A Cursed Bloodline (WG 4) (9 page)

“But there was still a risk.”

Misha nodded. “There is always a risk.”

I clutched Misha’s hand in mine. My vision blurred with tears when he squeezed back. “Thank you, Misha.” I swallowed hard. “Thank you for helping Bren.”

I rested my head against him when he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I was so tired; it felt good to drop my guard for a moment. Emme didn’t understand. Her crinkled brow made it clear she didn’t approve of my relationship with Misha. Especially given how I’d dismissed Aric.

Danny arrived shortly after we’d settled Bren into the living room of the guesthouse. He embraced me at once. “How are you holding up?”

I motioned to the pull-out couch. “Better than Bren.”

Danny left me and squatted beside Bren. “Can you hear me, buddy?” He waited patiently for a response. It was sad to watch them. They were the best of friends, and the connection they shared was more like that of brothers. Bren failed to react, crushing the hope we had that Danny could reach him.

Danny turned back to us. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. Heidi and I took off for a few days. We were on our way home from Sacramento when Liam called.”

Emme drew back the sheer curtains and peered out into the garden. “Where is she?”

Danny lowered his head. “She’s waiting outside the gate. She’s not a fan of vampires and I didn’t want any more problems.”

More problems?
The sadness in Danny’s tone made me think he meant something besides Bren’s state. I ran my fingers through my curls, still damp from my shower. “What’s going on?”

“It’s not anything worth mentioning now.” He stood and rubbed his hands together. “I’ll stay here tonight, if that’s okay.”

Emme released the curtain and moved to stand by Danny. “You don’t have to. Celia and I will both be here. And I’m sure Heidi would rather have you with her.”

Danny shook his head. “I’m sure she’d prefer the company of another male.” Emme and I gawked at him. Heidi had quite the reputation. But I’d hoped her relationship with Danny had changed all that. He walked across the hardwood floors and toward the kitchen. “My bags are in the car. I’ll go grab them.”

I shoved my feet into a pair of UGGs and followed him out the door. “I’ll go with you so Misha’s family doesn’t give you any problems.” It really wasn’t necessary for me to escort Danny. The vamps never bothered him. Mostly because he was passive and respectful, and since he hadn’t been a wolf that long, they seemed to continue to regard him as human.

My pulse raced as my anxiety grew. Aside from my sisters, Danny and Bren were my closest friends. I always thought I could trust Danny with my life. But as I stopped him in the garden, I realized I had to entrust him with the lives of everyone I loved.

“Danny,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I need you to break my mate bond with Aric.”

Chapter Eight

Danny’s brows shot up to his hairline. He couldn’t believe what I’d asked any more than I could. “Celia, I-I can’t break your mate bond. I’m one of Aric’s Warriors!”

“Hush!” I scanned the darkness and gripped his hands. “Danny, please. I’m begging you to help me.”

Danny gaped, from my hands tightening around his, to my face. “Celia, I know things are strained between you, but he loves you. You’re emotionally frail right now. As soon as you work through your trauma you’ll be able to think more rationally.”

My muffled sobs stopped his rant. I composed myself enough to speak. “Danny, I’m in so much trouble. People I love will be hurt if I don’t break my bond with Aric.”

Danny’s face split with shock and confusion. “How will sacrificing your relationship keep the Tribe from attacking you…” His voice trailed off and his eyes widened. “Oh crap,” he whispered. “This has nothing to do with the Tribe, does it?” My blank expression answered for me. “Then who? Who’s hurting you, Celia?”

I rushed toward the gate. “Danny, you already know too much. If you don’t want to end up like Bren—or worse—you won’t question me. Just please help me. It has to be done by tomorrow or someone will die.”

“There has to be another way, Celia.”

It hurt to swallow the lump in my throat. “I wish there was, Danny.”

“We can fight this somehow, I know we can.”

In the past, I’d always seen Danny’s optimism as rousing, but now I recognized it as only naïveté. “Danny, at first I might have believed you, but tonight Bren was with me and we both had the shit knocked out of us. For God’s sake, did you see him? We’re lucky he’s alive!”

Danny seemed to sense my desperation, but wasn’t totally convinced. “Celia, the only reason Aric has been able to defy the Elders’ order to stay away from you is because of your mate bond. Do you realize if you break it, he’ll no longer be able to contact you? You may never see him again, are you prepared for that?”

