Page 19 of Cursed Magic (Rejected Fate Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

T he last thing we needed was more drama and heartbreak. Everyone had been on edge, but for the past thirty-six hours, our situation seemed to have gotten worse and worse. The Blackwoods were attacking us both mentally and physically, and they were succeeding in getting us to turn on one another.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I wasn’t fast enough.

“I don’t understand why you’re so upset with me.” Raven blinked, the flash of pain on her face almost too quick to catch.

Clenching his hands into fists, Kendric growled. “I’m not sure what you don’t understand. You had time to contact Ambrosia and coordinate a rescue with her guards, but not to inform me that the three of you were in danger?”

Shit. Raven didn’t deserve all the blame. That fell just as much on Ryker and me.

Raven stumbled back as if she’d been struck. “We didn’t know what we were getting into,” she said quietly. “I didn’t think we’d be attacked. And I—”

“You didn’t think you might be attacked after discovering a witch was missing?” Kendric shook his head. “We deserved to know this information just as soon as the vampires did. All it would have taken was a quick text.”

She opened her mouth then closed it, her silence cutting deeper than words.

I sucked in a breath, ignoring the way my head ached. “Raven’s not the one to blame here. If you’re going to be mad at anyone, it should be me.”

Raising a hand, Kendric pivoted so he could see both Raven and me. “Ember, I know what you’re doing, and it’s not helping. Yes, you and Ryker should’ve linked with us. Don’t worry. Xander, Gage, Briar, and I are pissed at both of you as well, and when the two of you are better, it will be addressed. But Raven not including me in her communication is starkly different. She’s supposed to be my partner and equal, unlike Ryker, who’s my alpha. However, this event showed me the truth. Clearly, I am way more invested than she is, and it’s all one-sided.”

I flinched, the pounding in my head increasing. The room spun faster as the edge of my vision began to darken, and I slumped back onto the pillow.

“Dammit, Ember.” Briar tsk ed, sounding just like our mother. “You’ve got to drink as much as you can now before you pass out.” She jabbed the straw between my lips, but the idea of drinking made me want to vomit.

My wolf leaped forward, survival instincts kicking in. I took a long sip, the taste of powdered protein and something overly sweet filling my mouth. I swallowed another huge swig, hoping it would settle my stomach.

A storm of emotions flickered within Raven’s eyes. “Kendric, you know if I could’ve told you, I would.”

“What does that even mean? Why couldn’t you? Aren’t we allies? Aren’t I your fucking boyfriend?” His voice broke, dripping with hurt. “I made sure to keep you informed of everything.”

I closed my eyes, hating that I couldn’t fix this.

“The queen told me she’d handle the situation.” Raven’s voice was strained. “I didn’t know this would happen. You must see that.”

“Did she tell you not to alert me and the pack?” he challenged.

Hey, it’s going to be okay, Briar linked and ran a hand through my tangled hair. Kendric and Raven’s disagreement isn’t your fault.

If I weren’t feeling so awful, I’d laugh. My sister knew me better than I knew myself.

I took another big mouthful, knowing it’d be my last. My wolf settled, and the strange new warm feeling within me began to pulse throughout my body.

Get some rest. You’re going to need it when you wake up and I get hold of you.

Warm, firm lips pressed against my forehead, I heard the door open and shut, and then the room became silent. I peeked out. Both Kendric’s huge, looming figure and Raven’s tall, slender frame were gone. They must have taken their argument somewhere else, and I hated that I couldn’t have Raven’s back like she’d had ours.

“Ember…” Ryker mumbled and groaned.

Instinctively, I found his hand and squeezed, ignoring the sharp pain that traveled up my arm. “I’m right here. We’re safe for now.” The buzz of our connection sprang up between us, releasing some of the worry that had settled on my shoulders. When he had been near death, it became almost too faint to feel.

He moved, and I looked over and saw that he’d turned his face in my direction. I wanted to stare into his eyes and rejoice that he seemed better off than I’d feared, but the world turned too quickly for me to maintain eye contact.

“Stay beside me, please.”

“Always” left my lips before I even processed what I’d said.

But before I could, sleep overtook me.

Something tugged at my consciousness, and I became aware of a soft sound—a steady and strong heartbeat. My eyes fluttered open to find Ryker watching me, his expression intent yet tender. The warmth of his gaze sent a different kind of pulse through me, tingling beneath my skin. My wolf edged forward.

