Cursed (5 page)

After
we ate breakfast, Drake disappeared. I wasn’t entirely sure where he was
disappearing to. He seemed like he was in a bad mood, but I didn’t ask him if
he was or not. I just left him alone to brood. I was tired, so I went upstairs to
sleep until the sun went down.

I
walked into my room and hesitated when I saw Aubrey sitting in a chair across
from my bed. “You look well for someone who just shifted for the first time.”

“It
sucked, but I can handle it,” I said quietly as I shut the door. I wasn’t
entirely sure why he was there. I was pretty sure it had to do with the fact
that he didn’t want me going after the coven that cursed Cornelius. He knew I
would be going as soon as I shifted.

“Have
you changed your mind about going on a suicide mission?” he asked softly.

“No,
and it’s technically not a suicide mission if I can’t die,” I said trying to
make light of the situation.

“This
is serious Lillian,” Aubrey growled as he got to his feet.

“I
know that. I was just trying to make light of a bad situation,” I said feeling
a little chided. I didn’t understand why he insisted on treating me like a
child.

“I
think you need to be with Victoria and Oliver. They are the only ones who can
truly protect you,” he said quietly.

“They
want to control me, not protect me. There is a big difference between the two.
I can protect myself, I always have,” I said starting to get irritated. I
didn’t like that he kept trying to get me to go back to Victoria and Oliver.

“They
are trying to control you to protect you. You are always so compulsive. You act
before you think simply because your feelings are involved. Do you really think
Cornelius would want you to do this?” he argued.

“I
don’t know Aubrey. If you were hurt would you want me to do everything in my
power to help you? Or would you prefer I cover my own ass, and forget about
you?” I asked angrily.

He
didn’t respond immediately. He was obviously considering the scenario. Either
that, or he was trying to come up with another plan of attack. It didn’t really
matter what he said. He wasn’t going to change my mind. I loved Cornelius, and
I wasn’t going to let him go so easily.

“I
would want you to stay safe. Everything we have done was to keep you safe,” he
said quietly. He sounded like he was pleading with me. I was guessing begging
was his last attempt at convincing me to run and hide.

“I
can’t stay safe forever. If you want to help me, tell me what you know about
the people who cursed Cornelius,” I countered hoping he would cooperate.

He
straightened and his expression went blank. “I will not tell you anything,” he
growled then disappeared. I was getting used to his tantrums. He didn’t like
that he couldn’t get his way.

I
sighed in annoyance. I was going to find everything out on my own. It was going
to be difficult, but it had to be done. I had to get Cornelius back. Getting
him back was the reason for everything I had done. It all would have been
wasted if I tucked tail and ran like Aubrey wanted me to do.

I
woke up at sunset. I showered and dressed. Despite my new abilities as a
werewolf, I was going to bring weapons along with me. I looked at my reflection
in the mirror as I adjusted my clothes. I felt stronger than I had in a few
days. My blood seemed to flow hotter through my veins. My heart beat a little
faster, and I was full of energy. There was a slight feeling of invincibility
at the back of my mind. I kind of wondered if Drake felt the same way.

“It’s
called arrogance, and it will get you killed,” Drake said as if he heard my thoughts.
I turned and looked at him. He was leaning against my doorjamb watching me.

 “Can
you read my mind?” I asked defensively.

He
smiled. “No, I can tell by your posture. You are not invincible, Lillian.
Thinking that way will get you hurt.”

I
rolled my eyes and looked back at my reflection. “I never said I was
invincible. I just feel it, and I was wondering if you felt the same way.”

“Not
really. I did when I was younger, then I got my ass kicked a few times, and the
feeling went away,” he said amused.

I
turned and smiled at him. “Well I think it might work in my favor for now. No
one will tell me anything so I have to go find answers on my own. Being a
little more confident will help.”

“Or
it will get you into trouble,” he said dryly.

“I
will be fine. You shouldn’t worry so much,” I said brushing him off as I walked
to the bed to retrieve another knife.

“I
worry about people I love. Especially when those people are reckless like you,”
he said softly.

