Prim and Proper Fate (Twisted Fate Series Book 2) (16 page)

“
Two
Chala,” Gavin said, his voice full of delightful malice. His gaze locked onto Lily, who cowered away from him. “The Fate has been holding out on me. So kind of you to bring them together now, though. This kill is going to be even more delicious than I expected.” He stuck his claw into his mouth and sucked the blood coating it.

“M-mm,” he said as his eyes glowed brightly.

Brandon launched himself at Gavin. On impact, both men shifted into animal form and slammed onto the floor in a snarling heap of fur and claws and teeth. They rolled around, banging into furniture and making enough noise to wake the dead, although the human continued to snore away in a nearby chair.

Brandon managed to get the upper hand for a moment and flung Gavin away from him. He shifted back into human form long enough to shout, “Curse him, Prim!” And then he shifted back into the form of a giant mastiff-like dog and dove. He and Gavin met in midair, colliding with a painful sounding thud before crashing to the floor and wrestling again.

Prim positioned herself in front of Sydney and Lily and held up her hand, waiting for the right opportunity to curse Gavin. She did not want to miss and hit Brandon instead. Whatever the curse did to him, it would most certainly throw him off guard enough for Gavin to get the upper hand and kill him. And Prim refused to let that happen.

The two animals rolled around the living room and slammed into the wall near the closest bedroom. Brandon managed to climb onto Gavin’s back and roll him over, exposing his stomach to Prim.
Now or never.
She summoned the magic, whispered the words to create the curse, and then flung it.

The human named Freddie chose that moment to walk out of his bedroom, stirred, no doubt, by the sounds of fighting in his living room. “What the hell is going—” He didn’t get to finish the sentence as the curse hit him square in the chest.

His eyes widened and even Gavin and Brandon stopped fighting long enough to watch the transformation, as the curse soaked into his blood stream and poured through his system. There was a moment of utter silence, and then a heartbeat later, Freddie screamed and clutched his head. He screamed again and then stumbled around the room, clawing at his head, his face, his chest, and begging, “Make it stop, please make it stop, oh God, make it stop!”

Gavin shifted into human form and with a snarl said, “No way in hell I’m letting you do that to me again.” He twisted around and grabbed Brandon’s head with both hands.

“No,” Prim screamed as she reached out for the two shifters.

But Sydney was faster. “Gavin, no,” she shouted as she leaped from the couch and landed on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed.

“Why, Chala, are you ready to die already?” He released Brandon and grabbed her instead, pulling her off his back as if she were a ragdoll and flinging her across the room. She landed with a smack against the far wall, crying out in pain as she slid to the floor in a crumpled heap.

Gavin winced and shook his head as if he meant to clear it. “Damn, that felt painful. You still alive, Chala? Or can I focus on this new one now?” He looked at Lily with glowing black eyes. She shrank behind Prim. Brandon shifted into human form and body slammed Gavin to the floor.

“You just hurt your mate, asshole.” He snarled like an animal as he punctuated each word with a punch to the face, to the gut, to the face again, to the kidney. Gavin grunted and blocked the blows, but Brandon was too angry and too fast, and Gavin couldn’t get in a lick of his own.

“Leave her the fuck alone.” Brandon continued to snarl and continued to punch Gavin. “Let us fucking curse you so she can have you back.”

Gavin finally managed to throw him off. “Not a chance.” He limped as quickly as he could toward the balcony. As they all turned to watch, he flung himself over the railing. Prim rushed to the balcony door in time to see him drop to the sidewalk below. He crouched for a moment, clearly dazed, and then darted his glowing gaze around the vicinity for a moment before shifting into an animal and running away into the night.

Freddie still screamed in agony and the rest of the household was finally coming awake. Butch, who’d snored through the scuffles, rubbed his eyes and looked around. “Whasamatter with him?” he slurred, his voice thick with sleep.

“He’s–He’s–He’s—” Prim struggled with an explanation as to why the man’s friend would be scratching himself bloody and screaming in pain. If they didn’t shut him up soon, the human authorities would no doubt appear on the scene.

“Voodoo magic,” William said, rushing into the room wearing a bright pink robe and matching slippers. Prim felt a brief moment of relief at his words. Many humans who lived in New Orleans believed at least somewhat in the idea of voodoo magic. Butch was apparently no exception, as he nodded his head dumbly.