He exhaled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “How are you feeling?”

The intimate touch had my face warming, and I managed a weak smile. “Like I got hit by three trucks and dragged for miles. I’m exhausted.” I yawned, unable to hold it back. However, when I lifted my head, it gave only a twinge of discomfort. “How about you?”

An amused glint sparked the golden tinges in his hazel eyes. “Well, if you got hit by three trucks, then I’m going to say two. There’s no way you’ll outheal me, lil rebel.”

Before I could protest, he pulled me gently into his arms.

“Your injuries.” My gaze flicked to his stomach. The bandage had been changed and was stark white again, and his arms seemed to have been cleaned and had already scabbed over, which shouldn’t have been possible even with wolf-shifter healing .

“Don’t worry. I’m truly feeling a lot better than last night.”

Without a good reason not to, my body moved in sync with his as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He nestled my head against his shoulder, and I breathed in his scent, earthy and warm. We stayed that way, our closeness soothing and charged at once.

His chest rumbled. “I never thought I’d get to hold you like this.”

The room spun again, though not from blood loss and pain this time. “I really didn’t think we’d make it out of there.”

“But we did.” He leaned his head against mine.

I’ll be in there with breakfast for you two soon, Briar linked. I’m assuming you both need your bandages changed and another protein drink.

My stomach grumbled at the thought. However, something more substantial would be nice. How about a steak?

A steak? Her shock blasted through our connection. I don’t think that’s wise since you struggled with drinking a quarter of the protein mixture I made for you last night.

Mixture is right. I wanted to vomit just thinking about the awfulness, but to her credit, I did feel much better. “Briar is making us something to eat. Do you want a steak?”

His brows lifted comically. “Fuck yeah. My mouth is already drooling just thinking about it.”

Make that two steaks, please. Normally, I was the one in the kitchen cooking and baking. Wistfulness took me by surprise. In all the chaos, I had barely gotten to bake except for some brownies while we were at the vampire mansion, something I’d done daily until the night of the ceremony.

For the first time, thinking of Reid’s rejection didn’t make me ache. Instead, I could breathe better and relief washed over me.

Are you sure?

Yes, we’re starving. Whatever you gave us last night made us crave something to help our wolf sides heal better.

After a pause, she replied, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’ll make the steaks because I know someone will eat them if you two don’t, but I’m bringing you the drink too. I have no doubt you’ll change your mind.

Ryker turned fully toward me and placed a finger under my chin, lifting my face to his. His gaze darted to my lips, and my wolf howled with anticipation as my stomach fluttered. As he leaned his head down to mine, I placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

His eyes widened a little before his expression fell. “Are you still determined to fight what’s between us even after both of us almost died last night?”

Guilt knotted deep inside me. He was right; we’d almost lost each other last night, but that didn’t make things suddenly okay. “What I feel for you isn’t the problem.” My voice was more forlorn than I intended.

“If this is about that fucking vampire, then I don’t know what to say. I did what had to be done.”

My temper flared. “He was an innocent . You can’t just attack people like that.”

“Ember, he wasn’t an innocent.” He closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled. “I know he wasn’t.”

I rolled my eyes and moved back a little despite my wolf and body protesting. “Do you think I’m stupid? I know what I saw! He was hiding from the attackers and witnessed his entire nest dying in front of him.”

“I know because of the magic that was placed on me,” Ryker huffed. “I can see people’s souls and read what type of person they are.”

I blinked. I hadn’t seen that coming. “So what had he done?”

His irises turned a more vivid brown. “I don’t know. I can only tell what type of person he is. But I promise you, I’ve never tortured someone who was a good person.”

For some reason, this sat worse with me instead of better. I pulled away even more.

“Are you seriously pissed because you were wrong about Simon being a good person?”

I bit the back of my bottom lip, scraping off a scab and causing blood to fill my mouth. Afraid of what I might say next, I shook my head.

“Then what’s the problem?” His tone was sharp.

I hesitated, the truth sticking in my throat like a knife. For the first time ever, I didn’t want to say the words because it would confirm that it was true. He was officially making me doubt my own sanity. Finally, I forced it out. “You proved what I always knew. I can’t trust you.”

Ryker’s face flushed. “What the hell does that mean?”

