Page 59 of Cursed to Be Mine
Her phone goes off, lying on the mattress, its ringer making her jump. I still, knowing the significance of this call. The sun is up. Phil would’ve arrived at their house a few minutes ago, walked in through the open door, and found their bodies.
If that isn’t him calling, it will be the police.
Straightening, my fist still in her hair, I grab her phone to give it to her.
Seventeen
HER
“Don’t!” Panicking, I lunge sideways to grab Khalid’s wrist. It’s either the police having found the massacre in the woods or my ma wanting to ‘talk.’ And fuck, I’m not ready to deal with either.
My hand trembles against his skin as I wait for him to look at me like I’m crazy. I have bruises all over my neck. Little cuts and bruises here and there from being pulled out of a fucking windshield and thrown at the ground. My eyes are red rimmed and now wide like a psychopath's. I drove off in the middle of the night, tires screeching. He must have so many questions. A feeling that something is very, very wrong.
I want to trust that I can tell him anything, that his declaration of lo…of me being his…kira…is real and not just an infatuation he built up during his nights of restless sleep. But how the fuck do I tell him about werewolves and the WALL without sounding even more insane than I look? And if I tell him and he doesn’t immediately call the men in white, then thatwould meanhe’sthe crazy one because normal people don’t just accept the fact that werewolves are real. Jesus fucking Christ, this is all too much.
I just want to be brainless for a while. Deal with it all tomorrow. It’s why I opened the door after hearing his voice, desperate for the familiar so I could pretend this was all just a dream.
But the phone keeps ringing, and he’s staring at me for an explanation. My throat clogging, I reach for a truth that won’t destroy what he’s given me – a small hope that I’m not all on my own.
Because after today, regardless of what Ma wants to ‘talk’ about, I’m cutting her out of my life, and then it’ll just be me…
Me alone in a world full of literal wolves.
I shiver as I part my lips to blurt out some lie, but his fingers tighten in my hair, and the words still in my throat. I look into his deep-brown eyes that flicker with a knowledge of understanding.
“Take the call,kira,” he murmurs. “It’ll be okay.”
I want to tell him it most definitely won’t be because that single call is going to change everything regardless of who it is.
Unless it’s spam.
God, please let it be spam.
But I know it isn’t, and my breath comes in shaky gasps.
Khalid’s thumb still hovers over the accept button. His gaze stays on mine. I want to tell him to ignore the call, but I don’t, a horrible urge to rip the Band-Aid off and just deal with it keeping me quiet. I need to know...I just don’t want to do it myself. I need him to do it…
His eyes flicker across my face.
I look at him on a silent plea, unable to find the words to ask such a silly favor.
His face softening, Khalid’s thumb presses down on the button, and I suck in a breath as my fingers tighten on his wrist.
Leaning down, he places his ear against my phone. “Hello?”
There’s a moment of silence where I pray it’s spam. But then a deep sexy voice rumbles, “Khalid?”
“Vlad,” he says, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I thought you were on leave.” He grabs my phone with his other hand and straightens. My fingers still circle his wrist, and I realize he’s letting me hold him. A hot sharp rise of embarrassment in my cheeks, I start to release him, but he twists his forearm and threads his fingers through mine.
The warmth of his touch heats up a bit of the fear consuming me, and I still, watching as he talks to whoever it is on the phone. My thoughts are fuzzy, my brain not quite connecting how whoever this Vlad is knew to call Khalid onmyphone.
His muffled voice comes through the mobile, but I can’t hear what he’s saying anymore. Khalid’s eyes never leave my face as he responds, “She’s here.”
My whole face is burning now as I can guess what kind of questions he’s asking.“Just the two of you? This early in the morning? In a hotel?”I don’t know why he would be asking those, and I try to convince myself he isn’t, but I’m too aware of the fact that itisreally early in the morning (like Khalid stayed the entire night...) and I’m not wearing a bra.
Khalid’s eyes narrow on me just slightly, then dip to my lips before coming back up again. My heart beats rapidly in my veins, pulsing across my whole body. Hisfingers are too sensitive on mine, and my hand burns with a need to move.
His thumb brushing back and forth across my skin, Khalid says, “We’re at Noir Hotel.”
