Page 73 of Cursed

“Do you really want my colleague to dip into your subconscious?”

“What does that matter to you?” I ask, since it doesn’t seem likeheshould care. Then I realize they probably don’t know about his secret identity as a shapeshifter. But I don’t voice my deduction.

“Tell me what you can do. Or we will have to do this the hard way,” he threatens.

“How about you go sit on a stick and spin?”

“Hmm.” He doesn’t seem surprised or even angry with my insult, but turns and creates a complicated ward over the door. In a flash of light, I see it spread over the walls and ceiling, sealing us inside. Or, more accurately, blocking anyone from prying inside to see or hear what’s going to happen to me.

I’m starting to regret my sass. But I remember he’s about to murder me anyway. Might as well make him work for it.

I snark, “Sorry that your other daughter, Millie, is such a disappointment—in her personality and power.”

He strolls around my table, studying me. Maybe he’s trying to sense my magic, but I’m doing my best to block him and keep my emotions in check, so I don’t reveal it to him. “Itisa shame,” he agrees. “She truly is such a bore. I would have gladly sacrificed her even as my legitimate heir, since I can’t stand the puffed-up brat. But my union with her mother supplies me the money I need.”

Well, I guess we aren’t that different. We both don’t like Millie.

“I’m surprised it was Leeann who might have had the right genetics. She was just a trashy bitch in heat when I met her.”

I narrow my eyes. I don’t want to defend my mother, but what the actual fuck? Her encounter with him probably didn’t help her personality.

“She turned out to be a real bitch too,” he says.

“Yeah, I’msuperlucky in the parent department,” I say sarcastically.

He shifts. One minute he’s some dickass jerk, then the next, he’s my toxic viper of a mother.Fuck. To see her face after being free from her these past few months is a shock to my system. My adrenaline spikes, even though I know it’s just a trick. Regardless, my magic stirs in my chest with the instinct to protect myself.

Then, frantically, I try to settle down.

“Oh, good. I thought this might work. Sheisyour trigger.” He smiles then frowns. “After all this time? You’d think you would have built better walls.” His finger hovers over Quade’s mating mark at the crook of my neck. “But I’ve heardlovecan make you weak—well, at least emotionally.”

My stomach turns. He even sounds just like my mother. And I could easily imagine her saying something like this too.

“Well,” I sass. “I can tell you wouldn’t know anything about love.”

“That’s not the insult you think it is.” He shrugs. “It works out for me. Since you and your mates couldn’t keep it in your pants with all your animalistic rutting urges, I will be able to siphon off them as well. So it works out for me in the end. Even if you don’t have the particular power I need. I still win.”

My blood goes cold in my veins.

Will he be able to hurt my loves?

My magic rises inside me with the urge to protect them. Wind swirls in the room, but it isn’t enough to do much but ruffle his hair. My energy is still depleted from the hospital fight. I remember I have the ability to use electro-magic now after my taste of it. I’ve added it to my magical arsenal.

Desperate to save my mates, I know I need to kill this evil asshole.

Next, I visualize a thunderbolt hitting him in the chest, but it comes out more like glorified static electricity.

Way to fail, Shayla.

He chuckles dismissively at my weak attempt to attack him. “And now that I know you are exactly what I believe you are, I’ll get things set up to drain you.”

Goddess dammit. I let my anger and fear of losing my mates get the best of me.

He shifts back into his male form. “And now that I have Leeann here, I might see if I can breed a few more of you for the future… in case your power wears out.”

Holy hell, he’s disgusting.

I can’t understand why there are truly wretched people in the world. It turns my stomach that I’m related to the two of them. “Why?” I ask simply. “Whyare you doing this?”

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