Page 61 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Oh my god,” I groaned. “I’m being serious.”

“So am I. Look, you always have shitty luck with men, and as your friend, I know why. Every guy you’ve been with—which, might I add, have been few and far between—has never lived up to your standard. You settled, is what I’m saying. They’ve all screwed you over in one way or another. You’ve found a dude who lights a fire that’s never been lit, and it’s freaking you out. That’s what’s happening. What you need to do is break free and go with the flow. Nothing makes going with the flow easier than having a sexy little something under your clothes. Some crotchless panties, or maybe one of those numbers with the cutouts so your tits hang out? Guys love that shit.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. I wore one of those when I went out with that linebacker for the Texans a couple years ago. Dude about lost his shit when I got undressed.”

“Ugh, no, I mean about going with the flow. Just letting it happen?”

“Well, yeah. Honey, no offense, but when it comes to relationships, you’re high-strung, and I say that from a place of love. Hell, buy whatever you want, but it might do you some good to clear your head with a little shopping. I’ll send you a link to a place I love in St. Louis. Take a little day trip out there, browse, maybe pick something out, have lunch, the whole nine yards. Get out of your head a bit.”

I checked the clock. It was close to nine. I had plenty of time, even if I stayed in the city for several hours, I’d be home with plenty of time before going to Jace’s.

“Send me the address.”

On the drive, I listened to a podcast and let my mind drift. The drive was pleasant, other than the crystal on my neck humming in a strange way. A weird feeling of dread came over me, which made me drive more carefully. Was it telling me I might get into an accident? If so, nothing ever materialized. No one swerved into me or tried to rear-end me. Eventually, I tuned it out.

By the time I pulled into a parking garage in St. Louis, I was calmer than I’d been in days. Maybe things with Jace would work out, even if it was just short-term. A summer fling. Still, I had to get the words out. Tell him what I wanted. He’d made it clear he was a gentleman and that nothing else would do. This was a big ask. At least for me.

The shop Harley had sent me to was not what I’d expected. I’d been almost certain it would be one of those places with dildos on racks all over the walls and a curtained area in the back to buy even naughtier things. Instead, it was more of a boutique shop with normal clothes up front and more risqué clothing at the back. It was actually really nice, and I began to browse.

It was still early, and I was the only customer. One woman worked the counter and bustled about, refolding and packing away items. When the doorbell dinged, I turned, curious to see the new patron entering, and my blood instantly froze in my veins. Eren walked in with a woman on his arm. She wore a large hat and big movie-star sunglasses that she didn’t bother removing inside.

There was no way this was a coincidence. He must have followed me here. That’s why my crystal had been warning me. My magic had sensed danger. Hell, he could have been on the highway a few cars behind me, and I never would have known. How the hell would he have known I’d be heading here, though? Had he been waiting near my cabin for me to venture out? That was supremely stalkerish, and it made my skin crawl.

When Eren spotted me, he didn’t look the least bit surprised. He left his companion to browse and headed straight for me.

What could I do? There was nowhere to go. At least this was a public place in the daylight. I glanced at the retail worker, who looked engrossed in something on the computer.

“Hey there,” Eren said, taking up a position on the opposite side of the clothing rack. “Pretty nice place, huh?”

“Yeah,” I muttered. I had no desire to speak to him.

Should I walk out? Was it safer out on the street or in here? I wasn’t sure.

“I was wondering,” he went on, “Jace didn’t happen to tell you about me needing your services, did he?”

“My services? Well, my degree is in education, so unless you need help learning to read, I don’t know what I can do for you.”

Eren tilted his head and chuckled quietly. “That’s good. Really good, but not what I had in mind. You know what I mean.”

The way he looked at me, like a wolf sizing up his prey—which was, in fact, exactly what was happening—made me even more uncomfortable than I already was.

“How about you just say what you need to say?” I told him. “Stop beating around the bush.”

“Oh, dirty talk, I like it. Do you need someone to beat around your bush?”

“Gross,” I snapped.

“Anyway, the reason I was so… surprised to see you here was that I’d been wanting to talk to you about a friend of mine.”

“A friend?”

“Yeah, they’ve been having some issues. Fertility issues that a witch might be able to help out with.”

At the mention of the word witch, I glanced around to see if anyone had heard. The lone store worker was now over by the front window, assisting Eren’s friend. This felt like a planned attack. Eren and his friend arrive, Eren corners me, his friend distracts the worker. A sneak attack to get whatever it was he was trying to get. Lead filled my stomach.

“Doctors can’t seem to help my friend,” Eren continued. “He’s pretty desperate to have a kid. He’s an alpha, too. Needs an heir to stabilize his power base. You see where this is going? If medicine can’t help, I’m sure a witch can.”

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