in the damn car!”
Hank grumbled but took his arm back and obeyed. Liam continued to struggle. “You asshole, don’t ever talk about her that way again!”
Gemini dragged him farther back. “Settle down, Liam. It’s over.”
Liam wouldn’t listen. I didn’t want any more trouble and neither did Emme.
“Go get Allie,” she said quietly. “She’s Liam’s mate. She’ll be able to soothe him.”
Emme’s reaction tore at my heart. In her soft, simple words she’d given Liam her blessing. He broke away from the wolves and lifted her in an embrace. “Thank you for understanding, angel,” he whispered.
“I’m happy for you,” she said as tears trickled down her small face. “But please don’t invite me to your wedding….I can’t watch you marry someone else.”
Liam released Emme and bowed his head. For the first time, he realized just how much his upcoming marriage had hurt her. I placed my arm around Emme and ushered her into the limo and into Danny’s arms.
I meant to leave then. Not just for Emme’s sake, but for mine as well. Shayna’s voice kept me in place.
“Don’t go after Misha, Ceel. If you do, you won’t come back.” She stood behind me, clenching the hilt of the dagger at her hip. She didn’t understand what Misha meant to me or that he was my only chance of surviving, especially now that Anara’s power would soar into something unstoppable.
“I can’t abandon him,” I told her. “He’s my friend.”
I tried to hug her, but she wrenched away from me. “You’re going to die—don’t you get it? What you’re doing is suicide!”
She fell against Koda’s chest, sobbing. I expected him to explode at me for upsetting her. Instead his solemn expression revealed his worry and disappointment. Once again, I’d managed to kick everyone in the emotional gut without even trying.
I paused, sensing Aric’s attention fixed solely on me. Instead of acknowledging him, I addressed my remaining sister. Taran’s eyes glistened with tears before narrowing sharply. “This isn’t your problem, Celia. Let it go.”
“I can’t.”
She muttered a bunch of swearwords and kicked at the pebbles at her feet. “Fine. But I’m going with you!”
“No,” Gemini and I both said at once.
Taran’s anger charged the magic around her. “For shit’s sake, what the hell happened? It used to be all of us, or none of us!”
“Not this time,” I told her quietly.
Gemini slipped his arm around Taran’s waist and gripped her hip, holding her protectively and lovingly all at once. It was hard for me to watch them, realizing Aric used to hold me the same way.
My jumping, spinning back kick completely shut him up. There was a collective gasp when his head left his shoulders and landed somewhere near the Elders. My sisters, friends, and—to my surprise—Aric had all raced forward to help me.
I ignored them and followed the stream of blood to where Angelo’s head lay, careful not to soil my skirt. This time it was my turn to glare. “You ever threaten me or Misha’s family again, I’ll ram a stake through your goddamn heart—you got me?”
“Yes,” he muttered.
I addressed the other masters. “Anyone else want to challenge me?” Funny, they all found somewhere else to look. “I didn’t think so.” I bowed my head slightly at Makawee. “Sorry about the mess.” It was a stupid thing to say, but it was my way of showing her some respect. She tilted her chin slightly and tried her best to squelch her grin. With that I turned on my heel and left, but not before Misha’s vampires shoved Angelo’s body aside in another show of strength.
Tye dashed after me. “Oh, shit. I can’t believe you took down a master in one strike.” He followed me to the limo and jumped in ahead of me.
I dropped my arms to my sides. “Tye, what are you doing?”
“You’re my destiny, dovie. I’m going with you.”
“That’s a great idea. Isn’t it, Celia?” Danny’s insistence told me not to argue.
I wanted to tell them both they were nuts, except that chaos then blasted behind me like a siren. Leave it to Hank to escort Emme out with his arm around her waist. And leave it to him to then taunt Liam, the wolf, Warrior, and Emme’s ex-boyfriend.
Liam stepped between them, forcing them apart. His upper lip curled in a snarl. “Emme, tell me you’re not with this damn parasite.”
