Blood Curse Read online

  My mother hadn’t said anything more than, ‘Don’t forget our bedroom’ when she heard me clicking all the locks.

  “Hey there, princess. Am I missing something?”

  “No Dad, the news said to be extra careful and keep all windows and doors locked so that’s what I’m doing.”

  “Hmm okay.” With that he turned, locking the deadbolt behind him.

  I continued into the kitchen, opening the fridge to make myself a huge glass of chocolate milk and stealing a piece of chocolate cake from the cake stand that was on the kitchen counter. That was all I was going to do tonight, indulge in sweets, and watch my Roseanne reruns again. Something I hadn’t done since my first run-in with the wolf when I first moved to Hanover.

  At that time, he was only a wolf to me. I hadn’t yet seen him morph into a creature that usually only existed in people’s worst imagination. My life was caught somewhere in between a horrific nightmare and a magical fairytale, but to me, being with Davin definitely made the bad seem so minute.

  Once back upstairs, my show was on and I was ready to relax in my own bed, something that again hadn’t been done in a long time. My big fat ball of gray fur had been deprived of attention for some time now, and he showed it by the way he nestled immediately into my neck once I had gotten myself comfortable -- in my seemingly small bed compared to Davin’s -- quickly soothing himself back to sleep with his rumble of a purr.

  The wind whistled outside, making the large tree outside my window lightly tap the glass every few minutes. I could hear the muffle from the TV in the living room downstairs, letting me know that my parents were still awake, and in some sense that comforted me.

  Every twenty minutes or so the heater would click on, blowing wonderfully hot air about my room, adding more to the usual house sounds that told me I was home, and in normalcy for the time being. For just this moment I felt like my regular, insanely boring, eighteen-year-old self I had been only a few months ago.

  When I lived in Highlands Ranch, this was about the time of night Xander would call to bug me about how I never get up in time in the mornings; so, he was going to call me an hour before the alarm just so that I didn’t make him miss out on our morning coffee routine. Damn, I missed him so much! What I wouldn’t give just to hear his voice again.

  ∗∗∗

  “Are you ready to get out of here now?”

  I blinked sleepily awake from the whisper that was next to my ear. Kneeling next to my bed was Xander. I could feel the breeze from his warm breath on my cheek while he anxiously waited for my reply.

  “Xander…wha…where did you come from?”

  He smiled a half-smirk. “Your door silly, where else?”

  I blinked again at him. We were face to face, and I wondered how long he had been kneeling there. His smirk was still frozen in place except now some of the whites from his teeth were showing. “I told you I was coming, didn’t I? Now, let’s go.”

  “Uhhh it’s in the middle of the night, Xan. Where could we possibly have to go at this time?” My heart was pounding in my chest unsure of when and how he got into the house.

  Besides that, I was uncomfortable with the look that was projected on his face. It was him, but then again it wasn’t. He stood up now, and I could see his sides moving in and out from how heavy he must have been breathing. His muscles were much more noticeable than they had been the last time I’d seen him. Don’t get me wrong; he’d always had definition to him, but there was much more present now.

  He held his hand out to me impatiently.

  I shook my head. “Um about that…I’m not allowed to go out after dark, plus I have school tomorrow. Why don’t you go get some sleep on the couch downstairs?”

  So, it was a bad excuse. But right now, my brain wasn’t in full function mode, so I said the first thing I thought of to get him out of my room.

  “What’s wrong Adelay, don’t you trust me?”

  Did he really want to know the answer to that? I half nodded.

  “Then let’s go. I just want to go for a walk. You know, like old times.”

  There was no way in hell I was going for a walk with him at…what time was it anyways? I looked over at my clock. Midnight, yeah, I’m not so comfortable with that scenario.

  He dropped his hand to his side with a thump kneeling down once more beside me. “Pleassse.” There was a familiar slur in his voice when he said that which I pretended not to notice; except for my heart was doing a number in my chest.

