Page 1 of Cursed Love
Chapter 1
“Did Greg forget her birthday?”
“I hope not. If he did, Junior’s going to kick his ass, and I don’t feel like bailing anyone out of jail.”
“She deserves so much more…”
Brandy heard their whispered voices and unlocked her phone, again, to see if she’d missed any messages. Anger replaced the sadness and frustration she felt when she only found a notification for coupons.
It was her twenty-first birthday, and her boyfriend, Greg, hadn’t shown up to her party. Sure, a few of her brothers couldn’t make it tonight, but they had good excuses. Ethan and Edward were out of town on business, and Carter had left early after receiving an emergency call about one of his patients.
“Hey, you okay?” Andrea, her best friend and sister-in-law, asked.
Brandy shrugged and tipped back the latest shot placed in front of her. There wasn’t much left to say. Her boyfriend of three years, whom she lived with, had forgotten her birthday and the traditional family dinner. Now, everyone kept looking down the table at her with either pity, anger, or both.
“Thanks,” she told the waiter when he refilled her water.
Brandy raised her fingers to her temple as her eyes fluttered closed. Her head swam with emotions, and the skin on her hands tingled. She felt… odd. She’d drunk alcohol before, albeit illegally, but the strange sensations in her head and belly were unlike anything she’d experienced before.
“Toast!” her brother Max yelled. Brandy followed his voice and spotted Junior, their older brother, standing to Max’s left.
“Brat… um, I mean Brandy. We’re proud to call you our baby sister.” Junior cleared his throat and her eyes watered, guessing what would come next. “Mom and Dad would be proud of the young woman you’ve become.”
Glancing around, Brandy noticed the damp eyes of the people she loved. It’d been a few months since they lost their dad and twenty-one years since their mom. Her mom died giving birth to Brandy—her seventh child and only girl. It seemed finally getting her daughter had been both a blessing and a curse.
“I know being the only girl in our family hasn’t always been easy. Your dating life has suffered. Although, it seems we’ve been slacking with keeping Greg in line.”
“Junior!” his wife, Debbie, called out as she slapped him in the gut.
“Ow!” he said and narrowed his eyes. “I’m speaking the truth!”
“Where is that douche anyway? It’s her birthday!” Max said, and Brandy flushed with embarrassment.
Brandy bit her tongue. She was tired of defending Greg, and shedidn’tknow where he was. Lifting the ice-cold water, she brought it to her lips and chugged, hoping it would calm her and neutralize the effects of the alcohol.
Junior pushed his chair back and walked over to her. He cupped her shoulder. “Dad always said twenty-one was a magical beginning. Bran, we love you and can’t wait to see what this next year has in store for you. May you grow and find a little magic in your life.”
She stood and hugged him as her family cheered in the background. “Thanks, Junior.”
Junior’s warm embrace soothed her. “If you need us to take care of Greg, you only have to say the word,” he whispered before pulling back and meeting her eyes.
Brandy smiled. “Love you too,” she whispered. They all meant well, even if they drove her crazy at times.
Determined to enjoy the time with her family, Brandy pushed Greg to the far recesses of her mind. As they’d all gotten older, it’d become harder and harder to get together. They usually tried to make time for one family dinner a week, if not every two weeks. These moments were special to them, and she refused to let Greg and their problems ruin it.
***
Brandy had switched to water after her last shot, but even now, as she walked the last couple blocks home, her body was abuzz. Alcohol had never affected her this way.
An electric current ran along her skin, each cell in her body awake and eager. For what, she hadn’t the foggiest idea. It was the strangest thing she had ever experienced, and it was beginning to freak her out.
Reaching the last block home, she jumped when a loud noise rumbled from the darkened alley-like road. A low, menacing growl sounded, spiking her heart rate, but she was too chickenshit to look in the direction it had come from. Her heart pounded fervently against her breastbone, and her breaths came in short pants.
Picking up her pace, she dug inside her purse. Helmond, Connecticut, wasn’t known for its high crime, but crimes did occasionally happen. Grabbing her keys, her fingers wrapped firmly into place around the small mace canister hanging off one ring. The mace was a gift from Junior when she’d moved out of the house, something to keep her safe when she was alone. She also had brass knuckles and a small club in her dresser. With her heart pounding against her ribs, she wished she would have tossed them into her purse. If she made it home safely, it would be one of the first things she did after changing her underwear.
Hurrying toward her apartment, every sound rang out like a cannon. She sucked in a breath, hoping to calm the tremors, and was relieved at the sight of the building. Inhaling deeply, Brandy snuck a peek over her shoulder and was relieved to find herself alone, the growling from a moment ago only a memory. She scanned the area ahead and spotted a shadow lurking across the street. Her gut clenched as fear clawed its way up her throat.
Her gaze swept over the area again, but she didn’t see another soul or the strange shadow. The hairs on the back of her neck refused to lie down, and her stomach clenched with alarm. The door to the building silently screamed “safety.” Fear and an indescribable stench made her speed up to a light jog. She cursed her decision to wear high heels and prayed she didn’t twist her ankle in the process of fleeing whatever the hell was watching her from afar and shrouded in darkness.
