Cursed (The Order of the Wolf) Read online

  Darcy gulped and nodded, scooping up the key and her duffle bag from the floor. “I’m too exhausted to run.” And that was only half the truth of it. He might not believe her, but she was sorry and she wanted to right this wrong. Even though she threatened to earlier, she wouldn’t leave him, not until she saw this through.

  The next half an hour was a haze of showering, putting on a T-shirt to sleep in and curling up under the stiff, bleachy smelling sheets. Her last thought came as the sun poked a tiny ray through the crack in her drapes and she heard a muffled growl through the wall. I hope they allow dogs in here. She snickered quietly, then gave in to blissful sleep.

  What felt like minutes later, she jolted awake. She was not alone. She bolted upright. The weight of something huge on her mattress made her tumble forward until she smacked her face against something hard and coarse hair abraded her cheek. She pulled back to see two bright golden eyes glaring at her in the semi-darkness. Her fuzzy brain misfired as she pushed herself back. The golden eyes narrowed and two white fangs gleamed as a low growl rumbled, vibrating the bed. She raised a hand to her mouth and screamed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  His wolf was in control, after hour upon hour of her scent drifting under the door into his room, rational thought finally slipped away. He’d forced the door open and leapt to her bed as the last ounce of restraint left him.

  She’d muffled her scream, clamping her hand to her mouth, eyes wide, body shaking. He breathed her in. Fear…arousal…mine.

  When she scrambled from the bed, he followed her, jumping down gracefully and stalking slowly. She pressed herself against the wall as she inched toward the bathroom.

  He liked to chase, wanted her to run, so he bared his fangs and gave a low, guttural growl. She froze, hands pressed flat against the wall, eyes darting from one door to the next. Three possible exits. He growled again and made as if he was going to lunge. That got her moving.

  She darted right, then quickly doubled back, over the bed and headed for the door. He bolted after her, over the bed in one leap and beat her there, blocking that exit and baring his fangs. With a squeal, she skidded to a stop, spun and ran the other way, and headed for the adjoining door. He caught up quickly, nipped her ankle so she stumbled. She came to a stop against the wall once again, her body half turned.

  Overcome with excitement, he sucked in deep breaths, her scent filling his muzzle so richly he could almost taste her. He remembered that smell. He ran his nose along the contour of her leg, barely touching. He liked the goose bumps that rose and the hitch in her breathing as he nudged under the shirt that fell to her upper thigh. Her scent was intoxicating. He darted out his tongue, and her taste was exactly as he remembered. His wolf was not mistaken. This was his woman.

  He shifted away, licked his snout then pulled back and up, standing on his hind legs, landing his upper body with both front paws caging her in. She turned, her back pressed fully to the wall and his wolf growled with approval. She looked into his eyes with defiance and his wolf was proud.

  Mark her. Mate her.

  Primal urges gripped him. Her throat like a beacon to his fangs. He licked his snout again then bared his teeth.

  Instead of quivering with fear, she stared at him with awe, her eyes wide, lips curled into a small smile. She raised her hands and smoothed them along his neck. If he were a cat, he would have purred. Her eyes held no reservation, no terror at being held in place by a giant wolf. Instead, she looked curious, open. She raised her hands again, this time running two fingers across his snout—which tickled—down to his fangs, which she touched tentatively. His mouth watered as he watched her take those same fingers and press them to her own throat. An invitation. The reaction was instantaneous.

  The magic that forced his change at daybreak and sunset could only be provoked by extreme emotion in between. He was too young a werewolf for it to be otherwise. Her offer ignited that magic, pushing his wolf back, and he claimed his body and transformed from beast to man.

  She gasped. He didn’t let her get another breath. Crushing his lips to hers, he pushed his tongue into her mouth, his hands on her ass, and nudged her hard against the wall as he picked her up. She instantly wrapped her legs around his waist, her wet pussy soaking her panties against his abdomen. She moaned in his mouth, her lust matching his in ferocity as she tangled her tongue with his—stroking, sucking, devouring.