I
looked at him a little caught off guard. Tommy mentioned Drake loved me before,
but I never took him seriously. I considered Drake a close friend, but I never
considered him more than that. He never really acted like more than that. I
sighed and looked away. “I will try to be as safe as possible. I won’t put
myself in any unnecessary danger.”

He
smiled. “I know you won’t because I am coming with you, and don’t think you can
run. You and I are linked now. You can no longer hide from me.”

I
scowled. “You need to stay here where you are safe. I don’t need you getting
hurt because of me,” I protested.

“And
like you; I don’t care what anyone else says, and that includes you,” he said
haughtily.

I
rolled my eyes. “Fine be a pain, but you better not get hurt,” I said grumpily.
I was planning on sneaking out so he wouldn’t follow and get hurt, but he was
going to make it impossible. I walked out of the room past him, and he
followed. He really wasn’t going to let me leave on my own. I didn’t have a
choice. I was going to have to let him come along. He would just be one more
thing I was worried about, and that could be a deadly distraction for me.

We
cut through the woods, and made it to town in record time. I found that I
wasn’t as hot or breathless like I normally would have been. Being a werewolf
did have its perks when I wasn’t in wolf form. I was useless in wolf form,
especially with Drake.

“What
exactly is the plan? Who are you going to beat information out of?” Drake asked
amused as we walked through the dark alleys.

I
smiled at him. “I was thinking Julian, but we will see what else comes along.”

“You
think Julian is still around?” he asked skeptically.

“If
there is still money to be made, then he is still around,” I said lowing my
voice as I listened. I was trying to go down the darkest alleys where Julian,
or another mercenary would be more likely to strike.

I
hesitated when Cornelius appeared in front of me. He looked even worse than he
had before. He was dirty again, and his face was sunken in. He had a wild look
in his eyes, almost like he was crazed. I could tell he wasn’t feeding like he
was supposed to.

“Shit,”
Drake muttered under his breath. He could tell by Cornelius’s state that things
were bad. Maybe now he would understand why I was going against everyone to
save Cornelius.

“Cornelius,
it’s me, Lillian,” I said cautiously. I moved to get closer to him, but Drake
caught my hand.

“Lillian,
don’t. This isn’t Cornelius. I can tell he isn’t in his right mind,” Drake said
sounding worried.

“That
is why I am here,” I said quietly. “Now do you understand why I did what I did?”
I asked him as I looked at him.

He
looked from me back to Cornelius, then he nodded. “I get it, believe me, but he
could kill us both.”

I
looked at Cornelius. I didn’t believe he would hurt me. He got rough with me
before because of the curse, not because he wanted to hurt me. “He won’t hurt
me,” I said wishing I believed what I was saying. I had to do something, but I
didn’t want Drake hurt.

“Bite
me, Drake,” I said softly.

He
looked at me confused. “Now isn’t the time to play,” he growled.

I
rolled my eyes. “Just do it,” I ordered.

Drake
hesitantly brought my wrist to his mouth. I winced when he bit down. Cornelius
shifted his eyes to Drake’s mouth on my wrist, when he smelled my blood. After
a few seconds Drake released my wrist.

 I
moved forward, and offered Cornelius my wrist. “Cornelius, do you know who
cursed you?” I asked hoping he would be able to tell me something. I was hoping
my offer would get him to talk.

His
eyes were locked on my bleeding wrist. He shook his head. “I can’t have any,”
he whispered sounding pained.

I
felt my heart wrench at the sound of his voice. There was so much pain, and
hurt in his voice. I wanted to take it all away, but I had to find out who
caused it first. “You can have it. I am giving it to you,” I said softly as I
moved closer to him.

He
shook his head and moved back. He started muttering in the foreign language
like he had the last time I encountered him. “Bring her to me,” he repeated
every once in a while.

“Lillian
someone is controlling him. We are going to get nowhere,” Drake said firmly.

I
knew he was right, but I didn’t want to just leave him behind. I had left him
too many times before. “We have to do something,” I whispered trying to come up
with a plan.

