Cecy Robson - Cursed By Destiny

Tye clutched the arms of his seat. “I don’t have a goddamned uterus. Leave me the hell alone!”

I almost told Tye I’d once removed about half a dozen bullets from Gemini’s body. But then I thought about the comment he’d made about “our first time” and “knowing he’d be on top.” So instead of trying to ease his anxiety, I looked to everyone else. “Get him.”

Everybody pounced, even Emme. Tye wrenched and twisted his body, swearing like a drunken sailor during Fleet Week. Everyone held tight. I gave him a nice smile and stroked his long mane away from his face. “I thought you were the king of beasts, not the lord of chickens.”

My touch and grin distracted him . . . a little too much. He flashed me one of his sexy smiles. “So, what do I get if I let you— Son of a bitttccchhh! ”

I tossed the extracted bullet into a cup. “Absolutely nothing.”

I stood and washed my hands while my pals climbed off him—except for Emme, who helped him heal. The little whiny feline was as good as new in under a minute. He rose from his seat and padded over to me, leaning in close to place his hands on my shoulders. “That wasn’t nice,” he murmured.

I shrugged his hands off. “You’re welcome.”

Tye immediately clasped my shoulders again and locked his gaze on mine. “I like you, Celia,” he whispered. “How about, if we make it out of this alive, you let me take you to dinner?”

Tye said “dinner” the way most males said “bed.” I backed away from him as a deep sadistic growl tore through my mind. By the smirk on Tye’s face, he’d heard it, too. A white haze surrounded me, making me glow. I freaked out. “What the hell?”

Everyone gawked at me except for Tye. “Looks like Aric’s bond with you just kicked up a notch.” He let out a small laugh. “So, how about dinner?”

“Celia, wake up.”

I stretched my arms slowly, only to sit up abruptly when my stomach lurched. Crap, I was nauseated.

Tye frowned. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just jet-lagged.” My thoughts led to Aric. I rubbed my face, chest, and arms, expecting them to hurt for some reason.

Tye watched my movements. “We’re an hour from our last stop. I need everyone ready before we land. I’ve arranged for a helicopter. It’s the quickest way to get to Chaitén.”

I nodded and gently nudged Shayna. “Puppy?” she mumbled.

“No, babe, it’s just me.” I didn’t like the deep-set wrinkles crinkling her forehead. She appeared to be in pain, but then she grinned and propped herself up. I stretched again and searched for some crackers to settle my stomach. If I didn’t get some decent sleep soon, my body was going to turn on me.

Shayna’s phone rang in her pack as I found some saltines. She fumbled through it until she found it. “Koda?”

“It’s me, Taran.” My heart sank when I heard her trembling voice. Something was wrong. Shayna’s hands shook as she put the call on speaker. “Please tell me you’re all right and please say you have the stone,” Taran begged.

Shayna stilled, barely blinking. Emme sat down next to her and clutched her hand while I spoke. “We’re fine and we have the stone. We should get to you in about an hour and a half.” Taran’s cries rang through the phone and stung my ears. I swallowed hard. “Taran, what’s happened?”

“We can’t defeat Ihuaivulu. He’s too strong. We had to use the first stone to weaken him. Aric and Koda were the only ones able to get close enough to cast it.” Her voice cracked. “They’re hurt . . . It’s really bad.”

Taran’s sobs cut through my heart and sent chills rushing down my spine. Bren pulled me against him and held me tight. There was fumbling on the other end before Gemini came on the line sounding miserable and exhausted. “Aric and Koda were severely burned.” He let out a breath. “Their injuries are not healing . . . but they’re still able to fight.”

I broke out of Bren’s hold, yelling over Shayna’s cries. “ You’re telling me they’re injured and they’re still being sent to fight? ”

“There’s no choice, Celia. We’ve been fighting Ihuaivulu for the last twenty hours since Aric hit him with the stone. All we’ve managed to do is keep him at the volcano. Alliance members from all over Central and South America have joined us, but we’re still no match for him. You have to get here—you’re our last hope.”

What sounded like a large screeching bat echoed through the phone with enough force to send it spinning off the table. I covered my ears and screamed for Taran, but the line went dead.

The silence that filled the air threatened to choke me. Tears streamed down Shayna’s face and her eyes pleaded with me to tell her she’d misheard—that Taran was safe and our mates hadn’t been harmed. I knew this because I wanted to hear it, too. I wanted it all to be some horrible dream. But it wasn’t. Her love and mine were in pain, and our sister was in danger. They suffered alone and there was nothing we could do . . . for now.

Shayna’s face blanched. “What if they die, Celia?”

I refused to spill any tears at Shayna’s words. Aric couldn’t die and neither could Koda or Taran. Aric and I were supposed to get married and spend our lives together. No, I would not cry. Crying meant I already believed them dead and that my time with Aric was over.

I stormed into the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. Tye followed me. “Are you all right?”

I stared at my pale skin in the mirror, gripping the sides of the sink before I smashed my reflection to bits. “No,” I answered. “No, I’m not.”

The last few minutes were the longest of our trip; even Ying-Ying couldn’t keep still. We were anxious, infuriated, and ready to fight. The moment our plane rolled to a stop, we sprinted toward the helicopter with Tye leading the way. No one was there to greet us; only a note taped to the window with coordinates to Chaitén anticipated our arrival.

What we found in Chaitén was devastation befitting a world war. A thick cloud of gray ash resembling fallen snow covered the entire town and coated the air like a fog. Tye ascended up the mountain where all the vegetation lay completely destroyed. Rows and rows of demolished and still burning trees rested on top of one another like discarded Lincoln Logs, casting light onto the charred remains of dead weres and the darker clumps of ash that had once been vampires. Some trees stubbornly remained erect, like giant black candles continuing to smoke.

The terrible batlike screech drew our attention toward the volcano, where fire shot into the heavens from several different directions.

“I really hope that’s just the volcano erupting,” Bren said.

“If only,” Tye muttered. “Shit, and supposedly he’s weaker now.”

Tye continued upward. Remnants of motorcycles and helicopters littered the area like a metal graveyard amid a burning world. Only one patch of hidden forest remained untouched: the Alliance base camp. We’d arrived.

I didn’t see our wolves or Taran, but several members tending to the injured stood and pointed frantically toward the volcano.

Tye adjusted his transmitter and gave me a tight smile. “Looks like we’re on. Anyone who’s not ready needs to get off now.” He hovered above the camp while I scooted into the back and opened the door.

I motioned toward the exit and then to Chang and Ying-Ying to make them understand. “This is your chance to save yourselves. We’re going after Ihuaivulu now.” They smiled kindly, yet stayed put. I clasped my hand over my eyes and tried to snuff my welling tears. Chang and Ying-Ying had been my teachers and tormentors, but they’d also become my friends. All my life I’d carried the weight of protecting my sisters on my shoulders. Now I carried theirs as well. I dropped my hand and clenched my fists. “This is not your fight. You should go.” They stood together and maneuvered around the seats. But instead of jumping, they bowed.