  She pushed his shoulders, then moved her hands down and began to pull her top up, her lips only leaving his as she whipped her shirt over her head and tossed it behind him. She was naked except for her panties and his cock was so hard it actually throbbed. Fuck, she had an amazing body. He pressed her back against the wall, pushing her hips so she unlatched her legs from his waist and lowered her feet to the ground. With both hands free, he brought them to her breasts, fingers spread as he cupped her, loving how firm and silky soft her flesh was. He ran his thumbs over her nipples, once, twice. The pebble sized nubs grew rosy under his touch. She rolled her head to the side and moaned, displaying her throat in such a way his wolf bayed in the background.

  Mine. Mine.

  He lowered his lips to one nipple, licked and then sucked the bud deep into his mouth, his fangs aching to sink in as they grazed the tender flesh. He lowered his other hand, trailing his fingers down her waist, along the curve of her hip, her skin petal soft and smooth. Dropping to his knees, he released her breast, hooked one leg over his shoulder and ripped her panties away, exposing her wet, pink little pussy—the bud of her clit nestled there. He darted out his tongue, a small taste that had his wolf howling again. He ran his tongue along her slit, pushing her lips open, plunging into her pussy and soaking himself in her juices. She quivered around him, her legs trembling as if she couldn’t hold herself up. Pulling his mouth away, he ran his thumb over her clit, circling there as he looked up and smiled.

  “You’re gonna come around my cock, sweetheart.”

  She meet his stare and nodded, biting her bottom lip as she lowered her leg from his shoulder, her hands running over his chest when he rose from the ground.

  “You want it?”

  She nodded again.

  “Say it.”

  “I want your cock in me.” She whimpered when he nudged her pussy with his dick, her eyes hooded, her hands pressed against his chest, fingers toying with his nipple piercings. “Fuck me. Please, Raven, I need it.”

  Lifting her once again, his hands splayed across her ass, he plunged in hard and deep and she moaned in an explosion of breath. He pumped her fast, filled her with every stroke, her tight pussy like a glove, his balls smacking against her skin, getting soaked in her juices.

  Her climax mounted quickly, her pussy clenching him in spasms that made him moan. Her head lolled to the side and he had to bite his own lip to stop himself from sinking his fangs into her delicate throat. He came hard, a shuddering, mind-blowing orgasm that made him dizzy. But instead of feeling satiated, he wanted more. He carried her to the bed, pulled out, then spun her around. With his hand on her neck, he forced her head down, the other hand on her hip lifting her ass up. He entered her from behind and began to stroke again, this time slow and steady.

  He would never get enough of this woman. There was no magic on Earth that could fake that kind of lust. None.

  They landed in a heap, arms and legs entangled, chests heaving, bodies slick with sweat and other things.

  “You are amazing,” Darcy said with a giggle.

  Raven smiled and pulled her closer, coaxing her head to rest on his chest. “Duh.”

  She raised her head, eyebrow cocked and he winked.

  “So are you.”

  She playfully smacked his chest, then lay down, nestling against him despite the mess they were both in. He took a deep breath in, her scent filling his lungs, playing across his tongue. His wolf was content, satiated to a degree, not nudging him quite as insistently to mark her.

  “I didn’t scare you,” he said, his tone hesitant. “With my wo
lf, I mean.”

  Darcy shrugged as she traced circles around his stomach. “You did at first, are you kidding? A three-hundred plus pound wolf jumps on your bed and you run.”

  “You…petted me.” He was confused, feeling the guilt of defying his alpha but at the same time, ready to challenge any male who would keep him away from Darcy. Was that the spell at work or something else? His wolf was persistent, desperate to have him bite her, mark her. Mine. He wished he knew what was real.

  Darcy giggled. “Yeah, I guess I did.” She shrugged again. “It felt right.”

  He pushed her up, sat up himself and turned her to face him. “What is this, Darcy? Seriously, I feel…” He shook his head. “I don’t know, like there’s something between us. Not a spell.”

  Darcy sucked in a deep breath, raised her hand and ran her fingers down his face, just as she’d done to his wolf. “I know. I feel the same thing.”

  “Is it your curse?”

