Cursed Vengeance (10 page)

Once we were both showered and dressed, I took Sierra to the local diner for breakfast. We parked the car and walked inside.

I felt the eyes on us the minute we stepped through the door. Ignoring whoever it might be, with Sierra’s hand in mine, I followed the waitress to the table. She happened to be one of the few humans who lived in the area.

“Here you go, Dylan,” Tracey said as we took our seats. She reached her hand out to Sierra. “Hi, I’m Tracey.”

With a grin, I said, “Tracey, this is my mate, Sierra.”

“Mate?” Tracey practically shouted as Sierra took her hand. Although her eyes clouded over a bit. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” I smiled.

“Enjoy,” Tracey said, looking between me and Sierra before walking to another table.

Sierra’s brow arched as she looked at me from across the table.

“No, I didn’t do any of what you’re thinking. Her mate died in the last run of the curse. She’s human but decided to stay. Said she felt closer to Tyler here.”

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. We just met and still have a lot to learn about the other.”

“We do. So let’s start now.”

“Okay, but pick what you want to eat first, I’m starving.”

She laughed. “Yeah, we worked up an appetite this morning.”

I groaned and reached down to adjust my pants. “Don’t I know it?”

Picking up the menu, I searched down the page, trying to figure out what I wanted to eat. Every few seconds, I caught myself peeking over the top at Sierra. Hope seemed lost before she hit me with her car. I hadn’t felt this at ease in a long time.

“Why the fuck did you bring a witch here?” a familiar voice snarled from behind me.

“What the hell?” Sierra hissed.

Her tone threw my ease right out the window. Sierra’s menu dropped to the table, her jaw following suit. Turning in my seat, I found Brittany standing behind me, with her latest fuck buddy, Jeff.

“What the fuck do you care, Brittany? Go have breakfast and leave us the fuck alone,” I snapped and turned back to face Sierra.

“Are you kidding me? Her kind caused all of this mess and that’s okay with you?”

Standing, I faced the two idiots. “A witch, not Sierra.”

“Oh, you’re on a first name basis with her.” She paused for a second, nose sniffing. “Do I smell her all over you? You mated a fucking witch,” she yelled.

“You’re damn right he mated a witch. Now back off,” Sierra snapped.

I crossed my arms over my chest, bored with Brittany’s bullshit. All I could do was pray Sierra would shut her mouth. They’d have to get past me, but they could kill her without a problem. “Yes, and what’s it to you?”

“What the hell, Dylan?” Jeff snapped. “You’re gonna die in less than couple weeks and it’s all her fault.” He pointed at Sierra.

Grabbing his wrist, I twisted it behind his back, giving him a slight shove. “Back off, Jeff,” I growled.

In my scuffle with Jeff, I hadn’t noticed Brittany took a step closer to Sierra. “Did you know he’s been with almost every woman in this place? He was in my bed last week.”

“Well, he’s not going to be there anymore now, is he?” she sneered.

My senses were attuned enough to Sierra that I felt the anger coursing through her. Her heartbeat raced and the pulse at her temple throbbed. Whether it was directed at me or Brittany, I wasn’t sure. Either way, I wanted to knock the bitch out. How dare she tell all kinds of lies about me?

“Shut the fuck up, Brittany. You and I may have been together to scratch an itch, but that’s all it was. Put away the green-eyed monster because I mated a woman who is sexier, smarter, and way better in bed than you.”

“You mother fucker!” she screamed and dove at me.

Sidestepping her attack, I watched her hit the floor behind me and almost missed Jeff’s fist flying at my face.

Deflecting the punch, I threw one of my own, sending him flying into a tray of food. Dishes and food hit the ground. Afraid to destroy the place, I leapt over Jeff sprawled on the floor, closer to the door.

Before I had a chance to push it open, Jeff threw all of his weight into my stomach, throwing us both outside. Kicking the bastard off of me, I looked up and realized it wasn’t just him and Brittany. They were followed by at least seven more wolves from the pack. I stopped in the middle of the parking lot and spun to face them.

