Sealed With a Curse (WG 1) (34 page)

Taran swore under her breath as she and Shayna jumped out and Billy Bob drove off, polluting the air with a cloud of exhaust. I had to give Taran credit: She smelled like a barn, and she had chicken plumage stuck to her hair, and sheep crap on her shoes. Yet she tossed back her hair and strutted into the house like she modeled for Dior. “I’ll be with you in a minute,” she told the flabbergasted Gemini with a wave.

Aric slowly stalked toward me, eyes widening until they narrowed on my latest and greatest form. “Is that Celia?” He didn’t wait for anyone to answer and lifted me from Emme’s grasp. I turned my head to the side so I could see him better. “Are you all right?”

I nodded my damn chicken head and prayed—prayed like the world and all the victims of war, famine, and disease counted on it.
God…please don’t let me lay an egg. Not now.

Aric’s anger and worry heated his palms. His soothing presence and scent forced my body to
change
. Aric lowered me to the ground, growling at the wolves as he slipped his warm cream sweater over my head.

I rose…on chicken legs.

Shit
. Aric had released me too soon. From the waist down I remained very much something Colonel Sanders would raise a flag over. I yanked his sweater over my fine feathered ass.

“Can we turn around now, Aric?” Liam asked. The wolves kept their backs to me while Emme gawked and Shayna jumped up and down, pointing at my legs.

“Depends.” Aric peered over his shoulder. “Celia, are you decent?”

Talk about wanting to die. Aric growled something in wolf that equated to, “Lucy, you got some ’splainin’ to do.”

The other wolves circled me slowly. Gemini rubbed his goatee, his troubled expression zipping between me and Aric.

“Holy shit,” Koda muttered.

I cleared my throat, gathering as much courage as a chicken possessed. “We found Roberto Suarez, the last remaining judge. His witch has been infecting prostitutes with bloodlust and, I assume, sending them out to contaminate the vamps. If you’ll excuse me, Shayna and Emme will tell you the rest.” I shoved down Aric’s sweater further and strutted into the house on freaky legs that bent backward at the knees. Taran, I wasn’t. The steps were a bitch to climb and I practically fell through the front door.

A hot shower relaxed my body enough so only my chicken feet remained from the ankles down. Downstairs the wolves spoke on their phones, organizing the packs in the area to search for the remaining judge.

I finished drying my hair. Aric’s anxious growls echoed through the vent. “If anyone finds him, call me or the Elders. This shit ends tonight.”

I slipped on a teal sundress with a built-in bra and spaghetti straps. The hem needed altering. It pooled past my feet—perfect for hiding what remained of my “condition.” I tucked Aric’s sweater beneath my arm and lifted the skirt just enough to allow me to descend the staircase. With my opposite hand I gripped the railing like a madwoman, determined not to topple down the stairs.

Aric’s eyes trailed up my legs and to my face when I appeared. “Don’t act alone,” he said into the phone before disconnecting.

With all the grace I could manage in bird feet, I walked to the couch and sat. Liam approached me with deep fascination lighting his amber eyes. He bent and lifted the hem of my dress and peered underneath. I smacked his hand away at the same time Aric growled.

He apologized. To Aric. “Sorry, Aric. I forgot she’s yours.”

My lips parted in shock at Liam’s words as Aric took a seat next to me. “Um. Here’s your sweater. Thank you for lending it to me.”

Aric tossed the sweater over his shoulder. “Why didn’t you call me?”

I glanced at my sisters. “None of us had cell phones. And there wasn’t time to use one of the hospital lines. The infected vampire would have escaped if we hadn’t chased him.”

Aric’s eyes fired with anger. “You keep putting yourself in danger, despite my warnings. When are you going to learn it’s not safe to hunt infected vampires? Shit, Celia, you could have been killed—
again
.”

My anger met his with equal force. “When are you going to learn we’re not helpless? The only reason you
even know what’s happened is because we did chase that vampire, we did find the bad guys, and we did get the answers.”

Aric shook his head. “You don’t get it, Celia. It’s not that you’re not capable; it’s that you can’t heal. Sure, you have Emme. But what happens if she gets hurt? Or if your injuries are so severe that she can’t help you?” He focused hard on the fireplace behind me, concern softening the rage across the planes of his face.

My anger melted away. Aric’s frustration brewed from fear. Fear that I’d get hurt, fear that I’d die. He didn’t want to lose me.