  She shook her head, dropped her hand to her lap. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out when the curse is removed.”

  Raven gulped the lump in his throat, and forced himself to speak against his alpha’s orders. “It’s a trap,” he blurted. “That witch wants you in exchange for the counter-spell. Your servitude.”

  Darcy frowned. “What?”

  Kat had told her as much. Play along, she’d said. It was part of the plan to get Raven away from the pack and less of a threat. Annie would never set her up with someone who would harm her.

  “She told Mayhem that she wants you to teach you a lesson for meddling with magic. I was ordered not to say anything.”

  Here Raven was, confiding in her and once again she was lying. She lowered her gaze to her hands. “I’m okay with it. I know the plan.” What she felt for Raven was intense—a byproduct of the spell, Kat had told her, nothing more—and yet it felt like more.

  Raven hitched a finger under her chin and raised her face until she was looking at him again. “You’re okay with becoming some witch’s slave?”

  Darcy shrugged, tears welling in her eyes. “Maybe I’ll learn something from her. It might make me a better witch in the end. A better person at least. I hurt people, Raven. I hurt you. I want the curse removed.” She knew there was no indentured servitude awaiting her—she wasn’t in any danger of becoming a witch’s slave, and yet she was almost weeping. Why?

  “And if the feelings don’t go away?”

  A stream of tears rolled down her cheek. Why? Because the idea of being separated from Raven made her heart clench horribly. “Then I guess we’ll know for sure. Maybe she’ll let me go on dates.” She forced a smile and Raven growled.

  “If this is real, I’m never gonna let you go, sweetheart.”

  Darcy locked eyes with him, ran her hands over his Mohawk, down the sides of his head and wrapped them around his neck. “I lied to you today.”

  He cocked an eyebrow, pursed his lips.

  “I told you that if you marked me I would hate you.” She gulped. “I lied about that.”

  His eyes grew wide. Fangs filled his mouth, elongating past his lips.

  She tilted her head to the side and ran two fingers along her neck. “I wouldn’t loathe you for marking me.”

  “It’s irreversible.” His words were guttural, his black pupils flashing with streaks of gold, as if his wolf were clawing its way to the surface.

  “I know.” She pressed herself closer, her neck just beneath his chin. “It feels like the right choice.”

  Raven’s body shook like he was reining himself in. He raised his hand to her head, fingers entwined in her short hair. “My wolf wants. It wants.” He lowered his mouth to her throat, fangs pressing against her skin. It wouldn’t take much.

  “Take it then.” Darcy whispered.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Someone pounded on the door, jolting Raven back and making Darcy gasp.

  “Ignore it,” Darcy said, breathless, giddy, feeling like this was the most important moment of her life.

  Raven looked down at her, licked his lips, his fangs gleaming.

  “You don’t want to do that, wolf. Open the goddamned door if you know what’s good for you.”

  Darcy snapped her eyes to the door. That sounded like… “Annie?”

  “That’s right, Darcy. Open this door or I’ll spell it open.”

  Darcy jumped from the bed and scrambled to find some clothes to throw on before opening the door. Outside stood Annie and another woman, presumably Kat. The woman had dark hair streaked with white, its length rivaling Annie’s waist-long braid. Her eyes were so blue they shone.

  “Whew, girl, you almost made the biggest mistake of your life.” Annie pushed past her into the room, toting a big bag and her companion. Kat had said nothing about Annie coming too.

  “How did you…?”

  “Kat is a seer, unreliable power, let me tell you.” She scoffed in Kat’s general direction. “Realized you two beat us here and hit the gas…just in the nick of time, by the looks of it.”

  Kat nodded as she helped Annie heave the bag onto the small hotel table. “You’re a foolish girl. Messing with a werewolf. Do you have no sense?”

  Raven growled low and long as he stalked toward the women. “What are you two doing?”

  Kat refused to look at him. “We’re setting up the spell, that’s what we’re doing. You want to be free of this curse, don’t ya?” She continued mumbling. “No sense to be meddling with a werewolf. Fool of a witch, get herself killed.”

