A Cursed Bloodline (WG 4) (31 page)

I sniffed and poked him with my right paw.
Okay…he must have had a heart attack.
I guessed I’d been right about his time being up. While I still felt bad, I felt less guilty knowing he’d died of almost natural causes. Almost.

I
changed
to carry the deer and hurried back to Aric. When I returned to our cave, I found him covered in dirt and saliva and panting heavily. He lay on the opposite side of our camp with leaves scattered everywhere. He’d suffered another seizure. I wiped my tears before he saw them. Pity wouldn’t help either of us. I dropped Grandpa Bambi and carried my wolf to the falls for a much-needed drink. After washing him as best I could, I laid him on a patch of soft grass to dry in the sun and returned to deal with the buck.

I skinned the hide with my claws, using quick motions and trying hard to ignore the details of my task. Aric watched me with his twitching eyes, but didn’t approach. I tore off a piece of meat—still warm, bleeding meat—and brought it to him in my hands.

“Please eat, love.”

Aric licked my hands apprehensively. As soon as he got a taste, he swallowed the piece whole. He stood on wobbly legs and lumbered toward the deer. My jaw fell open. Aric tore into the kill with a ferocious appetite. It had probably been several days since he had eaten. I
changed
to join him, unable to stand eating raw meat in my human form.

At first, I had to concentrate hard on chewing and swallowing. Soon the blood enticed my beast and I devoured large chunks of the venison. Aric ate long after I had had my fill. I watched him while I waded into the water to cleanse my furry face and paws. I shook off the excess water, knowing I couldn’t save him alone. I needed help.

I needed my sisters.

I
changed
to explain to Aric. “I’m going to leave for a while.” He swallowed the piece in his mouth and abandoned the buck. I shook my head. “No, Aric. You stay here. Your job is to eat and rest. Don’t worry. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I gave him a smile I didn’t know I had in me. “I love you.”

That earned me a whine and a small tail wag.

When I tried to
change
into an eagle form, all I managed was wings for arms. It sucked, but I couldn’t wait for more.

I soared into the air, hoping no one would notice a naked woman with eagle wings flying around. I used the brook that snaked out of the waterfall as a landmark and found it eventually turned into a river, perfect for finding my way back to Aric.

I flew for about half an hour before spotting an abandoned truck stop and landing near a cluster of trees. I shook off the
change
to regain my human form and arms, and then poked my head around a thick trunk, using my senses to detect anyone on the road or near the old store. I bolted to the pay phone by the side of the building. Thick rust coated the face. I was shocked when it actually worked. I called collect to my home in Dollar Point. After everything that had transpired at the Den, I knew my family would refuse to stay there. They’d wait for me in our home.

“Dude! Are you all right?” Shayna asked when the operator put me through.

My voice cracked upon hearing her voice. “Yes. I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” She screamed for my sisters. “Celia’s on the phone!”

I heard her racing down the steps. The phone tapped and I was placed on speaker. My sisters and Danny bombarded me with questions. I quickly cut them off. “Listen, I don’t have time to talk. I need to get back to Aric.”

Danny fumbled onto the line. “He’s still
alive
?”

“Yes, but he’s really sick. He’s seizing and is in constant pain.” I leaned my forehead against the dirty glass of the booth. I took a breath, but my words came out faster than I wanted. “I need you to find the witch who cursed Aric with moon sickness. Her name is Lucinda. She lives in the village of Izalco in El Salvador.” I swallowed back my sudden nausea. I couldn’t believe what I was asking them to do. “Find her and do whatever it takes to get her to rescind the curse.”

I sensed their apprehension in the silence that followed. “Celia,” Danny finally said. “Moon sickness is a one-way curse. There’s no cure. There’s no taking it back.”

So not the response I wanted to hear. “I don’t believe that, Danny.”

He sighed and I could almost picture his grim face. “Celia, the
weres
infected are irrational and deadly. There’s no choice, they have to be…destroyed before they worsen.”

I punched through the booth door and knocked it off its hinges. The few panes of glass that had survived the past decades shattered. “Then explain to me how Aric is still in control!”

It was Emme who spoke. “He hasn’t tried to hurt you?”

I almost lied to them, but decided against it. “He bit me—once, but he remembers me now.”