The image of that small beating heart appeared in my mind. Never once since first learning of my pregnancy did I believe my baby would grow up without a father. No matter our circumstances, I always knew Aric would be there for us. Now I couldn’t allow him to be.

“If I could see any other way out, I’d take it. I can’t stand the thought…” I took a calming breath. It did nothing. I was going to shatter into a thousand pieces. “I can’t stand the thought of losing Aric. But if I don’t do this he’ll die. Do you understand me?
Aric will die
.”

As a new werewolf, Danny had worked hard to determine his place in the Pack. As a blue merle werewolf—a rare entity and a symbol of power—we’d waited to see what special ability he’d acquired. So far, nothing had manifested. He struggled despite his best efforts. Much younger
weres
surpassed him in strength, agility, and tracking. But one thing Danny had to his advantage was his incredible intellect—that, and he’d quickly learned how to sniff out lies. My scent, my posture, the tone of my words—everything told him I spoke the truth.

We stopped a few feet from the gate. He sighed. “As one of Aric’s Warriors, I am duty bound to protect his life, and yours, as his mate, at any cost. If ending your bond will do that, I guess I have no choice.”

He was giving me what I wanted. It should have made me happy or at least granted me some relief, but my despair only worsened. It was going to happen. Aric and I would no longer be one.

Heidi’s car door opened and she stepped out. Two vampires descended from the thick cluster of the trees and blocked her path. Heidi resembled an adult film actress—big blond hair, full pouty lips, and boobs the size of Rhode Island. But she was as tough as sin and had become one of the few female
weres
ever granted the title of Warrior. Her speaking voice was cute and bubbly, yet the growl that rumbled from her throat thundered across the stone pavers.

I stepped between them. “Michael, Clara, stop.”

“She doesn’t have permission to be here, Celia,” Clara hissed. “Do you, bitch?”

Heidi smiled. “We’ll see who the bitch is when I’m wearing your fangs as earrings.”

“Back off, Clara. Heidi was just leaving.”

Heidi seemed hurt when I made it clear she couldn’t stay. “Did Danny tell you?” she asked.

I ignored her to watch Michael lead Clara away. “Come, Clara. Celia gave you a direct order.”

I waited until they left before addressing Heidi, but she was busy watching Danny unload his belongings. “I’ll be staying with Celia,” he said without meeting her face.

Her high heels clicked against the pavers as she rushed to his side. “You’re not coming back with me?”

“No.” He wouldn’t glance in her direction as he passed. She lurched forward and clutched his arm. “Heidi, not now.”

“Will you ever come back to me?” Tears dropped from her eyes and his.

“I don’t know.” Danny wasn’t cruel. He could never leave someone in Heidi’s state. They were almost the same height, so he easily turned to kiss her forehead.

Aric had to practically bend in half to kiss me.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Danny’s face crumbled. “No. I don’t think you do.”

I was intruding on their moment and quickly hauled ass back to the guesthouse. Danny raced after me. “Celia, wait.”

“I’m sorry, Danny!” Heidi yelled behind us. “I’m so sorry!”

Danny scrunched his face and focused ahead, struggling to maintain control. “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked quietly.

“Don’t worry about me. We need to deal with your situation.”

I wasn’t the only one in need of a friend tonight. I caught his arm. “Tell me what happened.”

He dropped his bags onto the slick wet slate of the garden path and rubbed his eyes. “Heidi hasn’t been faithful to me. Since we’ve been together she’s had sex with several
weres
and a couple of humans.”

My mouth popped opened. They’d only been together a few months. “How did you find out?”

“She told me over dinner tonight. She said she couldn’t help herself. That it was something she’d always done so that others, specifically men, would like her.”

“I’m not trying to minimize what’s happened, but you told me yourself she was new to dating. She seems to genuinely care about you. Maybe she just needs time to adjust to being with one person.”

“I know what you’re saying—and part of me does pity her. At the same time, I’m humiliated.” He sighed. “She’s slept with
weres
from the Alliance with whom I’ve worked closely. Since Aric brought me into the Pack,
weres
have openly laughed at me. I used to blame it on my lack of skill. I realize now it was because they were banging my girlfriend.”

