A Cursed Bloodline (WG 4) (21 page)

The girls kept their heads down. Hank and Tim exchanged glances. “To do so he’d have to kill you,” Hank said.

I swallowed a few times. I supposed I should’ve started making a list of all my potential murderers so I could keep track.

Tim released Agnes. “Don’t worry. Out of respect for our master he won’t kill you…maybe.”

“Maybe?”

Edith bit her bottom lip. “Though he might force us to kill you.”

“Uri can force you to kill me?”

It was Michael who answered. “As the master to our master, yes.”

Liz nodded. “But we would feel terrible about it, wouldn’t we, everyone?”

The vamps all muttered in agreement.

“Gee, thanks. I feel better now.”

Emme stopped crying. Being scared out of her mind for my life sobered her right up. Danny didn’t look much better. He knew, like I did, that my only hope for survival was Misha.

—

“How the hell did you wind up involved in this horseshit?”

Needless to say, Taran didn’t take my latest news well when I phoned her and Shayna.

I fell back into the bed. “What can I say, I’m on a roll.”

“Dude, leave them.”

I draped an arm over my eyes. “I can’t, Shayna. Whether I live with them or not they still belong to me.”

Danny sat next to me. “Besides, where else would she go? At least with the vampires she’s protected from everything that’s after her.”

Taran huffed. “Oh, yeah, until another master challenges her or Uri makes them kill her. Celia, this is total shit!”

I sat up on my elbows. “I’m counting on Uri to take them should another master take me out.”

“What if he doesn’t want them, Ceel?” I could hear Taran pace. “Hell, he has his own family to care for and he’s never struck me as the daddy type. Didn’t he stop
turning
vamps years ago because they got on his nerves?”

“He may not love them. But he loves Misha. He knows he’d hurt Misha by turning his back on them.”

“I think you should ask Aric for help,” Emme said quietly. “He would protect you against the other masters if he knew your life was at stake.”

Aric by my side wasn’t an option…no matter how badly I wanted it to be. “Aric wants nothing to do with me.”

Taran swore a few times. “Ceel, he’s being an ass. But he still loves you—despite what he claims.”

I turned away from the phone, feeling more hurt. Several weeks had passed since Aric and I had spoken, but his words still stung. Danny lifted the phone from the bed. “It’s better if we don’t involve Aric.”

Liz marched in then with a garment bag. “The grandmaster’s plane has landed in Tahoe. He’ll be here shortly.”

“I’ll see you guys soon.” I disconnected the call and addressed Liz. “What’s in the bag?”

“It’s your attire for the evening. The grandmaster wants us all to dress alike to signify a cohesive group.”

Emme unzipped the bag, revealing a sexy black business suit—short skirt, and a jacket with plunging neckline, designed to be worn without a blouse. Four-inch black heels were tucked at the bottom. I rose and walked to the giant closet, where I selected a soft silver cashmere sweater and a long, flowing white skirt. I slipped into them and a pair of silver ballet flats. My ensemble was casual, comfortable, but most important, me. I wasn’t a vamp or a
were
. And despite my faults, and how tumultuous my life had become, I still maintained my sense of worth. I needed to hang on to what I was…weird as I might be.

Emme and Danny smiled when I returned to the bedroom. “You look pretty,” Danny said.

The vampires didn’t agree and neither did Uri. “Did you not approve of the garment I ordered?” he asked when he arrived.

“It’s important that others see me as a leader, not a follower. Choosing to dress as I please demonstrates strength, don’t you think?”

Uri surprised me by nodding, seemingly won over by my reasoning. I had to watch it though; my bullshit meter had maxed out its limit.

Emme and Danny rode with me in the limo, along with Uri and his guards. Emme didn’t want to return to the Den, having been humiliated. I didn’t want to return because of my fear of torture and dying.

Uri patted my knee. “I won’t allow the mongrels to harm you.”

Would you prefer to do it yourself?
“Thank you, Uri,” I said cautiously.

We didn’t speak much on the way to Squaw Valley. Uri was angry at Anara’s dismissive behavior toward Emme and took it as a personal insult given she’d been acting on the vampires’ behalf. My tigress paced restlessly within me. She sensed there would be bloodshed tonight and so did I. We just didn’t know whose it would be.