  I hoped to hell he couldn’t hear it like Davin would have been able to. His face was once again in front of mine, and I could literally hear, along with feel, his warm breath coming out in faster gasps. He inched his face closer, then lightly brushed my lips with his. His mouth felt like it was on fire.

  I stayed frozen in place at the unexpected affection. I kept my lips firmly planted on his inferno of a kiss, despite the voice that was warning me inside my head to get away from him and fast. I closed my eyes, letting the warmth move through my mouth and down my throat, leaving a burning trail on every area that it passed.

  He partially opened his mouth pulling away slightly, and I opened my eyes to the same emotionless smile pasted on his face. I waited to hear what he was about to say.

  “Ouch!” I yelped in surprise when he bit down hard on my lower lip, leaving a trickle of blood running down my chin.

  I wiped my hand across it looking down at the smear of blood on the back of my hand. When I glanced back up at him, I was crudely met by two pools of oil staring back at me, distinctly rimmed in a deep red that used to once be beautiful cerulean blue.

  A pair of razor-sharp teeth distended out from behind his curled lip, but the features of his smooth olive-toned face remained human.

  He was caught somewhere in between a man and a wolf. Not completely changed, but he was on his way soon enough, and I wasn’t sticking around to see the aftermath. Gathering up whatever courage I might have inside me -which at this moment there wasn’t much- I flung my covers behind me, hearing them hit the wall with a cushioned thud. His body shifted backwards, startled by my movement.

  Clumsily jumping out of the bed, I headed straight for my door, avoiding looking behind me to see where Xander was because that would do nothing more but take crucial seconds from my attempted getaway. I didn’t have to look to know where he was because, within minutes, I felt the rough yank of my hair from strong, warm hands embedded in the back of my head.

  My body jolted backwards knocking me instantly to the ground. “Wow, you have no problems playing rough do you Xander?”

  I tried to make light of the situation to hopefully spare me a little bit of time to think of my next move. I knew the real Xander was still under there somewhere that would have laughed at my sarcasm. Nothing was coming to me fast enough. He had released his hold on my hair when I first collided with the floor, but he had firmly planted his foot in my chest to make sure I stayed in place.

  “The full moon is rising. Beware the beast that lurks from within its power. Eternal night is coming fast.” With that he let out a shrieking howl and bounded down the stairs and out of sight.

  When I opened my eyes, I was in the same position I had fallen asleep in with Oz buried in my neck, purring his own lullaby. Rosanne was playing on my TV, and the rest of the house was silent indicating my parents had gone to sleep already.

  Whew! It was only a nightmare! Xander hadn’t been here, and I was safe in my bed with no unexpected visitors. I looked at my clock that coincidentally read 12:00AM.

  “This shit is getting old,” I said out loud.

  Oz opened one eye, answering me with a soft meow. I looked across the room at the window seeing that the drapes were still closed tight, and my bedroom door remained latched and untouched by any intruders. I wished Davin were here with me right now because the dream left my fragile nerves unsettled. Usually when I had a dream or a vision it meant something bad was stirring in the air, and Davin wasn’t here to protect me if something wa
s going to happen within the next 24 hours.

  I expelled the heavy breath I was holding in and decided I should try to get some sleep before tomorrow. Staying awake was going to do nothing and falling asleep would at least guarantee the morning to come sooner, when I could relax in the daylight that never seemed to stick around long enough.

  The morning finally came, and I was thankful for the small amount of dim sun rays peeking out from behind my drapes. I climbed out of bed to draw back the curtains and let some of the refreshing light fill my room. It left me a little disappointed to find it wasn’t terribly warm or sunny, but it was daylight, nonetheless.

  On my way to the bathroom, I could smell my mother cooking in the kitchen. After I showered and dressed for school, I planned on heading in there to steal a little bit of whatever she was cooking posthaste.

