Cursed (3 page)

“Ya,
and now they stab me in the heart, and kill me so they can control me,” I said
angrily as I sat back down. “I have to come up with a way to get them off my
back. I don’t want to be trapped in that place doing whatever they say. I’m
weak as a human. Oliver is almost impossible to defeat. I highly doubt Aubrey
will change me back into a vampire, so I am basically screwed.”

He
was silent for a minute as he watched me. “What about becoming a werewolf? We
are strong, and if I turn you, you have to remain in the pack until you are
mature. Drake won’t be able to turn you over without going against pack law,
and he won’t do that.”

I
looked at him a little surprised by his offer. I didn’t even consider turning
into a werewolf. It seemed a little less glamorous then being a vampire, but if
it was my only choice I would do it. “How long does it take for me to turn?”

He
shrugged. “The full moon is tomorrow night. You will be really sick and weak
until then, but like I said Drake will have to keep you here.”

I
didn’t like the idea of being sick and weak. Technically all they had to do was
kill me to turn me back human. I wasn’t entirely sure it would be a good idea.
I had to try something. The worst that would happen is they would turn me back.
If I made it through I would be strong again. “Ok, let’s try it,” I said trying
to sound as confident as possible. The truth was I wasn’t confident. I knew
turning into any type of were animal was painful. I had to think about what I
wanted, and that was to be able to help Cornelius.

He
stood up and stripped his pants off. I looked away, and he laughed. “Sorry
babe, I have to change, and clothes get in the way.”

“It’s
fine,” I said softly. I was trying not to lose my nerve.

I
heard him groan, and I looked back over at him. He was shifting. It was
actually a scary sight. His body was twisting and cracking as his bones shifted
to take form of a wolf. I felt a little sick watching the whole thing. I could
only imagine how painful it was. He finally completely shifted. He stood in
front of me in wolf form. I knew he was going to have to bite me. I offered him
my hand. He quickly moved forward and bit my hand. I cussed and pulled my hand
away. The bite burned like crazy. I was suddenly extremely hot. It was like all
the air had left the room, and the heat was turned up at the same time. I felt
like I couldn’t breathe. The room started to spin. It was working like poison.
I could feel my body burning, and it was radiating from the bite on my hand. I
fell to the floor, and everything went black.

“This
was the dumbest thing you could have done!” Drake’s angry voice filled my head.

“I’m
sorry, she wanted to be strong again. I didn’t know what else to do,” Tommy
said sounding apologetic.

I
wanted to open my eyes and defend Tommy, but my eyes felt so heavy. My body was
still burning, and I wanted to scream, but I was paralyzed. The pain was worse
than I imagined. I hadn’t even shifted yet, and it was unbearable. I was
beginning to think this wasn’t such a good idea.

“Lillian,”
Drake’s cool voice filled my head. I could feel his hand on my arm. He was
shaking me like he was trying to wake me up.

I
forced myself to open my eyes. They felt so heavy. I didn’t want to open them,
but I had to. “Drake,” I rasped. My throat was dry. I was freezing and burning
up at the same time.

“Don’t
fight it, it will pass soon,” he said as he brushed my hair out of my face. He
looked concerned like he didn’t like that I was in so much pain.

My
vision was blurry. I wasn’t sure if it was from the change, or if I was crying.
“It hurts,” I rasped.

“It
will, but it will pass and you will feel better,” he whispered trying to sooth
me.

There
was no consoling me. I was scared and in pain. My body felt like it was being
torn apart. I just wanted it to end. I never imagined it would be this painful.
If I had known, I probably wouldn’t have gone through with it.

I
could hear Drake talking, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. The pain
was getting worse. Everything went black when it got too intense.

“How
is she?” Aubrey’s soft voice asked.

I
could hear him, but my eyes were still closed. I realized I wasn’t in pain like
I had been.

“She
should be waking up soon. She had a bad time overnight, but she quit screaming
a couple hours ago,” Drake said quietly. I felt him move on the bed next to me.
I didn’t even realize he was in bed with me.

