Page 17 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Stop,” I said, huffing out a breath. “I don’t want to hear whatever lame excuses you’ve come up with.”

“Okay,” Jace said, holding his hands up. “I get it. I just wanted to say that maybe you shouldn’t go to Scottsdale too much. Eren is not a great guy, and you wouldn’t want to get on his radar. That’s all I wanted to say.”

“Are you fucking serious right now?” I asked. “You’ve already told me you don’t want me in your town, and now you’re trying to order me to not go to the only other town nearby? What is your deal? Is there something about me that just inherently irritates you? Why don’t you want me around? Or do you just hate all humans?”

“This isn’t about me,” Jace blurted. “I’m trying to keep you safe, and hanging around Eren is not a good way to do that.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, eyeing him warily. I’d gotten bad vibes from the guy, but it sounded like Jace knew even more.

“Eren is dangerous. That’s all I’ll say, and that’s why you shouldn’t go to Scottsdale anymore.”

This was getting us nowhere. It wasn’t even noon, and I was already desperate for a nap.

“Are you always so cryptic? What makes this guy so big and bad? Because from what I could tell, he’s as greasy as a car salesman—fake and full of himself—but I didn’t notice anything inherently bad or dangerous. Plus, let’s please not forget, he told me I could come buy cheese and shit, unlike the psycho standing in my driveway.”

Jace chewed his bottom lip and nodded slightly. “Okay. I deserve that. All I can say is that some shifters are just born evil, plain and simple. Eren is one of those people. He is not the sort of person you want to tangle with.” He put his hands together, interlacing his fingers like he was praying. “Please promise you won’t go back there.”

The look on his face and the plea in his voice had my anger seeping out of me. He was being honest; I could see it in his eyes. He was truly scared for me, and from his outward appearance, was desperate for me to believe him. What exactly did he know about Eren?

Crossing my arms, I said, “What makes him so dangerous? If you want me to promise that, then you need to give me an actual reason. I mean, is this some horseshit, like he stole your girlfriend back in high school or something?”

“He’s not afraid to do terrible things to get what he wants,” Jace said, taking a step toward me. “All I can say is, you don’t want to be something he wants, either. Please?”

The way he said that last word did something to me. Something unexpected. He whispered it, leaning forward, eyes locked on mine. A strange warmth spread through my chest, my skin buzzing like some strangely pleasant static electricity was zipping through me. Something deep inside me told me to trust this man.

“All right,” I said, giving in. “Fine, I won’t visit Scottsdale anymore. Does that make you happy?”

Jace’s posture eased, and he flashed me a heart-stopping smile. “It does, actually. Listen, anything you need, you call Waylan.” He pulled a slip of paper from the pocket of his jeans and handed it to me. “That’s his number. Mine’s on there as well. Call or text us, and we’ll bring whatever you want. And since, uh, since I made this so difficult, I’ll cover the cost of anything you need. How does that sound?”

My instincts were still pushing me to trust him. As annoying as it was not to have the freedom of going into town, I nodded, accepting his fragile olive branch.

“You don’t need to pay,” I said. “I’ve got my own money, but thanks for the gesture. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

Chapter 6

Jace

Rather than running home, I chose to walk. There was too much going through my mind, and I needed some quiet time to think about it. After Kirsten got into her car and disappeared down her driveway, I turned and trudged down the road toward home.

Waylan was waiting for me when I got back. “Well? How’d it go?” he asked as I stepped inside.

“As good as can be expected,” I mumbled.

He closed the door behind us. I felt awful. Drained and heartsick. It had started the moment Kirsten left and only grown worse the farther I got from her.

“Good. At least we won’t have to worry about Eren getting his hands on her.” Waylan frowned at me. “Are you all right? No offense, but you look like shit.”

“We have bigger problems to deal with,” I said.

“Like?”

I flopped onto the couch. “Like the fact that I’m one hundred percent sure Kirsten is my fated mate.”

Waylan chuckled humorlessly. “For real? That feeling you got, your wolf’s reaction, wasn’t just because you were around a witch?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” I replied. “And it’s been getting stronger. Every hour that passes, it grows. My wolf’s reaction is only part of it, but it’s the biggest piece of proof. I’d really hoped he was just out of his mind after finding the descendant of the witch who cursed me. But seeing her today took away all doubt. It’s real.”

“How’s that make you feel?”

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