Gifted Curse (Curse Trilogy) (37 page)

“That was pretty incredible,” he murmurs softly.

“That was very incredible,” I giggle out, and I feel his smile rather than see it.

“I could sleep now,” he adds humorously.

“Let’s do it,” I prompt, and he pulls me up to be beside him as he stares into my eyes and strokes my cheek gently.

“I look forward to the day when we can do this anytime we want to.  Once we track down the Rising, I want you to return with me to Seminole.  You can interrogate and run the school as well if you want to.  Please come back with me.”

I stare into the hybrid eyes that anxiously await my answer, and I kiss him to ensure him I’m not going anywhere without him.

“I planned on coming back, but I don’t know anything about running a school.  I trust you’ve got far better people already in place for that.  I’ll stick to grilling the suspects and curling up in your arms.”

This time I see the full-flashing, panty-dropping smile before his lips thank mine.

“Sounds perfect.  I love you.”

“I love you,” I mumble against his soft kiss.

He holds me to his body, and I pull the sheet over us both as we shut out the world and just live in each other’s arms for the moment.

Chapter  10

The Rise and Fall

The tinted sky stares into my eyes as I stare out at the Selma landscape.  No one found my lead, and I’m sure he’s long gone by now after the infected fall of the woman I killed.  No one wants to speak about it in front of me, and I can’t blame them.  I was far too emotional yesterday.  I’ve been trained my whole life to shut out emotion, but I’ve never been able to.  Hale is so much better at that than me.  His only weakness for emotion has been me.

I smile as that thought comes to mind, and then I smile bigger as I feel his arms wrapping around me from behind.

“You ready to go?” he asks softly while moving my hair to kiss my neck.

“I won’t be if you keep doing that,” I seduce, and he turns me to face him so that his lips can caress mine lightly before picking up my bag.

“We need to go, or I would definitely have some more fun with you in this old place.”

“I’m glad we stayed in so much,” I chuckle, and he stretches playfully to dramatize the very long night we had.

“I don’t think I’ve ever slept that much in my life, and I think it’s just what I needed.  Thank you,” he chirps before pecking me lightly once more.

“I’m surprised we didn’t run into anybody we knew.  Not that I’m complaining.”

“Compounds change almost daily.  I had three assistants before I got Wendy, and I’ve had numerous other officials.  It’s easy for people to come and go and then be replaced.  You did all that worrying for nothing.”

“I’m looking forward to returning to Seminole,” I smolder out.

He smirks lightly before running his thumb across my lips, and then he sighs out before taking my hand in his.

“It’s just a temporary stay until we catch a fresh lead.  We’ll be back on the road before long.”

“At least I get to be on the road with you.”

He grins upon hearing my giddy words, and his arm drapes over my shoulder while his other carries our bags.

“I wouldn’t go without you.”

“I know.  That’s what makes you all the more incredible.”

His cheeks blush lightly as his perfect smile slips across his face, and he rolls his eyes at his own foolishly giddy reaction.  I mimic his grin, and Clay walks up with a smile of his own.

“I’m glad to see you feel better,” he says with delight.

“Hale has a way of bringing out the best in me,” I giggle out.

“I know.  That’s why I’m glad the two of you are finally back with each other.  You bring out the best in him too.”

“Yes she does,” Hale sizzles free while staring into my eyes.

“Let’s get back to Seminole.  It’ll be a long ride from here,” Clay sighs in dread.

“I like long rides,” I provocatively dare.

Hale stifles his laughter, and Clay rolls his eyes while shaking his head.

“I think you two bring out the animal in each other as well,” he grumbles before walking away in mock disgust.

I make a playful purring sound, and Hale lets his laughter free before giving me a sweet kiss.

“You feel better?” Brazen chirps from behind as he walks up on our moment.

“Very much so.  Thank you for what you did yesterday.  I needed that,” I murmur genuinely while staring into his pleased, pale eyes.

“You know I’d do anything for you.  I’ll see you back at Seminole,” he mutters gently before rubbing the side of my arm, and then he jogs down the hallway to the outside.

“I hate it when he touches you,” Hale growls with a grimace.

