Blood Curse

  Book Two of The Broken Halo Series

  Rheanon Nicole

  Copyright © 2020 by Crazy Ink

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Book Layout © Crazy Ink

  CHAPTER ONE

  “The woman’s name was Rosalinda Babic. She died October thirty-first, almost a year ago to this date.”

  “How do you know her name?”

  “I put in a call to the tattoo shop you went to. After numerous attempts all week your friend Tommy finally took my call. I will be meeting with him within the next twenty-four hours. His voice sounded as if he was in absolute shock that someone figured out their little secret. I told him he had no idea who this curse was bestowed on, and what kind of powers you had on your side that their little gypsy magic won’t phase in the slightest, if he doesn’t agree to meet with me.”

  “So, you’re going to Colorado to meet with this guy in twenty-four hours? Wouldn’t that be like today? That will be almost Halloween, Davin.”

  “Yes, but I will not be gone longer than a day, and you shall be in safe hands with Sully. He will take you and Gretchen to the Fall Harvest dance and I will be back shortly after you arrive there. I promise I won’t leave you for long. As much as I hate doing this, it’s something that needs to be done. We’re running out of choices and time. We have to face the fact that Xander probably isn’t coming for Halloween, and we also need to prepare for the worst with what may, or already has, happened to him. What is most important right now is your safety, not his.”

  I made a sour face at him because whether he liked it or not Xander was important to me, and I didn’t want to lose hope that maybe this was all a big fluke, and an immense lack of communication. Also knowing Davin was leaving me made me feel a little uneasy, not that I didn’t trust Sully, but it just wasn’t the same. I knew Davin would give his life for me. Sully…not so much.

  “Is it really necessary to leave now, so close to Halloween? I mean, we know I have a curse on me, and we know there’s a werewolf after all of us so shouldn’t we worry about bigger things right now, like killing this thing? Tommy can wait; the old hag is dead anyway.”

  I was still lying in bed after a wonderful dreamless sleep, and Davin was lying next to me with his arm around my shoulders allowing me to cuddle into his chest. He laughed making my head bob up and down with each chuckle. We skipped school today because I had thankfully been able to sleep all night, and half of the morning with no complications. It was refreshing, making me feel like a whole new person today. Davin didn’t dare wake me.

  “I’m leaving late tonight and will be back before you know it with hopefully some more information on what this thing wants from you. We already know what he wants from my family, and that’s revenge. My father has confirmed that Dalton Edward’s body was never buried, nor ever found after my grandfather’s attack. He disappeared completely and I think we know why that is.”

  “How’d you find that out?”

  “When the rest of the world sleeps the vampires come out to play.” He laughed, poking me in the side, making me giggle at his joke.

  “Don’t you find angels mating with humans and gypsy curses, completely different entities than vampires and werewolves? It just doesn’t sound like it really goes hand in hand.”

  “Darling, the paranormal can never be explained. Nothing makes sense when you become part of our world. How do you think there are so many hundreds of thousands of books stocked throughout every library, in all parts of the world, from every century and era, each a different experience? Different types of researchers, ranging from ghost experts to vampire hunters, angels and demons, witches and warlocks, vampires and werewolves, visions, psychics, out of body experiences, and hauntings. So, yes in a way we all go hand in hand.”

  “I guess that makes sense. But with all that aside, I really don’t want you to leave me even if it is for only a day. Whenever you’re not around something always goes wrong; it’s imminent.”

  “Remember Sully is an Ashford, too. Nothing will happen to you as long as you do as I say; which, with me gone, I hope you intend to do just that.”

  “Of course I will, Davin. When have I not listened to you through all this?”

  “The Cell. Need I say more?”

  I slit my eyes at him, letting a small huff escape my mouth. He had me on that one, so I didn’t argue. Instead I pulled the covers a little farther up to my chin because there was a bite in the air when the covers lifted from him rolling out of the large bed.

  When he drew back the heavy drapes to let in some sunlight, I was a little disappointed to see that the windows had frosted over, and not much light was coming in from the dreary sky to warm the room up. Every day winter was drawing nearer and nearer, and with that the days were getting darker and darker.

  There was a light tap at Davin’s door, then moments later Katerina stepped inside. Her dark red hair had the perfect waves it always had, and her eyes were as fierce aqua as ever.

  “Davin darling, your father would like to have a talk with you two in the kitchen. I have to be off to the studio, but please be careful and prompt with your travels tonight, we need you here.”

  I lifted my eyebrow at him indicating that I felt the same way, but he just winked at me and nodded to Katerina. “We’ll be down shortly mother, and don’t worry I will be home tomorrow with more information and a werewolf to kill.”

  She blew a kiss to him, shutting the door behind her. I gritted my teeth, pulling myself out of the warmth of the bed and grabbed my overnight bag that was sitting on the floor on my way to the bathroom to get ready.

