Cursed (The Order of the Wolf) Read online

  “You’re right.” Raven sighed. “I don’t remember meeting her. If she was my mate, I’d remember that. My wolf is confused.”

  “So you do what you need to do. Slake your lust, whatever. But once this is over, you’re walking away from her.”

  “What does the witch want with her?”

  “Who the fuck cares? You’ll be free of her and it’ll be done. Karma in due course. Trust me, man, you won’t care once this is over. In fact, you’ll have to stop yourself from fucking killing the bitch for doing what she’s done to you.”

  Raven sighed as he glanced over at Darcy, who stood watching them, phone on the desk, paper in her hand, and all he saw was a woman he couldn’t bear to be without.

  “You just get her there. The witch will do the rest and for the sake of your sanity, keep what you know a secret. If she thinks it’s a trap, she’ll take off again.”

  “Is it true?” Darcy voice was hesitant and she flinched slightly when Mayhem turned. “You’ve agreed to pay the twenty-thousand?”

  “That’s right,” Mayhem growled.

  She looked from him to Raven, her eyes showing her mistrust and disbelief. He wanted so badly to tell her the truth. To let her know it was a trap, but instead he steeled himself against the urge, battled back the cry of his wolf and nodded. “I’m paying, and I plan to get my money’s worth.”

  Chapter Ten

  Darcy flinched, hard. Raven’s scorching gaze traveled down the length of her body and back up again. His words burned her too…just in a different way. “I’m not a prostitute.”

  “Could have fooled me.” His eyes were cold, anger flashing as he stalked toward her, backing her up against the wall with his towering, bulky body.

  He radiated lust and her legs trembled. The curse wasn’t meant to be reciprocal. She shouldn’t have been affected and yet, here she was being called a whore and feeling…what? Hurt by it? “I’m not the one who uses women…”

  “Willing women. What you did doesn’t even compare.” Raven growled as he caged her, bulging arms on either side of her body, face inches from hers, staring down at her with such raw need her panties were soaked in seconds, her body betraying her brain in every possible way. Here he was, insulting her and all she wanted was to rip his clothes off and lick his beautiful body.

  “I was righting a wrong, that’s all it was ever meant to be,” she offered feebly, her voice wavering slightly. She’d said that line so many times over the years, a mantra to justify her actions. It was the armor she worn so she could do what she had to do for all those broken women. Right the wrongs. Pay those scummy men back in kind. And she’d believed it all, right up until a few minutes ago. If what that witch said was true, she’d not only left a trail of broken men lusting for her, she’d probably been responsible for many of their deaths as well. She might be a vengeance dealer, but she wasn’t a death dealer. That possibility weighed heavy on her conscience.

  Raven leaned in and nuzzled her neck, inhaling deeply. “My wolf wants to ravish you. Your spell is fucking with my beast. It doesn’t understand what you’ve done.”

  Darcy squirmed, wanting to giggle at the intimate gesture, steeling herself against his touch. “You’ll have to take it then. I’m not giving it up willingly.” The other men were still in the room, and she didn’t like their loathing glares or the idea of being watched while Raven took out his frustration on her.

  Raven laughed as he nipped her throat. “Liar. I can smell your arousal. I know you want me to fuck you. Was I good last night, huh, sweets? Did I make you scream?”

  Darcy pushed against his chest, which was as effective as pushing against a brick wall. “My body might be giving you a green light, but trust me, my mind isn’t.”

  He nipped her harder, the points of his teeth gouging deeper. She yelped, moved her hand to cover her neck, but he pushed his body against hers, immobilizing her. The feel of his hard cock effectively reminded her of just how well he’d made her scream the night before. “My wolf wants to mark you, lay claim to you.” His breath against her skin was hot, the wound he’d just made on her throat throbbed. He licked her there, his warm, wet tongue like a balm, shooting jolts of desire straight to her pussy. “You know what will happen if I do?”

  “Rav,” Mayhem warned.

  Darcy gulped, shook her head minutely.

