Page 1 of Curses and Casualties
Chapter 1
Ryan
“You know something?” Georgia says, looking around our seedy motel room. “This is kinda romantic when you think about it.”
I quirk an eyebrow as Kane huffs his disagreement from inside my mind. The lights buzz and flicker, and the stairs on the way up here smelled like urine. There are odd stains on the carpet, and I’m pretty sure something is growing in the corner by the window. The faucet handle came off in the bathroom the moment I touched it, and I don’t think we can blame my increased strength for that one.
“Romantic wouldn’t exactly be my choice of words,” I say, leaning back against the chipped headboard. “But I suppose if you’re comparing it to living in a dumpster, it could be seen that way.”
Georgia grins. “That’s disgusting.”
“So is this motel.”
She runs her hands over the threadbare comforter and adjusts her position on the lumpy mattress. “It’s no quaint cabin in the woods, I’ll give you that. But at least no one’s trying to kill us here.”
“That part is true. For now, anyway.”
She shudders on an inhale as she picks up a slice of cardboard-tasting pizza. “How long do you think it’ll take for them to find us?” She takes a bite of the crappy meal and uses her free hand to pass me the bottle of even crappier wine. When we arrived here from Whisper Valley a couple of hours ago, we stocked up at the first gas station on the edge of town. The cashier, a woman with an oxygen tank and the dry, glazed stare of the undead. I had to scent her twice to make sure she really was human.
“If we consider that the city is a mishmash of smells and sounds. And that we have the amulet Caspian gave us…” I lift the bottle to my mouth and sip, wincing as the bitter taste burns down my throat. “Maybe a day or two. Less if the poultice Ethan applied to Scarlett’s mark fails and the Alpha finds a way to tap into her.”
Georgia’s face falls ever so slightly, but she quickly masks it with another forced grin. “Well, in that case, let’s enjoy the heck out of this romantic evening while we can.”
I laugh, shaking my head at her optimism. Somehow, even with the filth and roaches, being with her in this dingy temporary refuge does feel oddly romantic. “To us, then,” I say, holding up the bottle of wine to her before I take a drink and hand it to her. She almost chokes on it.
“Oh yeah. That’s good stuff,” she forces out, coughing.
“Remind me to take you somewhere nice when all this is over.”
“This really isn’t so bad, Ryan,” she says, passing the bottle back to me. “In fact, I’ve experienced far worse in my travels.”
The muffled sounds of sirens and traffic filter in from outside. It’s been so long since I’ve been anywhere near a city. The exhaust fumes burn my sensitive nose even through the closed window, mixing with the acrid smell of hot asphalt and too many humans packed together. Someone’s cooking currythree doors down, and there’s the sickly sweet stench of garbage from the dumpster in the alley. When I was a boy, the idea of living here excited me. But now, all I need is the quiet of the mountains and an open space to run as my wolf. I miss Whisper Valley already.
City stinks,Kane grumbles in my mind.Too many scents. Don’t like it.
I know, buddy. Me neither.
“Worse than this place?” I take another sip of wine, grimacing as I look at the label. It’s a far cry from the earthy, robust flavors of the wine back home, but it’s enough to dull our senses for a short while. Shifters can’t stay drunk for long. But if you drink fast enough, you’ll get a buzz. “I don’t believe there’s anywhere worse than this roach pit.”
“Oh, the privilege you must have endured,” she teases, taking another bite of the pizza and chewing quietly.
I smile as I watch her, the crude lighting of the room catching in her fiery hair and vibrant eyes. So much has changed since Georgia stumbled into my life, absorbing Luna’s spirit and igniting our Soul Bond. It’s not just our lives that have changed—I’m changing too.
Kane’s thoughts, once a separate voice in my mind, now feel closer to my own. We’re no longer two halves of a whole, but merging into a single entity. Our thoughts and emotions synchronize, yet I can still discern his influence—a constant, affirming whisper of ‘mate’ whenever I look at Georgia.
Just weeks ago, I was a lone wolf, mourning the loss of my mate and resigned to guarding the Soulcave for the rest of my days. Then Georgia stumbled into my life, quite literally falling into the cave and absorbing Luna’s spirit. Our instant connection, the prophecy of our Soul Bond, the rush to complete it under the full moon…
Itjusthappened. But somehow it also seems like a lifetime ago.
And yet, the consequences of those frantic days are why we’re here now, hiding in this dingy motel. The pack’s betrayal, the Alpha’s brutal attack on Scarlett, our desperate escape from the mountain—it all led us here, fugitives on the run from the very people I used to trust. All because they fear the power of our bond.
Reaching out, I take Georgia’s hand in mine and glance down at it, remembering the moment I marked her, sealing our fate. The enormity of what we must face together weighs heavy on me. We’re not just fighting for our lives, but for the future of all shifterkind. It’s a daunting thought, but not one I want to delve into tonight. No. Tonight is about pause. It’s about my mate. Us.
“I’d like to hear more about these travels of yours,” I say as Georgia finishes her slice of pizza. “Tell me, love, where have you been that’s worse than this place?” I search my mind, flitting through the memories we shared when the Soul Bond really took root. But she’s been to so many places, camping in less than stellar conditions, that I’m not sure. “Was it the Gobi Desert?”
“That’s cheating,” she says as she dusts her fingers off over the open pizza box.
“It’s not cheating when our bond gave us this gift of shared memories. I’m sure there are a lot of questions you could answer about me without a conversation too.”