  After slipping on a pair of black leggings, and a matching zip up hoodie, I pulled my hair up messily on top of my head, and quickly freshened up my face and brushed my teeth before taking a squirt of the beautiful crystal perfume bottle as I left the bathroom, leaving the air with the scent of fresh rose.

  Davin was waiting patiently on the lounger when I came out of the bathroom. He stood up, signaling me to the door, and placing his arm around my lower back so that we could walk together to the kitchen where Eli was waiting for us. Eli was just placing the teakettle on the stove when we walked in. He gestured warningly for me to have a seat at the counter where he was now standing with a newspaper in his hand.

  I twitched when he tossed it in front of Davin with a smack on the granite. “Read the front. There’s been another attack on a woman, only this time it’s here in Hanover.”

  The previous attacks had been in Lebanon and Manchester which the police had classified as animal attacks, blaming the victims for being at the wrong place at the wrong time, only to continue on to tell people not to travel alone in certain areas. But we knew what was really responsible for these women’s murders, and why they were hitting so close to home now.

  Staying out of certain areas would do nothing to stop the vicious string of attacks. I leaned over Davin’s shoulder reading the article, not seeing anything of great difference from the previous articles, except one line that jumped out at me right when I reached the bottom of the page. The attack took place in Hanover Cemetery last night at approximately 9:00 pm. Investigators report that the animal markings were similar to the recent attacks in Lebanon.

  I tapped the sentence with my finger in front of Davin’s face. “That’s where I was when I went to c
offee with Gretchen yesterday, except my body never left the chair. I was in the cemetery with Xander. Kind of a coincidence my vision is where the murder took place last night, don’t you think?”

  Eli and Davin both looked at me then back at each other. Davin lifted his eyebrow. “It’s no coincidence. This curse is changing every day and appears to be getting stronger the closer we get to each other.”

  Eli looked intently at Davin. “How do you mean?”

  “Father, I was in her dreams months before she moved here, then she began reliving my old memories whenever she touched me during the times she was asleep, and now it’s visions of what’s to come while she’s still awake.” Davin looked to me now. “I believe the cemetery is where he was or will be changed. This gives me an even better reason to get to Colorado and talk to this Tommy guy and figure out what we do to rid you of this curse, without getting you killed in the process. It’s a race against time now. These creatures want it, and I want it gone.”

  I was still finding it hard to swallow the fact that Xander probably wasn’t coming back to me, but there was still just a small hope holding on inside me that maybe, just maybe, he was still the Xander I loved.

  Even if the Loup Garou had him, it was possible he hadn’t changed him yet and was just using him to get me within his grasp.

  I looked at Davin who just shrugged his shoulders, implying he knew what I was thinking so I took the shrug as confirmation it was a possibility. My cell phone rang, breaking the silence that befell the room.

  MOM flashed on the screen. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Adelay, are you planning on coming home anytime this week? I’m sure Gretchen doesn’t need you every night her mother is gone, does she?”

  “I’ll be home tonight. I’m visiting Davin for a little while today before he...” I was trying to think of a good excuse to where he was going to be. “Before he goes to Manchester with his parents.” I looked over at Davin, who was smiling at my bad attempt of an excuse to his whereabouts tonight.

  “Well, why you’re there Adelay, why don’t you see if this weekend works for the dinner I promised him I’d make?”

  I rolled my eyes. She was going to be sorely disappointed when she realized he wouldn’t be able to even put a bite of her food in his mouth, since he’d only survived off of a liquid diet the past two hundred years.

  “See how Saturday works, okay sweetie?”

  “Okay, Mom. I’ll be home soon. Love you.” I clicked my phone shut before she could say anything else.

  “I’ll be back in time to impress your wonderful parents, and sweet talk them both into letting you love me.”

  “No one’s letting me love you. I do believe that is one thing that is still my choice. If werewolves and gypsies can’t persuade me, then neither can my parents; besides you already made her melt like butter with your vampire mojo.”

  He leaned over, giving me a quick kiss, laughing at the truth I spoke.

  Before I knew it, evening was here and I was sitting on the end of Davin’s bed, watching him get his suitcase prepared for the overnight trip he was leaving on in just a few short hours. If he was planning on making it back by tomorrow, I didn’t understand why he needed to pack a suitcase.

  I had my doubts that he could make it to Colorado and back with any useful information in such a short amount of time, but he promised me that he would be home in time for Halloween night.

  Not because we had some huge Halloween party planned like normal kids, but because that was when Xander was supposed to arrive in town, and according to his mother, was still the plan. I was also keeping my fingers crossed that he’d make the Fall Harvest Dance so that I wasn’t tagging along with Sully and Gretchen.

  Davin leaving me in the midst of a supernatural war for an overnight trip was intended to shed some light on what that gypsy woman had cursed me with, and I prayed he would also have an answer of how to get rid of it. As for the Loup Garou and Xander, I didn’t know what to expect, or what was going to happen. I just hoped the werewolf would stay at bay until Davin arrived back into town. If he caught wind Davin was gone, we would have an even bigger problem to deal with.