I smirk lightly as I tug on his belt to make his body jerk closer.  He tries to suppress his grin as I kiss his chest through his shirt.

“He doesn’t get to touch me the way you do,” I smolder out, and his grin can’t be held back any longer.

‘Damn straight,” he smugly retorts while pulling me against his leaning body as he backs against a wall.

“I dread driving forever all over again.”

He smirks, and then his lips play over mine.

“We’ll have passengers this time, so you’ll have to behave.”

“That’s why I dread the ride.”

He laughs lightly, and then we see dust stirring in the distance as shots begin ringing out.  Hale grips my hand as we rush over to inspect the scene.  I smell the toxic uranium as a grenade bursts violently into the air, and Hale injects his veins with olophine before leaping over the edge of the wall to jump in his car.

I step off the ledge to plummet the fifty feet to the ground, and I hop into the passenger seat before he has a chance to leave me.  Brazen’s feet slap the ground, and he pulls out his rifle to line up a shot as Hale revs the engine and blazes toward the fight.

“Get out, baby,” he murmurs calmly while his eyes focus on the fight ahead.

“Yeah.  That’s going to happen,” I scoff, and he stifles a smirk as we dodge a grenade’s impact.

“Fuck,” he breathes.  “Go invincible if you’re going with me.”

“I need to wait.  It’s only good for ten, fifteen, maybe twenty minutes but no more.”

He skids to a halt just as we reach the fiery tantrum’s core.  In a blur, he takes my hand and pulls me behind him to meet a man behind an armored tank.

“What the fuck is going on?” Hale barks as he flicks his wrist to force an explosion against the oncoming missiles.

“They’re infecting humans, Sir.  We caught them in the act, and they were ready to fight.  We lured them away from the compound, but this is as far as we could get them,” the man trembles out, and I can see the huge gashes he has already sustained.

I turn my attention on the chaotic battle that has erupted almost instantly, and Hale jerks me to his body as a hail of bullets whiz by my head.

“Now?” he growls.

“Now,” I exasperate in a slightly rattled tone, and I feel my invincibility cloaking me per his request - or demand rather.

I walk over while pulling out my guns, and three distant shots ring out just before three men fall behind me.  I let a proud grin escape when I realize it was Brazen and his long-distance shooting skills, and then I start firing shots of my own with the two guns that were strapped to my thighs.

I see red eyes staring into mine as blood gushes to the ground.  I fire into the infected crowd just before the full blood army emerges.  I gasp as I see the rising sun tattooed on one’s arm, and I fire straight between his eyes when he threatens to shoot Hale who is blasting out their tanks.

“Fuck.  It’s the Rising,” I blare in disbelief, and then I feel arms moving me as blades clank into the skulls of two stray full bloods sneaking up on me.

I turn to face the pale eyes, and Brazen pulls the clips on two chrome grenades before launching them at the hoards swarming toward us.  He forces me down to the ground behind one of our tanks that has joined the fight.

“I’m invincible,” I scream as the deafening blast erupts.

“I don’t give a damn.  I’m not going to watch them shoot you,” he growls, and I see the sizzling embers from the ashes of the attackers that had once opposed us as they float back to the ground.

“That packs some punch,” I gasp.

“Thanks.  I made them myself,” he playfully adds before launching two more over the tank.

Hale smirks as his TNT laced fingertips provide him with more of a blasting edge than Brazen’s homemade grenades, and I finally decide I’ve had enough.  I throw my hands up when I feel my invincibility growing weaker, and I take on the masses myself.

Hale injects himself with more olophine, and I move through the crowd as I deter all attacks with effortless ease.  Each grenade is thrown back, each bullet stops midair, and every running soldier finds himself straining against gravity to move forward.

“Araya, don’t use too much,” Hale yells, and I smirk as I launch three of their tanks into them at once.

Their bodies shiver under my power, and I drag my fingers across the ground as I very slowly scoop up a pile of their ashes to blow into the wind.

“Game over,” I murmur ominously, and then I hear the gasps of disbelief as I launch them into the open land behind us.

Every uranium tipped weapon follows their expelled state, and the fireworks erupt as they collide with the full blood massacre I’ve ignited.  Hale takes my hand as he kisses my forehead, and he steps in front of me to block my view to the destructive path I’ve created.

