A Cursed Embrace

The haze in his eyes continued to spin. He failed to see the giant water bottle beside him, and probably failed to scent it, too. I lifted the straw to his lips. “Here. Drink. When you’re done, I’ll change your bandages.”

The liter of water disappeared within moments. In reward, I swept my lips across his when he finished. His fingers reached out and held my chin, allowing our kiss to linger. The soft pecks weren’t deep, but as sweet and addicting as always. His fingers slid down my neck and chest, stopping just above my nipple. He closed his eyes. “You’re not dressed,” he murmured.

I dropped my head, slightly embarrassed by my boldness. “You were cold. I wanted to warm you. If you prefer, I’m sure I could throw a Florence Nightingale ensemble together.”

“I’d rather see more than just your sexy ankles.” He rubbed his eyes. “Shit. If I could see at all.”

“The water should help detoxify your body from the gold’s curse. Lie down and I’ll change your bandages.” I took off the dressings, cringing as I rinsed the wounds with more salt water. “Am I hurting you, love?”

Aric’s cloudy gaze focused hard where he heard my voice. “It burns my skin, but just a little. Nothing like before.” His hand found my shoulder. “You’re pretty good at this, sweetness. Maybe you should stick to nursing instead of taking on demons.”

“I do prefer to deliver babies. But I also think other things are more important.”

Aric clasped my arm. “I don’t want you involved in this anymore.”

Aric’s grip didn’t hurt, but it did emphasize the concern behind his words. “It’s too late for that, wolf.”

I continued to tend to him. Aric held me, but he remained weak. Slowly his hand relaxed as his body sank into the mattress. When I tried to redress his wounds, he shook his head. “Leave them open to air for a moment.”

“Okay.” I slipped on my robe and took his water bottle downstairs to refill. When I returned, Liam was there. He stood watching Aric as he slept.

“Hey, Celia. I heard you get up and thought I’d check on Aric. He looks way better.”

I placed Aric’s bottle on the table and tightened my robe. “Yeah, but he’s exhausted.”

Liam leaned over him. “That’s because his beast is working hard to heal him. See?”

Liam stuck his two fingers through the holes in Aric’s shoulder. Aric scrunched his brows but kept his lids shut. Liam pulled back his bloody fingers and wiggled them at me. “Look. No pus. Great job, Celia.”

I didn’t see, so much as feel, myself go white . . . then green. I beat down my gag reflex and choked out my words. “Liam. Please don’t ever do that again.” Or I will beat your ass to death.

“Liam?” Emme stood in the doorway, dressed in one of Liam’s T-shirts. “Is everything all right?”

I gripped the edge of the table, still feeling faint. “Fine. Everything’s fine. Emme, the poison seems to have left Aric’s system. Could you please help him heal?”

Liam blocked Emme’s path when she advanced, shaking his head. “Aric’s wolf could still be on the defense. I don’t want Emme near him just in case.” He patted my back. “Give a holler if you need me. He’ll respond better to me since I’m one of his Warriors.” Seeing how Aric hadn’t bitten Liam’s hand off when he poked through his skin like a skewer, I tended to believe him. Still, I’d rather have called the Catholic schoolgirls.

“Oh, and, Celia?” Liam paused with one foot in the hall. “Aric’s going to wake up very grateful to you for taking care of him—very grateful. He’ll probably want to have sex for a few hours, so be sure to get some shut-eye. Night.”

I nodded, stupidly, though his back was now to me. In his own, boyishly naive, unfiltered, inappropriate way, Liam meant well. Knowing that kept me from launching the water bottle into the back of his skull. I locked the door after them and bandaged Aric’s shoulder, then crawled back into bed with my wolf.

CHAPTER 15

I rubbed my eyes. They remained sore from lack of sleep and from the strange flashes of light that had haunted my dreams again. Aric had woke feeling better, and, as Liam promised, extremely grateful for my care. He’d kissed me when I tried to check his bandages and whisked us into the shower for one hell of a good morning.

I sighed contently. Aric’s dark brown hair curled, still wet from our romp in the shower. It tickled my belly as I lay against the fresh sheets. “You really scared me last night, wolf.”

Aric brought my knuckles to his lips. “And you scare the hell out of me for wanting to take part in the hunt.” He focused on the tiered ceiling painted in alternating tones of deep creams and antique whites. “The Leader of the Bear Clan on the Nevada side is taking over my duties for the next few days.”

I breathed a sigh a relief. “Good. It will give you time to recover.”

“I’m recovered enough.” Aric turned a little to nibble on my belly. “Or didn’t you notice?” A playful grin swept across his face. If his “gratitude” hadn’t worn me out, I might have pounced on him. His palm stretched across my skin to massage my shoulder. “The crisis has kept me from my duties as chancelor of students. The young wolves at the Den are behind on their studies. With my Warriors and me gone all the time, the staff has been stretched thin. Already the term will continue way into the summer.”

I hated Aric searching out the demon lord without me. And I hated the demands his Elders placed on him. At least in returning to teaching duties, he would be safe. My fingers swept over his moist strands. “You miss teaching, don’t you?”

Aric smiled fondly when he thought of his students. “I do, but I won’t be returning to the classroom just yet. I’m to prepare our senior students to assist in tracking the demon lord.”

“They’re so young,” I said quietly, more thinking out loud.

“They are. But they’re also not average students. The predators in them are enlivened by the idea of stalking prey. They’ll travel with seasoned weres. It will give them a taste of their duties without putting them in harm’s way.” Aric’s voice grew distant. “At least that’s what I’m hoping. The demon lord is starting to feast on the men before he abandons their remains.”

My back tensed. This was news, and not the post-lovemaking conversation any gal ever wanted. “Is he taking their blood?”

“No. He craves meat—lots of it. The last set of bodies I’d found had all the muscle stripped from their thighs.”

I grimaced. “And it’s not demon children feasting.”

Aric rubbed his forehead. “No. The bite marks suggest something bigger, with fangs that mimic more an angler fish than werebeast or vampire.”

Damn it. “I wished you’d let me hunt with you.”

Aric rolled onto his stomach, supporting himself on his elbows. “You heard the leech, Celia. This thing has already threatened to come for you. To bring you along would be like handing you to him on a platter.” He shook his head. “You’re the best thing in my life. I won’t risk losing you, sweetness.”

Aric feared that the demons, the monsters, and every other thing that bumped the night and shadowed the earth would come for me. Maybe he was right. But my ignorance wouldn’t protect me; knowledge and vigilance would. “I’d rather meet him head-on than risk running into him unprepared. But it’s not just that, is it?”

Aric frowned. “What do you mean?”

Maybe I shouldn’t have discussed it just then, except it was a concern that continued to gnaw at me. “I think you’re worried I’m in danger just by being with you.”

Aric’s expression softened so that the remorse in his features matched his tone. “Yeah. I am. It’s something I wrestle with all the time.”

“Don’t.” And please don’t leave me, I didn’t say. His arms encircled my waist. I mused over the way his soft breath drifted across my bare flesh. It just felt right to have Aric against me. It’s how it should have been. For me. And my sisters. “Is this why Gemini is so afraid to become close to Taran? He fears what his presence could bring?”

Aric turned his head again and buried his face against my stomach. He jerked once, twice. At first I thought he was coughing, but then I realized he was full-out laughing. “No. Gemini is just trying to be gentle. He worries