Page 19 of The Curse

Chapter Six

The emotions racing through my blood as I raced toward Corbin’s old house were a mix of excitement, fear, and trepidation, all causing a cocktail of nervous energy to flow inside me. Actually, I suspected it was flowing outside of me, as well. If Alastair were here, he’d say I was buzzing.

Hell, to the fuck, yeah. I wasbuzzing.

I had no idea what, if anything, I was going to find once I reached the clifftop, but I felt like I’d been waiting on it my entire life. When I pulled the Ninja off the road and onto the overgrown driveway, I suspected every resident of Marblehead could hear my heart thumping.

Alastair was going to kill me when he found out what I’d done. I thought about what he’d told me about the people who’d tried to enter the house. I’m pretty sure he’d used the word incinerated. Yeah, that wasn’t my thing. Of course, neither was getting blown through the air and over the side of the cliff. Been there. Done that. Not much fun.

Finally, I reached the clearing and pulled the bike right up next to the porch. After cutting the engine, I got off and studied the house. Strange, it looked different than I remembered, not as neglected. Sure, one could still see that no one had lived there and made any home improvements in years, but it seemed…different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but knew there were changes. The paint appeared brighter, and the windows were no longer covered with cobwebs. The steep gables were more erect and proud. The eyes of the gargoyles glittered dangerously.

It would be nice to say I wasn’t afraid, but that would be a big fat lie of epic proportions. If I allowed it, my teeth would be chattering from fear. It was that word, “incinerated”. Boom. Head over ass if the spell blew me over the side of the cliff. I turned and looked in the direction of the cliff and chills raced down my spine. No, I wasn’t interested in doing that again.

My fear was strong, but my pull to the house was even stronger. A voice whispered in the back of mind, pleading for me to come home. The sexy huskiness of that voice was my driving factor as I slowly raised my foot and gently placed it on the first step. I was holding my breath and waiting for the smell of burnt flesh. My eyes were closed.

When nothing happened, I peeked one eye open. Nothing had changed. No spell had blown me to bits. Birds were still chirping in the background, and I could still hear the waves crashing against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff.

This was my home, where I belonged. I bounded up the remaining steps and walked straight up to the door. Morgan’s fucking spell wasn’t going to keep me from what was mine.Mine. Corbin was mine. This house was mine.This life was mine.

Anyway, I felt confident that Corbin was inside that house somewhere and he would protect me from any of Morgan’s bullshit. He had cast a spell to bring me home…and here I was. Morgan could go fuck herself.

That was my last thought as I felt myself flying through the air as soon as my hand had wrapped around the ancient doorknob. I didn’t have time to scream or even curse the bitch. I didn’t have time to plead with Corbin to help. No, I flew through the air, slammed into a tree, and hit the ground with a thud.

Then my entire world went black.

His eyes, a beautiful combination of violet, amethyst, and bright blue, sparkled with anger as he gazed down at me. Oh, it was more than anger, anger I could deal with. It was the pain and betrayal that was making it impossible for me to draw in my next breath of air. Ever since I’d first met Corbin eight months ago, he’d looked at me with nothing but love and lust. He was always happy, always making me laugh. For the first time in my life, I’d felt special. For a boy who’d lived most of his life feeling inadequate, being special to someone was an aphrodisiac. I was addicted to Corbin Hargreaves, body, soul, and heart.

“Please don’t be mad at me, Corbin. I…I don’t even know how it happened. Please forgive me,” I pleaded. Tears were already streaking my face. I’d known admitting my infidelity to Corbin would be difficult, but I’d always thought he would forgive me. I’d thought our love was strong enough to conquer everything.

He’d told me so.

“Don’t be mad at you?” He growled as he paced back and forth in front of me. “You don’t know how it happened? Give me a break, Nico! It happened when you took her to your bed! When…when you gave her a part of you that belonged to me. Only to me!” He yelled.

We were in his front yard, but there wasn’t anyone around that might be able to hear us. Corbin relished his privacy. From the looks of things surrounding me, he’d planned a romantic evening to celebrate my twenty-fifth birthday. A dark canopy, the color of the sky at night, was nestled in our favorite spot next to the edge of the cliff. Inside that canopy sat a mattress and more pillows than a man should be interested in owning. Jar candles floated all around, casting a romantic glow on the seduction scene he’d set.

The same seduction scene I’d ruined when I’d told him about the pregnancy. I couldn’t do it, though. I couldn’t allow him into my body for the first time without revealing the truth to him. I hated lies and secrets, even if secrets shrouded Corbin’s life due to his witchcraft. I would have felt like the biggest of liars if I hadn’t admitted the truth to him.

“Please, Corbin,” I tried again. “You know how much I love you. You have to know this was a mistake!” It had been a terrible mistake. I didn’t even fucking remember most of the details of what happened between myself and the girl I called my intended as a way to thwart my father’s questions.

His eyes narrowed in disgust. “Yes, I’m beginning to think this was a mistake. This!” he said as he motioned between the two of us. “Were you so fucking ashamed of your feelings for me, a man, that you had to sleep with a woman to prove to everyone that you aren’t homosexual?”

That wasn’t fair. Corbin knew how I struggled with my feelings for him. He knew the things my father preached about, the things he said about people who had feelings like Corbin and I did. When a person heard that their entire lives, it was hard to just cast it aside without feelings of fear and misgivings.

“That isn’t fair, Corbin,” I said softly. “You know I struggle with what I’ve been taught, but you also know how much I love you. I told you I needed time to come to terms with my desire for you.”

I hated myself. I hated how weak I sounded. I hated that I allowed my father’s hate to damage my love for Corbin. Most of all, I hated the look on Corbin’s face. More than anger was dwelling there. He was finished with me. Contrary to what he’d promised, therewassomething I could do that would make him stop loving me. And I’d done it.

Corbin snorted in disgust. “Yes, Nico, I know you needed time. You told me you needed time. I accepted that you needed time. I, unfortunately, thought time meant a few months, even a year, maybe. I had no idea it meant that you intended to start a life with another person. You’ll have to marry her, Nico. You can’t allow a child into this world without a father!”

“I…I know, Corbin,” I whispered. “I guess I thought…I hoped that we could still be together. I, uh, hoped we could keep what we have now.” That wasn’t fair, and I knew it. I also knew I was desperate. I couldn’t live in this world without Corbin.

He laughed. “What, Nico? You want me to be your dirty secret? You’ll sneak away from your wife and child when you can and meet me?” He stepped closer, putting us only inches apart. “What? You think you can run to me when you need a dick in your ass?” He laughed. “Oh, wait. You don’t let me put my dick in your ass, do you? Think that will make you too gay? Think again, Nico. It doesn’t work that way.”

His words were angry. His eyes told a different story. His heart was breaking. I’d done this to him. I’d destroyed the love we’d shared.

“Be gone when I return, Nico,” he said quietly. “Be gone and don’t come back. Not ever.”

I watched, through tears, as he caused a large tree branch to break off and tumble toward the ground. He caught it before it hit and, within a blink of an eye, he was on the branch and flying through the air away from me.

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