Cursed To Death

people in the world you want to have a grudge against you.”

Arms loaded down with branches and red berries, they trudged to where the nervous Sprites had pointed. A small, crystal-clear brook zigzagged before them, and it seemed so cool and inviting that she wanted to stop and take a sip from it, but couldn’t risk losing her toxic armload in the Fae water supply.

“Crossing running water is another way to break spells,” Sasha said, looking at Shogun and Hunter. Their faces were slicked with sweat, pure wolf in their eyes, and she could tell that they were nearly deaf to what she was telling them.

“All right,” she said, peeved. “On three, we jump the brook-keep those branches out of it so we don’t cause an ecological disaster out here. Where we land, your guess is as good as mine.” That’s all the time she had before Hunter rushed her.

She crashed through bramble and hit the ground with a thud. Hunter flattened her, crushing leaves and berries into her back. Shogun somersaulted out of the bushes, crouched, and released a warning growl.

Gun clicks and warning arrows helped all three alphas return to the present and clear their minds. Both males jumped back, eyeing each other, with Sasha between them. She pushed up slowly, the wind having been knocked out of her, looked at Hunter, and snarled.

“You rushed me? Have you lost it?” Sasha brushed twigs out of her hair, not caring if she sounded out of control or not. Right now she was.

“We cannot stay in the presence of rowan fumes,” a Fae archer said, pulling back.

“We’ve got ’em covered,” Woods said, helping Sasha up. “You cool, Captain?”

“Never better,” she said, scowling at Hunter as she stood and brushed herself off.

“It was the woods. I’m sorry,” Hunter muttered, brushing off his clothes. He gave Sasha an apologetic glance, humiliation resonating in his tone, and then looked away. “Had a flaashback to the Uncompahgre. Won’t happen again.”

“You rushed the lady?” Shogun said, now snarling.

“Don’t judge me when you have no point of reference!” Hunter shouted, pointing at Shogun.

“You think not?” Shogun shouted back.

“What?” Hunter tilted his head as though he hadn’t heard correctly and walked toward Shogun with murder in his eyes.

“Yo, Max,” Crow Shadow called out. “Don’t go there, man.”

“Hunter-reason… Safe haven!” Bear Shadow said and then looked at Sasha, openly confused that the words she’d given them to use in an emergency were falling on deaf ears.

She could feel the lunge coming the way old bones forecasted rain. Yanking a nine-millimeter out of Woods’s waistband, she fired a warning shot into the air.

“First man to go airborne dies where he lands. Enough of this bullshit! We’ve got work to do!”

It had to be the longest twenty minutes in the world for Sasha, sitting in the back of a panel-body truck, enduring bayou heat, no air-conditioning, wedged between two very edgy alphas and two very nervous betas. However, that was the best arrangement, given that they were traveling through Deliverance country and six cops had died the night before. It made the most sense to put Woods and Fisher up front and to keep the more colorful cast of characters concealed in the back.

But the tight confines did give Bear Shadow and Crow Shadow a chance to tell them all about Bradley’s brilliant plan. Woods had gotten the cell phone call the moment they cleared the castle walls; Fisher’s phone was lighting up, too. Sasha leaned her head back against the warm, metal interior of the truck and dug into her jeans’ pocket.

“Here, Crow. Take my amulet. You be safe in there with Bear and ’Rissa. But if anybody can get you there and back safely, it’s Silver Hawk.”

Her brother accepted the amber and silver amulet and held it in his fist for a moment, staring at her before looping it over his head. “I’ll do you proud, Sasha.”

Bear Shadow lowered his head as Hunter looped the alpha-male leader amulet over his head, something that had been in the clan for generations. “I will do my best to be worthy of this honor.”

“Just come back alive, brother. That’s all we ask of both of you,” Hunter said in a somber tone.

They traveled a long way in relative silence, but then everyone froze when the truck slowed down.

“Roadblock,” Fisher said, turning quickly to call over the backseat. “Pull that tarp up. State troopers.”

“Wanna open up?” a trooper said, leaning into Woods’s window.

“USMC, sir… headed to Fort Polk, NAS. Got ID that says so-and got artillery back there that’s Homeland Security issued. Don’t want civvies that are out here in this line gawking to see it, sir. I’m not trying to be an ass or to make your job any harder, much respect. But those are my direct orders; that’s why I’m traveling in a camouflaged vehicle. If you’ve got a problem-like I said, those are my orders. My commanding officer is General Westford and I can give you a direct line to his office.”

Damn, Woods was awesome. The tone of voice he used didn’t waver. He sounded like he had the right to be where he was, doing what he was doing. So now it was a game of chicken between him and the trooper. Sasha waited. Nervous anticipation and heat covered her body with perspiration. Male pheromones coated her sinuses and the back of her tongue with their scent. She closed her eyes as a trickle of sweat rolled down her spine, between her shoulder blades. Two bangs on the side of the truck almost made her jump.

“You boys keep doing what you’re doin’,” the trooper said. “Wasn’t for you, wouldn’t be no hope. Jus’ wish I knew what newfangled weapons y’all had up your sleeves.”

“Biohazards,” Woods said. “It’s living organisms… Wicked shit when it’s let loose on the bad guys.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” the trooper said, and slapped the side of the van again. “You boys go on ahead and you get those terrorists! We’ll be working on whoever went after some of our local boys, but the fight’s all the same. We all wear the colors, all wear a uniform.”

“Same war, different day-good luck and sorry about the loss of your men,” Woods said, rolling the truck forward.

“Sorry about the loss of yours, son,” the trooper called out. “Hey, Joe, escort this military vehicle around that line of traffic! Get ’em to the front of the line.”

Just like that, they were free. After a while, Fisher gave them the all-clear to come out from under the tarp.

“Same pack,” Woods called over his shoulder. “I guess humans have loyalties and bonds, too.”

When they reached The Fair Lady, Woods slowed the vehicle and Fisher opened the door. Hunter got out and did recon with one of Shogun’s lieutenants, who were hidden in the shadows. Sasha watched with her heart in her mouth as Hunter took Ethan’s establishment, which was crawling with cops. Rather than the direct approach, she saw Hunter and Chin-Hwa go into the adjacent building and come out on the roof. NOPD would be in the cellar, maybe going through the office records, as well as combing through the alley and the first floor, spending hours trying to figure out what looked like some type of dark ritual that ended in a possible shoot-out. All she could do was pray that Hunter and Chin-Hwa could find their target to lay the iron and witchwood bundles, and then get out.

Shogun took Finnegan’s Wake, which was the lesser evil of the two bars. It was still functioning, and Seelie Fae knew the deal. Sir Rodney’s guys had told them to give Shogun and Dak-Ho full access, even if NOPD was hanging around and asking questions. But when they went in with rowan, herbs, and iron bundles in duffel bags, Shogun and Dak-Ho cleared the joint. She had to remember to ask Sir Rodney’s advisors how to go in after the spell had been broken to remove the hazmat from the attics, or the establishments would be virtually worthless to the Seelie Fae.

“You ready to go in, Cap?” Woods asked, turning around in his seat.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, grabbing her duffel bag, checking that the coast was clear, and jumping down when Fisher opened the door. “You guys come back from the shadow lands in one piece,” she said to Bear Shadow and Crow Shadow, wishing like hell that she could have gone in their stead.

But there was no time to dwell on that now. Seung Kwon was waiting for her in the alley alongside the