curse of the alpha - episode 03 & 04 Read online

  Abuela’s voice rang out.

  “Hello!” she called, like she had just banged on the neighbor’s screen door and was

  about to let herself in.

  Nothing.

  “Hi, Sylvia? Michael? Are you there?”

  Ainsley felt a tremor in the air. Goose bumps rose on her arms.

  “That you, Sylvia?” Abuela asked casually.

  Another tremor.

  “Well, I know you’ll be happy to know that Ainsley is here. She’s doing very well for herself and she would like to say hello to you. She has the gift, Sylvia, doesn’t that make you proud?”

  A crack of lightening illuminated the room entirely for an instant. Thunder boomed

  immediately in reply. The kitchen light went out.

  Ainsley bit her lip until it bled trying not to scream.

  Outside, the skies opened in a torrent of rain.

  “Was that?”

  “That’s just from the storm, sweetie,” Abuela explained calmly. “Your mama didn’t do

  that. I’m having a hard time reaching her.”

  “Wh-what do you mean?” Ainsley managed.

  “It’s sort of like getting a busy signal,” Grace explained. “It’s like Abuela is calling, and it’s not exactly like no one is picking up. It’s more like the call can’t even go through.”

  “It’s blocked, is what it is,” Abuela declared knowingly. The distinctive lines in her face were rendered even more impressive by the sweet scented candlelight.

  “How can it be blocked?” Ainsley asked in dismay.

  “Powerful magic,” Abuela shook her head in consternation. “But I don’t know why. And

  someone is trying to come through - just not your mama.”

  “My dad?”

  Abuela shook her head.

  “Again, if you think of it like a telephone call, it’s like we’re hearing part of someone else’s conversation on the line,” Grace explained.

  “On purpose?”

  “We don’t know.”

  Ainsley sucked her lower lip where she’d bitten it. This was insane. Had she really

  expected anything to happen? Maybe she was just going crazy from too much time in a

  small town.

  “Abuela, can we try to open a portal for them?” Grace asked quietly.

  Abuela only stared at her.

  “This is important. She needs help. Badly.”

  “We can’t leave it open long. Just enough that if they’re in trouble they can get

  through quickly. Then we close it again.”

  “Of course.”

  “Ainsley, this is going to be a little more intense, honey. Are you ready?” Abuela

  asked.

  “What are you going to do?” Ainsley asked nervously.

  “Getting through just to talk is like opening a keyhole to peek though. If we open a

  portal, that’s like opening the whole door. Your parents can appear to us themselves. If there’s some reason they can’t talk they may be able to step through the portal and be able to communicate with us.”

  “Will I be able to see them?”

  “That depends on your gift, sweetie. But…yes. Yes, I think you will be able to see

  them.”

  Ainsley swallowed. Then she nodded. Grace took her hand immediately. Abuela took

  her other hand. The electrical current surged through them again.

  Abuela spoke.

  “We’re going to open a portal to Ainsley, Sylvia. We’re going to count down from 7

  and then we have to close it again. Michael, Sylvia, if you can hear us, please come to us.

  NOW!”

  The air was crackling with the electricity that flowed between them now. There was a

  swirl of moving air at the center of the table. It made Ainsley think of the last inch of water draining out of a sink.

  “Seven!” Abuela said.

  The swirl of air picked up speed.

  “Six!”

  It began to expand.

  “Five!”

  Ainsley could feel the suck of the air as it expanded enough to pull at their hands.

  “Four!”

  The pull grew stronger.

  “Three!”

  It felt like a black hole. Ainsley struggled to breathe.

  “Two!”

  There was another flash of lightning outside. And there was a winnow of movement

  within the circle. It was almost imperceptible. Without the lightning at that exact

  moment, she might have missed it. A pulse of energy moved through her and out of the

  circle.

  “One!” Abuela cried.

  Grace and Abuela let go of Ainsley’s hands. Instantly, the tornado in the table

  disappeared.

  In the stillness that followed, Ainsley swore she heard a soft sound, like a curtain

  brushing against the wall. She spun around to look, but there was nothing there.

  She turned back to see Abuela and Grace staring at her.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  Grace quickly looked down at her hands. Her lips were pinched tight.

  Abuela looked into Ainsley’s eyes sadly.

  “Your parents aren’t here. Something is blocking us from them. But…it seems that

  someone else may have come through.”

  “What do you mean ‘it seems’?”

  “I didn’t see or hear anything once the portal was closed,” Abuela said. “But you did.

  Didn’t you?”

  “No,” Ainsley said. “I didn’t see anything. I mean, I thought I heard something just

  now, but when I looked there was nothing.”

  Abuela gave Grace a meaningful glance.

  “Ainsley, an open portal means all bets are off. Close your eyes and reach out. See if you can feel anything.”

  Ainsley closed her eyes obediently. She heard the sirens for the fire department –

  which was typical when the power was out. She heard the songs of crickets and the

  beating of her companions’ hearts. Somewhere in the basement she heard the gentle

  footsteps of a mouse scurrying to its nest. She smelled the candle and the cigar and the shoe polish Grace used on her police shoes, even though she wasn’t wearing them now.

