Cursed Hearts (A Crossroads Novel) (44 page)

“No,”
he answered, “I’m annoyed. And I’m tired of your cryptic reassurances. You keep
saying wait, be patient. What am I waiting for, a maybe? Let’s be honest, you
want that perfect little redheaded bitch. And if I let myself take you at your
word, I’m going to be waiting forever for a maybe that will never come.”

Rome
bit back a growl at the word,
bitch
. “I see you as pack,” he whispered.
“Is it bad that I want both? That I want to be with her, and I want the chance
to see what this even is?”

Kaleb stalked over to the bed, shoving Rome back against
the mattress and crawling onto his lap. “I can show you what it is,” he said.
He locked eyes with him, staring at him challengingly. “Would you even stop me
if I tried to take it all the way? It seems like you just like being able to
pretend that you
don’t want it.” Rome looked shell-shocked, and Kaleb
smirked at that beautiful
expression on his face. “It’s becoming more and more
apparent to me,” he breathed, “that if I want this, I just have to take it.” He
slid his hands
over Rome’s torso, lifting his shirt with the tips of his
fingers to reveal
tanned
, touchable skin. His lips fell to his abdomen,
trailing erotic kisses languidly down his stomach as he slipped to the floor on
his knees. He teased at Rome’s hip bone with blunt teeth, drawing a sharp hiss
from him. “You know,” Kaleb whispered with a smile, “I think I am feeling a
little hungry.” Quicker than a snake, he sunk his fangs into the sensitive skin
of Rome’s hip, teasing a vein free of its rich, red delicacy as Rome pressed up
against his mouth.

“Fuck,”
Rome breathed. It hurt in that amazing, blissful way only Kaleb could induce.
There was just something about him that filled him with excitement, with fear.
Maybe it was the cool fingers gliding down
his
stomach
and falling over the fabric of his pants. Or maybe it was the
way he was working at the button on his slacks. “Kaleb,” he whispered. His
voice was practically a moan. That only made him bite down harder. It was in
that moment that Rome realized just how submissive he was being, how submissive
he always was when it came to him.

“We can’t do this.” Rome forced himself to sit up, gently
guiding Kaleb’s mouth away from his skin. He was looking down into blue eyes
filled with anger, and pain. “Just not yet,” he whispered. “The time isn’t
right. But I promise, it’s more than a maybe that you’re waiting for. And I
promise that if you’re willing to share, then this will happen. I’ll even bind
myself to you, if that’s what you really want. If you’re patient with me, then
I swear that soon, you won’t have to be alone any longer.”

Chapter 37

The
distant sound of snarling echoed through the trees on the warm wind. It was
drawing Ariahna to them like a beacon guiding a ship home. She tore across the
loose dirt, pulling up roots and disturbing plants as she followed their
scents. The moon was full above her, tinged red and nearly
vibrating in the sky with unrestrained energy. She
hadn’t seen
a
night like this
in—she’d never seen a night like this. It almost seemed like the world had
known what was coming tonight, that the moon had dressed itself up and floated
a little closer to the earth to enjoy the show.

She
burst through a line of dense bushes at the base of a hill, stopping to stare
when she spotted them fighting at its crest. Rome had his jowls clamped around
the fur of Christian’s neck. She’d missed it. She hadn’t been here to see him
change, or to make sure neither of them got hurt. It seemed
like the fight was over as Rome let go, standing
above him tall and
triumphant
and
snorting down at Christian where he lay respectfully on the ground.

They
were beautiful, she thought.

Unlike
Rome, who was a solid black, Christian’s coat was a reddish brown, and he had a
white underbelly and face. Even as Rome turned to walk away, he seemed defiant
as he stumbled to his feet, staring at his back. And there was a certain
playfulness in his stride as he raced him down the hill.

Aria
retreated back into the safety of the trees, trying to stay
hidden as
she observed their interactions.
Rome stopped in his tracks, one paw slightly raised as he tipped his nose up and
scented at the air. He let loose a
hauntingly
beautiful howl, and she crouched low to the ground,
hiding herself
within the shrubbery. He was
calling for her, but she wasn’t going to answer.

A
growling at her back startled her to her legs, and Aria whirled around to face
the unknown wolf in a defensive stance. She was silvery gray, and everything
from her posture to the showing of teeth indicated that she wanted to fight.
Aria flattened her ears against her head, growling warningly at her in reply as
she backed out of the tree line and into the open. She felt Christian and Rome’s
presence as they moved in to flank her. The other wolf was hedging towards her,
appearing less aggressive now that she wasn’t alone, but still obviously
interested in a confrontation.