William leaned over, grabbed Freddie under the armpits, and dragged him down the hall toward the far bedroom. “You handle the wounded in there,” he said to Prim. “I’ll fix this.” And then he dragged Freddie into the bedroom and closed the door. His screams could still be heard through the closed door, but only for a moment. She could faintly hear the sound of chanting–William, she assumed, speaking the counter-curse—and then the room fell blessedly silent.

Prim looked around, trying to figure out where to start. Her gaze fell onto Butch, and she pointed at the door to Freddie’s bedroom. “Why don’t you go to sleep in there?” she suggested, using a bit of enthrallment to encourage him. Butch dutifully did as she bade him. Gaya would no doubt keep him occupied if he did not simply lie down and go back to sleep.

She started toward Brandon, who was slumped in a chair, his hand clutching a bleeding wound on his side. He waved her off. “Make sure Sydney’s okay first.” She fought against her impulse to help him and turned instead to tend to the unconscious Chala.

After ensuring Sydney was indeed alive and cauterizing Lily’s wound, Prim was utterly exhausted. Dawn was seeping over the horizon, and with it came a wave of humidity indicative of impending rain. Brandon had disappeared into the bathroom, she assumed, to see to his wounds himself. She wanted nothing more than to lie down on the bed next to the two once again sleeping Chala.

But Brandon needed her. She could feel it. Wearily, she walked over and closed and locked the French doors leading out to the balcony. The doors wouldn’t stop a determined Gavin, but the noise he would make opening them would be enough warning of his presence. She only hoped he did not make another appearance until after they were all recovered enough to fight him off again.

Then she headed down the hall to the bathroom. She pushed open the door and found Brandon slumped on the toilet seat, asleep. At least she hoped he was asleep. Her heart lodged in her throat as she hurried over and touched his throat with her fingers. He surged awake and grabbed her wrist.

“It’s me. Prim.”

He blew out a breath, released his hold on her wrist, then groaned and slumped forward again. “Thank the Fates. I’m not sure I can fight him off again right now.”

His T-shirt was torn to shreds. Deep wounds covered his back. There were bite marks on his neck. A long gash ran from his knee to his ankle, and blood poured freely from it and pooled on the floor at his feet.

“Oh Fates,” Prim whispered, and then she felt a surge of adrenaline, spurred by the need to take care of him. “Come on, Brandon. Let’s get you into the tub.”

He grunted when she slid her arm under his armpits and struggled to move him from the toilet seat to the tub.

“Prim, honey, I love having sex with you, even if we always seem to do it in the bathroom. But I just can’t right now. I’m sorry, baby.”

She rolled her eyes and used her weight to push him the rest of the way into the tub. “Don’t apologize, Brandon. You saved our lives out there. I screwed up again, and if it wasn’t for you, we’d all be dead.” Well, all the non-Fates would be dead, anyway.

The Fates would be left to mourn them, and Prim would be one step closer to spiraling over the edge of insanity, and would thus be unable to do her job any longer. Of course, if Sydney and Lily both died, there would no longer be a job for Prim to do, so maybe it would be best if she went insane instead of living for the rest of eternity with the guilt.

“Didn’t screw up,” Brandon slurred. “Just missed. Curse worked. Did you see that human?”

Yes, she had seen him. And she felt a fresh wave of guilt for making him go through that agony. Humans’ brains were not strong enough to handle magical curses. Especially one of the magnitude she’d used tonight.

“We have to get these clothes off you, Brandon.” She struggled to pull his ruined shirt over his head. “I hate to do this to you, but I think it’s best if we cleanse these wounds before I heal you. It’s going to hurt,” she warned him.

“Damn,” he muttered, allowing her to undress him. “And here I thought you wanted me.”

“I do want you,” Prim said, pausing a beat before adding, “healed.”

“I want you, too,” Brandon replied, obviously not hearing the last word. “It’s weird. I used to think I hated you. Now I think I lo—” Prim gave his jeans an unnecessary jerk, and he hissed in pain.

