Page 13 of Cursed Beasts

My mind went to a dark place of self-doubt that comforted me so much that I didn’t know if I wanted to come out of it. I felt dispensable, useless, and, worst of all-unwanted, as I laid my head on my knees and sobbed. Another chime made me jump, only adding to my hysteria.

I felt lost because even though I wanted to go home; I didn’t want to go back to a place where it was easy to let me go.

* * *

The soundof growling made me jerk my head up, flinching from the pain in my neck from sleeping at a weird angle. My ass was asleep from the horrible position I had fallen asleep in. I looked around the room wondering where the hell I was but then remembered the shit situation I was in.

The room was lit with that first light from sunrise that was peeking through the window. Sunrises usually made me feel better, but the fact that I was locked in my room, while my family knew I was being sent away, on top of my shitty husband didn’t make me feel better at all.

Another growl made me freeze instantly. This time, it sounded like it came from the window. I slowly got up from the floor, my body stiff and my ass feeling like needles were stabbing it as the blood came back to it. I walked to the window, slowly looking out. When I saw nothing right away, I looked out even further until I spotted two wolves outside circling each other.

Holy shit, these were fucking huge, and they were real.

Is this what blondie was talking about? There were wolves roaming the grounds, and not just any wolves but huge killers about my height. I shivered with a little bit of fear coursing through my body.

The sound of sniffing underneath the door made me freeze. I looked over my shoulder, seeing a shadow on the bottom of the door, with another growl emanating from the other side.

Fuck, maybe it was a good thing he locked the door. I wondered if the guys also locked themselves in their rooms.

When the beast finally moved away from the door, I let out a breath that I didn’t even know I was holding. I was not prepared to deal with these beasts on top of everything else.

I needed more sleep and a fucking drink.

I grabbed some clothes out of the luggage, seeing that someone packed my favorite throwing knives. There was a door that I hoped led to a bathroom. Goddess, I don’t even know if this place had indoor plumbing.

I slowly opened the door, praying for something other than a bucket that I know they used to use back in the day. It looked old, but there was a toilet and a large tub. It seems like plumbing was a priority, but not electricity. I grabbed a candle, bringing it in with me as I got changed into some pajamas and took off my damn bra. Apparently, running water to something other than the toilet was too much to ask for because I noticed there was no fucking sink, and the tub only had a damn drain.

I took my make-up off with make-up wipes, desperately feeling like I needed a damn shower. I took off my earrings and looked at the obnoxious wedding ring on my finger. I never took it off, but if I was really stuck here, then there was no way I was wearing it anymore.

Once I finished, I realized I was still really fucking tired. I made sure my throwing knives were close by just in case. I laid on the lumpy ass bed knowing my back was probably going to hurt and I was better off sleeping on the floor. I needed a plan that either involved me escaping or possibly breaking whatever curse they were under. I heard more growling before I passed out, dreaming about running with the wolves.

6

AEON

Iwalked down the hallway following Zev as we passed Lucien leading the Belladonna to her room. To say she was beautiful was an understatement. She was alluring and magnificent; she was bewitching. I had never seen anyone with violet eyes like hers, they were hypnotic.

We caught each other’s gaze, making me want to stop, push her up against the wall and have my way with her. I wanted to consume and ruin her.

I had never had such a visceral reaction to a woman before. Sure, I thought they were beautiful. I have had a few nightly encounters with them, but it always felt like I was biding my time.

Until now.

I rolled my eyes at myself, ‘You need to calm down’. My body just needed a release. It had been a while since Lucien and I had had a chance to do anything.

Glancing back, I saw him walk into her room with her trailing behind him. That man was too fucking gorgeous. Just thinking about all the dirty things I could do to him later had my blood redistributing below my pants. A flash of the Belladonna with us made me even more excited and the endless possibilities we could all do together.

What was going on? It hadn’t even been a day, and I was fantasizing about her.

I adjusted myself as I walked back to the dining room so we could wait for Lucien. It seems we needed to finish talking about what was going on. When the binding spell finished, I had a sense of puzzle pieces fitting together that I had only felt a few times before. Once had been when all of us had met for the first time, and started our pack together.

“What game do you think they are playing?” I asked, as we walked into the dining room.

“I don’t know. I want to know why her blood turned a different color. I’m a hundred percent sure it said that it had to be the daughter of the Belladonnas,” Zev said, running his hand down his face.

“She could be a cousin?” I said, going back to our theory from earlier.

“She didn’t feel particularly powerful either.” Zev sat down at the table, looking at the doorway as we waited for Lucien.

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