Holding my hands out, I said, “Is this what you want?”

“No, what we want is for you to get the witch bitch out of town before she kills us all,” Jeff said, running for me.

Dodging another of his blows, I threw an elbow to the back of his head, when another wolf charged me. I could take maybe three of them on my own, any more and I might end up getting my ass kicked. Trading blows, I hadn’t noticed when Sean jumped into the fray next to me. Maybe with his help, we had a chance. No one could be allowed to lay a finger on Sierra.

Sierra

“You don’t want to go out there,” Tracey warned as I watched the wolves take one swing after another at Dylan. All he had to do was tell them to back off and sit down.

But no, he made it physical when he twisted dumbnut’s arm behind his back.

“Why not? Someone has to put a stop to this bullshit. They can hate me all they want, but it’s not going to change the fact that a curse is taking their lives one by one. If I can stop it, I will.”

I slid from the booth without waiting for an answer and stormed outside. I pushed past the raging beasts and stepped between my brother and my mate. Dylan’s glare didn’t escape my notice as I threw up my hands, whispering the words to call a shield, like Sean taught me.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed my hands forward and watched as all eight assholes and the bitch slid back while trying to tear the invisible wall down.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” Dylan hissed.

I didn’t have time for that shit and ignored him for the moment. When we got away from the mob, he had another thing coming.

“You want to blame someone for this curse?” I shouted. “Fine, blame me, but considering I didn’t even know what I was until a few days ago it’s a safe bet I didn’t cause it. From what I was told it started decades before I was born.”

“You fucking slut.” Brittany took a couple steps back as she said it, then flung herself at the wall.

Rolling my eyes, I laughed. “You’re jealous he didn’t wind up with your skank ass. And why are you bitching when you have meatstick over there? Doesn’t matter, though, because Dylan’s not going home with you. It’s me he’ll be fucking tonight.”

“He likes to eat pussy. Any will do. You’re just the new flavor,” she screeched.

I could vouch for his skill, and yeah, he probably had practice, but that wasn’t the issue. Though the accusation did rattle around my brain.

Instead, I smirked. “He’s mated now, pretty sure yours and everyone else’s is off the menu.”

“It is,” Dylan promised.

I refused to look his way. It was his fault we were in this mess.

“What you all seem to forget is Sean is both witch and werewolf. He’s also my brother, and if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m mated to Dylan, who also happens to be one of you. So yeah, a witch is here. And I’m doing my damnedest to find a way to stop the curse.”

“Liar!” some jackass shouted.

I shot him a glare and he stepped back with a look of fear. “By the way, if I wanted to, I could do a lot more than throw up a shield to protect the two people I care most about in this world and cause some real damage. Instead, I’m standing here trying to stop the madness so I can eat something before diving back in to find a solution to
your
pack’s problem.”

Jeff, the one who was on Brittany’s arm when she first walked up to the table, frowned, then dropped his hands. “She’s right. Why would she kill her brother and mate?”

Someone else spoke up. “She’s too young to be the one who started it.”

Brittany sneered. “She could be related to whoever it was.”

That hit hard. I was certain my grandmother had a hand in it, and if she did, probably my father too. I just needed to figure out how so I could reverse the damned curse.

Jeff grabbed her arm and dragged her away. The rest of them split up, either going for the cars or inside the diner.

Once we were alone, I dropped my hands. The shield dissipated. I started walking back to the café when Dylan grabbed me by the arm and spun me around. I nearly slapped him, but stopped myself because I was pissed he wanted to fight in the first place.

The words exploded from his mouth. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? They could have killed you.”

Glaring at him, my jaw clenched and I shook my head. “Don’t. You’re the moron who decided fighting was better than ignoring a bunch of ignorant fleabags. They’re not going to start shit now.”

He blinked at me, his mouth flapping open like a fish out of water.

“I’m hungry. We’re going inside to eat.” I jerked my arm away and walked back to the café.

