Page 7 of Cursed Touch
Claudia and Katia had been through hell, and their happiness meant the world to not only his brother but his whole family. They had come a long way in the last few months. It made him wonder how the other women, the ones he had healed in the compound, were doing.
Beaten, raped, and held hostage for God only knows how long, the women were all in extensive therapy, including Claudia. One day at a time was all they could focus on, and he hoped that under the watchful care of Peter’s pack, they could flourish as Claudia had.
As one of seven, Carter was used to loud environments. He loved the sound of his family, and after his father’s passing, he and his siblings had continued their tradition of family dinners. Only, he found them harder to attend as his siblings found their mates. He was thrilled they had found love and were sickeningly devoted to their mates. But it did not mean he needed to be reminded about it for hours on end.
He would eat his dinner and spend some time with them and then he would get the hell out of there. He planned to enjoy a whiskey while his thoughts trailed to the mysterious woman when he got home. He was not going to kid himself. He knew none of it was healthy. His dreams and thoughts were not becoming less frequent as time passed. If anything, they were becoming stronger.
“Seriously, this shop is so freaking cute. We need to take you guys there!” Brandy told Debra and Andrea. “But, Serena, did you notice something was, I don’t know,offabout Vanessa? Vanessa is the woman who owns the shop.”
“You mean when I touched her shoulder and she kinda wigged out?” Serena asked.
“Yes! If I didn’t know better, I’d say she felt the magic swirling around us. Have any other humans noticed it?” Brandy asked.
Ethan perched on the side of the couch next to Carter, with a plate of food in his hands. “Why are they talking about the woman you’ve been thinking about the entire time you’ve been here?”
The food on Carter’s fork fell onto his plate, and his eyes darted toward his little brother’s. “What’d you say?”
Ethan held up a hand and stood. “Sorry, I know I promised I wouldn’t pop into your head without invitation, but you’ve been over here moping, and I was worried, and—”
“Shut up, E, and repeat what you said!” Carter snapped, the room quieting at his words.
Ethan looked around, his brows pinching in worry. “The shop owner they’ve been yapping about… She’s the same woman I saw flash in your mind.”
“Ethan,” Junior and Edward growled.
“We told you to stay out of our fucking heads,” Edward snapped.
“Language!” Brandy, Andrea, and Debra called in sync.
Ethan raised his hands, careful not to spill the contents of his plate. “I know, I know! But look at him!” he said and waved his hands toward Carter. “I’ve never seen him like this, and it worried me, so I just wanted a quick peek and well…”
“Who’s the woman?” Claudia asked softly.
Carter peered around the room. Everyone’s attention was on him, including Katia, who had quit playing with her new bracelet to watch the adults yell. He sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know who she is. I was leaving Schwab Memorial and as I said good-bye to the ladies working the emergency department desk, she came running in, calling for help.”
“What was wrong with her?” James asked as he neared the others.
Carter shook his head. “Nothing. She was fine, but her boyfriend was in really bad shape. They claimed it was a dog bite, but he was minutes from dying…”
“The lycan bite?” Serena asked, and he nodded.
“What lycan bite?” Ryan asked.
“He came to me for help, and we determined the bite must have been a lycan’s,” Serena said. “But you never mentioned the woman…” She left the statement hanging, no accusation but curiosity filling her tone.
No longer hungry, Carter pushed to his feet and dumped his plate and its contents into the trash. “No, I didn’t. The woman brought in her boyfriend with a lycan bite, and I healed him enough so the doctor on duty could finish treatment. There was nothing else to say.” He turned toward Ethan, his lips thin and his jaw hard. “I would appreciate it if next time you stayed out of my thoughts and allowed me to keep my private thoughts private.”
“I get it, but are you seriously telling me you didn’t want to know that the shop owner they’ve been gabbing about is the same mysterious woman who has been on your mind all night?” Ethan asked, no apology in his words.
Carter threw up his hands. “What part ofshe has a mando you not understand, Ethan!” he yelled. Unable to take more of the conversation, he slid through the crowd and hightailed it home.
He tossed his keys and cell phone onto the kitchen island, not bothering to watch them slide across the smooth surface as he moved to his handmade cherrywood bar. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey with one hand and a glass with the other, poured two fingers of amber liquid, and swallowed it in one gulp.
“Shit!” he said into the silence before pouring another two fingers.
With the bottle capped and back in its spot, he carried his whiskey to the couch and turned on the TV. He didn’t care what was on. Carter just needed noise to drown out the mess his life had become nearly overnight. Crossing his ankles on the large ottoman before him, he leaned back against the plush couch.
Not only could he not get the woman out of his head, now his entire family knew about it. “Thanks, E!” he said with another shake of his head before bringing the glass back to his lips. The smooth liquid warmed his insides as it slid down his throat.