Christian
stepped in front of her protectively, acting as a barrier between her and the
outsider. He looked brave and heroic for all of thirty
seconds before Rome growled and nipped at him, nudging him out of the
way with his shoulder. She was left facing down an unknown enemy, knowing
and dreading what was about to happen. They were about to prove themselves.

The
other female started circling her, trying to box her in. They were surrounded
by limitless open ground, though. She wasn’t going to let it chase her into a
corner. She wasn’t going to back down or retreat. A flash of fur came soaring
towards her as the larger female pounced, trying to take her down to the
ground. Aria rolled her body into the movement, using her momentum against her and
ending up on top. She had her pinned down with two strong legs and she was
snapping at her silvery coat when her opponent kicked her off. Claws slashed
into her side as the other wolf came at her viciously. Ariahna yelped before
wriggling free and rounding off to face her again. She was panting, crouched to
strike as she watched her attacker with wary eyes. She’d been on the defensive
the whole time, and now she was ready to take the fight to her. She just had to
wait for her moment.

The
solitary wolf jumped at her again, flying like a streak of silver in the
tainted moonlight. Ariahna sprung up at the last moment, catching her in the
air and sending them both tumbling to the ground. They wrestled and fought. The
other was much stronger than her, but Aria had a fiery determination on her
side. She got in a few good scratches to her face and shoulders before the
stranger latched her teeth around the thick of her neck. Aria froze, her mind
telling her to do one thing while her wolf insisted the other. If she didn’t
submit, she could kill her. If nothing else, she could be seriously hurt. She
knew what she had to do, but her wolf refused. It would not admit defeat to this
opponent. It was rebelling inside of her, insisting that
it was stronger, that
she
was stronger.
They were so much more powerful
than
this silver stranger who had appeared from out of the unforgiving night. And
when she realized it, when she let herself believe it, the motives of her and
her wolf became as one.

Ariahna
tossed her head back as the teeth sunk harder into her neck,
cutting into flesh. A fierce howl tore from her
throat, the very sound
saturated
with magic. She felt her opponent quiver atop her as it flowed over her body.
It was meant to sedate her, and she could feel its jaw loosening as its muscles
began to relax. Aria tugged herself free from the other wolf’s grasp,
distancing herself and watching the other shake its head as though trying to
dispel the effect of her magic. It growled at her furiously, prepared to attack
again, and it was then that Ariahna decided that this fight was officially
over.

She
stomped her paw against the dirt, and a thunderous crack split
through the air. A wide tree branch plummeted
towards the ground,
crushing her opponent under its weight as she
whimpered in pain and squirmed to get free. Aria approached, head held high in triumph.
She’d been victorious.

The
fight was over.

She
knelt unhurriedly and bit into the silver wolf’s neck, feeling her fight for a
moment in defiance. Ariahna growled roughly around her skin, demanding
obedience – demanding submission. The other finally conceded her loss, and she released
her, huffing through her nose and turning to face their spectators. Rome had
his head tilted, staring down at the still
struggling
silver wolf in confusion. Christian had adopted a very unassuming stance, with
his ears flat against his skull and his tail tucked tightly beside his leg. He
walked cautiously towards her, slowing when he was within a few feet and
dropping down until his belly touched the soft grass. He crawled towards her
with his nose pressed to the ground, making soft whining sounds as he
approached. She flicked one ear back, staring down at him curiously. After
several uncertain seconds, he lifted himself from the ground and licked
placatingly at her muzzle. She bumped her nose underneath his chin, instructing
him to stand. Rome had drifted closer in that time. He did not engage in those
displays of submission. He had no reason to, as alpha male.

Aria
watched in disinterest as he helped the other wolf free herself from under the
large branch. She seemed hostile still, and Aria spun to face her when she
started threatening her again with the forward pointing of her ears, the raise
of the hairs along her back, and the snarl slipping out from between sharp
teeth. Ariahna raised her paw, holding it in the air as though prepared to
crush her with another branch. Rome was the one who stepped between them this
time. He was growling at her, and baring his teeth as he stepped into a stream
of moonlight. It glistened along his dark fur, embracing him in a soft glow.