“As
you can imagine Victoria isn’t happy. She is demanding Lillian be brought back
to her compound,” Aubrey said softly.

“You
know I won’t allow her to leave. She is in the middle of the change. She could
hurt someone once she completely shifts,” Drake said firmly.

“Oliver
is a shifter, he can handle her. She is safer with them. Cornelius is getting
worse, they are getting more restless. They will find her here, and your people
will get hurt,” Aubrey countered.

“I
don’t really see why you are trusting Victoria. We don’t even know what her
intentions are,” Drake said starting to sound angry.

I
opened my eyes and watched both of them. Aubrey looked cool and calm, and Drake
looked like he was ready to deck Aubrey. Before Aubrey could come up with a
response I cut in. “Shouldn’t it be my choice?” I asked in a whisper. I meant
to sound louder, but my throat was dry, and I felt weak.

“Lillian,”
Drake said sounding relieved as he hurried back to my side.

“I’m
fine,” I said trying to reassure him. To be honest I wasn’t entirely sure I was
fine. I wasn’t in pain, but I felt incredibly weak. Drake helped me sit up. I
looked over at Aubrey. He remained quiet as he watched me. “I don’t want to be
imprisoned by Victoria and Oliver,” I said weakly.

Aubrey
sighed impatiently. “They weren’t imprisoning you. They were trying to keep you
from doing something stupid like this. What did you hope to gain by becoming a
werewolf?”

“I
was weak as a human,” I said starting to get annoyed by his tone. He was
treating me like an idiot, and I didn’t like it.

“You
didn’t feel that way when I first met you. You were a human and a hunter, and
you acted invincible,” Aubrey said softening his tone even more.

“Things
have changed. I am not as naïve as I used to be. I doubted you would turn me
back into a vampire since you are determined to give me to Victoria, so I found
another route,” I said as I swung my feet over the bed.

Drake’s
hand remained on my back. It was almost like he was worried I would just fall
over. “She will remain here with me. She will be safe,” Drake said firmly. I
knew he wasn’t going to back down. Drake was protective of me when I wasn’t one
of his wolves, now that I was one, he was going to be even more protective.

Aubrey
shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “This is a bad idea. They
will come after her.”

“Why
don’t you worry about fixing Cornelius instead of protecting me,” I said
glaring at him.

He
scowled. “Believe me when I say I am doing everything I can. These people are
not ones you just bully. I would prefer not to end up like my brother,” he
snapped then disappeared.

I
leaned against Drake for support. I felt incredibly weak. “I am so tired,” I
said quietly.

“You
need to eat,” he said as he helped me to my feet. He led me out of the bedroom,
and down the stairs.

“You
shouldn’t have let Tommy change you. It was a very dangerous chance. You still
aren’t sure what the extent of your ability to come back is. They say you are
immortal, but it was produced by a spell. Spells can be broken. If it is broken
you won’t know. You could die for good,” he said chiding me.

“I
want to help Cornelius. I was too weak to do it as a human. Maybe now I will be
able to do something. He is losing it. I can’t stand by and let whoever cursed
him get away with it,” I said angrily.

“That
is what they are counting on. That is why they went after him. They knew you
wouldn’t let them get away with it. They are waiting for you to make a move.”
He helped me sit in a chair then he went to the fridge.

I
knew he was right. I would end up playing right into their trap. I didn’t know
what else to do. I was just trying to find a way to be strong enough to fight.
If I could fight, there was more of a chance I would make it out alive. “I
understand what they are doing, but I need to do something. I can’t just stay
hidden and do nothing.”

“I
think Aubrey understands that. You have to understand he is under a lot of
pressure right now as well. Cornelius is his brother. They have been alive for
hundreds of years. Cornelius is Aubrey’s only family. It may seem like he is
doing nothing, but I promise he is going to find a way to help Cornelius,”
Drake said as he set a plate of food in front of me.

