Page 27 of Cursed Love
“What’s wrong with me?” she asked.
He pulled her into his arms and tucked the sheet around her. “Shh… You’re okay. We’ll figure this out.” He pushed her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead.
The door opened, and she stiffened at the smell of Peter. Brandy buried her face against Ryan’s chest, forcing herself to ignore his friend and soak in the comfort of his arms. When her hands warmed like they had prior to the fireball, she focused on Ryan’s scent, a mix of detergent and man.
“What, man?” Ryan snapped at Peter.
“Her throat is raw. This will help,” Peter told him.
Brandy held onto Ryan, doing everything to ignore the smell of dirt and the memories from her last attack. The door quietly shut, and she kept her face pressed against his firm chest. Her heart slowed before her body recognized him for the attractive man he was.
“Sweetheart, drink the tea Peter made you.” His thumb caressed the apple of her cheek.
His words made her pause. Brandy met his eyes and found tenderness shining back. “Why?”
“It will soothe your throat,” he told her.
“No,” she whispered before coughing through the scratchiness. “Why are you here?”
“Drink this and I’ll tell you,” he said, lifting the mug Peter had placed on the nightstand.
She nodded and accepted the tea. He carefully lifted her and moved to her oversized chair. He adjusted her in his arms, careful to not jostle her and the tea, all the while keeping her body covered. He made her feel cherished and cared for. She struggled to understand the feelings chipping away at the wall around her heart.
“Don’t get mad,” he said, and she stopped the tea a breath away from her lips. “Drink.”
Brandy sipped from the liquid, letting it coat her throat. She stared at the amber tea, wondering what the werewolf had put in it.
Ryan chuckled. “Peter’s got his own little tricks he will tell you about if you give him a chance.”
“You’re friends with a werewolf,” she told him, the one sip of tea soothing her throat so much her voice sounded more like her own.
“I am. Now drink the tea.”
She glared at him and took another sip.
“I’ll explain Peter in a bit, but you wanted to know why I am here,” Ryan said.
She nodded, biting her tongue so she would not interrupt him again.
“I tried staying away from you, but I couldn’t. I’ve been around most of the time, making sure you were okay at work and you arrived home safely.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know if I can explain it. I’ve spent most of my life steering clear of witches, refusing to curse a child—”
“Curse a child?”
“Do you always interrupt this much?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Her cheeks flushed and when she went silent, he continued. “Oh, now she remains quiet.” He chuckled and brushed his lips against her hair. “I haven’t always accepted my powers. It didn’t matter I grew up with them and have always known about this world. I had no intention of making a kid and them receiving powers too.”
Brandy nodded and wondered if he still felt the same. She wanted kids. At least she had before learning the world was far more dangerous. Now, she was not quite sure. If she did still want them and if something grew out of this attraction with Ryan, would it be a deal-breaker?
“Anyway, I was keeping close tabs on you when I forced myself to back off after a few days of nothing. Even the tubars stopped coming around your café. I was with Peter when I knew something was wrong. What happened before I got to you? That’s what I don’t know. I was already trying to find you when I missed your call.”
Brandy looked toward the door and back at Ryan. “A werewolf attacked me.”
“Son of a bitch,” he murmured under his breath. “Tell me what happened.”
She recounted the events of the night, noting the way Ryan’s jaw clenched at the mention of Greg. She told him everything up until her waking up a few minutes ago, including the fact she heard him and Peter talking while she had been paralyzed by the fever.