My pulse was racing by the time we passed through the front gate. I willed myself to relax. If it came down to fighting for my life, I needed to remain calm. Two
weres
greeted us when we arrived at the monstrous château that served as the main building—Liam, and a coyote I didn’t know. She was slender and small boned, and just about my height. Deep scars marred her face. Like many of the
weres
who fought in Chaitén, she’d suffered irreparable damage from the demon’s fire. Two flaps of dry leather sealed her eyes shut and her auburn hair was missing along her crown. But she smiled, and that made her pretty. Liam beamed as he led her down the steps.

“Celia, it’s me, Li-am.” He spoke to me like I was two years old.

“I know who you are, Liam.”

“Oh good, she’s still with us,” Liam explained to the
were
like we weren’t even standing there. He then turned back to us. “I’d like to introduce you to Allie, my mate.”

My hand gripped Emme’s when she tensed. Allie sniffed the air. “Hello, Celia. It’s nice to meet you.” Her head angled toward Emme and she smiled gently. “Hello again, Emme.”

I was supposed to hate her. That’s just what sisters do for each other. It’s written in stone somewhere that we have to hate our sisters’ ex-boyfriends’ new girlfriends. But I couldn’t. She seemed sweet and unthreatening. And leave it to Liam’s huge heart to fall for someone who was disfigured. “Hi, Allie,” we both said, and smiled politely.

Liam lit up. “Hey. I’ve got a great idea! How would you two like to be bridesmaids?”

Everyone, including Allie, stopped smiling then. “Liam, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said.

“I know it’s short notice—”

Uri’s guard interrupted. “If you don’t mind, we’re here to see your Elders.”

Liam seemed unaffected by the guard’s tone. He punched me affectionately in the arm. “We’ll discuss the wedding later,” he said.

We swept past him and into the foyer. Aric’s aroma of water crashing over stones overpowered the large space, hitting my nose like a reprimanding swat. He was angry. I could feel it. My God, I could feel
him
. My tigress bashed against my rib cage, ready to seek out his wolf. I barely managed to rein her in and keep from
changing
. Her impulsiveness worsened my nerves and exacerbated my need to find Aric. My body trembled violently. I couldn’t keep it together. I was falling apart.

Tim nudged me hard. “Get ahold of yourself,” he muttered.

Uri peered down his nose at me. “Is something the matter?”

Danny shoved me down the long wooden corridor. “Go to the bathroom,” he urged. “I’ll wait for you here.”

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I repeated numbly and sprinted down the hall. Emme and the Catholic schoolgirls raced after me. I fell against the emerald green granite counter. My claws shot out, scratching the surface. It hurt to withdraw them.

Emme gaped at the deep scrapes and the tinges of blood I’d left behind. She blotted my fingers with a paper towel and quickly tended to my damaged nails with her magic. “Celia, what’s wrong?”

“Aric’s scent is everywhere—I can’t think straight.” My chest tightened. “
Shit
. I can’t even breathe.”

Liz fastened her hands on my shoulders and shook me hard. “Damnit, Celia—snap out of it. You have to get us through this or we’re all going to die. Do you hear me? We’re all going to die!”

Blood coursed through my veins like lava. I’d felt this relentless pull once before, when Aric first left me and we were forced to remain apart. I recognized it now for what it was—our souls’ need to merge and bond.
Damnit
. I lowered my lids and concentrated on my baby. Liz was right: I had to get us through this. I took several calming breaths and managed to steady myself. “Okay. Okay. I’m ready.” It was a total and complete lie and they all knew it, except I couldn’t exactly hide in the bathroom forever.

We hurried back toward the foyer. Uri and his guards were already in the meeting room. I could hear him arguing with Anara. I forced myself forward, only to be intercepted by a she-wolf. She was taller than me, with olive skin and jet-black hair. In my distress, I failed to realize she was challenging me. I tried to sidestep around her. Again she blocked my path.
“No,”
I told the vamps when they hissed. I frowned, confused as to why she was picking a fight with me. Her eyes didn’t glow gold and no song of wolves accompanied her presence.

I moved toward the right. This time she hit me hard in the shoulder.

“What—?”

“Get away from my mate,”
Aric growled. But it wasn’t until he snaked his arm around the she-wolf that I realized he didn’t mean me.