I
wasn’t hungry, but I knew I had to eat. I needed my energy if I was going to
help Cornelius. I had a feeling the pain was just beginning. I hadn’t shifted
yet. Tonight was the full moon, and I would be forced to shift. After that I
would be a full fledge werewolf. Once I was a werewolf I was hoping I would be
able to fend for myself.  I ate in silence. Drake watched me, but he didn’t
speak. “How bad is it going to be tonight?” I asked softly after a few minutes.

He
looked at me for a second then looked away. “It will be the worst night of your
life. It is an incredibly painful process especially if you are made a werewolf,
and not born one.”

“Were
you made or born a werewolf?” I asked curiously. I was more interested in him
now that I was becoming a werewolf myself. Despite all the times I had been
around him, I didn’t know much about him. He was very secretive and distant.

“Technically
made. My mother was mauled by one. She died, but she was far enough along that
they could deliver me. I got infected through the werewolf biting her,” he said
quietly.

“That
sucks,” I said softly as I pushed my food around on my plate.

“People
rarely choose to become werewolves,” he said dryly.

I
smiled and shrugged. “I can always stab myself in the heart and come back human
if I don’t like it.”

His
expression darkened. “I thought we just discussed the reasons why you shouldn’t
keep dying.”

I
sighed. “I know, I know, it may not always work. I could die for good. Blah,
blah, blah.”

He
smiled and shook his head. “You are so dense sometimes.”

I
smiled wider. “Sometimes, I will admit that. I just don’t like to be pushed
around.  I don’t even know Victoria or Oliver. I don’t know why they expect me
to just believe them.”

“As
far as I can tell they aren’t lying. I have met Victoria, and she looks exactly
like you. Oliver is a little difficult to get along with, but that is in his
nature,” he said dryly.

“Aubrey
said Oliver was a shifter. Is that the same thing as a werewolf?” I asked
hoping to learn more about Oliver. I wondered what Oliver was. He was
incredibly fast, and strong.

Drake
shook his head. “A shifter can change into any type of animal. Were-animals
like werewolves are restricted to one species.”

“Oh,
how do you become a shifter?” I had never heard of a shifter. I never really
heard anyone mention them either. I knew they were rare that was for sure.

“Witches
and warlocks make them to serve them. Oliver serves your mother. They are also
called familiars in some folklore,” he said as he stood and brought the dishes
to the sink.

“That
kind of sucks. I wouldn’t want to serve anyone like that,” I said quietly.

He
shrugged. “Some people like to have someone they belong to. I didn’t mind
belonging to you when you were a vampire,” he said quietly.

I
smiled. “You made being a vampire tolerable.”

“I
am surprised you were willing to go back to it after you have been given a
second chance,” he said smiling softly.

I
shrugged. “I got used to being strong. Now I just feel weak and useless. I am
hoping I feel stronger after tonight.”

He
nodded. “You will. Although I still do not think going after the coven that
cursed Cornelius is a good idea.”

“I
don’t either, but what else can I do? I have to get him back. He would never
leave me, so I am not going to abandon him,” I said quietly as I looked at him.

He
watched me for a minute, then he nodded. “I can understand that. I will do what
I can to help.”

I
shook my head. “I have to do this alone. I can’t let anyone get hurt because of
me.”

“You
are going to need help,” he countered. I could tell he was going to argue. He
wasn’t going to let me walk into a trap alone. He wanted to come with me. He
was too loyal for his own good.

I
sighed. I wanted to argue, but I knew it was pointless. It didn’t matter what I
said. I would never win an argument against him. I would have to worry about
keeping him safe later on. I had the ability to sneak away when I needed to. I
would just have to come up with a plan that would keep Drake out of harm’s way.

“You
should go get some rest. The full moon will be up in a few hours. You need to
get as much rest as possible,” Drake said breaking the silence after a few minute.

I
nodded and stood. I did feel a lot better after eating. I was worried about
what was to come, but I knew it would be worth it if I got Cornelius back.