Her voice shook. “He
bit
you?”

“It’s okay—”

“For shit’s sake. This is so not okay,” Taran shot back. “You need to get away from him before he kills you!”

“He won’t hurt me again. I’m sure of it.”

“Damnit, what if you’re wrong? All we keep hearing is that no
were
in history has ever been cured—”

“That’s because none are given the opportunity! Everyone is so damn quick to put them out of their misery. I swear he knows me and understands what I’m saying. Doesn’t that tell you anything?”

Taran began to argue with me, but Danny interrupted her. “That is rather unusual. Celia, when he bit you, did he break through the skin?”

I absentmindedly rubbed my fingers over the puncture wounds. “Yes,” I muttered.

“Hmmm. It could be that the magic in your blood could be clashing with Lucinda’s. Did you hurt her?”

“I stabbed her with the knife she made sacrifices with.”

Danny took his time answering, likely disturbed by the ease of my response. “To weaken a witch with her own power gives you strength over her magic,” he said.

I stopped moving. “So I can cure Aric?”

“Perhaps, but I don’t know how. Celia, these are unusual circumstances. But then again you’re an unusual being. My other theory is that our essence runs in our blood. That’s how vamps keep their beauty and power. They nourish themselves by taking portions of the soul mortals carry in their bloodstream. Maybe Aric’s spirit recognized yours through your blood and your bond as mates. Combine that with your strength over Lucinda’s magic and it could have been enough to help Aric recognize you.”

Emme interrupted quietly. “But Celia broke their bond.”

Danny’s voice softened. “Celia and Aric remain mates. The only thing she severed was the bond they created when he claimed her during their, um, lovemaking.”

Hope filled me until Taran interrupted. “Okay, say that’s true, but what if Aric continues to get worse? Will their connection and her strength over Lucinda’s magic be enough to stop him from hurting Celia?”

“I don’t know,” Danny answered.

“Then you have to get Lucinda to rescind the curse,” I said.

When no one said anything, I fell apart. “Please,” I sobbed. “I can’t lose him again. He’s my life….”

“It’s okay, Ceel.” Shayna’s voice was surprisingly soothing and calm. “We’re going to help you.” There was a short pause before she continued. “Celia almost died because we didn’t believe in her,” she told the others. “I’m not going to let that happen again. I’ll find Lucinda myself if I have to.”

“We’ll all help you, Celia,” Emme said. “We’ll call the wolves and—”

“No
.
”
My voice shook as my panic rose. “I can’t trust the wolves not to hurt Aric. Makawee ordered them to put him down. They were trying to kill him when I flew him out of the Den.”

A truck thundered by while I waited for everyone to take in my words. Taran’s swears punched through the line like hailstones. “Really? Well, they left that little tidbit out. All they said was they needed to find you before Aric killed you.”

Panicked shuffling ensued. “Don’t worry, Ceel,” Shayna said. “We’ll pack now and catch the next flight out.”

Emme’s sadness seeped through the receiver. “I’m sorry for what you’re going through, Celia. Just…stay strong and I promise we’ll help you through this.”

“Thank you,” I whispered. “Just be careful. Lucinda may be weak, but she’s still deadly.”

The darkness in Taran’s tone wafted through the receiver. “Don’t worry, Celia. That bitch doesn’t stand a chance against us.”

My family would help us. I had to keep it together…just a little longer. “I’ll call you at this same time in exactly seven days.”

I hung up the phone and raced back to the forest and tried to
change
. The first time I only managed a beak, then talons, then feathers on my ass. I swore, frustrated. I didn’t comprehend how I’d managed those other
changes.
I continued to focus until I finally formed wings. On my return flight, I spotted an old cabin. Overgrown grass and tall weeds circled the tiny structure and thick moss carpeted the roof. It rested just a few yards from the river. It surprised me I’d failed to notice it before.

This will be a good place to bring Aric.

I found my wolf resting in the sun. He’d devoured the entire buck—including the bones. His eyes continued to twitch and his head jerked, and still he wagged his tail upon seeing me land. I shrugged my shoulders to shake off the
change
and lay next to him. “Hi, baby. Did you get enough to eat?”

My arms wrapped around his bloated stomach to feel his soft warm fur against my body. Before I knew it, I dozed off to sleep.

