Broken Curse

9

“You don’t have anything to apologize for.” He tucked a piece of stray hair behind my ear. “I’m just so glad you’re back here safe and sound.” His lips lowered to mine, and his minty taste soothed a part of my soul I hadn’t even realized needed it.

I deepened the kiss. I needed him and to feel him inside me. I needed to know I was back here and alive.

My hand went to his boxers, and I tugged them off his hips. Not missing a beat, I pulled back and yanked his shirt over his head.

Hey, we can go slow. His words were comforting in my head.

No, not tonight. Not waiting for him to remove my clothes, I stripped before my lips connected back with his, and I rolled him over.

As I straddled him, he lifted, pulling a n****e inside his mouth and flicking it with his tongue. He wanted to have foreplay, but not tonight. I didn’t need it.

I guided him inside me, and he groaned in ecstasy. I moved on top of him, and his hips thrust in tune with my body.

I grabbed the headboard, using it to steady myself. He bit gently at my n****e then pulled away and scooted closer to the headboard.

The friction built, and I spread my legs farther apart, needing him to hit deeper … to be deeper.

Our pleasure collided, bringing us both closer to the edge.

His hands gripped my hips, his fingers digging into my waist. He guided me to move faster and pounded into me, and an orgasm took hold. We rode as bliss consumed our bodies and bond.

When it was all over, I landed on my side and into his arms. Tonight, I was happy and safe. Who knew what tomorrow would bring?

T

he next morning, our group began our journey early. The same thirteen of us took off in the two Suburbans, heading to Athens.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. Each girl was different from one another and had been harder and harder to bring home. I was assuming that was part of the worthiness test included in the curse … prophecy. I still hadn’t sorted out what I considered this unwanted birthright that fate had bestowed upon me to be.

Samuel drove the other car with the witches, Beth, Sunny, Ada, and Honor as usual while the rest of us rode in the vehicle Aidan was driving.

“Do we have a plan?” Gabby asked from the backseat. She had her back leaned against the driver’s side of the Suburban with her legs in Logan’s lap.

“Nope. Not yet.” They expected me to know more than I did. Yes, I’d met with Endora, but she hadn’t given me any real information, only clues and riddles. “You know as much as I do.”

“At least, she gave you the right hint to figure out we were missing a girl,” Ivory stated.

I turned my head to look at her over my shoulder. She was also sitting on the driver’s side, except she was in the middle row, making her the easiest to see out of everyone. I hadn’t spent much time with her—or any one of the girls, really—but I already felt a kinship with her. She was warm, supportive, and in many ways reminded me of Amethyst, just a tad more timid. Her mate was similar, and I loved just how damn devoted they were to each other.

“Which you’d think a good leader could have figured out themselves,” Logan mumbled, but his words were clear as day to my ears.

That was the point.

Aidan’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, but if he fought this battle for me, I would look weak.

I turned fully in my seat and met Logan’s eyes dead-on. “I didn’t see you figuring it out, so I guess that means you’re pretty worthless yourself.”

His light eyes glowed. “But I’m not the destined—”

“Are you sure about that?” I hated that he was so egotistical and ready to point out anything negative. “I mean … take a look. So far, three out of the six girls have a mate tied to The Hallowed Guild. Doesn’t that seem perplexing?”

Logan’s brow furrowed as he tried to follow my train of thought. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Remus’s dark green eyes lightened slightly. “It’s as if the witch is making sure both witch and shifter stand side by side.”

“And the shifter is tied to the original alpha through The Hallowed Guild.” Aidan took my hand. “I hadn’t even considered that.”

“Which means you were all chosen to lead and are just as much part of the story as the women.” I lifted an eyebrow at the brooding alpha. “We’re all leaders, not just me. Endora is only counting on me to fulfill her dream, but you are all leaders beside me. This isn’t me against you. We need to work as a team. If the vertices haven’t proved that, then I’m guessing you’re not up for the challenge.”

Logan frowned, and Gabby narrowed her bright blue eyes at me. She tilted her head, taking in my words.

The rest of the car ride continued in silence.

I’m pretty sure this is Prescott’s pack we’re visiting. Aidan’s jaw tightened.

Why do you say that? This caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected to face that pack again and had pushed them out of my mind, which seemed foolish now.

Because my dad visited them after he’d told me I would be attending Crawford University. Prescott was going to the University of Georgia close by but transferred to Crawford.

That meant we were going to face an enemy we’d already fought.

How should we handle this? Aidan asked with concern.

We’ll warn the others and go in. There weren’t many other options. We stay the course.

Okay. He nodded as he took a right turn on the highway.

Maybe she won’t be with them. Some of the other covens had been protecting the girls. Maybe it was all just a moot point.

You’re right. He sucked in a breath, and his shoulders relaxed a little.

There’s no point in stressing out until we get there. I took a calming breath.

The closer we got, the more tension built in the vehicle. If this foreshadowed what we were coming up against, I worried whether we could find this girl. For this to be the last girl to prove our worth, that had to say something … something I was trying hard not to focus on.

We rolled into the college town a little after eleven, and we followed Samuel to a restaurant with parking available on the road.

As I climbed out of the vehicle, Beth walked over and took my hand. “I Googled restaurants, and this diner is supposed to have huge hamburgers at decent prices.”