Page 128 of Cursed to Be Mine
Keeping his hands behind his back, he slips to the side and ducks under the first blow of my blade. I pivot to follow him, and we dance back and forth down the large hall, a business complex full of cubicles, all empty for the day. He laughs as he moves, no hint of breathlessness, no sign of worry as he slides left and right, dodging with a grace that’s mocking.
I don’t let my anger control me, keeping a steady pace, getting him used to my speed. He’s moving before I even think to strike, anticipating where I’ll go, but he’s getting complacent as he toys with me. He’s staying just a split second ahead, lingering to match my abilities.
And in return, I’m learning his.
I shift the focus of my attacks, pushing him away from the center of the open space. When he dances past a door, his hands still behind his back, I jump at the wall and push off it with one leg, using it to gain height. I swing my sword down, my magic grabbing hold of his heart at the same time as it gives me more speed.
The spell doesn’t kill him like it would’ve done any other wolf in the Death Hunt. It simply makes him falter, but that’s all I need.
My blade arcs in a perfect line to cut open his chest.
He’s suddenly an arm’s length away, the smile on his face blooming. Darting back forward as my sword swings down with its momentum, he rakes a clawed hand across my arm, severing the tendon allowing me to hold it. The blade clatters onto the lush carpet, then is kicked away by his foot. Grabbing me by the neck, he slams me into the wall.
I start to pull another blade from my shadow, but he grabs my hand, crushing my fingers. My pulse spikesas I glance at Scarlett, praying she has the good sense to run.
She runs towards us, anger in her eyes. I try to scream at her to stop, but my vocal chords are being squeezed as I’m lifted off my feet. He turns his head to look at my girl, a smirk of disbelief and enjoyment lighting his face.
Even though he has both his hands on me, he can still hurt her.
I kick at him, but he doesn’t even flinch, just twists his lower body so he can kick her as soon as she gets within range. I try desperately to move the fingers on my right hand in a cohesive manner, but the cuts he gave me make the movements sloppy. I can’t straighten my thumb or index finger, and if I try to work magic as is, I’ll kill all three of us.
Desperate, I open my mouth, but no words come out. No pleas for her to run. No screams to express my agony.
My eyes latch on her, deploring her to turn away, but her gaze is fastened on Antonio.
She gets within kicking distance.
Then drops to her knees as he plants a foot in her solar plexus.
My one working lung is squeezed of its oxygen, and my vision blurs and darkens.
Then it’s coming back in a mad rush as I’m dropped to the ground, screams echoing in my ears. I lift my head, trying to figure out what’s going on as Antonio pedals away from me, his left shin smoldering from a vial of ifrit potion Scarlett must have hidden on her.
Pride swelling in my chest, I start to crawl to her as she lies on the ground, one arm stretched out and burning with the same magic. Bits of glass stick to her,telling me she slapped him with it rather than threw it, wanting to make sure she made contact.
“Kira,” I rasp, knowing this is the end for us. My magic is unusable with my broken hands, and I have no DNA with which to actually hurt him with.
“Kali!” Maddox’s voice hits me like a bolt of lightning, and I finally realize there are sounds of chaos creeping up from the floors below. Screaming howls of agony followed by shaking walls of magic. Antonio must have smelled my brothers’ arrival when we were in the office.
Lunging for him, I try to grab his leg, uncaring if the ifrit potion transfers to me. I just need to keep him here until Maddox can study him enough for his magic.
My three working fingers grab the bottom of his pants, but they’re not strong enough to hold him as he kicks me in the face and jerks away.
The sound of snapping bones and ripping cloth pops in my ears for just a second. Then he’s running away as his wolf, leaping over cubicles and jumping straight out of a window.
The shatter of glass is a precedent to my screams. I struggle to my feet just as Maddox reaches me, a heavy door saying ‘Stairs’ closing as he does.
“Drink this,” Maddox says, shoving a healing potion in my face. “The rest are downstairs. They’ll get him.”
“Her first,” I say, turning my head. He looks at me long enough for annoyance to flash in his eyes, then turns. “Scarlett, this will heal you. Drink it.”
My girl pushes to her knees and grabs the vial with a shaky hand, raising it to her lips. Her eyes find me. “You fucking idiot,” she hisses before drinking the potion in full.
Maddox turns back to me, another blue vialuncorked and ready. I tilt my head back, a shudder running through me as the potion does its magic.
“How did you find us?” Screams ricochet around my skull, telling me he is in Antonio’s pocket. A false savior whose actions will get me to trust him. Antonio likes to drag deaths out, causing as much pain as he can before granting mercy. I wouldn’t put it past him to let Scarlett and I live now just to watch us suffer.
Maddox’s jaw tightens. “Micha broke,” he murmurs. “I knew then she knew nothing, so we asked Aleric if any of his spies had spotted Talon.”