  Ignoring his alpha, Raven pulled back, moved his hand to brush her hair from her face, then clenched a handful of strands at the back of her head and forced her to look at him. “If I mark you, every single male on this planet, wolf or not, will know that you’re mine. They’ll sense it and instinctively know that they cannot touch you if they value their lives at all. If I mark you, you will never again know sexual pleasure from another male. Not unless that male is me and I decide to give it to you. Karma is a bitch, isn’t it, sweets?”

  Darcy wanted him to mark her. She wanted him to. And that was fucked up. She knew it. Couldn’t explain it. He was effectively telling her he would do to her what she did to him. She could see in his eyes that he battled with that action. He wanted to do it, wanted it beyond an act of revenge and hated her for wanting it too.

  “If you mark me, you’ll never want to let me go,” she countered, her voice defiant. She might be feeling these strange fucked up things for this man, but she’d be damned if he was going to know about it. “How would you like to be tied to a woman like me? A woman who would loathe your very existence. A woman who would run from you every opportunity she got. You’d spend your life hunting for me, I promise you. You have no idea what I’m capable of.” She bluffed, hoping her unwavering stare was convincing. He had no idea what a mediocre witch she was—better to make him think she could wield some power if necessary. “You might have my body, you might make me lust, but you’ll never, ever, have my heart. And that would kill your wolf just as surely as my curse will.”

  They glared at each other, his eyes a stormy cloud of confusion. She thought she could see his wolf there, battling to take control. She wanted this man, wanted to understand him, his wolf, but she knew it had to be part of his beastly allure. The reason why he was so successful with the ladies—a mystery man, the ultimate bad boy. She fought against her body, desperate to remain logical. This was no romance. This man could inflict some serious harm and all she could really do in return was light a candle and drip some hot wax over his body. She shivered at that image, then silently scolded herself for lusting after a man who clearly wanted to hurt her.

  Raven sneered. “How many men have you left wanting you, sweetheart? What kind of retribution do you deserve?”

  Darcy frowned, tried to move her head away, but his steel grip in her hair kept her in place. She contemplated closing her eyes, but that would be an unforgivable weakness. He knew how to hurt her, how to make her feel things she didn’t want to feel. Right now, her gut clenched with regret. She turned it into anger. “I’ve had many clients.” She narrowed her eyes as she glared back at him, suddenly understanding what would cut him to the core. “And I fucked every single one of them.”

  Raven growled low and deep, his body shook with sudden anger. He wrenched her head to the side and she cried out, as he pressed his teeth to her neck, his fangs poking at her skin.

  Oh fuck, what had she done?

  Chapter Eleven

  Raven could see nothing but rage. Uncontrollable jealousy at the thought of Darcy fucking other men. He’d been bluffing his way through their interaction, trying to sound cold and hard. The fine thread of control he’d maintained had snapped the moment she blasted him with her words.

  I fucked every single one of them.

  He would have her, mark her and she would be his forever. His fangs rested against her pulse, aching for a taste. His wolf howled.

  Steel hands landed on his shoulders, a bellow of fury torn from his throat as he was ripped from his woman.

  He spun and lashed out, his strong uppercut connecting with an equally strong jaw, but barely making his target m
ove.

  Jay’s eyes blazed. “You hitting a brother over that whore?”

  “That’s my woman! Don’t call her a whore.” Raven’s anger propelled him forward with little thought, taking Jay down with a headbutt to the ribs, and keeping him down with jab after jab to the gut. Below him was not his pack-mate, below him was every other male Darcy had fucked. Jay raised his arms to block the incoming blows, but couldn’t deflect all the hits.

  “You will not do this!” Mayhem roared, his arm around Raven’s neck, cutting his air supply, pulling him off the bloody mess that was Jay.

  Raven grunted, struggled against the iron hold of his pack alpha, his fury blinding him. Mayhem drilled him in the side and squeezed his bicep tighter. Raven wheezed in his last breath.

  “We do not fight one another,” Mayhem growled in his ear.

  Reality finally registered and Raven deflated, his lungs screaming for air. He resisted the urge to fight and instead submitted.