  One of the perks of being home with my parents was being able to enjoy real breakfast and dinner, rather than in a vampire's house where cooking was never done nor needed, and I tended to forget to eat much. I bet if I weighed myself today, I’d have lost at least a good five pounds since moving here.

  “Morning, Mom.”

  I inhaled the mouth-watering smell of bacon and eggs along with freshly squeezed orange juice. My mom, being unable to sit still for too long, made great meals any time of day.

  “Good morning sweetheart, are you hungry?”

  “I can definitely use some food. I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

  My dad put his paper down once I sat down at the counter, digging into the plate my mother had already fixed for me.

  “Why’s that, kiddo? I thought I heard you moving around the house last night, but when I got up to check it out you were sound asleep in your bed. That’s the problem with these old New England houses, they all have their own worn in sounds.”

  “Did you hear a wolf howl too?”

  He raised his eyebrows at me laughing. “Can’t say that I did, but I did hear a spoiled cat meow when he wanted out of your room for some food.”

  He thought he was being cute, but I couldn’t seem to return the smile he had on his face. I was being completely serious with my question.

  A knock on the door interrupted our awkward conversation. I knew by the soft rap at the front door that Gretchen was here to pick me up for school, since I wasn’t allowed to travel alone for the time being.

  “That’s Gretchen, love you guys.”

  She couldn’t have come soon enough. Taking one last bite, I got up from my chair, grabbing my book bag off the floor and charged out the front door where Sully was waiting for us in his Mustang.

  “So, how’d you do your first night without Davin?” Leave the curiosity to Gretchen.

  “I did fine. I’ve been without him plenty of times before. Besides it was only one night, he’ll be back tonight for the Fall Harvest Dance.” At least I hoped so. Something told me Xander was closer than we thought, and it was only a matter of time before he surfaced.

  We arrived at the school right as the bell rang.

  Sully kissed Gretchen with a quick peck, the way I would kiss my mom, then turned to me. “I’ll take you home after school, so meet me here when the bell rings. Davin would kill me if I let you do otherwise.” He smiled, running his fingers through some of his silky long strands that had fallen out of place.

  Gretchen watched him with googly eyes as he walked confidently down the hallway to class.

  Robbie noticed right away that Davin was gone at lunchtime. After looking at me, down the table at everyone who was seated, then back at me, he took the open seat next to me ignoring the glares from Sully. Davin being absent always gave Robbie the impression there was an open invitation to sit together or hang out no matter how many times I turned him down.

  “What’s up, Adde? Where is your boyfriend at today?”

  “He’s home with a headache.” It was the only believable excuse I could think of. I hated being put on the spot.

  “Oh, I see. Sucks for him,” he commented, completely uninterested.

  “You sound so concerned, Robbie. I’ll give him your best wishes.” I rolled my eyes at him and tuned in to the other parts of the table’s conversations.

  “Hey Adelay, I’m sorry. I’ll keep my snide remarks to myself, okay? How about I buy you a Coke for putting up with me?”

  He put his arm around my shoulder, giving me a quick friendly squeeze, and pulling a crisp dollar out of his pocket.

  I smiled, batting my eyes. “Why Robbie, what a gentleman you are. Too bad your friend doesn’t know how to treat a lady.” I shot a mean look at Andy, who shyly looked down.

  So yeah, I was over the whole Gretchen/Andy episode that happened at The Cell, but that didn’t mean I was going to let him live it down. He did almost get me killed by his stupidity -- even though he didn’t have any clue werewolves were stalking me.

  He looked up at me again, and then turned away just as quickly.

  “It’s okay Andy, I’m not going to rip your head off.” Gretchen was obviously over it already, but I loved being able to give him shit.

  He smiled nervously then looked to Robbie. “So, what are your plans for the Fall Harvest Dance tonight, Rob?”

  “I’m working on them right now, man.” He winked at me.

  I shook my head snagging the dollar that was still in his hand. “Thanks for the Coke. That still doesn’t mean your charm is gonna get you any further though.”