“Whatever you think you feel for me, Brandon, it isn’t real.” She managed to finally peel off his blood-soaked boxer shorts. His body was torn to shreds, and it still made her insides warm to look at him. It was the first time she’d seen him completely naked, she realized. She’d had sex with him twice, and now she was looking at his naked body from the perspective of a healer, not as a potential lover.

What a shame.

Brandon was shocky, in pain, and exhausted. There was no way he could stand by himself in the shower, and Prim didn’t trust herself to climb in there with him. He was in no condition to act on the obvious physical attraction between them, and Prim was afraid she’d become the wanton harlot he was always able to turn her into and not give him the option. Death by sex with a lust-crazed Fate. Probably not the best way to go. Besides, Brandon was their only protector for the moment. And Lily needed a mate. He couldn’t die.

She settled for allowing him to lie in the tub while she gave him a sponge bath. Despite his many wounds and all the pain, his body reacted to her touch, and Prim was able to see how truly . . .
impressive
he was. No wonder she’d been a little sore after their tryst earlier in the evening. The term ‘hung like a horse’ came to mind, and she wondered how in the world any other man had ever managed to pleasure her before. And she wondered how in the world she’d ever find pleasure again after she pushed him into Lily’s arms.

Her lucky Chala.

The pain was apparently too much for Brandon, and he passed out part way through the bath. Which was just as well. His erection deflated, making it marginally easier for her to concentrate. And with his mind shut down, she could push the healing magic through his system far more quickly than if he’d been lucid and his mind had instinctively fought against the mental intrusion.

By the time his eyes fluttered open again, he was mostly healed. All he needed was a solid twelve hours of sleep, and he’d be good as new.

“Can’t do it,” he said, grimacing and using the wall to support him as he climbed to his feet in the tub. Blood-tinged water swirled around the drain when he flipped it open. Prim handed him a towel, and he quickly rubbed it over his body. “Where are my clothes?”

She disappeared from the bathroom and returned with his duffle bag.

“Thanks,” he said, pawing through the contents. He pulled on a fresh pair of boxer shorts, another pair of jeans, and yet another T-shirt, this one a pale blue that matched his eyes. Prim wondered if he owned anything but jeans and T-shirts, but then she decided he looked so damn good in that uniform, it didn’t matter.

“He knows where we are. We have to get the hell out of here. How long was I out of it?”

“Just a couple hours.”

“Shit,” he said, once again back in control. “It’s time to move. Wake everyone up. We need to get this place cleaned up, make sure the humans are still clueless, and then get on the road. I want to get back to the pack. I can’t take many more of those beatings. I need help if we’re going to get a hold of him long enough for you to curse him.”

As the fear rushed through her system, he reached out and cupped the back of her neck, massaging gently. “You can do this, Prim. I know you can. And when this is all over, and he’s back to normal, we’ll go back to your island. Just you and I. We’ll run around naked all day, and have sex in every room in the house. How does that sound?”

Heavenly
. But she knew she wouldn’t be the one who got to run around naked with him. Lily was the one he’d be taking to the island. With any luck, when they returned to the mainland, Lily would be pregnant with her first child. And Prim would be gone from their lives forever.

It took them three precious hours to wake everyone and clean up any indications of a supernatural fight inside the apartment. William doused Freddie with a strong sleeping spell, which he said ought to keep the human out for at least a day or so. It should be long enough for any remnants of the curse to work its way out of his system. He was confident the human would not recall anything that happened, as his brain would refuse to deal with it, which was what occurred when most humans were faced with something so impossible to believe. If he did, no one would believe him anyway, and he would undoubtedly soon convince himself he’d either been drunk or under the influence of some sort of mind-altering drug.

Gaya cleaned up the blood in the bathroom while the two Chala straightened the living room. Brandon refused to lie down while everyone else worked, and since Prim refused to let him help clean, he set himself to making breakfast instead. It was heavy on protein and meat products.

Finally, they were ready to go. After thanking Freddie’s roommates for their hospitality, the six non-humans piled into a rental car, and soon they were on the freeway heading north. William drove because he was by far the most lucid of all of them, and Brandon finally gave in to the inevitable and snoozed in the passenger seat. Gaya, who was the smallest, was perched in the middle of the front seat, and Prim smartly smacked her hand once, when she saw it creeping across Brandon’s thigh.