Cursed (8 page)

His fingers immediately tangled into her
hair, and she felt him stiffen.

Removing her mouth from his cock, she asked,
“Am I doing this wrong?”

Laughing hoarsely, he replied, “Nay, gel, ye
be doin’ too good a job o’ easin’ me.”

She felt her cheeks turn the color of red as
she placed her mouth upon his cock once more.

She licked him and took as much as she could
within her mouth. He was large, and she could not swallow even half
of him. So to compensate she rotated her palm on him and pumped for
all she was worth.

Hearing him moan and stiffen once more, she
doubled her efforts, and a few minutes later Addie tasted his cum
upon her tongue and reveled in his orgasm.

Feeling herself being lifted and then fitted
into his massive side, she sighed in contentment.

This was perfect. It was crazy to be in love
with a virtual stranger, a ghost at that, but she was. She was
terrified of what he would think of her ancestors being Wiccan. And
that she was now practicing the art to lift his curse. He had made
his feelings clear before they made love. She would have to keep
her secret close to her and never discuss it with him. She felt
remorse at her decision, but it was the only decision she had.

“Wha’ has ye in such deep thought, gel?”

She looked up into his eyes and tried to
smile, “Nothing, Conall. I am just regaling myself with our time
together and how odd it is to have so many feelings inside myself
for a stranger.”

“Donna asks fate questions, sweetin’. We be
brought together by destiny. An' destiny will guide us through. Ye
be brought ‘ere tae lif' the curse, and I ken we were meant tae
be,” he replied.

Feeling contented she snuggled against his
side and kissed his large chest. A few moments, a couple of
heartbeats later he was gone, and she felt her heart crush within
her breast.

She was in love with a century's old
Highlander, who was cursed into the walls of her home as a ghost.
She was used to writing fiction and solving her character's
problems, but nothing had prepared her for this. Nothing.

Gathering her clothes and dressing she walked
to the door when a thought struck her still.

Whispering into the air she stated, “Conall,
please try to remember who owned this property before the
Campbell’s purchased it. That fact may lead us to your captor. Good
night." She was about to say that she loved him, but thought better
of her words. So she sighed and finished, “Thank you.”

Feeling conflicted yet fulfilled she walked
to her room and collapsed onto her bed to give into the fitful
tears she had been holding at bay.

****

Conall watched as his intended cried in her
bed. His heart pinched at the sight. Why was she crying? Had he
done something wrong? He had heard talk among his friends that
women often cried after they had an orgasm, for they were
overtaken. He would like to believe that was why she was crying.
However, why would she ask who owned the property before her
family? When the property was purchased, he was a small lad and was
not privy to such matters. He knew a minuscule building had been on
the property previously. An old building that was ready to fall
during a fierce storm. He had not a clue who owned the property
before Addie’s father.

Now he cursed himself a fool for not taking
an active interest in being a lord before the summer he fell in
love with Addie. If he had learned of the estate and all of its
holding before he was imprisoned in this god forsaking state, he
would have a ready answer for her.

Feeling deep remorse, he floated into Addie’s
bed and tried to hold her. When that proved to be impossible, he
just stayed by her side, until her tears subsided and her breathing
became even.

Prowling from her room, he searched the house
for a spirit. He had been unsuccessful in speaking to them, but
perhaps his pleas would be heard this evening.

“If ye can 'ear me, speak tae me. I be
needin’ yer help,” he stated.

Waiting to hear a whisper or a noise, Conall
stood in tense silence. When no one answered, he moved around the
home and tried repeatedly. Hours passed, and he had no luck in
finding anyone.

Sighing irritably he went back to the attic
to stay in the corner that called to him.

****

The very next morning, Addie awoke to the
call of the birds. With her eyes gritty and sore, she moved off the
bed and looked at her phone. She had received three texts since
midnight last night, one from Steven, which she promptly erased,
the other two from her editor. Her voice mail was also full of
messages from the man she appointed to fix her parent's fruit
company deficit, which was not her problem; she counseled herself.
She had hired the man to fix problems she could not even begin to
contemplate. So she went to her texting center.