“Fuck me,” Dylan muttered.

Sean laughed out loud, then made sure I heard his remark. “Yeah, you just landed on her shit list, buddy. I do not envy you.”

My brother hurried to catch up, sliding an arm around me. “Sorry about that. I should have warned you how they can be.”

“Don’t worry. I can ignore a bunch of assholes.” I shot a glare back at Dylan, who looked away with a grimace.

I slid into my seat and grabbed Sean’s sleeve, dragging him in beside me.

Sean leaned over. “Dylan isn’t a manwhore. He hasn’t been with half the town.”

“Don’t help him. The whole scene was completely avoidable.”

Dylan sat across from me and reached for my hand. I slid mine under my thighs and smiled over at Tracey.

She hurried over while Dylan studied me as if he were trying to work out an equation. Maybe he was.

Before Tracey could say anything, I ordered coffee and breakfast. Both Sean and Dylan rattled off an order before Tracey winked at me as she made her way to the kitchen.

I turned to Sean, not ready to deal with the fool across from me. “I’m coming back to your place. I’m going to figure out this damned curse.”

“I’m not leaving you alone,” Dylan uttered softly.

My eye twitched, but I kept my focus on my brother. “How are you doing? How long before it starts?”

“Sometime late tomorrow,” Sean answered, looking down at his hands. “If you can’t figure this out, it won’t be your fault. I’ve done everything I can.”

“Oh no. Don’t even go there, Sean. I
will
find a way to stop it.” Tears welled up in my eyes and I squeezed my lids tight, fighting them back. I glared at him, holding on to my anger, hoping it would push me harder to find an answer. “I won’t lose you,” I promised.

Sean hugged me tight. “I don’t want to leave you either.”

“Stop it,” I snarled. “Don’t want to hear that shit.”

My brother swallowed back his response as I sat back. He gave me a trace of a smile. “What you did out there—”

“Don’t you dare take his side and say it was stupid,” I snapped.

“I was going to say brave, and diplomatic. But wolves don’t think before they act. Dylan saw a threat to you and he acted. He’s going to do that anytime you’re in danger.”

“Great, so he’s going to flip his shit and get himself killed.” I looked out the window with a heavy sigh, gripping my thighs with my hands.

Tracey brought the coffee, and I sipped the black brew, no longer hungry or thirsty, but I knew I needed the energy to keep going. As soon as the food was on the table, I shoved it in my mouth, dutifully eating.

With a wave at Tracey, I slipped her my credit card, hoping it would signal Sean to hurry his ass up. Usually he wolfed down his meals, but this time he watched me expectantly, picking at his food. So far I’d managed to avoid Dylan’s gaze.

Once I had the bill, I signed and tipped, then nodded toward the door. “Let’s go, Sean.”

“Oh no.” Sean shook his head, climbing out of the seat. “You need to talk to Dylan. You accepted him as your mate, you get to figure this shit out without me being in the middle.”

Next thing I knew, he blurred out the restaurant and into his truck before I could move.

“He’s right, we need to talk.”

“Fine.” I managed to walk calmly to his truck.

He followed, and when I turned to motion at the door, he backed me into the side, placing his hands on either side of my shoulders. “You’re right. I didn’t need to continue the argument and start a fight,” he growled.

“That’s a start,” I replied defiantly.

A shiver traveled down my spine as his eyes flashed pale gold. A growl rumbled from his lips. “You didn’t need to get in the middle of it, though. That was the dumbest thing you could have done, Sierra.”

Gritting my teeth, I shook my head. My magic wanted to push back and I fought it down. “I stopped them, didn’t I? Got them to listen to reason,” I fired back. “Now back the fuck up before I blast you across this parking lot.”

He froze, his eyes widening. “You would, wouldn’t you?”

“You bet your ass I would. We’re running out of time. Let’s go.” I pushed at him, and he fell back against the next car. He looked devastated as he made his way around the truck.

Anger roiled through me as I slammed the door and clicked my belt in place.

Dylan hopped in and started the truck. “You did stop it.”

