Page 75 of Cursed to Be Mine
An alpha is not a born position. It’s fought for, and if Antonio started attacking his own pack, they would have turned on him.
“So if it can’t be outsiders because we haven’t heard of any attacks, and it can’t be his own pack because they would have killed him, then who the fuck does that even leave?” Maddox says, kicking back in his chair until it balances on its back legs.
My stomach growls as the spicy aroma of Schezwan beef fills my nose. The sound of plates being collected and cutlery being taken from drawers fills the background as our meeting continues.
“Regardless of who he’s eating, Antonio must be killed before he manages to make a hybrid,” Varius says. “That gives us only a few months max.” His gaze circles around the table as Micha puts a plate in front of him.
He doesn’t look at her, his eyes on me. “Which is why you and I are going to visit Aleric today to make a deal.”
“What?” Maddox drops his chair down on all fours.
A plate shatters beside Leno, and we all turn to see Mother standing in a mess of stir fry. “Varius,” she starts, but he cuts her off.
“We cannot allow hybrids to be made whatever the cost. I understand your disliking of him with everything you two have been through, but this is not a discussion. We will eliminate the Death Hunt together, then divide their territory and business.”
“Why not kill them too?” Talon sneers as Mom bends down to clean up the mess, her jaw clenched. “What they have done to this Family demands retribution.”
Despite being born after the treaty was signed, Talon’s hatred of the vampires is personal. When he was in high school, he fell in love with one of their ‘blood banks’ – the name of those they feed on. On their first date, he took her to a picnic under the stars. When he went back to the car to get more drinks –a two minute job– the vampires bled her dry and painted ‘witch whore’ on her forehead with her own blood. Talon returned just in time to see the last flicker of life leave her eyes.
As a capo in this Family, my brother’s private feud has caused a lot of deaths between our two gangs.
Rudy tenses beside me, no doubt worrying about Vlad, but he doesn’t protest as Varius studies our brother. Micha continues to move back and forth between the table and kitchen, bringing food to each one of us in order of age. Leno. Me. The twins – Enoch and Ezriel. Mother joins her, the floor pristine, and sets down a plate in front of Talon as Micha serves Rudy. Maddox gets his last, and only then does Varius break the silence.
“The Blood Fang hasn’t broken any terms of the treaty.”The blood banks are their property, and they have every right to do whatever they want to them. “And they make up almost half of the police department and a good chunk of the local court system. Weeding them all out will open positions for WALL to fill. A drawn out war will have more chances of bringing in the SCU.”
“They haven’t visited this city in decades.”
“Thanks to the treaty Mother got Antonio and Aleric to sign. That is now gone, and theywillreturn if we drag out another war. Our business does not clash with the blood banks and sex trafficking the vampires do. They will avoid hunting and dealing in our territory after this meeting. So until they become a threat, we will leave them be. There will be no more attacking them, nothing to break the deal I make with Aleric today. Do I make myself clear?” His eyes pierce into Talon’s.
Jerking his head, Talon seethes in silence, and Varius’ gaze roams around the table.
We all nod. Rudy’s head is more of a jerk of energy he can’t contain. He sneaks a glance at me, and I know the question he doesn’t ask. As much as I hate Vlad, Varius has already declared war on the wolves. Theirreunionwon’t change anything. I nod subtly before returning my attention to Varius.
Leaning back, he waits for Mother and Micha to take their seats. Then he picks up his fork, ending the meeting and finally allowing us to eat.
With the table cleared, my brothers disperse. Mother and Micha do the washing up, and Varius nods for me to join him on the porch. I step out into the bright sunlight, my gaze focusing on the hundreds of plants flickering inthe wind. The bond connecting me to my girl lures me to the east, the direction behind me. I want to go to her, my cock twitching with the memories of her taste on my lips. I stay looking at the flowers.
“How soon will she be joining us?” my eldest brother asks, drawing my attention.
“A few days.”
My girl is smart and compassionate. She won’t buy into the WALL’s speciesism once she calms down enough to think. But she needs time to process things on her own. Despite Maddox’s advice earlier about how I can quicken her love for me by killing everyone she can turn to for protection and emotional connectivity, I don’t want to bond with her through manipulated trauma.
Bonding is for life, and I want it to be as real for her as it is for me.
My fists clench around the wooden railing as I lean out. Low bushes and flowers cover the entire lawn from here to the lake. As I watch, a few blossom. Leno spelled those near the front porch to open under gaze – calls it therapy. A dose of serotonin trickles through my system.
“What is her relationship with the WALL?” Varius asks as he leans out beside me.
I glance at him, wondering what the fuck Maddox told him. Varius’ face gives nothing away. “Her mother was a member for the last ten months. Scarlett went on her first hunt last night. As far as I know, that was the first time she learned about them.”
“As far as you know?” his voice is flat, but the question warns of something more. “You’ve been stalking her for two years, and you don’t know for sure?”
I still, not sure if he just cracked a joke. A reaper is trained to know how to handle every dangerous situation, but trying to decide if Varius is joking or not is makingme nervous. Skinwalkers exist – creatures that steal the flesh of a person so they can slip into their life; they’re extremely rare though,but he could also be another witch who’s changed their appearance to match his. Both seem more plausible than Varius having actually cracked a joke.
He glances at me, his face as expressionless as always.
“What finger did Leno cut off me when I was six?” I ask. Neither skinwalkers nor a witch spelled to look like Varius will know that.
