A Cursed Bloodline (WG 4) (35 page)

The tea the wolves threw together helped reduce the acid that continued to gnaw at my stomach. I returned to the cabin and took time to freshen up so I didn’t appear so haggard. Or so I thought.

“She looks pasty,” Koda murmured to Gemini when I joined them outside. “Is she supposed to be that fucking white?”

“
She
can hear you.” I narrowed my eyes. “I’m pregnant, not deaf.”

Liam nudged him. “It must be the hormones. Try not to upset her, she might kill us all.”

Gemini cleared his throat upon taking in Aric’s death glare. “You look beautiful, Celia.”

Liam flashed two very enthusiastic and blatantly dishonest thumbs up. Koda didn’t bother to agree. He thought it best to stare awkwardly at his feet. Smart wolf.

Liam’s sweats swallowed my legs. I had to roll them six times to keep them on my hips. Aric chuckled before pulling me to him. “I’m taking you back to my original Den in Colorado. Right now we’re in Oregon’s Blue Mountains. We need to hurry. It’s a long trek back to Koda’s SUV and an even longer drive to Boise, where we’re meeting your family.”

“You don’t trust Martin and Makawee enough to return to California, do you?”

Aric stroked my cheek. “I’ve known Martin all my life. He and Makawee are honorable, but too much has happened without their knowledge. Something has blinded them to Anara’s actions.”

Gemini stepped forward. “The Elders of each Pack have a special blood bond. When one uses Pack magic, they all sense it. Given that they failed to notice means Anara must have invoked something darker.”

My jaw tightened. After they had ordered Aric’s death, I’d lost all trust in the Elders. “How are you so sure they didn’t know?”

Gemini softened his gaze. “Celia, you didn’t see their reaction when Danny announced that Anara was responsible for your attacks. Their surprise and anguish was genuine, which is why they immediately broke their united bond and removed his power.”

Koda stared out into the river. “The power that has been given to us was never meant to hurt an innocent. It was only meant to vanquish evil. That alone sealed Anara’s death warrant.”

I angled my head toward Aric. “You’re taking me to your original Den.” He nodded. “What’s going to happen when everyone knows we’re together?”

Aric’s warm eyes could melt chocolate. “Based on everything that’s happened, I’m going to appeal to the North American Were Council to allow us to be together. If they refuse, I’m relinquishing my title as a Leader and all the privileges that go along with being a pureblood.” He grinned at the wolves. “I tried to release these knuckleheads from their duty to me, but they refused.”

Liam tossed a rock at the river, making it skip across to the opposite bank. “We decided to form our own Pack. Hell, we may even start our own Den.”

I glanced at them, expecting to see at least some apprehension, doubt—
something
—regarding this life-altering decision, but no. They all seemed determined to follow Aric down this unknown and potentially dangerous path. “Have you all lost your minds? You can’t go
lone
wolves.”

Koda shrugged. “Technically we’re not
lones
if we all do it.”

I didn’t know what to say. While they weren’t purebloods, as
weres
they were obligated to honor their Pack. I didn’t know what ramifications their actions would bring nor did I want to find out. I tried to reason with Aric. If I could change his mind, the others would follow. “Aric, you can’t do this. Your family name will be tainted and your reputation will be destroyed—and what about your mother? She’ll lose everything. I can’t be responsible for that.”

Aric continued to smile. “My mother recognizes you as my mate. She’ll support whatever decision I make. And if she needs to, she can come live with us.”

I opened my mouth to argue but he swept me into his arms and silenced me with a kiss. “Come on, sweetness. It’s time to leave.”

Koda tossed Gemini his pack and finished shutting the cabin door. I squeaked when Aric lifted me in his arms and followed Liam into the forest. “I can walk, Aric.”

“No.”

“
No?
I’ve been walking this whole time.”

“You’ve also fallen and cut the shit out of your feet.” He smirked. “So long as you’re barefoot, pregnant, and mine, you’re just going to have to just deal with me fussing over you.”

I scowled. “You’re going to be in trouble when I get my hands on some shoes.”

His smile widened before kissing my lips. “Then I’d better make sure that doesn’t happen.”

The wolves took off in a dead run, racing through the thick forest in a blur. We reached Koda’s Yukon almost two hours later. He started the ignition and phoned Shayna, just to be sure she and my sisters were safe. While the wolves didn’t openly admit it, I knew they continued to perceive Anara as a threat.

