Page 16 of Wolf's Forbidden Curse

“Maybe she won’t strike out like you did,” said Nic.

I shot her a look, but she still had her head down. I had no idea what had gotten into her, but she was being particularly cutting with me today. “New rule,” I said. “You have to call in sick the day after we go out drinking because I don’t like it when you’re so snippy.”

“You’d be snippy too if you felt like this.”

“Seriously, Nic,” Jackson said. “Let me just get you some Tylenol. It’ll help.”

“Really, I’m fine.” Nic pushed her chair back and stood. “I think I just need some fresh air. I’m going for a walk. If Elliot asks where I am, cover for me.”

“I’ll try.”

She left the room without another word. I watched her go for a second before turning back to Jackson. “Word to the wise, when Nic’s in a mood like this, it’s better just to leave her alone. Unless you want to get your head bitten off again.”

He waved a hand in the air. “Ah, she wasn’t so bad. She was mostly biting your head off, not mine. Plus, she’s allowed to have a rough day every now and then.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Oh, Jackson,” I said, getting up to leave. “You poor love-sick bastard.”

CHAPTER 7

KATRINA

It was a little past seven, and the bar was full of people. The Friday night crowd had really shown up in droves, so I was finally getting a sense of what it was going to be like to bartend when things were at their peak. I was doing the best I could, but I’d be lying if I said my nerves weren’t starting to build. The last time I’d tended bar, it had been at a small drink station on a beach in Guatemala. At most, there were only ever a few dozen people ordering, and they all took their turns instead of shouting at me from every end of the bar.

It was so loud inside Smart Choice that night that I couldn’t even hear myself think—nonetheless hear what drinks people were ordering. I had to ask patrons to repeat themselves over and over again, and I still ended up giving them the wrong thing half the time. This, combined with my empty stomach and aching feet, made for a pretty crappy second-shift performance. When it came time for my break, I decided not to take it. I still felt like I needed to prove myself to Al so that he wouldn’t fire me and find someone better, so I thought it was best if I just worked through the night without complaint.

At a quarter to eight, he came out of his office to help me manage the chaos and frowned when he saw the look on my face. “Is everything alright?” he said.

“All good,” I yelled over the crowd. “Just a little frazzled.”

He checked his watch. “Hey, it’s almost eight! Did you take your break yet?”

“No, but?—”

“Katrina, you have to take your break!”

“Maybe later.”

“Not later! Now!” he insisted. “I should’ve been paying better attention to the time. Go upstairs and get something to eat, would you? I can hold down the fort for a while.”

“No, it’s really okay! I don’t need a break.”

He put a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t care what you need. It’s the law. Now go before I drag you upstairs myself.”

I laughed and took solace in the look of conviction in his eyes. He really wanted me to get out of there for a bit, and I was truly in no position to say no. My stomach was growling so loud it was audible even over the crowd, and if I didn’t sit down soon, I was at risk of fainting.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll go. But don’t get too comfortable without me. I’ll be back soon.”

The only food in the apartment was a bag of frozen French fries that had been sitting in the freezer for over a year, based on the expiration date. I had no idea where they came from or whether or not they would be dangerous to eat, but at the time, I didn’t care. What had started off as normal, end-of-a-long-day hunger had quickly grown into something much more intense. I felt as if I was going to go crazy if I didn’t eat something right then.

I turned the oven on but was impatient and threw the fries in long before it was done preheating. After about fifteen minutes, I took them out even though they were clearly not done and started chowing down. The fries were limp and cold in the middle, and yet they were also the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted. I ate the entire bag’s worth in less than five minutes, not even taking a second to think about how that might upset my stomach.

“Arg,” I groaned as I came to the end of my dinner. I was still so hungry. I looked through the cupboards again, but they were still as empty as they were when I first checked.

My skin was starting to itch, and I wondered if I had enough time to shower. I figured I was getting some sort of rash thanks to sweating so much throughout the first half of my shift, so I quickly undressed and turned the water on.

I’ll feel better after I rinse off. Give my body time to realize that I gave it food, and now it needs to calm down.

In the bathroom, I stared at myself in the mirror and took a few deep breaths. A wave of nausea washed over me, but when I bent down over the toilet, nothing came up. Tears formed in my eyes, and they began to sting. I went to see if there was something in one of them, but now the mirror was fogged up from the shower steam. There was a tiny window in the bathroom that I’d tried to open the night before, but it seemed as if it was painted shut. I tried again, putting more effort in this time, and managed to rip it free. The window flew open with a loud clattering sound, and a rush of cool air hit my face.

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