A Cursed Embrace

I shook my head no. That was the first night we’d made love without a condom.

Gemini clasped his hands together and rubbed them. “Well, then, that was the night you claimed each other as mates and consummated your union.”

“But Aric’s wolf recognized you as his mate before then,” Liam explained. “The claim is performed after the human side accepts what the beast already knew. It’s the official way of becoming mated.”

“The claim only works if both partners feel the same way,” Koda added when he saw my blatant disbelief. “Otherwise, it would have failed.”

I gaped at the faces staring back at me, not knowing what to think or do. Then I remembered Heidi had referred to me as Aric’s mate a few weeks back. “Gemini, is Heidi also one of Aric’s Warriors?”

He nodded. “Yes, but she’s not close to him like we are.”

Yeah, sure she’s not. I stood there, dumbfounded. Why would Aric keep this from me?

Shayna practically glowed. She draped her arms around Koda’s neck and smiled. “Is this what you were trying to talk to me about the other night?”

Koda returned her smile and stroked her cheek. “Yes. There’s no doubt in my mind,” he answered softly.

Shayna rested her cheek against Koda’s massive chest. I didn’t remember ever seeing her so happy.

Taran turned the color of sand. “Oh, shit,” she whispered.

Gemini gathered her in his arms and pulled her close. “It’s okay,” he told her patiently. “We’ll wait until you’re ready.”

Two of my sisters were next in line to be “claimed” and “mated.” But when Emme faced Liam expectantly, his head dropped and he let out a weary breath. Her cheeks flushed and she turned to Gem. “Now that Aric is with someone else, will he remove his claim on Celia?” When she saw the hurt on my face, she quickly explained, “So Celia can move on, I mean.”

“It doesn’t work that way, Emme,” Koda replied, holding tight to Shayna. “Even if Aric never claimed Celia —oh, hell, even if they’d never met—she would still be his mate.” He offered me a sad, sympathetic smile. “She’s the one. He’ll never love another.”

My escalating frustration caused my hands to tremble. “But then how could he leave me?”

Gemini rubbed his goatee, searching for the right words to say. “Celia, you can’t fathom how much Aric is struggling. All he’s ever known is conflict with what he feels for you. Believe me, there’s nothing he wants more than to be at your side. But he’s bound by blood and obligation to our pack. It’s his duty to ensure our survival.”

My stomach twisted uncomfortably. As much as I wanted to believe I was Aric’s mate, I couldn’t. After all, he never admitted to loving me, even after knowing that I loved him.

I left them in silence and returned to my room, with the realization Gemini was right: Aric had to help continue his race. Without the weres, our world would perish. So as much as I wanted to hate him, I couldn’t. How could I hate someone who would put the world’s needs before his own?

* * *

“This is stupid. Why are they having sex if the psycho with the machete is after them?”

Bren tore his eyes from his flat-screen just to roll them at me. “Ceel, graphic nudity in slasher flicks gives the viewer a chance to breathe before the next set of limbs gets hacked. Everyone knows that.” He shrugged. “Besides, the blonde has awesome hooters.”

“I thought they were designed to warn teens against having sex?”

“Hooters?”

“No, Bren. You know, slasher movies?”

Bren shook his head. “I don’t think so. I lost my virginity while watching Halloween.”

I rubbed my eyes, though I shouldn’t have been surprised. When the blonde with the awesome hooters arched her back during the “act,” the psycho in the mask stabbed her in the chest. The tip of his machete pushed her still-beating heart out through her back in pure slasher-flick glory. I knew how she felt. I rubbed at my own chest, still sore from crying.

Bren’s phone rang. “Yeah?”

Taran screamed over the phone. “Tribesmen attacked Emme and Liam. Emme’s hurt and she’s not waking up.”

Bren scrambled to his feet. “Where are you?”

“The Den. Please hurry.”

“We’re on our way, Taran,” Bren promised.

I bolted after him. “Bren, wait. I don’t know how to get there.”

“I’ll show you.”

We raced down his apartment stairs and into my car. I started the engine. “How do you know where the Den is?”

“Aric offered me asylum there once we became aware of the Tribe. Take Eighty-nine to Squaw Valley.” He frowned. “How come you don’t know where it is?”

I thought back to Paul’s funeral. “I’ve never been there. Only weres are allowed through the gates.”

Bren scoffed. “What a bunch of snobs, just one more reason not to belong to a pack. I tell you, the day I call one of them is the day hell freezes over.”

I drove fast, worried about Emme and uneasy about what would happen once I reached the Den. Would I have to fight my way in?

Bren interrupted my thoughts. “You and Aric were pretty serious, weren’t you? I mean, it wasn’t just physical?”

I had the impression Bren had been watching me closely. “I thought so.”

“Did you ever meet his parents?”

“I spoke to his mother a few times on the phone, but his father died on a mission when Aric was fifteen.” I became quiet. Eliza Connor had thankfully survived the attacks.

“What is it, Ceel?”

“Nothing. It’s just that his mother had invited us for Thanksgiving. I was supposed to meet her then, but of course that’s no longer possible.”

His eyes softened before he turned back to face the road. “Sorry I brought it up, babe.”

Bren gave me more specific directions when we arrived at Squaw Valley. He had me turn onto a winding dirt path that led up a steep mountain. It made sense why the wolves owned SUVs; the stomach-churning drive up the path took almost fifteen minutes. I rolled down the window, hoping the magic of the area would settle my nerves. The Jeffrey and ponderosa pines and California red firs added a fresh aroma. Yet the growing scent of were magic fed my anxiety. Unlike the bewitching power of Tahoe, the divination of the mountain told me I wasn’t welcome. And that only danger waited.

“Do you feel that?” I asked Bren.

“Huh?”

I shuddered. “Never mind.”

We veered onto a paved private road and approached a colossal wrought-iron gate. My shoulders relaxed slightly when a familiar figure stepped out, smiling. “Hi, Celia, it’s nice to see you. Come on in.”

“Thank you, Heidi.”

Bren gawked at her as we pulled away. “Are those real?”

I glared at him. “How the hell would I know?”

Bren lowered the window and placed an arm against the doorframe. His laid-back demeanor dissolved as he took in the campus. “You know, this place sits on over a hundred acres. With so much land, I never understood why Aric ran at Tahoe. I’d think his wolf would prefer the rugged terrain.”

“Aric was out exploring the area the day we met. The beach was close to the lodge where he and the other wolves were staying. They liked Tahoe and thought they’d find a place around the lake.” My tigress paced inside me, vigilant of the danger we continued to perceive.