Aric tucked me into the third row and threw a warm blanket around my legs before reaching for his seat belt. Liam and Gemini shoved the packs in the rear. The moment we were settled, Koda stomped on the accelerator and roared onto the highway. “We’ll drive straight through. Shayna thinks we’ll get to Boise around the same time. She’s bringing Tye as backup just in case.”

I leaned forward. “What about Bren and Danny?”

“They’re coming, too. Bren’s weak but beginning to thrive. Everyone will be safer in the Colorado Den.”

Gemini sensed my growing nervousness and tried to distract me. “How many weeks are you, Celia? You’re not even showing.”

“Almost fifteen.” His distraction worked. I smiled at Aric. “I saw the heartbeat on the ultrasound.”

Aric’s face lit up. He lifted his hand from my knee and he slipped it around my shoulders. “What was it like?”

“Fast,
really
fast. He’s a strong little guy.”

His lips parted. “We’re having a son?”

I shrugged. “It’s too early to tell, but that’s what my instincts tell me.”

Koda’s eyes crinkled back at me through the rearview mirror. “Do your instincts tell you
were
?”

Aric held me closer. “It doesn’t matter…I’m going to be a father.”

“Fifteen weeks,” Liam repeated. I could almost see him doing the math in his head. “Hey! That means you guys did it the night of the gala.”

Aric chuckled when I buried my face in my hands.

Gemini shifted in his seat. “That can’t be right. You two had a bad argument that night.”

Koda threw back his head, laughing. “I told you guys that was all foreplay.”

Liam jumped in his seat. “Wait! After the gala you left with the vamp and Aric met with the Elders. That means you got it on
at
the gala. Whoa. Were you like outside or something?”

By that point, I had stuck my entire head inside Aric’s sweatshirt. “Can we talk about something else?”

Aric pulled me from beneath his shirt and nuzzled my ear. He wasn’t embarrassed, but he knew I was. He tried to spare my humiliation and switched topics, only the subject he picked wasn’t much better. “Guess what? Celia brought back four bucks in the time we were in the mountains.”

Liam knew I didn’t hunt. The news both surprised and impressed him. “No way!”

Aric rubbed my shoulder. “It’s true. I wouldn’t have made it without her hunting prowess.”

Oh, God.

Gemini turned around to smile at me. “Celia, I’m very proud of you.”

“No shit,” Koda said from the front. “I knew you had it in you, girl. You gotta tell us what happened.”

They all perked up, thrilled in anticipation of my riveting hunting tale. I didn’t say anything at first and secretly prayed we’d get a flat.

Aric stroked my cheek. “It’s okay, sweetness. Don’t be shy, tell us all about it.”

I swallowed hard and told them exactly how I killed those deer. No one said anything at first, then all at once they burst out laughing. Koda laughed so hard he couldn’t drive and pulled the massive SUV haphazardly to the side of the road. Tears streamed down Gemini’s face and Liam actually cackled—
cackled
like Dorothy’s damn Wicked Witch. Aric released me and faced the opposite window, his back shaking as he pathetically tried to hold in his amusement.

Koda held out a hand. “Let me get this straight. Your strategy was basically to scare them shitless in hopes they’d give up and die.”

I scowled at him. “That wasn’t my original plan. It’s just how things worked out.”

“I thought the meat was a little tough.” Aric tried to calm down, but his comment only caused an uproarious outburst.

Liam snorted. “That’s because she was feeding you the elderly.”

I gasped. “It’s not funny, I felt really bad about the whole thing!”

Gemini wiped his eyes. “How bad? Did you try to resuscitate? Do any mouth-to-snout?”

The laughter and the comments seemed to last forever. It wasn’t
that
funny and damnit all, Bambi’s granddaddy or not, Aric ate every last bite.

Koda calmed enough to drive, though they all continued to snicker. I brushed Aric off when he tried to snuggle. “Come on, sweetness. I’m sorry I laughed.”

I crossed my arms. “No. You’re not.”

When he nibbled on my ear, I turned to glare at him. “I hope you enjoyed last night and this morning, because you won’t be getting a repeat performance anytime soon.” I smiled at his devastated expression. He was probably less bummed when he realized there was no Santa Claus.

Yup, not so funny anymore, is it?

