Page 79 of Cursed

“Theyalldeserve it,” Branden rasps, his voice not sounding like him anymore. “They know what’s happening here.”

Branden’s right. No one here is innocent. The thought steels my nerves. I was angry about it all, but his words remind me that shit is going down, and I must be okay with that. If I lose my nerve because of my natural caretaker disposition, I might get one of my coven killed.

I pat Rourke on the shoulder as he moves in pace with me. It still can’t have been easy.

Rourke sniffs the air and races ahead of us. “This way.”

We get to a doorway, and we all ready ourselves as he throws it open. But the room is empty.

“She was here,” Rourke mumbles as he searches the room for clues.

“I smell her scent in the air,” Branden agrees.

I stand in the doorway and feel someone’s eyes on me from the hallway.

When I spin, a female stands there, looking at me in shock.

I stumble backward.

I’ve seen a ghost.

“It’s okay,” she whispers. “It’s really me.”

Branden rushes forward, likely to snap her neck, but I throw my arm out. If she is an apparition, I want it to last another moment.

“Ithasto be a ghost,” I breathe out.

“No. It’s me…”

“Mom?” I ask, my voice cracking. My long-dead mother stands before me.

My motherisn’tdead?

I think my heart has stopped completely.

“Mom?” both Rourke and Branden ask in confused unison.

Branden lunges, grabs her by the collar, and pulls it down.

For half a second, I think he will rip out her throat and drain her.

But no, he’s checking to see if it’s Shayla’s shapeshifting father in disguise.

He rubs at her neck, to verify there’s no makeup covering up the crescent-shaped mark Mannyx supposedly cannot hide even during a shift. He releases her, and she nods her understanding while also grasping her throat.

“How is this possible?” I reach out, but stop myself from touching her. As if doing so will break the illusion. Or maybe I know if we touch,Iwill break down. “I thought… They told me you were killed trying to escape.”

“No. I’ve been held captive here, doing their bidding and hoping I might see your beautiful face again one day.”

“Oh Goddess.” Tears burn down my cheeks. “I should have broken in sooner.”

“You’re here now.” She touches my cheek.

And fuck, it’s her. I know without a doubt my mother has returned to me. Ten years. I mourned her for ten years. She opens her arms and I fall into her embrace.

There’s nothing like being held by someone who loves you completely. And I feel my mother’s love pouring into me. Guilt and anguish hit me too. But maybe that’s my own.

“It’s okay, Arden. We’re together now.” She rubs my back as my body racks in soundless sobs. After a moment, she asks, “You’re here for the wolf and incubus, yes?”

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