  Mayhem eased his hold a fraction. “You will not mate with this woman. She is not what you need.”

  Raven’s mind fought against that statement. She was his woman. His wolf wanted to mate.

  “No!” Mayhem growled, against his ear once again. “No, you will not mate with this woman because the second you do is the second you are no longer part of my pack.”

  Raven’s wolf heard the truth behind those words. Mayhem would oust him. His wolf retreated, pacing silently back, giving Raven control once again. He calmed his breathing, pulling in slow deep lungfuls of air as Mayhem released his grip a fraction more.

  “You got your shit under control, man?”

  Raven nodded as best he could with a huge fucking arm pressed against his throat.

  “You lose your shit again and I’ll lock you up.”

  Mayhem let him go and he stumbled forward, his hands on his knees, his body doubled-over he sucked in more and more air.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for these two to be alone.” Dy helped Jay up from the floor.

  Jay grunted his thanks as he wiped blood from his face with his sleeve. “Yeah. What the fuck, man?”

  Raven shook his head as he forced himself to stand. “I don’t know.” He cut Darcy a hard look. “She’s got my wolf bewitched.”

  She glared back at him, one hand covering her throat. He felt a pang of remorse. It had been a close one. He’d been seconds away from binding her to his wolf. Unlike her magic, that shit was totally irreversible and she had it right—she wasn’t his mate, she would loathe that bond and his wolf would suffer for it.

  “I don’t think he can handle being alone with her,” Jay growled as he accepted a towel from Dy and placed it over the cut on his cheek. “If he bites that bitch…”

  Raven growled and Mayhem snapped a hard look his way, a finger raised in warning. “Lock it down, Rav.”

  Raven sucked in a deep breath, pushing his wolf back again.

  “There’s no other way.” Mayhem shook his head. “The witch was adamant. He goes alone or no deal.”

  “It’s a short trip, one night and we’re there. Don’t worry. I’ve got it under control. I just can’t touch her.”

  Jay snorted. “Yeah, don’t touch her. Great plan.”

  “You two leave now, you’ll make it into the state by the morning. Come daylight, separate hotel rooms, doors locked and barred. I don’t trust your wolf not to stake its claim on her.” Mayhem nodded. “We’re leaving on a flight at dusk tomorrow. You’ll meet us at the next venue, free of this situation.”

  “I’ve got it under control,” Raven said.

  “And you…” Mayhem turned to Darcy. “Better keep your mind off of sex. You rile his beast up and you’ll regret what will happen. Trust me on that one.”

  Darcy gulped, her eyes wide, her hand still covering her neck. “I didn’t do anything…” She choked on her next words, Mayhem’s glare working on her just as it worked on his pack.

  “Get on the road. Now,” Mayhem barked.

  “The witch said we needed to be there tomorrow night. Why not sleep for a few hours, head out tomorrow?” Darcy said, mistrust edging her words.

  “You’ll leave tonight,” Mayhem growled as he exited the room.

  “There’s no way we’re going to make it before daybreak. It’s in the next state.” Darcy said, her brow bunched into a frown, exhaustion clear on her face. “Unless your wolf can drive…I’m too wiped out to get behind the wheel.”

  Raven knew enough not to argue a direct order from his alpha. He was walking a fine line with the pack. She’d turned his world into a chaotic mess for one night of pleasure. He’d be damned if he let her destroy his life completely.

  “We leave in five. Get your shit.” He growled as he stormed out of the room, fighting with every ounce of strength to move away instead of toward the cursed woman.

  She is not your mate. She is not your mate.

  Yeah…someone needed to tell his fucking wolf that.

  Chapter Twelve

  Darcy hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours. She’d been running on adrenaline from the moment she first saw Raven. Sex, fear, lust, terror…didn’t seem to matter the source, she’d been revved up the entire time. As she settled into the soft leather seat of Raven’s rented SUV, she couldn’t help but feel like she was melting into it. Her body was so weary, her eyelids heavy and yet her brain wouldn’t stop running, millions of thoughts keeping her from completely shutting down. They’d been driving for an hour already and she’d hoped the lull of the car’s movement would send her into dreamland, but instead the endless road just made her think more.