Emme clutched Liam’s arm. “Lee, don’t.”
He reeled on her. “Just because we’re not together doesn’t mean you should settle for a vampire!”
Hank swung, aiming for Liam’s face. Liam sidestepped, gripped his wrist, and they both toppled down the stone steps, punching and landing hard blows. I grabbed Emme and shoved her into Shayna and Taran’s arms to keep her back. The wolves leapt from the large porch and charged to where Liam and Hank pounded each other like sledgehammers meeting rock.
Emme screamed at them to stop, tugging them with force, unable to pry them apart. Misha’s vamps jetted to the rolling mound, their claws and fangs out. To say I was in no mood for a were-vamp smackdown was an understatement. Gravel flew up around me with how fast I moved. “Back,” I hissed to the oncoming vamps. They grounded to a halt. “Hank, stop.”
Hank did as he was told, like a good little vampire. Liam wouldn’t stop and ripped off Hank’s arm before Koda and Gemini could haul him away.
Aric broke from the crowd and stalked toward me. “I want to talk to you,” he said under his breath.
I couldn’t hide the hurt in my voice. “I wouldn’t want to keep you from your mate.”
He didn’t follow me when I gave him my back, but I felt him watching me.
Liam spat blood on the ground. “I don’t want you with him, Emme. You deserve better than him.”
“Go back to your coyote, mutt,” Hank snapped. “Tonight when you’re with her, Emme will be begging me not to stop.”
And with that one statement, Hank completely ruined his chances with Emme. Her cheeks burned red and she edged away from him.
“Nice one, Hank.” I yanked the dismembered limb out of his hand and smacked him upside the head with it. “Get in the damn car!”
Hank grumbled but took his arm back and obeyed. Liam continued to struggle. “You asshole, don’t ever talk about her that way again!”
Gemini dragged him farther back. “Settle down, Liam. It’s over.”
Liam wouldn’t listen. I didn’t want any more trouble and neither did Emme.
“Go get Allie,” she said quietly. “She’s Liam’s mate. She’ll be able to soothe him.”
Emme’s reaction tore at my heart. In her soft, simple words she’d given Liam her blessing. He broke away from the wolves and lifted her in an embrace. “Thank you for understanding, angel,” he whispered.
“I’m happy for you,” she said as tears trickled down her small face. “But please don’t invite me to your wedding….I can’t watch you marry someone else.”
Liam released Emme and bowed his head. For the first time, he realized just how much his upcoming marriage had hurt her. I placed my arm around Emme and ushered her into the limo and into Danny’s arms.
I meant to leave then. Not just for Emme’s sake, but for mine as well. Shayna’s voice kept me in place.
“Don’t go after Misha, Ceel. If you do, you won’t come back.” She stood behind me, clenching the hilt of the dagger at her hip. She didn’t understand what Misha meant to me or that he was my only chance of surviving, especially now that Anara’s power would soar into something unstoppable.
“I can’t abandon him,” I told her. “He’s my friend.”
I tried to hug her, but she wrenched away from me. “You’re going to die—don’t you get it? What you’re doing is suicide!”
She fell against Koda’s chest, sobbing. I expected him to explode at me for upsetting her. Instead his solemn expression revealed his worry and disappointment. Once again, I’d managed to kick everyone in the emotional gut without even trying.
I paused, sensing Aric’s attention fixed solely on me. Instead of acknowledging him, I addressed my remaining sister. Taran’s eyes glistened with tears before narrowing sharply. “This isn’t your problem, Celia. Let it go.”
“I can’t.”
She muttered a bunch of swearwords and kicked at the pebbles at her feet. “Fine. But I’m going with you!”
“No,” Gemini and I both said at once.
Taran’s anger charged the magic around her. “For shit’s sake, what the hell happened? It used to be all of us, or none of us!”
“Not this time,” I told her quietly.
Gemini slipped his arm around Taran’s waist and gripped her hip, holding her protectively and lovingly all at once. It was hard for me to watch them, realizing Aric used to hold me the same way.