  She could taste the moisture on the air, and feel the cool breeze evaporating the tiny beads of sweat on her skin.

  That was all.

  She shook her head in disappointment.

  “We’ll try again another time!” Grace said brightly.

  “One thing’s for sure, young lady, you do have the gift.”

  Abuela’s approving smile warmed Ainsley to her toes.

  She blushed and smiled back.

  C H A P T E R

  1 0

  Erik caught her scent her before he heard her footsteps. She smelled like Southern

  Comfort, CK One, and trouble.

  “Erik!”

  Cressida’s stage whisper was about as subtle as a train whistle. Before he could

  answer she scratched at the screen door and finally opened it. She strode across the

  room, letting it slam behind her.

  The house was a fixer, for sure. Erik had fallen in love with the wooded lot and the big screened porch overlooking the hillside. He still had a lot of work to do to bring it back to its prime. But it always annoyed him when Cressida banged the door like it didn’t matter.

  “Hey, Cress.”

  “Hey yourself, big guy,” she teased, kicking off her shoes and flopping down on the

  sofa beside him.

  Immediately she began kneading his thigh with her bare feet. Cressida was always in

  motion. It was usually one of his favorite things about her. When she failed to land bigger game, she would often stop by for some fun. That was fine. He liked their arrangement, what the college kids in town would call “friends with benefits.”

  But tonight h
e had work to do.

  “You want a beer?” he asked, afraid to tell her he was about to leave.

  “No, I don’t want a beer!” Cressida slid forward and tugged at his T-shirt. “Take this off.”

  Erik laughed, “Steady, Cress. I’m leaving in a minute.”

  She pouted, then rallied.

  “Are you going to babysit that goofy city girl?” she asked innocently, stretching to

  reveal a few inches of her tanned waist.

  “Cressida, she’s important to us.”

  Cressida nodded in mock thoughtfulness and then slid into his lap in one fluid

  movement. The smell of her arousal was heavy in the air.

  “No. She’s not.”

  “She’s choosing the next alpha,” he replied carefully. “She’s important.”

  Erik had other reasons he thought Ainsley was important, but he didn’t think Cressida would want to hear them.

  “She’s not choosing anything. In case you didn’t notice, she’s emptying the house and getting the hell out of dodge!”

  Erik lifted Cressida off his lap and unceremoniously deposited her back on the sofa. He began to pace. Talking too much about Ainsley was making him a little crazy. And

  Cressida was the last person he wanted to talk to about it. But he could tell she wasn’t going to take no for an answer tonight. Movement caught the corner of his eye and he

  turned to see her sliding her shirt over her head.

  She gave him a slow smile and he allowed his eyes to take her in. The cups of her bra were see-through. Cressida had tiny tits but they were very nice. She slid her skirt up a few inches so he could see her thin, muscular thighs and smell the tangy heat radiating off her. Normally he would have fallen on her by now, ripping the rest of her clothes off with his teeth.

  Here was a smoking hot woman practically begging him to fuck her. Why did his

  thoughts keep going back to Ainsley?

  Sure, Ainsley was supposed to choose the next alpha, but if he was honest with

  himself, he wasn’t sure he was all that interested in being alpha.

  And of course Ainsley was attractive. He had always thought she was cute, but she

  had grown into one hell of a woman. Thinking about Ainsley’s soft, feminine curves began to stiffen his cock in way Cressida’s taut, angular body hadn’t.

  It didn’t matter, anyway. Ainsley was going to be with Clive Warren, and that was

  that. Thinking of her with Clive stirred a deep feeling of longing in him. Erik squeezed those feelings into a tight little ball, then pushed that ball deep down inside himself.

  Nothing good would come from thoughts like that. He certainly did not have feelings

  for Ainsley Connor.

  No way.

  And he was going to do something to prove it.

  He let himself concentrate on Cressida again. She had slid her hands down her narrow

  hips and was beginning to caress her own thighs. Her thumbs disappeared into her

  panties and she arched her back and sighed with pleasure.

  Here we go.

  Erik tore his clothes off before he could lose his nerve.

  Cressida eyed him with a mixture of glee and apprehension. It wasn’t like they hadn’t fucked before. But most women, even the wolves, were intimidated by his size.

  A lot of guys would probably be jealous, but in his experience the only real difference it made was that he had to hold himself in check longer than he wanted so he wouldn’t hurt his partners.

  Cressida grinned at him like a pirate, opening her legs in silent invitation.

  He smiled back and pulled her to the edge of the sofa so he could reach her. He

  ripped the triangle of lace down her to her ankles, then brushed a finger against her pussy.

  She moaned and pressed against him, so he let two fingers sink into her. She was

  ready. But he wanted to make it nice for her.

  As he took a deep breath to pace himself she slipped one foot out of her panties and

  wrapped her long legs around his waist, grabbing his cock in her hand.

  Outside thoughts tried to push their way in.

  Ainsley.

  Was she okay? Why would her parents choose Clive for her?