I didn’t understand males and I’d putzed my way through whatever sparked between us. Yet I knew then his feelings for me went beyond the physical connection soldering us together. My hand swept along the rough stubble of his sexy five-o’clock shadow to hold his face. He moaned softly and leaned into my touch. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Aric.”

He turned to kiss my palm and tucked me against him. “You scare the hell out of me—you know that?”

I crossed a leg to be closer to him, exposing my chicken feet. His chest rumbled with laughter against my face. “Maybe I can help,” he murmured. He slid his warm hand up my bare arm, igniting thousands of arousing fireworks. He shuddered at the same time a soft sigh broke through my lips. And just like that my bizarre feet went the way of the weredodo.

The door to the deck swung open. Gemini raced in, followed closely by Taran. Gemini cleared his throat upon approaching us. “Aric, our investigative team located three residences for the fourth judge. Two are on the Nevada side of Tahoe. The bear clans are headed
there, since it falls within their territory. That leaves one more in Truckee. Six wolves are already there, waiting for you.”

I stood with Aric. He gave a stiff nod. “Let’s go, then.”

Aric kissed the top of my head and stomped toward the door. The wolves’ heavy boots marched across our hardwood floors like soldiers charging into battle. A battle to the death. Fear punched me hard in the gut. Anxiety twisted my intestines. Tears burned my eyes. Aric was strong, tough, brave. But Aric wasn’t invincible.

Please don’t leave me, too.

My passion for him compelled me to jet after him. Aric wrenched open his driver’s-side door. His head jerked toward me as my bare feet reached the edge of the porch. “What’s wrong?”

I lingered at the top of the steps. A strong breeze from the lake blew my hair back. I searched for the right words, not knowing what they were until they fell from my lips. “Do you think your wolf can match the strength of my beast?”

Aric frowned. “I don’t want to fight with you anymore, Celia.”

“That’s not what I mean.” My gaze connected to his, pleading with him to understand what I meant—what he meant to me.

Liam stepped out of the car and tugged on his arm. “Aric, we gotta go, man.”

“I’m sorry. Never mind.” I sighed, feeling like a fool for keeping him from his duties, and turned back toward the house.

My foot had taken the first step inside when Aric spoke. “Celia…just tell me what you need.”

I froze.
Say it…just say it.
“You,” I whispered. “I need you, Aric. You’re all I ever think about.”

Aric’s response wasn’t one I expected. He bolted up the steps, dragging me to him, smashing his lips into mine. Nothing I imagined had prepared me for this. One arm wrapped around my waist possessively while his other hand tangled into my hair. The kiss was soft, yet demanding. I melted into him, kissing him back with every part of my being as my hands gripped his shoulders. He pulled me tighter, but it wasn’t tight enough. I never wanted him to let me go. His taste was sweet, warm, and seductive.

His phone rang from the pocket of his jeans. Hesitant steps ambled onto the porch. Gem cleared his throat. “Ah, do you want me to get that, Aric?”

The phone continued to ring, but Aric didn’t respond. Someone attempted to approach us, but Aric’s deep warning growl made them back away. The vibration in his throat almost pushed me over the edge. It was so sexy I could have screamed.

The warmth we shared amplified into a deep, thriving heat as Aric’s hand found my bare back. The skin-to-skin contact increased our fervor. His initial slow, soft massage turned insistent. I began to think I’d die without his touch.

Once again, his phone rang. This time, someone else was successful in approaching. I heard fumbling.

“There’s a moon on the screen,” Emme said quietly. She must have levitated it out of his pocket.

“Aric. The Elders are summoning us,” Gemini told him.

“Come on, man. We have to get out of here,” Koda urged.

Aric stopped our kiss, gently tugging my bottom lip with his teeth as he drew away. The fire had returned to his eyes, but this time it burned bright with passion.

We gasped, struggling to control our ragged breaths. “I don’t want to leave, but I have to,” Aric whispered. “I’ll come back to you as soon as I can.”

“Okay,” I whispered back.

Aric rested his head against mine as we continued to pant. He cleared his throat. “One of you will have to drive. I’m going to need a moment.”

He took a deep breath and inhaled my scent. Then he kissed my forehead and ran down the steps. I stumbled against the wall, trying to deal with what just happened. My sisters’ eyes locked on me.

Taran went insane. “Hot
damn
. How the hell was that?”

