Page 47 of Cursed Magic

I winced at the intensity of her emotions. I had hurt her again. However, I was drained and didn’t have the energy to argue with her.I’m sorry. But I’m exhausted and hurting. Can we please talk about it tomorrow?

She paused like she was battling with herself over whether to respect my wishes or let loose some of her frustration.

Luckily, I knew what that meant. She would cave. She cared so much about the people she loved, and sometimes, I wished I were more like her. If I were in her position, I wouldn’t stop lecturing me.

Fine. But only because I love you and care about your well-being. Tomorrow, we’re going to have this discussion. You’re not getting out of it.

She used to threaten that but then relent. Not this time; something inside me understood that she was going to follow through. After our pack had been killed, not only had I changed, but Briar had too, and she’d clearly grown a backbone.Thank you. And I love you too, baby wolf.I used Dad’s term of endearment for her.

Ryker’s breathing became shallow, and his chest rose and fell faster than normal. Blood began congealing on his face and arms, but his side remained bright red. He was still bleeding. My wolf whimpered, and my blood froze. He moved a little and placed his head on my shoulder as he snored.

My arm ached where his body pressed against claw marks. Still, he was resting, and there was no way in hell I would move and risk disturbing him.

I had one last concern. “Should we not wait for the other vampires?” I felt bad leaving them behind.

“No.” Raven glanced over her shoulder. “Lucinda and the others know we’re heading back to the mansion. There’s plenty of room for all the vampires in the rest of the vehicles. They’ll call me if something concerning happens.”

That was more than fine with me. Lucinda hated us, so the farther away we were from one another, the better.

I listened to Ryker’s heartbeat, letting my thoughts race. The witch’s warning about the spell cast upon him echoed in my mind. Acid burned my throat, and cold sweat pooled in my armpits. I had to get answers from him, and I hated that he’d kept so much from me and his pack members. Everything had to be addressed, but we first had to heal.

The discomfort in my arm intensified, and nauseaswirled in my stomach in sync with the world around me. I tried staring out the window, but all that accomplished was making me gag.

Between the silence, the stench of blood, and the strained atmosphere, the car ride seemed unending. But eventually, we pulled up to the mansion and stopped in front of the Queen Ambrosia statue.

Even before David put the car in park, Gage and Kendric raced out the front door toward us. Gage’s usual smile was gone, replaced by a deep scowl. If I’d thought Gage’s expression was concerning, that changed when my attention landed on Kendric.

With a body so tense I wasn’t sure how he could move and his nostrils flaring, Kendric looked ready to go to war. The two of them hurried to the passenger door and yanked it open.

When Kendric saw Raven, his expression softened. “Are you okay?” He placed his hands gently on her arms.

“I’m fine. Ryker and Ember are way worse off than me.”

“You better be glad you let the queen know what was going on and she had us come for backup,” David interjected.

Kendric’s face hardened, and he glanced in the back seat at Ryker and me. His nostrils flared. “You took the time to inform the queen?”

“Kendric, I—” Raven started as she climbed out of the vehicle and stood before him.

“You need tomove,” he bit out. “Gage and I will help Ember and Ryker inside to be taken care of.”

For the first time, I saw Raven sag. The confidence she always carried vanished before my eyes at the words of the man she clearly loved. “Listen—”

He moved past her and climbed into the vehicle, notlooking back or acknowledging her. When he looked over Ryker and me, his expression strained.

Foster and David told Raven they were heading inside to check in with the other guards. Their footsteps grew quieter as they walked away.

“How bad off is he?” Kendric asked softly as if he was afraid of bothering Ryker.

I licked my lips, trying to wet my dry mouth. “He’s lost a lot of blood. He needs calories and rest.”

“Briar is taking care of that.” Kendric’s large form was cramped in the small opening. “Here, let’s get you out first.” He gently lifted Ryker’s head from my shoulder then moved so I could get out.

Gage leaned in to support some of my weight. Once I was out, he lifted me into his arms and waited outside the car.

Once again, my skin crawled, but not as bad as it had with Foster.

Gage examined my face and smirked, coming off like the friend I knew. He chuckled. “I always knew that one day I would sweep you off your feet.” He waggled his brows.

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