  Too many thoughts crowded her brain, battling for consideration. Raven and her feelings for him were easily dealt with. Must have been some kind of weird byproduct of the curse. Nothing more than that. She’d never stuck around her target long enough to see the results or experience any side-effects. All the same, she needed to get this curse lifted, free herself from Raven’s thrall and then figure out a way to right the wrongs she’d committed. If it was possible.

  How many men had she done this to? At least a dozen, maybe more. She needed to know how long a cursed man usually had—days, months, years—before he succumbed to it. How much blood was on her hands? Her heart was heavy with guilt. That witch, Kat, was right. She shouldn’t have been meddling in something she didn’t understand. As much as she would love to blame Annie for not teaching her properly, she couldn’t. This was her own fault and no one else’s. She needed to fix it.

  Darcy sighed as she rubbed her hand over her face, brushing her hair back to tuck behind her ear. Raven hadn’t said a word to her since they left the hotel. His shoulders were set, muscles bunched up, fingers tightly curled on the steering wheel and eyes staring straight ahead. Five hours ’til daybreak. Five hours of hellish silence, driving at breakneck speed. Werewolves, it seemed, didn’t give a damn about speed limits.

  “I didn’t intend for this to happen.” All anger and defiance she’d felt before was gone. She hated the silence, gave her too much time to dwell on what a shitty person she was.

  Raven snorted but didn’t take his eyes off the road ahead. “Didn’t intend for what to happen? To curse an innocent man to lust for you? You didn’t intend the agony that accompanies that kind of desire?” He snorted again, his lips curling into a sneer. “It’s called a curse for a reason, sweetheart.”

  “I know you’re angry, you have every right to be. I just want you to know that I didn’t think—”

  “No,” he barked, snapping his gaze in her direction. “You didn’t think about anyone but yourself. Maybe your clients. But definitely not the men you were cursing. Vengeance Dealer…fuck…” He reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a card, then whipped it at her so that it smacked her shoulder and fell to her lap.

  She glanced down, recognized the black glossy card for what it was.

  “I found this when I searched your bag earlier. Darcy Wells, Vengeance Dealer, Hell Hath No Fury Like a Wo
man Scorned.” He scoffed. “What was this to you? A game? What happened, sweets, someone break your precious heart way back when and all of a sudden you decide to take it out on the rest of us?”

  She cringed, picked up the card and ran her thumb over the words he’d recited. “Yeah, something like that.” He had the truth of it and her heart ached all the more. She’d known the pain of betrayal, rejection burning so hot that she wanted to kill herself. She knew that agony and it had driven her to this—a romanticized retribution for every woman. It had felt good to lash out. It had given her the power she needed to get over her own hurt. But now facing the reality of what she’d done, she knew it had all been a selfishly driven, desperate attempt to regain her pride. She’d always thought she was repairing the broken Darcy by seeking vengeance for others, but really she’d only managed to find an outlet—a misdirected outlet for her own anger. No matter how she’d justified it in the past, she couldn’t justify it now.

  “I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, yeah, but are you only sorry because you got caught?” He growled when she opened her mouth to argue. “Keep it to yourself, sweets, I’m not interested.”

  And so the silence resumed, except now the anger and hate was amplified and contained within the small space of the truck. No music to drown it out, no conversation to distract, nothing but the long stretch of road ahead and a three hundred pound werewolf behind the wheel. Lovely.

  They stopped for an uncomfortable late night dinner break and made it to the next state by five-thirty, just enough time to arrive at the rendezvous hotel. After getting the rooms, Raven drove the truck around back, pulled into a spot in front of the hotel and killed the engine.

  “We’re in these rooms.” He tossed the key to her. “Adjoining. Don’t even think about bolting. My wolf doesn’t need sleep. You even touch the doorknob and we’ll come through the wall if we have to.”