The heat in my body continued to scorch my veins. My heart pounded against my chest, and my unmentionables zinged. I slumped to the floor. “All kisses should be that good.”

C
HAPTER 32

Shayna bounced around my room. “I knew you had it in you; I just knew it.” She pointed an accusing finger. “And you thought he didn’t like you! Omigod, you guys, like, practically swallowed each other.”

Taran’s siren grin flashed as she fanned herself. “Damn, Ceel, if he kisses you like that when we’re around, what’s he going do to you when you’re all by your lonesome?”

I stopped midway into yanking my long-sleeved tee over my head. Slowly I slipped it through, sweeping my thick hair out from under the tight fabric. Taran had a point. What was I going to do? “I don’t know.”

My sisters’ grins faded at the sight of my worried expression. Emme, who’d kept quiet, slipped off my bed and crept to my side to hold my hand. “Just do what feels right. Yes, Aric seems to really want you…physically.” She blushed. “But I’m sure he’ll be patient if you want to take things slow.”

My face heated worse than Emme’s. “I’m not sure if I want to take things slow.” I thought back to that outrageous
sizzle coursing through my body, and the taste of his tongue. How his body clung to mine. The pressure of his hard form against my soft parts. His scent, his eyes, his touch…“Misha.”

Emme’s eyes widened. “Um. Don’t you mean Aric?”

A cloud of pain and torment darkened the marvelous emotions Aric’s kiss had stirred. “No. I mean Misha.” I went to the window and looked out, expecting to find Misha on our front lawn. I shoved my feet into my UGGs and barreled down the stairs.

“Dude, wait! What’s wrong?”

I didn’t bother with the porch steps and landed on our front walk in a crouch. My tigress stirred, pawing at the ground, growling. Her eyes replaced mine, and she took in our surroundings in one sweep.

“Celia…? Honey, what’s wrong?”

My head jerked back to the house. Emme clasped her hands against her mouth. Shayna and Taran exchanged glances, sensing my tigress rising to the surface.

I couldn’t mask my increasing angst. “Get the car keys. Something’s wrong.”

Shayna rushed inside, but Taran yanked the keys out of her hands when she emerged. We piled into the car. “Where’re we going?” Taran asked.

“South.”

Taran scoffed. “South where?” She pulled out of our development onto the main road. I pointed. “I don’t know. Just south, that way.”

“Dude…we’re not going back to Zhahara’s…are we?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. But I think Misha—” A dull ache throbbed in my chest, similar to when you
heard someone you knew died. “Oh, my God. Misha’s in trouble.”

Our Tribeca bounced along the dense gravel. The wind intensified, sweeping pine needles and leaves into our path. Taran swore. “This isn’t a road; it’s a goddamn work in progress.”

Taran wasn’t kidding. White rocks kicked up, dinging our windows and side worse than those friggin’ bits of rock that flew out of construction trucks. Someone had begun to lay a foundation, but never completed the task. I dialed Aric, worried he hadn’t returned my texts. “Aric. It’s Celia. I hope you’re okay. You know how you told me to call you before I march into danger?” The increasing worry threatened to suffocate me, making it hard to speak. “Well, I’m marching into danger, so I’m calling. Please call back.”

I disconnected and ran my hand through my hair. Taran swore again when a rock chipped our front windshield. “Celia, are you sure about this?”

“I’m not sure about anything, but we’re making too much noise. I think it’s best to pull over and walk.”

“Shit! Walk where? We’re in the middle of the woods.”

Shayna played with her phone. “Koda’s not answering either.” She leaned in from the back. “They must be in deep if they’re not returning our calls. I’ve tried him four times, Liam twice, Gemini three times—”

Taran glared into the rearview mirror at her. “How do you have Gemini’s number?”

Shayna shuffled in her seat. “Ah…”

Taran clenched her jaw tighter. “Shayna, how do you have his number? Even I don’t have his damn number.”

“He, uh, gave it to me a few nights ago in case I, ah, ever needed anything.”

Behind me, Emme held the phone away from her, trying to keep Bren’s growls from rupturing her eardrums. Because that’s what was missing from my life: another pissed-off werewolf. “Why are you going after that asshole? You should have called me, goddamn it. How the hell am I supposed to track you now?”

Emme spoke reasonably. “I’m sorry we didn’t call, Bren. But Celia felt an urgency to help—”