My chest tightened as anger and frustration crashed inside me. “It means you’re only coming clean now because you were found out.”

He ran a hand down his face and grimaced. “That’s not fair. When I found you that day and pulled you out of the water, we didn’t like or want to be around each other. It wasn’t one-sided; it was mutual, so when exactly was I supposed to tell you? We’ve been in constant danger, and you’re fighting our connection so damn hard.”

“Why shouldn’t I fight it? Feeling anything for someone outside of my pack hasn’t worked out well for me.” The words tore from me, leaving me bare in front of him. “I got rejected by my fated mate, remember? You were there.”

Ryker’s face twisted into pure rage. He grabbed my wrists and pinned me beneath him. His grip was firm but not painful, trapping me against the bed.

My breath caught.

“You better never ,” he snarled and leaned close to my ear, “ ever refer to Reid as your fated mate again.”

His voice reverberated through me, leaving shock in its wake. Instead of rallying against the male holding us down, my wolf surged toward him with wild abandon. I gasped, my chest heaving, as I realized that part of me really wanted this.

He didn’t let go. Instead, he leaned closer, his scent enveloping me until it was all I could breathe. “You’re mine, Ember.” The words were possessive, a declaration. His eyes locked with mine, and he lifted his chin in a challenge.

I wanted to get lost in him and throw caution to the wind. But I couldn’t. Not with both of us being alphas and the repercussions that could happen with two alphas merging and sorting all that out while going into battle. Not when he’d kept something so important from me, and I sensed there was more. “You’re still not telling me everything, Ryker. I don’t even know what’s going on anymore.”

His grip shifted, and he released my wrists, but the weight of his stare didn’t lessen. “Have you told me everything?”

My heart stuttered. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.” He crossed his arms. “Can you say you’ve been completely honest with me? Or even with your sister? Because I suspect you’ve not told her everything either.”

I swallowed hard, the cold accusation curling around my own fears. I couldn’t speak because I had to tell the truth, or he’d know I was lying.

I didn’t want to play games with him anymore. I was tired.

He scowled, and his shoulders sagged like he was disappointed. “So you’re keeping things from me as well and getting pissed because I’ve done the same thing. Isn’t that hypocritical?” He pushed off the bed, frustration rippling through him as he raked a hand through his hair. He placed a hand on the bandage at his waist, evidence that he wasn’t as healed as he tried to pretend. “You’re so stubborn. You want to be angry at me when you’re doing the same damn thing.” He pivoted toward me, his face lined with pain. “So what are you hiding?”

My throat tightened. “I—I don’t want to do this right now.”

“I told you how I knew Simon wasn’t a good person.” He leveled a finger at me. “Now it’s your turn to reveal what you’re hiding from me.”

The words burned on my lips, and I realized I had to come clean. No matter how hard it was. “Fine.” I blew out a breath and sat up, my body aching from my injuries. “I knew about the spell that was placed on you before we went to the witch’s house.”

His jaw dropped. “What? How?”

I swallowed. “Each time your magic triggers, I see an iridescent glow cover your irises. I was confused and didn’t understand it, but then Raven discussed it with me before we left to retrieve Briar. She told me that you’d been spelled but that you hadn’t confided in anyone, including your own pack.”

His expression crumpled into something raw and unguarded. “That was just a few days ago…after the new va mpire attacked you in the woods.” His voice was hoarse, his tone accusatory.

Pain lanced through me, sharper than any physical wound. It was the first time he’d looked at me that way—like I’d betrayed him. “I had to agree to keep it a secret before she told me. I didn’t know what she wanted to tell me, but…” I stopped, realizing I was digging myself deeper into the hole.

“And you still didn’t feel like you should say anything? After everything we’d been through together? She told you after we started connecting. At least, my secret was from before we started trusting one another.”

He was right. I was a complete and utter hypocrite. “I wasn’t trying to hide my knowing about it from you.” I hated the way my voice broke. I sounded weak. “I just—I wanted to figure out what it meant before I told you.”

“Sure. Whatever makes you feel better at night.” He headed for the door. “I’m going to see if the steaks are done.”

No. I couldn’t let him leave—not like this.

I jumped to my feet and raced to him, ignoring my body’s protests. As he reached the handle, I grabbed his hand, turning him toward me. “Wait. Please.”