  “I want you to go home tonight and go to school tomorrow as normal. Sully has been instructed to stick by your side anytime you need to travel outside of the house. Do not leave without Sully. He will bring you to the dance with him and Gretchen, and I shall arrive there shortly after.”

  “So, how am I supposed to go to school if that means I have to leave the house without Sully? I’m sure my mom will refuse to let him stay the night.”

  I knew it was a stupid question, but I had to throw a little bit of sarcasm his way because I was still very unhappy about him leaving me right when all this stuff seemed like it may be coming to a head.

  He stopped what he was doing, so he could look me straight in the face. “He will be there in the morning to pick you up.”

  After his dry statement, he continued to put a few more things into his overnight bag and zipped it closed once he was finished. He sat down softly next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Don’t look so worried, everything will be fine, love. I promise.”

  I had been trying to keep any evidence of worry off of my face, but somehow it must have slipped through the sarcastic remarks.

  “Worried? Who’s worried? I mean a werewolf that has possibly turned my best friend into one of those hideous creatures, and my body being infected by an ancient curse is hardly cause for worry.” Yep there was another one I just threw out there.

  He let out a sigh, squeezing me tighter against him. “Let’s get you dropped off safely at home because as much as you hate hearing this, I need to feed before tomorrow so that I am fully nourished if there is a fight to be had. The full moon is Halloween night, which, in theory, will give more power to this beast. I don’t want any of my strength diminished.”

  When he said feed, I knew that meant using Constantine, aka the willing donor. It still managed to make me jealous knowing she could give him what he needed.

  I nodded, pushing myself off of the large bed that was sunken in where we sat from both of our weight on the end of it.

  We walked hand in hand to my front door, which is where he stopped before turning me towards him. “I love you Adelay, and I will be home before you know it with a solution to at least one of our problems, and then I will move onto the next.”

  He leaned down, kissing me firmly on my lips. I traced my tongue along his cool lower lip, feeling him shiver when I did so. He kept his mouth on mine for a few moments, then moved his lips in a crooked line to my cheek, nose, and ended at my forehead.

  “Hurry home,” was all I managed to squeak out; because if I tried to say more, I knew I would end up begging for him to stay, only to be disappointed.

  I twisted the doorknob and turned one last time to watch him walk away, but he was already pulling away. Damn vampire speed.

  My mom was sitting comfortably on the couch with the fireplace burning, making the room invitingly warm. She held a book in her hand, and a glass of hot tea was on the end table next to her.

  She looked up once she realized I had entered the room. “Hey there, sweetheart. Why such a long face?”

  She smiled brightly, then lifted the blanket she was wrapped in that my grandmother had knitted in the most hideous mismatched colors I’d ever seen, inviting me to sit with her. I curled up next to her, tucking my feet up under the blanket that was draped over us both now.

  “I’m sure you’ll be okay one night without him.”

  “I’m just tired, mom; it’s been a busy week at school.” She had no idea. This was far more complex than simple puppy love, "just missing my boyfriend" like she was brushing it off as.

  Quite possibly, this one night without him could mean I would never be curled under her ugly, knitted blanket again. That thought made me snuggle a little further into her side.

  “What did Davin decide about dinner on Saturday?”

  “He
said that sounds great.”

  “Won’t Xander be here too? We can have a nice dinner party with both your boys.” She laughed at her joke.

  That made me crack a small smile, even though it really wasn’t a laughing matter because quite frankly Xander most likely wasn’t a boy at all anymore. When I didn’t answer, she looked at me, cocking her head slightly to the side.

  “He is still coming, isn’t he?”

  I half nodded, unsure of how to really answer that question. “He’s supposed to be here tomorrow…night…sometime?” It came out as more of a question to myself, than an answer to her.

  She sipped a little more tea answering with an “ahh,” while swallowing her drink.

  My cell phone twinkled, alerting me that I had a new message from Davin.

  Be home soon my love. Remember stay with Sully, no matter what that pesky devil on your shoulder tells you. I love you.

  So that was it. Davin was on his way to Colorado to dig up some information on this curse, while I was left here to fend for myself in hopes that the werewolf didn’t catch wind of Davin’s departure, and pay me a visit while I was alone. The bastard had been in my house once before and was the one that received Xander’s letter before I did. How was Davin not worried that he would come into the house again?

  My mom was engulfed in her reading now, so I decided to head up to my bedroom where I hadn’t been in almost a week. My room still had some light coming in through my slightly parted curtains. I instantly pulled them closed, that way I didn’t have to imagine someone -or something- peering in at me, or me accidentally peering out to something I really didn’t want to see.

  I also decided that we needed to be extra protected by making sure all of the entries to the house were locked. So I started with the latch on my window, then made my rounds to the upstairs guest bedroom and my bathroom. The window in there was not even big enough to fit my body through, but I still wasn’t taking any chances. My dad came through the front door just as I was finishing up inspecting the downstairs windows and was making my way to the kitchen.