A Cursed Embrace

closet.

Shayna let out a disappointed sigh. “Is this really what you want?”

“No, but I can’t have what I want, can I?”

Shayna averted her gaze. Perhaps the hurt and anger in my eyes were too much for her. Emme placed her hand on my shoulder. “We’ll support you,” she said quietly. “Here, I’ll help you straighten your hair.”

She led me to the bed and plugged in the flatiron. With gentle sweeps of a brush she dried my hair to silky perfection. Taran returned with an extremely sexy and revealing outfit for me. She slipped me into a silky black dress that plunged low in the front and back, making it impossible to wear a bra.

I fidgeted and fumbled with the cleavage, debating whether I had the ovaries to wear something so daring. Taran raised her brows upon taking in my hesitation. “Does it really matter if you go braless?” she asked.

I glanced at the floor for a moment, thinking about who was taking me out. “No. I guess not.”

Emme finished straightening my hair and Taran applied my makeup. What little I allowed her to add brought out my green eyes and full lips. Shayna didn’t participate, but she did smile and pinch my backside when she saw me. “You look hot.”

I glanced in the mirror while putting on the diamond earrings Misha had given me. Okay, maybe not hot, but definitely vampy.

I walked downstairs just before seven. The wolves did a double take. Liam outright gawked. “Going out tonight, Celia?”

I played with the fastener on my earring. “Mm-hmm.”

Koda frowned. “And exactly who are you going out with?”

“With anyone she damn well pleases,” Taran countered.

Gemini hurried over to me. Seeing as how males didn’t exactly beat down my door to date me, he knew precisely whom I intended to meet. “Celia, please don’t do this.” His uneasy expression implored me to reconsider. “It would devastate Aric to know you were with Misha.”

My lips parted. I couldn’t believe Gemini had brought up Aric. And I especially couldn’t believe he tried to guilt me into sparing his feelings. “Aric doesn’t have to know about this. I’m not meeting Misha to hurt him.” It was the truth. I wasn’t a petty or vengeful person. I was just a person with a broken heart, and one who needed to forget the memories that ailed me.

“He’ll know,” Gemini answered.

I frowned. “I don’t want him to.”

“He has a right to know!” Koda snapped. “Shit, Celia. Aric hates him!”

I threw a palm out. “Why? Because Misha is a vampire? Or is it because he’s a male who desires my company?” The wolves collectively tightened their jaws, giving me hard stares, but refusing to answer. Something was up. And damn it, I needed to know what. I met their judgmental glares with equal frustration, my tigress giving my tone an extra boost. “Just tell me.”

Koda leaned back on his heels and crossed his arms. It was clear he didn’t want to say anything, but he finally did. “Misha hurt someone Aric cared about deeply. He’s never forgiven him for what he did to her.”

My back stiffened. So Aric had cared for someone else. No wonder he’d abandoned me so easily. The jealousy that seared to my bones made me defensive. “That has nothing to do with me. I’m not that girl.”

Koda’s furrowed eyebrows relaxed. “No, you’re not,” he admitted. “She’s dead.”

My sisters gasped behind. I remained still as stone.

“M-Misha killed her?” Emme sputtered.

Koda watched me carefully before answering, “Aric blames him for her death.”

“That’s not the same thing as murdering someone, Koda.” I spoke with conviction, and Koda didn’t deny it. In truth, I didn’t know. Misha was a vampire, one with enough clout to easily kill or order someone’s death. Except more than once I’d seen the man behind the fangs, the arrogance, and the sin. No, Misha hadn’t killed Aric’s love. This, I was absolutely sure of.

Liam dropped his head, low enough for me to count all the spikes in his rock star hairstyle. “Celia, please don’t do this to Aric.”

My bruised heart throbbed cruelly. How had I come out the bad guy?

Taran stomped to my side, jabbing her finger in the air at the wolves. “Forget Aric and his goddamn feelings. He left her!” She released her rage. The flowers in the vases ignited in blue and white flames, boiling the water so hot the vases shattered.

Shayna’s head whipped to Taran. “Dude, calm down!”

Taran’s blue irises paled to white, her face barren of any reason. “Don’t tell me to calm down!”

I raced into the kitchen, grabbed the fire extinguisher, and sprinted back into the family room. Koda growled in wolf. I’m not sure what he said, but the charred smell of his anger coated my tongue like ash. The others were finishing batting out the flames on the couch and failed to recognize his rising fury.

Thunder exploded outside, shaking the entire house. Taran’s ire had reached a climactic crescendo, with no descent in sight. Koda stormed toward Taran and clasped her shoulders. “Stop. You need to stop now.”

Taran’s white irises locked on his turbulent browns. “You’re telling me Aric can screw who he wants, marry who he wants, and love who he wants, but Celia is denied that right!”

Koda’s eyes flared just as blue and white flames shot like a rocket up our fireplace and heated the entire room. “I won’t pretend to know what Celia is going through, but don’t you assume Aric is not suffering in his own personal hell.”

Taran quirked a dark eyebrow, making her stare appear more crazed. “How hot is it getting in hell with that blonde?”

“Let her go. Now.” Gemini dropped the blanket he’d been using to beat the flames and instinctively darted to Taran’s side, bringing with him the strong aroma of werewolf magic.

Koda dropped his hands and stepped into Shayna’s startled arms, proving why Gemini had been chosen over him as Beta. “Forgive me, Tomo. I meant no disrespect against yours.” He’d used Gemini’s given name. That in itself was a bad sign. Some furious, scary, werewolf, mojo thing had just happened. I didn’t understand it and I wanted it gone. I placed the fire extinguisher on the floor and slumped on the couch that had been spared from Taran’s fury. I glanced at the clock, hoping Misha would arrive soon and take me away from the madness I blamed myself for causing.

Gemini’s wrath lessened as he continued to watch Koda and Shayna holding each other. Gemini nodded once before slipping his arms protectively around Taran. Her eyes slowly regained their normal shade of blue. Yet her voice remained sharp. “Keep Aric and his bitch fiancee away from Celia. If they so much as hold hands around her, he’ll never use his penis again.”

Emme used her force to sweep up the mess. The soft brush of the broom broke up the unpleasant quiet of the room. But that’s about all it did. If it wasn’t for the doorbell ringing, I would have bolted away from the lot of them.

Emme glanced nervously at the wolves before opening the front door. “Hello, Misha.”

“Good evening, sweet Emme.”

Emme shuffled her feet. “Um. Thank you for taking Celia out, but I’d like your word that you’ll be a perfect gentleman.”

I think Emme would have liked living at the North Pole with Rudolph.

Misha regarded me as I uncrossed my legs and stood. “I am truly sorry, my dear, but I am not accustomed to making promises I cannot keep.”

The wolves responded by clenching their fists, puffing out their chests, and growling. Gemini appeared especially menacing, the extent of his boiling point continuing to linger. In an effort to avoid more drama, I thought it best to leave.

Misha greeted me with a sensual smile. “You look stunning. Are you ready for me?”

His voice dripped so much sexual connotation that I had to take a deep breath before answering, “Yes, Misha. I’m ready.”

I was ready—to forget about Aric. And Misha was the only one capable of distracting me.

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