Page 125 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Stay calm,” Tinsley said, her brow creased with worry.

“I am fucking calm,” I hissed.

“Now this time, don’t let me get close!” Jace shouted before he shifted.

He ran in a zigzag pattern across the clearing toward me. I threw several spells at him but missed every time. Sweat ran into my eye, and I blinked. That blink sent the spell another thirty feet off course.

Jace quickly shifted to his human form again. “For fuck’s sake, Kirsten. What was that? You weren’t even close. Again,” he repeated and shifted again.

Hissing an angry breath through my teeth, I flung my hand out, sending a wave of pulsing energy toward him. In my rage, I couldn’t hold back. The air condensed into a ball of kinetic force and slammed into Jace, sending him flipping into the air. He yelped in pain.

Jace tumbled to a stop and shifted back, pressing a hand to his lower back as he walked toward us. “That was better. Now we’re talking.”

Rather than celebrate my victory, I took Tinsley’s hand. “Come on. I need a break. Let’s go.”

“Oh, uh, okay, sure.” Tinsley followed hesitantly, looking back at Jace as I stomped through the woods toward the house.

“Where are you going?” Jace called after me.

I spun around and leveled a finger at him. “I’m hungry. I’m going to go have lunch and rest. Is that okay with you, Captain?”

Jace’s jaw went slack, his eyes wide. My words had come out even harsher than intended, and I’d intended them to be harsh.

Not bothering to wait for his response, I stalked through the woods to the house. Tinsley and I found Harley in the kitchen, making a sandwich.

“Oh good,” she said. “Did you bring Jace? I could really go for something better than bologna and cheese…” She trailed off as she saw the look on my face. “My, aren’t we in a pissy mood?”

Stalking over, I snatched her sandwich up and took a huge bite, mustard and mayo smearing on my cheek.

“No, sure, have a bite, I’m not hungry,” Harley said, rolling her eyes. “What the hell happened?”

Before either of us could say anything, Jace stomped in, and I glared at him.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said through a mouthful of bologna and cheese. “It’s only the drill instructor over there pushing me until I break. Apparently, my best isn’t good enough.”

Jace opened his mouth to retort, but his shoulders slumped. He lowered his head as he walked down the hall in silence.

Harley looked at Tinsley. “Um, hi. I’m Harley.”

Tinsley gave her an awkward smile. “Tinsley. It’s nice to meet you, dear.”

A door slammed down the hall, and Harley flinched. “You know what? I think Kirsten could do with getting out of the house for a bit?”

“I think that would be wonderful,” Tinsley agreed.

I finished rage-eating the sandwich and said, “Great. Let’s go. Where are we going? Nah, scratch that, I don’t care. Just get me out of here.”

With my car a wreck and Harley without one, we got into Tinsley’s small hatchback and headed for town. On the way, Harley and Tinsley chatted, leaving me to stew in my bitterness in the backseat. They hit it off immediately, which did a lot to improve my mood. I liked Tinsley a lot, and knowing my best friend liked her, too, was a nice little boost to an otherwise crappy day.

“Okay, here’s my idea,” Harley said. “Ladies’ night, the three of us. How’s that sound?”

Tinsley chuckled. “You know, it’s been a long time since I did something like that. Me and a couple friends went to Woodstock ’94 back in the day. That might be the last time I had something like a ladies’ night.”

Harley stared at her. “Woodstock. You mean… 1994?” she asked incredulously.

“Yup. It was a great time. I loved it. I went for Collective Soul on the first day, but we stayed for the whole festival.”

Harley looked in the backseat and gaped at me. “Is she serious? How old is this woman? And who the fuck is Collective Soul?”

---