It didn’t take long for Aric to win me over. I rested my head against his shoulder while his arm curled around me. He slid his opposite hand into my super-loose sweatpants and caressed my belly. “Your body is changing,” he whispered. “I can feel where our son is growing.”

I slipped my hand under his and smoothed my palm over a hard round bulge. He was right. “Will you be disappointed if we have a girl?”

He grinned back at me. “Are you kidding? Having a little you running around would be precious. I just think you’re right—this one’s a boy.”

I puckered a brow. “This one?”

Aric snuggled closer to me, tickling my neck with his soft lips. “We’re going to have a whole brood, lady.”

Although the idea of having a gang of children intimidated me, Aric’s excitement over our baby showered me with love and hope for our future.

We were two hours into our drive when Koda pulled into a small diner next to a gas station. He tossed his credit card to Liam and shoved his wallet back into the pocket of his jeans. “Fill up, Liam. We’ll grab enough food to last us the rest of the trip. I don’t want to stop again.”

I walked into the diner to use the bathroom and immediately walked back out, unable to stomach the thick aroma of frying food. Liam finished filling the tank and joined me back in the Yukon. I leaned against the leather seat and snuggled against the blanket Aric had given me. Good Lord, I felt tired. Making a person sure took its toll.

Liam played with his phone, sending a text. The gentle tones from his tapping further coaxed me to sleep. “Hey, Celia,” he said before I drifted off. “I want to show you something.” He handed me his phone to show me a picture of a girl with auburn hair and stunning green eyes. I wasn’t sure who she was until I recognized her smile. Liam grinned, brightening his boyish features. “Allie couldn’t wait to show me what she looked like without her scars.”

It was sweet to see him so happy. He was a good guy and deserved to find his mate even if she wasn’t Emme. “She’s beautiful, Liam.”

“I know.” His finger swept over the screen. “I’ve always known.”

The wolves hopped back into the car a few minutes later and we peeled out of the lot. I could take only a few bites of bread from the turkey sandwich Aric had ordered but managed to eat most of the beef barley soup.

Liam unlocked his phone when he finished eating, to show the others Allie’s picture. Gemini straightened as soon as he passed it to him. “Liam. Did you tell Allie where we were?”

“Well, yeah, I—”

He exchanged glances with the other wolves. Their faces hardened and their muscles tensed. “What is it?” I asked.

Aric pulled me against him. “Nothing. It’s just better if no one knows where we are or where we’re headed.” He tried to sound casual, but I didn’t believe him. “You should rest, sweetness.”

I didn’t rest, especially with how the tension swirled around us like a dangerous storm cloud. Koda shoved the rest of his sandwich into a paper bag and tossed it onto the passenger-side floor, gripping the steering wheel tight with both hands. The others, although silent, stiffened their spines, vigilantly taking point in all directions.

And still it wasn’t enough to save us.

Less than an hour later, the wolves erupted with sadistic growls. Between their angst and my tigress leaping to the ready, I knew we were in trouble.

A hard force collided against the passenger side of Koda’s Yukon. Aric yanked me into a fierce embrace, preventing my head from slamming against the window. I bounced against him as a more vicious blow struck from behind, followed by a hit that caved in the hood.

Koda broke through the front windshield and leapt out. Another strike spun us backward, then another. I caught a glimpse of a large red wolf mauling one of the giant werearms circling us as we careened into the guardrail. Glass shattered from every direction, twisting metal shrilled and squeaked. Aric’s arms tightened around me. I held my breath, waiting to die. Through the violent jolts and shudders, Gemini charged out of the demolished vehicle in the form of two wolves, followed by Liam. Aric released my seat belt and hauled me toward the front. The wolves ripped into the opposing threat. But they were outnumbered. I squeezed my eyes shut as the colossal vehicle swayed and tipped over what remained of the railing.

“Stay alive for our child,” Aric whispered just before the world spun and crashed around us.

Chapter Thirty

We rolled at an astronomical rate, colliding against the hard and jagged terrain. Yet I failed to feel the force of the blows or any pain. Warm, cushioned softness slinked around me, enshrouding my form. It didn’t make sense. I’d seen enough of the pass to know death awaited us several hundred meters down. My skull should have been crushed against the bent frame. My bones should have shattered from the impact. They didn’t. Aric’s power cloaked me. His strength, love, security—
all
his emotions wrapped around me. The tension dissipated, transforming me into a rag doll, encompassed in the protective bubble his body had become.