Cecy Robson - Cursed By Destiny

A long vicious growl rumbled through his chest. “I’m here to tell you that if you ever see Aric again I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Kill me?” I was livid. How dare he come to my home and threaten me!

This made him laugh. “No, you stupid woman. I’ll kill him .”

His response infuriated me. I crouched and readied myself to attack. “ Not if you’re already dead. ”

Anara threw out his hand as if batting a fly, sending me slamming into the portrait-covered wall. Glass from the frames cut into my skin, stinging and piercing my flesh like the jagged teeth of a shark. Warm blood trickled down my back and soaked through my thick cotton sweater. He held me a few feet off the floor with just his will. I jerked my shoulders, trying to move, to kick— anything to break from his hold. My limbs failed me. I reached into my tigress for strength, but Anara’s power caged her within me.

He walked inside, slamming the door behind him. Invisible fists struck my face with each step he took, each blow harder, magnifying my agony and making me scream. He broke my nose and bloodied my face without ever lifting a finger. My ears rang from the jolts and from the eerie call of howling wolves.

“Do you think me merely a vampire or a Tribemaster you can so easily defeat?” he spat. “I am an Elder . I can summon the power of the pack and use it to my liking. I can kill Aric and anyone I wish from miles away. No one can stop me—and no one can help you!”

My heavy lids widened. He was robbing the pack of its power just to come for me. Again, I tried to move my shoulders and pry free from the wall, but I barely managed to jerk my head.

Anara lifted his palm and squeezed his fingers, choking me slowly from where he stood and ceasing my frantic attempts. Spots speckled my vision. I thought he would kill me, until he dropped his hand and released the pressure burning my throat. He paced in front of me, seemingly pleased with the amount of power swirling at his fingertips. I spit out blood and tried to speak. “You’re abusing pack magic. The other Elders will know.”

“I’ve ensured that they won’t.” He closed the distance between us and leaned in close. “That half-breed Martin may lead as Alpha, but I possess his power.” He stopped smiling. “I’ll kill Aric, Celia. I will.”

“Why?” I croaked.

His hot breath stirred against my face. “I will not allow an abomination like you to taint his bloodline. He is a king among wolves and you are nothing but a whore. I’d rather see him dead than have you ruin what remains of our eminence!”

His stare traveled the length of my body with the deepest of loathing. He lifted the edge of my sweater before yanking it down with disgust. “I never understood what he saw in you,” he scoffed.

Anara’s hold continued as he stalked away. “My influence and control extend everywhere, Celia. I can manipulate anyone to do my will—just as I did Virginia and those she sent word of your power. I will know if you see Aric. I will know if you speak to him.”

Virginia . . . the Tribe . . . the shape-shifters. Jesus , he’d deluded everyone—including his enemies—to view me as the threat. The realization struck me like a thunderbolt and washed my bleeding form with cold dread. Anara was the one who believed me the key to his destruction . . . and to all the weres he led.

He stopped at the door, the muscles of his back tightening until they bulged against his red shirt. “If you dare tell anyone about this, your sisters will share Aric’s fate.”

As a testament to his power, Anara didn’t release me until about an hour after he left. I crashed to the floor coughing and shaking. The only thought racing through my head was the need to protect Aric, my sisters, and the baby growing inside of me.

acute bloodlust:Occurs when a vampire goes too long without consuming blood. Increases the vampire’s thirst to lethal levels. Remedied by feeding the vampire.

call :The ability of one supernatural creature to reach out to another, through either thoughts or sounds. A vampire can pass his or her call by transferring a bit of magic into the receiving being’s skin.

change :To transform from one being to another, typically from human to beast and back again.

chronic bloodlust:Results from a curse placed on a vampire. Makes the vampire’s thirst for blood insatiable and drives the vampire to insanity. The vampire grows in size from gluttony and assumes deformed features. There is no cure.

claim:The method by which a werebeast consummates the union between his or her mate.

clan:A group of werebeasts led by an Alpha. The types of clans differ depending on species. Werewolf clans are called “packs”; werelions belong to “prides.”

creatura :The offspring of a demon lord and a werebeast.

dantem animam :A soul giver. A rare being capable of returning a master vampire’s soul. A master with a soul is more powerful than any vampire in existence as he or she is balancing life and death at once.

dark ones:Any creature considered to be of pure evil, such as a shape-shifter or demon.

demons:Creatures residing in hell. Only the strongest may leave to stalk on earth, but their time is limited; the power of good compels them to return.

demon lords (demonkin):The offspring of a witch mother and a demon. Powerful, cunning, and deadly. Unlike demons, whose time on earth is limited, demon lords may remain on earth indefinitely.

demon children:The spawn of a demon lord and a mortal female. Demon children are of limited intelligence and rely predominantly on their predatory instincts.

Den:A school where young werebeasts train and learn to fight in order to help protect the earth from mystical evil.

Elder:Werebeast clans are governed by three Elders, consisting of an Alpha, a Beta, and an Omega. The Alpha is the supreme leader. The Beta is the second in command. The Omega settles disputes between them and has the ability to calm by releasing bits of his or her harmonized soul, or through a sense of humor muddled with magic.

exceptis :A male born every three centuries from the union of two witches. Possesses rare gifts. Often volatile, selfish, and of questionable loyalty.

force :Emme Wird’s ability to move objects with her mind.

gold:The element was cursed long ago and has damaging effects on werebeasts, vampires, and the dark ones. Supernatural creatures cannot hold gold without feeling the poisonous effects of the curse. A bullet dipped in gold will explode a supernatural creature’s heart like a bomb. Gold against open skin has a searing effect.

grandmaster:The master of a master vampire. Grandmasters are among the earth’s most powerful creatures. Grandmasters can recognize whether the human he or she turned is a master upon creation. Grandmasters usually kill any master vampires they create to consume their power. Some choose to let the masters live until they become a threat, or until they’ve gained greater strength to therefore take more power.

keep:Beings a master vampire controls, such as those he or she has turned vampire or acquired by destroying another master. They may also be humans the master regularly feeds from