CURSED 1

LEAVE NOW

In the afterglow, I laid on the bed and was finally able to turn my head to look

at the bedside clock. It was 10:00 p.m.

“Isn’t tomorrow night the big night?” I asked, when my head finally cleared.

“Isn’t it Lena’s birthday in twenty-six hours?”

Yari was curled up next to me. Her body was warm, which went against

everything I had heard about vampires. Hey, trust me, I was glad she was warm.

The last thing I wanted was something cold and undead lying next to me. She

was staring at me intently, while I looked up at the ceiling with my hands behind

my head, trying to make the question casual, so that she would not suspect that I

was planning something. Which I kind of was.

She nodded. “Yes, it’s almost time for the prophecy to come to fruition. I

I shouldn’t miss it. I’m going to fly back soon.”

“As the crow flies?”

“As the hawk flies,” she said, pinching me. “Crows are vile.”

“What’s the difference between a crow and a raven?”

“Do we really want to talk about it?”

I shrugged. “Probably not. So, does it have to be this way?”

“What way?”

“The sacrifice and all the bloodletting, or whatever it is, that Atticai plans on

doing to Lena.”

“Yes, Josiah.”

“And where is it going to take place?”

“It’s only going to be the four of us and Lena. We’re going to do it at the old

Savoy Ranch. That’s where it is in the dream.”

“Savoy Ranch is popular with hikers and campers. Aren’t you afraid of someone?

will see you?”

“Josiah, we are not afraid of anything. And don’t get any ideas. I’ve spared

you tonight. But if you want to live, you will stay here and wait for me. Once

Atticai becomes the Chosen One, he might show you clemency. That’s what I’m

I hope, at least. Otherwise, you’re going to have to spend the rest of your life there.

on the run.”

“Great. I’m once again at Atticai’s mercy. I saw what his mercy did to me the

last time.”

I rolled over and pretended to go to sleep, like most Tandra do after having

sex. Except, I was not like the other Tandra. Yari was 4-1-1 against man and

their diabolical plans to slay Lena. Like hell, I was going to stay here. I’ve never

run from a fight in my life, and no seven-foot goon, especially a goon I had

already choked out, was going to stop me from helping a girl I cared about:

Lena.

Once Yari left, I had about 24 hours to convince Lena not to trust those

bastards.

Minutes later, Yari kissed me gently on the head. I didn’t stir. She opened the

window after first peeling off the tape. I cracked an eye open and watched as she

transitioned back into Daphne, the hawk, and took off out of the screen less

window. In a flash of wings, she was gone, and, as I stared at the window, all I

I could think of was that I had just watched a woman I had just slept with—well, not a

woman but a something— turned into a bird of prey. A chill went down my spine.

I decided to wait about an hour just in case Yari decided to come back for any

reason, even to see if I was following her. As I waited, I gathered my things and

left $200 on the bed with a note to the bed and breakfast hosts, saying that we

were sorry for leaving early. That we had an emergency.

An hour later, I was stowing my things in Tommy’s Mustang. I have a brief

moment when the pain of his disappearance hit me hard, and I covered my face and

sobbed deeply into my hands. Through all this madness, I hadn’t even had time.

to mourn Tommy. He had died only three days ago. Unfortunately, I am now

caught up in a world that I needed to fix. Before another innocent person died.

Her name hammered my heart like a mantra. Lena: A sweet, trusting, innocent

virgin, who ate burgers and fries with me and was my friend and the gentlest girl

who I ever knew.

Even more unfortunate was that I didn’t have anything close to a plan; that is

Unless you count the general goal: finding Lena. Fast.

I fired up the car and headed out. I intended to do just that.

TO BE CONTINUED....