“We
are doing something. Let’s find Julian, then we can worry about Cornelius, once
we know how to help him,” Drake said softly as he touched my arm.

I
nodded and reluctantly moved back away from Cornelius. He was so busy muttering
to himself, he wasn’t paying any attention to us.

“I
didn’t know he was that bad,” Drake said after a few minutes.

I
was surprised Cornelius even let us go. I thought he would be a problem. “He is
worse than before. I should have known something was off. I could have helped
him sooner,” I said angrily.

“You
are helping him now. That is all that matters,” Drake said softly. He was now
walking beside me. I could tell encountering Cornelius put him on edge. He
suddenly stopped walking, and grabbed my arm. I looked at him confused.
“Listen,” he whispered.

I
focused my hearing and listened. I could hear the sound of low voices. “We have
been searching for days. She skipped town. It is obvious,” one male voice said
impatiently.

“She
wouldn’t leave her friend to die. He will bring her, or we will find her,”
Julian’s cold voice responded.

I
knew he would be skulking around somewhere. Julian didn’t just walk away from a
large amount of money. It didn’t matter whether he had to risk his life or not.
“That is Julian,” I said softly to Drake.

He
nodded. “I will go around and approach from behind. Wait for my signal then get
in front of them,” Drake said softly, then hurried off before I could say
anything.

I
wanted to ask him what the signal would be, but I couldn’t call after him. If I
did they would hear me, and the entire plan would be ruined. I moved closer to
the mouth of the alley the voices were resonating from. I peeked around the
corner, and Julian and some other guy were leaning against the wall waiting.
They were both smoking cigarettes like they had no cares in the world. It
seemed a little off. They should have been more on guard then they were. I
didn’t see how they weren’t completely on guard, especially if they were
looking for me.

There
was suddenly a loud noise, and the guy standing next to Julian collapsed.
Julian straightened and drew his gun. He was pointing it in the direction
opposite of me. It was obviously Drake’s signal for me to move in. I hurried
down the alley toward Julian. I only hoped his back remained turned until I
could reach him. When I was close enough I lunged at him. We both went to the
ground. His gun flew out of his hand, and slid across the cement. Julian
attempted to knock me off him, but I wasn’t going to let him go so easily.

I
held him at bay, and went for one of my knives. The sound of a gunshot and
Drake’s cry of pain caught my attention. Another man had come out of one of the
doors and shot Drake. Drake collapsed to his knees, and the man shot him again.

“No!
Drake!” I cried as I attempted to untangle myself from Julian, and go to him. I
threw the knife, and hit my mark. The man with the gun collapsed with my knife
sticking through his back. Julian caught me by my ankle, and knocked me over
again. I went for a second knife, but Julian was on me before I could reach it.
He brought his fist down across my face, and everything went black.

I
opened my eyes and blinked a couple times. I was actually surprised I was still
a werewolf. I figured Julian would have killed me just for the hell of it. I
was lying face down on a cold stone floor. The room I was in was dimly lit by
candles. I groaned as I slowly sat up, and leaned against the wall. I was
surprised that my head didn’t hurt from how hard Julian hit me. I had chains on
my wrists. The chains were silver. They were burning my skin where they were
touching.

I
looked around trying to find a way to escape. There was no windows in the tiny
room. I couldn’t even see a door. I was guessing it had one of those spells on
the door like Victoria’s hideout did. Oliver had to mutter some phrase in order
for the door to appear. As I was examining the wall a door suddenly appeared.
The door opened, and a woman and a man came in the room. I didn’t recognize
either of them, but I was sure they were the reason I was in the room.

“I
am sure you don’t remember me, Lillian,” the woman said smiling slightly. She
was right; I had no clue who she was. She was a beautiful woman, and if I had
met her before I was sure I would have remembered her. She didn’t look like she
was much older than me. Maybe by a couple years, but that was it. Her hair was
long, and dark red. Her eyes were a brilliant green. I could tell she had some
sort of power. It was almost like I could feel her energy.