  Annie took out a pouch from the bag and poured its contents into a small bowl, then lifted it to Raven’s nose. “Cleansing powder…for the curse.”

  With the bowl right under his nostrils, he had no choice but to inhale. He immediately started coughing and gagging as he pushed it away. “What the fuck, lady?”

  Annie smiled. “Oh, so sorry, thought you might want to see it.”

  “See it?” He coughed, his eyes red and weeping. “You practically shoved it up my nose!”

  Darcy frowned as she looked from Annie to Kat. There was something so odd—

  “Annie…how did you meet—?”

  “Kat?” Annie nodded. “I’ve known Kat for years. Expert curse remover.” She set up a series of candles, brushed her hand over the lot of them and muttered the incantation to set them ablaze.

  A seer and a curse remover? Huh? Two powerful traits in the same witch…not likely. And if Annie had known a curse remover all along, why hadn’t she said something right from the start? Darcy shook her head. Odd didn’t even begin to describe the situation. “Why do you need candles to—?”

  Annie waved her question away, then turned and hugged her. “I didn’t even say hello properly.” She laughed then quietly whispered against her ear. “Hush now, girl, you want to get us all killed?”

  Darcy shook her head again, hugged Annie back. When she pulled away, Annie winked then resumed her strange spell preparation. There was nothing about this scene that made any sense. Darcy didn’t know a lot about removing curses but she knew enough to recognize smoke and mirrors when she saw it. These women weren’t setting up for a spell.

  “What was in that powder?” Raven rubbed his eyes, took a step toward the women and stumbled.

  “Raven!” Darcy made a move toward him and Annie halted her mid-step with a touch of power—a warning jolt—and a minute shake of her head.

  “You’ve drugged me!” he roared.

  Kat dripped the candle wax over the powder, mumbled a few words, then scooped it up and flung it at Raven. It landed with a splat across his eyes. He bellowed his rage as he frantically tried to clear the mess off his face.

  His body began to contort. His bellow turned into a growl. The witches had forced a change.

  Kat nodded at Annie.

  “Time to go,” Annie said as she grabbed Darcy’s hand and dragged her toward the door.

  “What’s going on?” Darcy screeched as Kat followed up behind her, pushing when Annie was pulling.<
br />
  “That spell will only hold for ten minutes, tops…maybe less if his wolf is strong. We need to get clear of here until the Hunters arrive.”

  “The Hunters?” Darcy stumbled into the cool spring day, only then realizing that she was garbed in a T-shirt and nothing else.

  “Yes, girl, you’ll be safe and in their care shortly, united with your destined Hunter.”

  “Werewolf Hunters?” Darcy’s mind raced as Kat’s words played over in her head. United with your destined Hunter. “What are you saying? That I’m a Huntress?”

  Annie opened the door to her truck and tried to force her in. “Yes, girl! That spell you cast, the vengeance spell, didn’t ever work properly. You’d maybe feel a jolt, get thirty minutes out of it but then it would sizzle. You’re not powerful enough to wield a curse! Had a feeling something more was up when you said your spell on the wolf felt different—like a rope snapping into place is what you said. That’s why I called Kat. She’s in the Hunters’ service, on the lookout for wayward Huntresses.”

  Realization dawned on her a moment later and she pushed back, taking a step away from the truck door. “This was all a set up?” She pointed at Kat. “You made me think the spell had worked! I thought I’d cursed him!”

  “Way I see it, you shouldn’t have been meddling with curses anyway.” Kat scoffed, arms crossed over her chest.

  “I believed myself a murderer,” Darcy hissed. “I thought I was going to find a trail of dead men that I’d cursed. That’s horrible! How could let me think that? I thought I’d destroyed Raven’s life.”

  “I know this is confusing, Darcy. You two weren’t supposed to be here until later tonight! We needed time to get the Hunters in position,” Annie explained.

  “You told me I was screwed! You said the wolves would kill me if they caught me!”

  “I needed to get you afraid. No way was I gonna let you go to their side. This is war, Darcy. Hunters against the beasts. How did I know they wouldn’t kill you if they caught you? The wolves have killed other Huntresses before.”