—

My morning sickness worsened over the next few days, completely freaking out my companion. Aric paced back and forth until I finished, nudging me with his head. I tried to reassure him yet I found it challenging to settle his distress. He thought I hurt, except he was the one in pain. Aric’s seizures increased in duration and intensity, as did his howls of torment. The twitches in his head were so severe, he could barely walk straight.

I tried not to let our misfortunes affect me. I continued to scare old deer into meeting their Maker and cared for Aric as if he was on the mend, despite realizing his condition deteriorated with each passing day. Our one blessing was the old cabin.

One room and an outhouse made up our new home, just enough to suit our needs. It seemed the owners had planned to return, but never did. Sheets and blankets were tucked into an old trunk. I washed them in the river and hung them to dry on a clothesline and used a broom to sweep the windows, walls, floors, and ceiling. Much to my delight, the old-fashioned water pump in the small kitchen worked and a full box of matches lay next to the fireplace. The owners had even left a couple of pots and plastic tumblers.

Three thick sleeping bags lay against the cabin wall, and I spread them in front of the fireplace to make us a bed. The sheets and blankets remained stiff following my river wash and air-drying, but they were a welcome comfort after sleeping outside. And, score! I uncovered a duffel bag filled with men’s clothes and toiletries. I greeted the disposable razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soaps like the tiny treasures they were, rejoicing that they remained in their original packaging.

Much to Aric’s annoyance, I made good use of my discoveries to scrub and rinse his fur at the river. I also brushed his fangs with the extra toothbrush. He hated the taste, and kept flicking out his tongue to spit out the foam. After I finished with him, I concentrated fully on me—washing my long hair, brushing my teeth, and oh, yeah, shaving my legs.

I emerged from the freezing water shaking and desperate to put on the extra-large cotton shorts and T-shirt I’d found. Aric sprawled in the sun to dry his fur. He abruptly sat up and wobbled over, twitching and shivering, and proceeded to yank on my shorts with his fangs.

“Aric, cut it out!” He ignored my protests and pulled harder. I gripped the edge and tugged. “Come on. I’ve been walking around naked for almost three days!” My comment had little effect on him. Instead of backing off, his efforts became more urgent until he tore them off.

“
Fine
. Keep the damn shorts. But my shirt stays on.” He wagged his tail, apparently happy with the compromise.

Later that afternoon, Aric had a particularly violent seizure, one that lasted longer than the rest. His yelps and moans brought tears to my eyes. I knew his agony remained between seizures, and still he’d push through. This time, he continued to whine from the hurt eating away at his body long after the convulsions had stopped. Unable to stand, he lay where he’d collapsed. It killed me to see him giving up. My morning sickness and fatigue made caring for him challenging, and yet I did my best. I hunted and kept us clean and cared for. I did so because I still had hope, but his defeatist attitude would claim us if I didn’t stop it.

I spread out in front of him and tried to distract him. “I’ve missed cooking for you.” His whines continued, but he turned his head toward my face. “Remember when you’d find me in the kitchen making you dinner?” He quieted, then slowly wagged his tail. He remembered. “You’d come up behind me and wrap your arms around my waist.” I smiled, recalling the memories. “And then you’d ask, ‘What are you making me, sweetness?’ Every time, you’d kiss me before I could tell you. Every time.”

Aric’s tail thumped against the ground. He moved closer and poked me in the nose with his. I grinned. “Sometimes I hadn’t finished cooking before you’d whisk us upstairs.” I stroked the side of his face. I’d meant my words to be uplifting, but my voice cracked as I continued to speak. “Even if you don’t stay with me and choose”—I couldn’t say Diane’s name—“someone else, I need you to live. I need to know you’re okay.” Aric rose to his haunches and whined. I wiped my tears on my shirt. “Please don’t give up, baby.”

Behind the hard slits on his face, Aric’s eyes rolled and darted. I knew he heard me, but I didn’t know if my words alone would be enough to save him.

Chapter Twenty-seven

On our fourth night in the cabin, my exhaustion level reached an all-time high. After managing to build a fire, I immediately crawled into bed. Aric was already asleep, his long body draped across two of the sleeping bags. I kissed his head and cuddled next to him. Although I tensed in anticipation of another long night of seizures, I drifted off almost immediately.