She reads both texts and they amounted to the
same thing, where was her first draft?

Damn,
she thought.

She had been so wrapped up with helping her
Highlander. She had not written a word yesterday. Sighing and
knowing she needed to produce something, she wrote about her
learning’s and experiences.

So going through and making quick changes,
she had her novel in place and by late afternoon. She had written
half the book. When push came to shove, Addie could write an entire
novel in a few days.

Feeling better and emailing her editor the
story thus far, she walked to the front door and out of the home.
She was sure the King couple was used to her quirky antics by
now.

As she walked to the coven’s tent, her face
felt hot at the words she wrote this very day, her experiences with
Conall. The love they made. She felt sure that, Conall would not be
pleased with her writing about their nights together, but she did
change the names and altered the scenes to make it pop!

Her new novel was filled with intrigue and
adventure. She knew within her heart it would be another
bestseller. Her romance with a cursed highlander was inspiring and
arousing to her. She felt as if she had control over her
circumstance, when she had little control at all.

The only problem she foresaw was the fact
that she and Conall had yet to reach their ending, the moment when
the curse would be lifted and the happily ever after could
commence. She felt for sure that it would come to her. She just
hoped it was fast and effective. Even though she only met him, she
felt for sure that she was deeply committed to helping him and
discovering this intense feeling they seemed to share.

Addie was so deep in her musings that she
almost missed the tent.

Drawing in a breath, she pulled the flap back
and entered the darkened space.

Chapter Ten

“I told ye tha’ the, gel would come.”

Addie looked to the old crone that had spoken
and nodded her head.

“I had some work obligations to attend to
today,” Addie replied.

“Sit and ye will learn how tae curse those
who use evil fer personal gain inta the depths o’ hell.”

Obediently listening to their instructions,
she sat and repeated old words of Gaelic back to the women.

Addie kept at it until she cried a halt at
almost 9 o’ clock at night. She was tired and distressed.

Mixing potions, magical words, chanting
spells, and creating something from nothing, was all overwhelming.
And on top of all of her feelings, she was terrified with the
prospect of using her new knowledge.

Thinking of Conall helped some, but not
enough. During her session this afternoon, a thought struck her.
She would not go through all of this for a simple affair or a book.
She was definitely in love with the man, a man who was centuries
old, a highlander, a partial ghost, and her ancestor’s fiancée to
boot.

He had explained to her that his Addie was
long dead, and only she had stirred feelings within him that had
long since died with her.

Not quite knowing why, she felt something was
missing. And even though she knew something was missing. She loved
him non-the-less.

She recalled his words of fate and destiny
and smiled. Feeling carefree and in love she promised herself that
she would do whatever it took to bring Conall into this realm and
lift the ages old curse.

A bit of omission from Conall were not
outright lies. Were they? Alternatively, the even worse omission
that she knew Addie did not jump from the window of her own accord.
Sighing into the air she continued walking.

As she stepped into her home, she looked to
her phone. She had turned the thing off while she was with the
women of fern.

She looked through her texts and felt cold
skim through her blood. Steven had texted and his messages were
slowly becoming agitated and then downright rude. Wincing, she
looked to the last text and saw these simple words.

I know where you went, and we need to have a
chat. I am coming to you, and I expect you to accommodate me.

Turning her lips into a sneer, she promised
herself she would not let that crazed creep near her or Conall.

She looked at the time of the text and then
looked at her current time. By her figures, he would take a plane
and be here within nine hours.

Sighing, she decided to catch a nap before
she went to Conall.

Typing quickly into her phone as she walked
up the stairs and ignoring her growling stomach, she replied, 'Do
not come here, Steven. We have NOTHING to discuss. Nothing. If
you try to come into my home, you will be escorted off the
property.'