  “Ouch that was quite the burn, Adde.” That was probably the longest sentence Andy had said to me in a while.

  I figured it was time to ease up on the poor guy. Gretchen was doing her own torture, clinging onto Sully in front of him every chance she got. I gave him a genuine smile that seemed to loosen him up a little.

  I glanced across the table at Sully, who was watching me intently, then smirked once he noticed I was looking at him. Sully had never made much eye contact with me before. I mainly figured that was because his ego was so high and his head was too big to really give two shits about a human. He ran his fingers through his hair that hung to the middle of his neck, putting it all back in place. He reminded me a little of the younger Christian Slater when he had longer hair. Very sexy.

  Ugh! Why was I even thinking that? Sully was a jerk, and Davin was the sexiest guy I had ever met. And he was mine. When I looked back at Sully, he was watching me again, so I turned the other way quickly avoiding meeting eyes.

  Sarah was talking to Gretchen, then directed the conversation to us both when she saw my interest in what she was saying -- at least she took it for interest.

  “I think we should get ready at your house, Gretch for the Fall Harvest thingy. If we stop by my house real fast after school, I can just grab my stuff, then head to yours if ya want. Don’t you think, Adelay?”

  “I would, but I have to help my mom with a few things first. Then maybe I can head over.” I looked over at Sully. “That is if my chauffeur lets me.”

  Sara crinkled her nose confused. “Huh?”

  “Nothing.”

  Sully smirked. Damn he looked good. Something seemed gentler about him today.

  Robbie was still dropping subtle hints in eight period lab about Davin being gone, and needing someone to go to the dance with him, despite how many times I told him Davin was going to be there, he was just coming a little late.

  Finally, the bell rang releasing school for the weekend, and me from Robbie’s constant pestering. “See ya later Robbie.”

  “Uh yeah I’ll see you tonight, Adelay!” He shouted, as I rounded the corner of the classroom door.

  Sully was waiting like he said at the front doors of the school to take me home.

  “You got everything?”

  “Yep.”

  He started walking into the parking lot to his Mustang. When we got to the car, I realized something was missing.

  “Where’s Gretchen?”

  He unlocked my door first. So, I guess he could be somewhat of a gentleman if he really wanted to.
“She went ahead with Sarah to get ready, or whatever the hell they’re doing. Are you sure you don’t want me to drop you off with them?”

  “Positive. I want to go home and see if I have received anything from Xander.”

  “I can guarantee you haven’t.”

  “Oh really, and what makes you so sure? I could have gotten an email or something, and if not, I’m calling his mom.”

  “Davin thinks it’s best you don’t do that, and just wait for him to return; then you guys can go to wherever it is you are supposed to be meeting your friend.”

  “See that’s the problem…he never actually told me where. All he said was that he was going to be here on Halloween. I expected to hear from him again after his first letter to get more information, but that never happened. So, all I can do is guess. I was originally thinking the airport, but by the way his mom was talking, I think he took a road trip. Being that Colorado is so far away from here, that could possibly explain why I haven’t heard from him. Maybe he’s planning on surprising me.”

  Sully stifled a laugh. “Oh, I’m sure he’s betting on surprising you, in more ways than you know.”

  What positive balls of energy the Ashford boys were. I sat back into the cold leather seat, irritated. “If I knew what a jerk you were going to be, I would have opted to go with Gretchen - or even Robbie for that matter.”

  He hit the brakes, pulling off to the side of the road, making me wish I’d just held in my two cents. He turned sideways, so that he was looking directly into my wide eyes. His eyes were the darkest shade of blue, like dark murky water with black swirls bursting throughout them. I had never really seen his eyes this extensively but with as close as he was to me, I could see every line and color that ran through them. I really hoped I didn’t just piss off a vampire.

  “Do you have the slightest clue as to why I’m a "jerk" as you call it?”

  “Because you love yourself so much it’s impossible not to be one?”