What could I say? I wouldn’t put it past some of those idiots. Especially since Aric had chosen Danny as his Warrior over them. “I’m sorry, Danny. I know how much you liked her.”

A single tear ran down his face. “I’m in love with her, Celia.”

My heart sank a little lower and I joined him in his grief. “Then I truly am sorry.”

We paused outside the door to the guesthouse. Danny couldn’t talk about Heidi anymore. So instead he returned his focus to me. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

My head pounded just thinking about it. “I don’t have a choice.”

Danny hugged me. “I’ll drop off my stuff and then go to my apartment to do some research. As soon as I locate the spell, I’ll call you. Can I borrow your car?”

I handed him my keys, but I snatched his wrist before he could walk inside. “Promise me you won’t say anything to anyone—
especially
that you helped me break the bond. I don’t want anyone to hurt you.”

The color drained from Danny’s face. “Celia, if Aric finds out I helped you, you won’t have to worry about anyone else. He’ll kill me himself.”

—

Emme and I spent the rest of the evening using the supplies the vampires had brought us to care for Bren. I laid out a fresh pair of sweats and boxers and stared at my grubby friend. Dried blood caked his beard and moppy curls. “We should bathe him, Emme.”

“Do you think he’ll mind?”

Despite my night, I let out a laugh. “Are you kidding? He’d probably like us to record it and put it on YouTube.”

Emme filled the bath while I cut through Bren’s clothes with my claws. I hoisted him into my arms and carried him into the bathroom. His weight didn’t bother me. I could probably lift three of him without breaking a sweat. But his floppy limbs were a stern reminder of his precarious state.

I gently placed him in the warm bathwater and scrubbed his hair while Emme lathered his body. We washed everything…except what he affectionately referred to as “Little Bren.”

“You do it,” we both said at the same time.

Normally I’m the stubborn one. This time Emme wouldn’t budge. We settled our dilemma in rock, papers, scissors style. Emme lost and Bren won. Once again, Little Bren perked up in her presence. Bless her heart, Emme accomplished her task with her eyes averted, despite that we’d seen his bare ass more times than I could count. Her deep blush diminished slightly once we yanked on his sweatpants. Except the thick cotton fabric wasn’t enough to keep the not-so-little guy down.

“Why does he keep doing that?” Emme might have been embarrassed yet she couldn’t hide her smile.

“Consider it a compliment. He doesn’t react that way with me.”
Thank goodness.

“I kind of do.” I angled my head in her direction. “I mean it’s nice that I can still have that effect on someone.”

“You miss Liam, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. I love him, Celia.” She shrugged. “But it is what it is. Unlike you and Aric, we’re not meant to be.”

My limbs froze and another piece of my heart broke off.
How am I going to get through this?

Emme reached for me. “Did I say something to upset you?”

I wriggled my hands nervously. “No, I’m just tired. What’s left to do?”

“Just to start an IV for hydration, but I can do that. Why don’t you go to bed? I’ll sleep on the couch tonight and Ying-Ying and Chang will relieve me in the morning.”

“Yeah, okay. Good night.”

Emme embraced me warmly. I found myself unable to release her. She was patient with me, she didn’t move, and she didn’t speak. She knew I needed it, though she didn’t know exactly what
it
was. It was my moment to feel loved—to know I wasn’t so horrible—because the next day things would be different. I would be horrible and awful and hated. I would be the one to crush Aric’s heart.

—

Danny never called.

I spent the night throwing up, worried Anara had targeted him and sick from my baby growing inside me. My stomach finally settled around dawn.

Emme and I were finishing breakfast when I noticed Bren’s nostrils flare. I pushed out of my chair and hurried to him. “Emme, grab that plate of pancakes. I think Bren’s hungry.”

I sat Bren up and leaned his limp form against my chest. Emme held the plate of pancakes apprehensively. “Celia, how can we feed him without him choking?”

I supported his head with my hand. “I’m not planning on feeding him. I’m just trying to see how aware he is. Move the plate closer to his nose.”

She did and I accidentally dropped Bren’s face on top of the pancakes. Or so I thought. It wasn’t until Bren devoured the food like a starving animal that I realized he’d intentionally slipped from my grasp.