Finally coming to her bedroom door, she
stripped naked and went to lay beneath the cool sheets.

Sleep claimed her quickly with images of
Conall, mist, terror, and death.

Hours later after a fit filled nap, she awoke
naked in tangled sheets and a terror she never felt before.

She had these dreams before, but now she
could feel the terror to her bones.

Addie was there! She would swear to it. She
stood in the attic, in a period dress, her hair a mess from a
confining bun. Her corset much too tight, her skirts cumbersome,
and her back riddled with sweat.

Addie screamed herself into a full
wakefulness when she suddenly heard a pounding on her door.

She quickly grabbed her robe and tied the
sash when she jerked open the door to find Mister King behind the
wood.

“I be so sorry, lass. Howbeit, someone be
‘ere tae see ye. He states tha' he be yer boyfriend? I told 'im tae
await downstairs with me wife. I ken no’ wha' tae do, he seems, in
earnest, gel.”

Disgusted and put out, she walked behind the
older man to the stairs. A she stomped down them, she saw the
sickening site of her ex-pig.

“What in the Holy hell are you doing here,
Steven? I made myself crystal clear that you were not welcome. I
have no idea how you found me, but you can take yourself right back
to New York. You are not welcome in my home,” she ended two inches
from his smiling face.

“Why, Addie, one would think you are not
exactly happy to see me. I am your boyfriend after all.”

“Ex. Ex-boyfriend, and once again, you are
not welcome here.”

Addie looked towards the tired looking couple
and saw nothing but awkwardness and uncomfortable silence. She felt
terrible that they were witnessed to Steven crazy ranting’s.

“Steven, leave. Leave right now and I won’t
call the police. You are trespassing. We are done. Finished. I gave
you my blessing to continue with, Stacy,” she stated, through
clenched teeth.

“Come on, Addie. That was a mistake. I told
you it was a slip. I thought the time away from one another would
have made that clearer within your mind. We were made for one
another….”

Addie stopped him with a glare. Once she had
her feelings under control she replied, “I am seeing someone else.
I have zero feelings left for you. As a matter-of-fact, I never had
feelings for you.”

His face turned a scary shade of red when her
words finally penetrated his thick brain.

“You are already seeing someone else? It has
only been a week or so!” he yelled.

Had it only been a week?
she asked
herself.

She had only known Conall for a week yet she
knew she loved him. She was convinced their destiny was to come
together in their current circumstance. Yes, she was sure of
it.

Feeling confident, she smiled and replied,
“Yes. So leave, now. Do not come back.”

“But….”

“Leave, lad. Ye heard the, lass. She doesna’
wan' ye ‘ere. If ye leave quietly, we willna’ call fer someone tae
help ye leave,” Mister King stated.

Steven first glared at her and then to the
couple and said, “Fine. I'll leave for now, but this is not
over.”

With that threat hanging in the air, he
walked from the room and exited the home.

Once he slammed the door shut she turned
toward the couple and said, “I am so sorry. I never knew he would
be crazy enough to follow me here.”

“'Tis nothin’ tae fre' o’er, Deary. We
understand tha' young people suffer trials….”

“This was not a trial. I caught him in bed
with my ex-best friend, and I decided that I had no feeling left
for either of them. I came here to get closure and to write my new
novel. I made it clear to him that we were no longer a couple. And
now I…” she stopped, embarrassed.

“Ye ‘ave another lo’e,” Missus King said,
with a smile.

“Yes. I know it has only been a week, but I
do. I love him very much,” she sighed, knowing Conall could hear
her declaration.

“Sometimes lo’e can happen suddenly, lass. Me
wife an’ I married only af'er twa weeks o’ courtin’. We ‘ave been
together happily fer forty years, gel. Ye ken in yer heart yer lo’e
and sometimes there be no explanations. Yer heart decides,” Mister
King finished, with tears within his eyes.