Page 116 of Roaring Flames

What the fuck?

My wolf howls mournfully and attempts to break free, but he’s…stuck. Trapped. In my mind’s eye, I can see metaphorical bars crashing down, surrounding my wolf, keeping him away from me. He growls and hisses, but I can barely hear him, barely feel him.

Michelle stands shoulder to shoulder with her brother. He doesn’t see the way her lips curl into a self-satisfied, sinister smile. Nor does he hear what she whispers to me, standing up on her tiptoes so her lips are directly beside my ear.

“Now no one is going to love you. You’ll have no choice but to come back to me.”

I’m tugged out of my memories by Izzy. Always by Izzy.

She gives my arm a squeeze.

“Thank you for telling me this,” she whispers, staring up at me with fathomless blue eyes I could get lost in.

They’re clearer than the lake in front of us.

I honestly don’t know why I brought her here, only that I needed her to know why I am the way I am. Why I can’t ever accept her as a mate.

I’m disgusting.

Repulsive.

Unlovable.

“The magic Dyson used…” I jerk my chin back towards the circle of dead grass. “It destroyed everything surrounding me.”

Those brilliant eyes water. “I’m going to fucking kill that bitch.”

“Izzy…”

“No, Reid. Listen to me.” She positions herself so she’s standing directly in front of me. “I don’t know exactly what happened—and you don’t have to go into detail if you’re not comfortable—but I do know that she violated you. She…” Her jaw clenches. “She touched you without your consent.”

“We tried talking to Dyson,” I murmur, remembering those days following the curse—when I naïvely believed that this would all go away.

Dyson, of course, refused to listen to me. Even Ashton and the twins tried to talk sense into him, but he sent them on their way with threats of more curses if they didn’t oblige. Ashton promised me he’ll fix this, that he’ll find a witch or warlock to reverse the curse, but so far, his search has proved futile.

Only Dyson or someone from his bloodline can fix what was done to me.

“I’lltalkto him,” Izzy says evasively, her eyes sparking with a malicious gleam. “I’lltalkto him until he’ll have no choice but to listen.”

I’m pretty sure our definitions of “talk” are completely different.

“You need to stay away from him. From him and his fucked-up sister.”

She looks as if she wants to argue, so I continue on before she can get a word out.

“Izzy, listen to me. They’re fucking insane. You’re already on Michelle’s radar?—”

“I know. She and her brother paid a visit to me the other night.”

Tension floods my body instantly.

“What?” That one word is a growl.

Izzy waves a hand in the air dismissively. “Don’t worry. The twins and Ansel were with me?—”

“The twins were with you?”

And they didn’t fucking tell me? I’m going to murder them.

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