“Don’t even finish that with an insult,” I snapped.

“Damn it, Sierra, listen to me.”

“I’m listening.”

“Sean’s right. We don’t think, we act. You’re my mate, and you stepped right in the middle of a pack of wolves ready to tear you apart.”

“To stop them from tearing you apart!” I screamed, glaring out the window.

“Yeah, well, the part about you being in danger scared the shit out of me.”

“And it didn’t freak me out when you egged them on? This bond goes both ways, Dylan. You don’t get to charge into a fight and not expect me to back you up.”

He threw the truck in gear and pulled onto the road. “Shit, you’re right,” he muttered.

“Damn right I am.”

“As for Brittany, I slept with her, and it wasn’t last week. I’ve been a little too busy helping Sean to fuck for the fun of it.”

I winced, my jaw clenching.

“It was months ago. That’s all it was. With you, it’s a whole different level. Nothing compares to being with you.”

Brittany’s words still bounced around in my head, and I blurted out the one question I knew I shouldn’t ask. “How many wolves did you
fuck for fun
?”

He let out a heavy sigh. “Three. You want to know who?” he snapped back. The defeat in his voice caught me off guard.

I looked over with a frown. “No. Not unless we run into them, and they happen to be rabid. I might want warning before another jealous bitch decides she can rile me.”

He took my hand and changed the subject. “What’s your plan?”

“I want to check out what’s in the box. Going to take it into the woods. Want to be my guide?” I couldn’t help the flirty tone. He did apologize, and he seemed to understand he fucked up. Plus, he felt pretty bad about Brittany—and let’s face it, I’d made my share of mistakes with men in the past.

He nodded, a smirk lifting one delicious corner of his mouth. “You could run, I’ll chase.”

I shifted in my seat, trying to relieve the ache between my thighs. I wanted him already. Scratch that—still. Even mad I wanted him to strip my clothes off and fuck me against his truck, in the parking lot no less. Maybe give Brittany something to drool over since he wasn’t going back to her bed.

“We have work to do,” I reminded.

“I know. Later I’ll make up for this morning.”

“For the record, I can ignore their shit. Even Brittany and her jealousy. You were probably the best lay she ever had and has blown through the pack looking for something a fraction as good.”

He grinned at her. “Am I the best lay you ever had?”

“Yes.” I squirmed in my seat, not sure I wanted to answer to the same question.

He seemed to read my mind. “First time I tasted you on my lips you burned out the memory of anyone who came before. There’s only you. And this morning, best wakeup call of my life.”

I relaxed finally, letting the anger ease, at least for Dylan. His pack, that was another story, but it would only add fuel to my fire in an effort to end the curse.

Less than a mile from my brother’s house, Dylan pulled off a dirt road that seemed to go nowhere and parked.

“What are we doing?” I asked breathlessly.

He shut off the truck and turned toward me. “Sierra, I’m sorry.”

A heavy sigh escaped my lips. “So am I.”

Dylan gently caught my face, pulling my gaze to his smoldering eyes. His mouth opened, then shut, whatever words he wanted to say dying on his lips.

The air between us was ready to combust. I couldn’t even think of what we needed to be doing as he leaned in. Drawn to him, I met him halfway, kissing him passionately. His hand drifted behind my head, clutching my hair as he held me there, his tongue dueling with mine.

With my lungs burning, I broke away, only to be hauled into his lap, straddling him as he ground into my heat.

“Dylan,” I whispered as his mouth closed over my throat, sucking here and there with teasing nips. His hand slipped under my dress, his thumb finding my clit, rubbing maddening circles over the sensitive nub.

Fumbling with his pants, I rocked into him, needing him deep inside me. Finally, his pants were open and I freed his cock, groaning at the feel of him in my hand.

He pushed my panties aside and dipped his thumb into me. “Shit, you’re so damned wet. He pulled his hand from me as I rose up to take him in. He sucked his thumb with a groan, his eyes locked on mine as I swirled my hips.