This Curse

ELEVEN



I sat on the end of my bed with my legs crossed. I tried to keep my eyes closed, but with Seth staring at me from across the room, it was almost impossible. “Why are you having such a hard time with this?” I was ready to just chuck the whole idea out the window.

“What makes you think I can do this?” It was odd to see him so unsure. “I do not like this, Sweet. What if, for some reason, I can not come back?”

“You’ll come back, stop worrying. It’s really not that hard, Seth.” I closed my eyes, “Besides, you have enough Madea in you now that you could do this on your own. Cripes, you’ve probably had enough power as a vampire to do it. Now stop stalling and light the damn smudge stick.” I huffed out a frustrated breath and tried to relax.

“This smells horrible,” he coughed and choked dramatically, “and it tastes worse.” He set the smoldering herbs on a stone plate in front of my legs.

I opened one eye. “Listen, vampire, you have no right to bitch about how things taste. Now please, stop whining and get up here with me.” I placed my hands on my knees and inhaled the pungent smoke as it circled me. It filled my lungs and I tried again to relax my mind.

The bed dipped with Seth’s weight and I opened my eyes again. “Now, remember, you have to release all sense of self. Any self awareness and Voltaire will latch onto it and all this sneaking around will be nothing but a huge waste of time. Just do what I told you and it’ll go fine.”

“Alright, I understand.” He folded his long legs and placed his hands on his knees just as I had.

“Breathe in the smoke and let yourself go. Remember, no shard of self can remain.” I kept my eyes on him.

“You are doing it again, Sweet.” He closed his eyes.

“What? What am I doing?”

“You can not push me with your assurances one moment then act as if I am made of nothing more than pride and stupidity the next. I am not a child. Now,” he nudged me with his foot, “relax, Grace. Free your mind, I will follow.”

I sighed. He was right, that was exactly what I was doing. I spared him one last glance. He inhaled the smoke and coughed. I laughed and then closed my mouth when he opened one eye and frowned at me.

After only a few moments, Seth’s powerful essence surrounded me, filling me with his strength and the comfort of his blood, our blood. I let go of the last shard of my physical being and together we sent out our collective consciousness. We were no more than invisible threads, searching, and feeling, seeing with our minds.

I gloried in the feeling of winding throughout the desert over homes, inside buildings and out into the city. We crossed dozens of miles with a single thought. And then finally after searching deep into the pits of downtown we were able to find what we were looking for.

The room was dark and musty. I sensed my blood a mere second before Seth did. His awareness rippled through mine and I tried to project calm. My mind filled with his rage causing my essence to waver for a moment. I gathered myself and tried to strengthen my mind, cursing the loss of my physical body. He really needed a kick in the ass.

“Who’s there?” a weak voice spoke from deep within the gloom of the room.

Startled, I searched the room until I came upon a figure chained to the wall. She was filthy and clearly hurting. I looked at her haggard face. Her shaggy blonde hair was a rats’ nest of tangles, her body was thin, and a sickly pale color.

Energy sang through my being as I realized that this was her! This was the woman from my vision.

She was here?

I was instantly on guard. I spread my mind out among the surrounding area. I knew the wolves were close, I could sense them.

When I found Patrick and his pack, I felt like a complete idiot. Club Seachain an Madra. I should have known.

I scanned the wolves mixed throughout the growing crowd of human clientele. This had to be their den. Excitement filled me as a plan began to grow.

***

Light filled my vision and I coughed, sucking in great gulps of air. I was on the floor, my legs tangled with Seth’s. I rolled onto my side and sat up. Seth stood in a swift, fluid motion. He smoothed his rumpled clothing and then pulled his wild hair back from his face.

I continued to grapple with my breathing as I organized my thoughts. “Voltaire wasn’t there,” I panted as I pulled myself to my feet. “But he has to be near. Damn! Where the hell does he go?” I approached Seth. His shoulders stiffened when I touched him and I snapped my hand back.

“What’s wrong?” I folded my arms, waiting to discover what had pissed him off this time.

He turned and sneered angrily at me. “Tell me, Sweet,” he spoke through his teeth, “Who was that woman and why the f*ck are you still hiding things from me?” He turned and stalked to the chair by my window. Sitting, he propped his ankle on his knee and folded his arms. He was so sexy when he was pissed. Hell, he was sexy when he wasn’t pissed.

I sat down on my bed and looked at him. I knew that holding anything back at this point was counterproductive. I just didn’t know how to tell him that in both of my visions he pretty much dies a horrible, bloody death. I sighed and flopped backward onto my bed so I could look at the ceiling. I could feel his stare boring holes into me.

“Okay,” I sat up. “I don’t’ know the woman.” I held up my hand when it appeared that Seth was going to start roaring again. “I’ve only seen her,” I hurried on, “in my visions.”

“You have been having visions and did not feel the need to share them with me?” He leaned forward in the chair, his fists on his knees.

Oh boy, this was not going well.

“Whose side are you on?” He frowned at me accusingly. “You still doubt my loyalty?”

“No,” I shrugged. “But you have to admit, Seth, you and I don’t have the best history. You do remember that whole kidnapping thing?” His brows drew together in a frown and he sat back. I felt a little more vindicated at the shamed look on his face. “Besides,” I continued, “I didn’t tell you because I honestly didn’t think of it.” I stood and began pacing. “I don’t really know how to describe what I’ve seen,” I confessed. Remembering how horrible it was to see him lying there, bleeding to death, I sighed. “You’re not going to like it either way.” The fact that I cared about that at all was infuriating!

I began to relate the visions as they had come to me, sparing no detail. Seth listened patiently, his expression hardly changing even as the gruesome details of his death were laid out.

“So?” I asked, once I finished explaining. “What do you think?”

He stood and began pacing. Then he turned and looked at me, “In each of these visions,” he began pacing again. “I am bleeding and presumably dead or dying?” He waved my response away when I opened my mouth. “And…” He linked his fingers and rested his hands on his head. “It appears that Lucian is badly burnt and flaking away to nothing. But then, the second vision shows the same ruined Lucian apparently strong enough to joyfully carve me up like a pumpkin?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” I looked at him, “Does any of that make sense?” I asked, wincing at the memory of this beautiful man lying broken and bloody.

“And this woman,” Seth continued, completely ignoring me. “You have never seen her, yet she appears in both visions?” He glanced at me and I could tell he wasn’t really seeing me as he rattled on. “…But,” he continued, as if finishing a thought. “Why is she holding an infant in her arms?” He put his face in his hands. “This isn’t good.” He turned.

“So you know what it means?” I watched him closely. “What?” I tilted my head in question.

“I have a theory.” He looked somber. Then his eyes filled with pity as he looked at me. “But it’s just a theory.”

My gut clenched and I felt a huge sense of unease as I tried to decipher the look. “I’m afraid to ask.” I looked into his eyes and he tried to dodge my gaze. “You just ripped me apart for keeping things to myself. Seth, now spill!” I demanded despite my reservations.

He looked at me. I could almost see the wheels turning. “I can not be certain, but the fact that Lucian appeared to be burning and flaking away leads me to believe that he is no longer the same man, the old Lucian has been destroyed, replaced by something else.”

I felt my eyes grow huge. “What the hell does that mean?” Bile rose in my throat.

Seth shook his head and ran his hand gently down my hair. “Tell me about your plan.” He moved towards the door. “We have only six more hours of darkness left.” He grabbed my arm and dragged me from the room.