Rome
was not about to let Amber get away with whatever she was thinking. She was
being defiant; he could see it in her eyes. It was one thing to disobey Aria a
little after a fight, but it was a complete other to disregard his authority. Everything
about him, including the thick rivulets of saliva dripping off his fangs,
should have told her she didn’t want to fight him. But
he could tell she felt cheated. He was trying to tell her that Aria had
won,
that she needed to submit. The fight had been fair.

Ariahna
watched as the other wolf darted off into the night. Rome was still coiled,
ready to strike when suddenly he bolted through the trees after her in a blur.
She tried to chase them, but Christian nipped at her tail and tackled her to
the ground playfully. If she didn’t know any better, she would
have thought he was smiling. This wasn’t exactly
submissive wolf behavior.
Every time she got herself free he’d dart
around her, chase her and pounce again. He certainly seemed happy with himself.
After a good while of that Aria realized she wasn’t going to get to find Rome. Not
unless she could get
Christian to fall asleep.
There was always the option of using magic, but if
she hurt him, she’d
never forgive herself. The problem was it had been her who’d passed out first.
They’d slept together, keeping each other warm as the temperature dropped during
the night.

Morning light was just starting to filter through the
trees as birds chirped in the wicked mess of branches above. When she woke,
they were laying naked on the forest floor. Christian was draped over her side
with his arm and leg thrown over her body. The last thing Ariahna wanted to do right
now was wake him. She carefully tried to slip away, but every time she moved,
he nuzzled his face back into her neck, curling his arm around her tighter.

“Don’t,”
he whimpered. He still wasn’t quite awake.

She
went stiff at the sound of his voice. Aria held her breath, waiting a few
moments in silence and praying he’d fall back into unconsciousness. When she
thought he might have been sleeping again, she made another attempt at sliding
herself out from under him. He was obviously not that drowsy. When she tried a
third time, he just chuckled into her skin and pulled her closer. “We need to
find Rome,” she whispered finally.

“He’ll
be fine.”

“Christian…
let me up.”

“Why?”
he breathed.

“Because
I’m not comfortable being underneath you when neither of us is wearing any
clothes,” she said delicately.

“Please,”
he begged, nudging his nose against her jawline. “I’m not going to do
anything.” He felt her chest fall as she let out a great sigh. “I’m having such
a good dream,” he mumbled. “Don’t wake me from it.”

Ariahna
rolled her eyes up to the sky, pleading for help from the heavens. Her arm
curled reluctantly around his back, fingers barely a whisper as they ghosted up
into his hair. It hurt her somewhere deep, knowing that she wanted this.

“That
feels nice,” Christian said somberly.

“…Does
it hurt?”

He
nodded. “Yeah, but I know it’s going to hurt worse when this is over.” He
started kissing lovingly at her neck, working his way towards her mouth. “I
know I shouldn’t,” he whispered, “but I miss you.”

“Please
stop,” she said weakly. “Hearing you say that hurts worse than what you did.”

“I’m
sorry.”

Aria
paused, staring up into his eyes. “…I forgive you.”

Ariahna closed her eyes, letting her own words wash over
her – letting herself feel them completely. The only way she was ever going to
move on was to forgive. She’d known that all along, in the back of her mind.
She just hadn’t been ready before. She was now. She slipped her fingers
underneath his chin,
turning him to face her with a gentle touch. “I’m sorry
too,” she said. Her
lips rising up to meet his meant he never had a chance
to reply.

Christian
let out a soft sound that was somewhere between a moan and a whimper. He hadn’t
been expecting her to kiss him. It felt amazing, and yet it placed a weight over
his heart. Did this mean she wanted to be with him, or was this all going to
end as soon as they left the woods?

“Aria,”
Christian breathed. “…I love you.” He didn’t know where those words had come
from, and it had nearly brought tears to his eyes to say them. Was that what
he’d been feeling this entire time? he wondered. Was that what hurt so much?

Ariahna
felt her eyes flooding with tears. Her throat had suddenly closed up, stealing
her ability to speak, and all the air had left her lungs on a breath. Forgiveness
was one thing, but—why did this just feel like hiding a scrape with a gash? She
wanted to say it back – more than anything, she felt it in her soul. And yet she
knew that to say it would only be to open herself up to more pain. Would it be
worth it in the end? She wondered what she would end up regretting more, saying
it, or never getting the chance.