“You’re
right, I don’t. Obviously you know me, so who are you?” I asked sharply. I
didn’t want to play games. It wasn’t necessary for there to be riddles. She
needed to just tell me who she was, and what she wanted.

“My
name is Eleanor. I am actually your half-sister, although you wouldn’t know it
when we stood side by side,” she said lightly like it was a joke.

“Victoria
is your mother?” I asked confused. She really looked nothing like Victoria, so
she had to take after her father.

Her
expression darkened, and she straightened. “Victoria is not my mother,” she
hissed like it was an insult. “Randall was our father.”

This
was the first time I heard my real father’s name. All I had been told about him
was that he died putting some spell on me. Of course now, the spell was doing
nothing but wreaking havoc in my life. “I know nothing about him. I was raised
by the Rayne family,” I said wondering if she was going to tell me what she
wanted.

She
scoffed. “Why do you think I am so angry? I was born first, and he chose you to
protect.”

I
looked at her confused. “You are blaming me because he chose me. I have no idea
who any of you are. I didn’t know Victoria until a couple days ago.”

She
rolled her eyes. “I am not blaming you. I am blaming Victoria, but the only
thing Victoria cherishes more than herself, is her pretty little heir,” she
said happily.

I
was beginning to realize what this was all about. It was a feud between Eleanor
and Victoria, all because Randall put the spell on me, and not Eleanor. I could
see why Eleanor might be angry, but I didn’t understand why she took it out on
Victoria if it was Randall’s choice. “Your father made the choice. Why are you
taking it out on Victoria? It doesn’t make any sense,” I said trying to
understand. I figured the longer I could keep her talking, the more of a chance
I had of getting out of here.

She
scowled. “She convinced him to do it. This wasn’t his choice. Why would he die
for some stupid protection spell when he had me to care for? I was born first,
he should have chosen me, but she forced him to choose you.” Her tone had gone
from light too angry, within a few seconds.

“I
don’t understand why he died for this in the first place. He could have lived,
we all could have. This doesn’t make any sense,” I said still confused.

She
straightened a little and picked at an invisible piece of lint on her dress.
“Around the time you were born things had gotten bad for our kind. Our father
thought he had to do something to protect the line, so he supposedly did the
spell. I was only six at the time so I don’t know the reason for everything. I
just know what I have been told, and what was in our father’s journal.”

“So
your whole point for holding me here now is to get back at Victoria?” I asked
quietly.

“Yes,
that is most of the point. There is also some monetary gain. I mean your blood
makes people immortal for several hours. Imagine how much could be made just
from one vial,” she said happily. “There isn’t much one wouldn’t give for a
chance to survive death.”

I
was actually a little relieved at the thought. Drake drank my blood before he
was shot. There was a good chance he was still alive. I couldn’t help but feel
a small amount of relief at that thought. “You know Victoria will come for me,”
I said quietly.

She
laughed. “She will try. I am sure she will send her little pet Oliver. I have
been looking forward to getting rid of him,” she hissed. She turned to leave
and I suddenly remembered the whole reason I was going on this mission anyway.

“Wait,
my friend Cornelius had a curse put on him. Did you do that?” I asked quietly.

She
turned and smiled at me. The smile suggested she had. I felt a small surge of
anger at her response. She thought it was funny. She knew she was hurting me,
and she was enjoying it. “He is a very uncooperative vampire. I am not sure if
he is just stubborn, or if he loves you too much to betray you and bring you to
me.” She sighed. “Well I suppose you will never know,” she said lightly, then
walked out. The man that was with her followed.

I
had no doubt he was her familiar, like Oliver was to Victoria. Now that I knew
I was in the right place I had to come up with a plan to get out of this room,
and get Eleanor to break the curse she put on Cornelius.

I
pulled on the chains, but it was useless. There was no way silver was going to
break. I had no clue where I was in town, or even if I still was in town. All I
could see was the stone walls surrounding me. I was beginning to think the
others were right. If I got caught, there wouldn’t be much I could do to get
out. I didn’t plan on there not being any doors.