  He closed his eyes to concentrate.

  Get your head in the game, Jensen.

  Cressida responded by dragging him across the steaming opening of her pussy. She

  moaned again into his ear.

  He gave up on taking it slow and grabbed her ass, guiding her to his cock again,

  pressing himself against her. Her hot, wet opening felt maddeningly good against the tip of his cock, but he hesitated.

  Cressida blew out a frustrated breath and slithered out from under him. When he

  turned to her, she pushed him back onto the sofa and straddled him, binding herself onto his shaft. He slipped inside her with only a hint of resistance.

  Erik’s sudden pleasure pushed all the other thoughts out of his mind. He closed his

  eyes and reveled in the steamy hot feel of her. His only focus now was how to prolong this savage sweetness.

  He opened his eyes and could see the pain and pleasure in her expression as she

  slammed herself onto him again and again. Soon she was yelping out a desperate plea.

  He reached down and tugged on her clit roughly, the way she liked, and she screamed

  like a banshee and came hard on his cock.

  He shuddered, trying not to come with her. Instead he pulled out and flipped her onto her hands and knees.

  She gasped and he could see the red gash of her pussy throbbing as she waited for

  him to enter her.

  He didn’t hesitate. She was so wet now that he thrust into her easily, even in this

  position. He grabbed her hips and dragged her back against himself. The sensation was all encompassing, and he lost himself to his instinct.

  Cressida screamed and her pussy clamped down on him again as she came for the

  second time.

  He felt himself swell and pulled out to finish, releasing his juices all over her ass.

  The minute it was over, thoughts of Ainsley flooded in again. Even worse than before.

  It was like a migraine or a missing limb.

  “Wow, Cressida,” he tried to thank her.

  “Forget it,” she quipped, wiping his semen off her ass with his favorite throw blanket.

  “Go babysit! I know you can’t help it. But I hope you don’t let yourself think she’s got any feeling of obligation toward you.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m not supposed to let anything happen to her.”

  “Did you ever think, if something happens to her, you might become the alpha.”

  He hadn’t really thought about it, but she was right. There were a few young, strong

  wolves ins town that might be in the running, but it would most likely be a choice

  between him and Clive. It didn’t matter, he knew who Ainsley was going to choose.

  “You want a… sandwich or something?” he asked politely.

  She shook her head. She was already dressed.

  Cressida was an incredible woman. One day some very lucky guy would figure out

  how to get her to sit down for a minute.

  “You’re too nice, Erik Jensen.” Cressida gave him another slow smile. “You know what

  they say about nice guys?”

  “I know,” Erik replied. “They finish last.”

  “Sweetie, you haven’t even joined the race.”

  Before he could reply, she was gone again with nothing but the loud banging of the

  screen door, and his dirty blanket, to suggest she had ever stopped by in the first place.

  C H A P T E R

  1 1

  A insley wrapped her wet hair on top of her head turban style in a fluffy white towel.

  Her body was drained and warm and clean. Maybe that would be e
nough to help her get

  to sleep.

  She felt like a different person than the one who had woken up this morning.

  Was she really…magical?

  Had her mother been a witch?

  And how could straight-laced Grace Kwan-Cortez be part of that world?

  She remembered the sliding sound she’d heard after the séance, or whatever that

  was, and repressed a shudder. Best not think about that if she wanted to get some sleep.

  She smoothed lavender lotion all over her body and sighed at the lush scent, then slid into her Victoria’s Secret cotton nightie and looked in the mirror.

  Staring back at her was everyday Ainsley Connor.

  The nightie clung to her curves. She turned side to side, trying to see herself the way Clive might see her. Would he find her attractive enough to go through with it?

  The unplanned nature of her scheme was troubling. She knew it was hopeless, maybe

  even dangerous. But she had no other choice.

  Ainsley met her own eyes in the mirror and gave herself the encouraging, confident

  smile that had never failed to gird her when she had to gear herself up for business.

  Hopefully a little chutzpah would get her through tomorrow as well.

  She sighed and padded into her room. As soon as her foot crossed the threshold every

  hair on her body began to stand up.

  There was a man standing by the window. He was rail thin and tall. And young. His

  face was in the shadow.

  He looked familiar.

  Brian Swinton?

  Her heart dropped. Not again. She couldn’t be having the dream again. It was too

  much.

  But instead of running into the woods, she simply stood there, and felt the warm rush of electricity flow through her body.

  The temperature of the room plummeted. Ainsley could see the plumes of her warm

  breath.

  Brian turned, but Ainsley was not afraid. Somehow she knew that he meant her no

  harm.

  “Brian?” she asked softly.

  He nodded.

  “I-I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Brian.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry for, Ainsley. You shouldn’t feel bad, it wasn’t your fault.

  That’s why I came back. To tell you.”

  “It wasn’t on purpose. I lost control. I didn’t know what I was. And you ended up…”

  She gestured helplessly at him.

  “You never did anything to hurt me,” he said softly.

  A flash of lightning illuminated the room. Brian’s eyes burned into her soul. Claw