Chapter Nineteen

Mate
.
Aric had called
her
his
mate
. My breath came out so hard my chest threatened to collapse inward. Emme and Danny whispered tightly in my ear and the vamps urged me forward, except no one made sense. My entire focus remained on Aric and the she-wolf he held in his arms. A smug smile inched across her face as she leaned her body against his. But it was what she said that slammed me back into reality. “Aric promised to give me a child.”

I didn’t think. I reacted, yanking her from his grasp and embedding her in the back wall.

The she-wolf grunted from the impact. I thought Aric would rip into me for attacking her, or rush to her side. After all, he did call her his damn
mate
. Instead he froze, watching me while I fought the rage and hurt that burned my eyes with tears.

“How could you do that to me?” I demanded. “How could you
fucking
do that to me?”

Aric leaned back on his heels. “You left me,” he answered quietly.

A single tear dripped down my cheek. “No…I didn’t.”

The wall behind me cracked. The she-wolf dislodged her body and charged. Aric snatched her up in his arms and hauled her back before she could reach me. “Go back to the room, Diane,” he told her, continuing to scrutinize me closely. “I’m needed inside.”

“I’m going to kill you, you stupid freak!” she growled at me.

“I’ll be sure to add you to the list,” I shot back.

Emme had to run to keep up. I threw open the doors to the meeting room with the vamps hot on my trail and marched across the polished wood floor to the end of the room.

The Elders sat on a raised platform. Uri stood before them; they hadn’t even offered him a chair. My sisters waited at a nearby table with their wolves. Their brows shot up to the moon upon catching the fury burning its way across my face. “She must have met Diane,” Koda murmured to Shayna. Next to them lounged Tye, a werelion with whom some crazy clairvoyant named Destiny claimed I’d make babies—babies who’d apparently rid the world of evil. He greeted me with a lazy grin and a flash of a dimple. I didn’t smile back, but if he needed something dead, I’d gladly oblige.

Three master vampires and their families lined the opposite wall, including Angelo Cusamano. Angelo was the most powerful vampire on the East Coast. He was also an evil bastard who’d come close to killing me, Danny, and my sisters. Danny tensed beside me. Angelo chuckled and tipped his glass of red wine my way. He appeared pleased to see me, but in a way that clearly meant trouble.

Anara and Uri didn’t react to my arrival, too wrapped up in their argument to pay attention to little ol’ pissed-off me. Anara sneered. “We will not waste valuable resources on the hunch of an unstable woman. If you want your property back retrieve him yourself.”

Uri seethed hard enough to burn a hole in the floor. “My position in the European Alliance does not permit me to fight nor use my resources for personal issues.”

Anara waved him off. “Then I suggest you step down from your position.”

Uri clenched his fists. “You have never held more than the position of Elder. What do you understand of the responsibilities I would be walking away from?”

Anara leaned forward. “I will know soon enough. My efforts to ensure the survival of our species have impressed the members of the North American Were Council—so much so I’ve been elected prime advisor to our president.” He stole a glance my way. “Soon I’ll be everywhere, with power so immense it will crush the trivial amount I currently possess.”

Martin stiffened, seemingly furious at Anara’s disrespect. Makawee raised her chin, more embarrassed than insulted. Neither spoke up, but I did.

“I’ll go after Misha.”

Suddenly all eyes were on me. Anara laughed. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.” I didn’t bother masking my resentment or hatred then. “I’ll take a group of vampires with me and we’ll find Misha ourselves.”

Uri’s shoulders slumped with relief. He hurried to my side and kissed my cheeks. “My son has chosen well.”

Shayna rose from her table. “Ceel, you can’t be serious.”

Aric leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, his anger toward me returning now that I’d volunteered to find Misha. “Of course she’s serious,” he responded stiffly. “After all, he is her lover.”

“Oh, shut up!” I snapped. Despite his immobile expression, Aric regarded me like I’d slapped him across the face. I didn’t care. His freaking
mate
would help him get over it. “We’ll leave tonight,” I told Uri.

I barreled toward the exit. Angelo and his family swept in front of us like a breeze, his vampires blocking mine and crouched to attack. Guttural hisses echoed along the vast room, promising to smear the walls with death.