Page 2 of Beneath the Cursed Veil

For another, his muscles were twitching. Shock was setting in.

Some might think we were fucking off, but this was just part of the process.

While the immediate hits hurt, there was an ache they left behind the longer he went without medical attention, and that was the real torture. The pause in his assault served as a moment to let him feel the damage, and with any luck, come to the right decision.

If he didn’t . . . let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be him when we called our big brothers in. Sadie might have a love of violence, but she was no murderer. The same couldn’t be said for all of our family.

Sadie shrugged, turning back to me. “As I was saying, hot date tonight?”

I barked a laugh. “Ah, no. I’m meeting someone at the shop later.” I glanced at my watch. “A buyer.”

Sadie scoffed. “Lame.”

“You’re lame,” I muttered, not having a better come back at all. She gave me a deadpanned look, letting me know she thought it was weak too. “For your information, I had a date last week.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? You didn’t say anything. With who?”

“Axton Reyes.” He was a regular at her gym who was trying to get in on the fights. While his skills weren’t bad, he lacked the drive, and it showed. My sister had dismissed the idea of training him a while back, which meant my brothers had no idea he existed.

That was important, given their ability to pummel anyone who they deemed unworthy of their little sisters’ affection. It left most of the guys I might actually be interested in unavailable, leaving me with lackluster options.

Sadie motioned with her hand for me to continue. “It was . . . less than ideal.”

“He had to be better than Darren, and you were with that twat for months,” Sadie said, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one side.

“Two. You act like it was more than a fling. Besides,” I pulled a package of Twizzlers from my back pocket and pulled one out with my teeth, speaking around it before taking a bite. “His idea of a good time was having his momcook us dinner.” My sister wrinkled her nose and shook her head in disgust.

“I take it back. That might be worse.”

“Yeah. Exactly. He also casually stated he thought foreplay was overrated, so count me out. His mom was a good cook, though. Maybe I should date her.” Sadie blew out a raspberry and I chuckled. “I don’t know, Sade. Dating is the worst. Being alone isn’t all that bad. All I need are batteries and a good imagination.” Or a romance book. Speaking of . . .

“Still holding out for that ‘dream’ guy, huh?” She winked at me, waggling her brows. I threw a Twizzler at her, my eyes widening.

“Shut up,” I said, laughing. Of course she’d bring up my dream man. I’d told her about him a couple of months ago when I was drunk and stupidly agreed to a game of truth or dare. Thank the gods my brothers had passed out and didn’t hear my admission.

I couldn’t remember my dreams. Ever. Excepthim. I don’t know how long I’d been dreaming of him at this point. Years, maybe? His features changed. Sometimes his teeth were blunt and other times he had fangs. His tipped ears marked him as a fae, but the way his nails shifted into claws suggested somethingmore. Maybe Lycan? I didn’t know. He was faceless, making it impossible to determine, but his voice was always the same. I’d never heard it before in my life. Of that, I was entirely certain. For a while there, I’d wondered if he was real. It seemed strange to dream of someone I’d never met so frequently, but as time went on, I chalked it up to my unfulfilled sex life and overactive imagination. There was just something about him that was . . . intoxicating.

“You redcap bitches are crazy,” Jenkins grunted,interrupting us. We both turned our heads in his direction, pulling me from my musings. I wasn’t a redcap like my sister, but I didn’t correct his assumption.

Most assumed we were blood related because of our red hair and familial ties. Where Sadie’s was a deep, dark color that rivaled that of blood—mine was lighter, more of a copper than a true red. Then there was the skin. Mine was pale and burned if I spent too long in the sun. The rest of my family were varying shades of olive and sepia. Despite frequently staying indoors, Sadie stayed a golden color that reminded me of the Saharan desert. When we visited Greece a few years back for our high school graduation, she’d turned a beautiful chestnut under the Grecian sun.

“Hey, fuck you,” I said, jamming the taser into his lower abdomen. We’d stripped him down to his boxers to give me ample surface area. The shit didn’t realize how lucky he was that I hadn’t shocked his dick yet. “Can’t you see I’m having a moment with my sister here? If you’re not going to give her the money, the least you could do is keep your trap shut. You’re the dipshit that stole from her.”

Sadie barked a laugh while his body writhed in pain. “Prick.”

“I didn’t take anything from you,” he said once I let go of the trigger, gulping in air and then spitting a glob of blood onto the floor.

I rolled my eyes and checked my watch again. My sister noticed, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of ‘buyer’ is this?”

Sighing, I mouthed the answer to her. “Lou.”

Sadie’s eyes narrowed. “Trusting that creep is a bad idea, Meera. He’s tricky.”

Pointing my Twizzler at her, I defended myself. “He also pays well.”

“Speaking of payment . . .” My sister turned to Jenkins, grabbing his nipple and twisting painfully. Blood vessels burst under his skin at the sheer strength of her hand. “You placed a bet at my match. With my bookies. At my ring. What’s more, this isn’t the first time. Nor the first time you’ve lost. Do you remember what I told you would happen if you ever pulled that stunt again? “

“I fucking paid you,” he countered. “I don’t know what you want from me.” Blood dripped from his face, running in rivulets down his chest. His bottom lip was busted open, and his eye had swelled shut on one side. While those injuries had to hurt, I wagered the shattered cheekbone was worse. I knew what would happen next if he didn’t fess up.

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