“You need medicine.  Your eyes, baby… take it for me,” he coos while handing me a vial of olophine.

I take a deep breath before injecting my veins, and I feel the high I didn’t know I was on starting to subside.  He pulls me into his arms while almost everyone else starts rushing toward the wreckage.

“That was the Rising?  That’s it?” I scoff, and he laughs when he sees I’m not the least bit savage right now.

“There were a lot more of them than you realize, baby.  I think we both forget how powerful you can be,” he murmurs softly against my lips, and my smile spreads gloriously across my face.

“So we don’t have to go looking for them?” I muse.

“No.  Let’s go home,” he exhales, and my smile almost disintegrates when I see Brazen lying on the ground as people rush blood to him.

I dash to his side, and Hale screams to Clay, “Get more blood now.”

“Brazen.  You’re okay.  Stay with me,” I whimper as I clutch his hand in mine.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he hoarsely forces out.

I can actually smell the overwhelming amount of uranium in his blood.  He hisses through his teeth when he tries to sit up, and Hale rushes over with three bags of blood.

“This will get him started.  I’ll go get more,” he says before darting back toward his car.

I hold Brazen against me as his blood covers my body.  I rip the first bag open with my teeth as I begin pouring it into his mouth, and he gurgles slightly when he can’t drink as much as he needs to as fast as he needs to.

“Please try,” I sob, and he holds his hand on mine as he sips again.

“I must… look pretty… bad,” he wheezes out, and I pour more of the blood in his mouth before leaning his head back to let gravity pull it down his throat.

He chokes slightly, and I put my mouth over his to blow air into his lungs when I hear the liquid filling them.  I pull back and repeat the pouring process before using my air to force it down his throat.

He coughs as his body starts to heal, and his own air rushes his lungs too quickly.  He grips the back of my head to pull me against his lips, and it becomes a kiss rather than a respiratory necessity.

I jerk back scowling playfully at him, and he shrugs before sitting up a little better.  His body is still covered in wounds, but they’re not as severe now as they slowly begin to heal.  He opens the next pack on his own, and then he gives me a wink.

“Care to share this one?  You’ve got a scratch,” he murmurs menacingly while pointing at my arm.

I roll my eyes, and I take the bag that has a couple of drops left in it.  He smiles as I drink the small dose, and my tiny scratch heals instantly.

“Come here,” he says more seriously, and I wipe my tears as I hug him.  “You didn’t go boom,” he chuckles out.

“No I didn’t,” I snicker out through my tears.

Because I went savage without even realizing it.

It was different though.  I didn’t
feel
savage… just… powerful… very, very powerful.

“Want to help me up?” he asks softly while pulling back, and I act as his crutch while he stands to his feet.

The tinted sky is only promising to stay orange for another fifteen minutes before blaring its true glow, and Hale comes back with boxes of blood the others go to start dispersing to the wounded.

Brazen grabs one as they walk by, and he sips on it to heal his remaining aches.  I continue supporting my full blood as Hale opens the back door to the car.

“Let’s get the hell out of Selma,” Brazen huffs as he plops down, and Hale laughs a little as he opens the door for me.

“You good with that?” he asks softly.

“More than good,” I mumble, and then Clay runs over to halt our spontaneous plan of retreat.

“I have one still alive, and I need Araya to interrogate him.”

“Yeah.  Definitely,” I quickly offer, and I see them feeding blood into the mouth of a man trying to intentionally spew it out.

“I’ll die before I talk, hybrid scum,” he protests, and Hale ushers me into the car to head back to
Selma.

“I don’t know how he survived that,” I murmur as we pass through the gates.

“I don’t know why they attacked here.  Selma is a large compound with several military units at their disposal at all times.  It’s stupid to infect so many just outside the gates,” Brazen adds while slowly sipping on the blood pack.

“They’ve been so fucking clever up until now.  They’ve never even made a mass attack.  They’ve used stealth, precision, and calculated smaller attacks,” I murmur aloud.

“We won’t have answers in here.  Be careful with this one.  He’s resilient to have survived such a blast,” Hale murmurs, concern etching his voice before kissing the back of my hand.