Page 9 of Cursed Magic (Rejected Fate Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER NINE

E very rational thought in my mind screamed that this was a mistake. That I should push him away, maintain my distance, and protect my heart from even more future pain. But I stood frozen as his thumb traced the curve of my jawline, sending electricity racing through my veins. Close like this, I could see the tiny scar through his left eyebrow, the one that somehow made him look even more dangerously attractive and served as a reminder of all the battles he’d fought and the pain he’d endured.

“Ember,” he whispered, his breath warm against my lips. “I need an answer.”

The air between us felt charged with electricity. That was bad enough, but my heart sensed more at the same time—the possibility of us together, which caused my wolf to howl with something visceral and undeniable. She stirred deep within me, her excitement a tangible pulse that seemed to synchronize with Ryker’s own energy.

This was it. The moment I told him no…but no words came. Instead, my traitorous body forced my head to nod.

He smirked, closing the distance between our faces.

I grew dizzy and couldn’t stop the pinpricks that ran through my body. One kiss wouldn’t change anything between us. We’d already shared several at the alpha meeting for show.

But when his lips touched mine, everything else in the world disappeared. His kiss was soft yet demanding. A perfect balance of gentleness and raw passion that had heat spreading throughout my body. His warmth enveloped me, chasing away any lingering worries, and he slid his hand from my jaw to the back of my neck, his fingers threading through my damp hair, tilting my head.

My wolf surged forward, her excitement a wild, primal energy that threatened to consume me. She wanted this—wanted him —with an intensity that scared me. The connection between us wasn’t just physical; it was something deeper, more profound than should be possible.

The kiss was nothing like the ones we’d had earlier. Those had been strategic, calculated performances designed to maintain a facade. This was a raw, unfiltered connection that bypassed all my defenses.

His lips moved against mine, and his minty taste had my heart stuttering. Each subtle movement sent waves of electricity dancing through my entire body, making every nerve ending sing in awareness.

When he tugged at the hair that his hand had fisted to tilt my head, he deepened the kiss, and I moaned softly.

He growled and pressed our bodies together. The sound was possessive yet tender, a contradiction that mirrored everything about our complicated connection.

Sparks of ecstasy thrummed between us, and something tugged at my mind. There was something I needed to do, but I couldn’t remember what it was. All I could focus on was his taste, smell, and the feel of his body pressed against mine. But our clothes still served as a barrier.

Needing to eliminate the problem, I slid my hand down his chest, enjoying the curves of his muscles and the way he trembled under my touch. Affecting him made me feel even more brazen and out of control.

My fingertips reached the top of his abs and continued to lower to the waist of his black sweatpants when the movement sent pain flaring through the injury to my upper back.

I jerked back and gasped as reality crashed around me, and suddenly, I remembered what I had meant to do.

Stop the kiss.

Instead, I’d lost my damn mind, and if I hadn’t been injured, Fate knows how far I would’ve gone.

Ryker’s brows arched, and he loosened his grasp and detangled his fingers from my hair. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” His low tone echoed with worry.

I shook my head, both answering him and trying to dispel the haze from the kiss and the intoxicating pull of his presence. “No. It wasn’t you…it was me,” I stammered, my heart racing from how close I’d come to losing myself. “I put too much strain on my injury.”

“Oh, well…” His cheeks reddened. “If you want to go to our room, I have no problem removing your shirt and my sweatpants so it doesn’t hurt you again,” he breathed.

My wolf inched forward, wanting me to rub my body all over him so we’d smell like one another. But I bit my bottom lip and averted my eyes, trying to keep myself grounded and not lose control again.

Of course, my gaze trailed down him, and my body heated even more…until it landed on the white dressing of his wound. Fresh crimson blood seeped through the formerly pink-tinged bandages that served as yet another re minder of why we couldn’t let ourselves get carried away. As much as every fiber of my being wanted to continue what we’d started, the reality of our situation was critical for so many reasons that we couldn’t even count them on both hands.

“We need to get you back to bed,” I said firmly, forcing my voice to remain steady.

He let out a hasty breath. “I’m so glad to hear you say that. I’m all about continuing what we started.”

“That’s not what I meant.” I pointed to his torso. “You’re bleeding again. We need to check your wound.”

Ryker’s confident smile faltered, replaced by a grimace of pain. The flush that had colored his cheeks moments ago drained away, leaving him pale and drawn. His hand instinctively went to his side.

“It’s nothing,” he tried to protest, but the weakness in his voice betrayed him.

I stepped closer, my hand reaching out to steady him. The moment my fingers brushed his skin, the spark flared between us, stealing my breath.

I took a step back. The connection ebbed but didn’t completely disappear. My wolf whined in protest, desperately wanting to be close to him, but I refused to tempt Fate again.

I’d already messed up by kissing him; if I didn’t set boundaries now, there was no telling what I might do next. “No, you need actual rest. Right now. You nearly died tonight and lost a shit ton of blood.”

His jaw clenched, but the pallor of his skin and the faint beads of sweat on his brow proved he was worse off than he was trying to appear. His usual alpha confidence wavered, replaced by a vulnerability that made me want to protect him.

“But I didn’t.” He winked. “And kissing you and feeling your body against mine is my preference over sleep.”

I crossed my arms, arching an eyebrow. “You’re bleeding again, and you just spent the last hour arguing with me and then kissing me instead of letting your body heal. I c-can’t see you like that again.” My voice broke on the last sentence, which I hadn’t even meant to say. I didn’t need to encourage him.

The corners of his mouth tipped upward, and he leaned in closer. “You can’t see me like what?”

I swallowed hard, schooling my expression into one of neutrality even as the heat of embarrassment flooded my body. “Injured. Bleeding out. Vulnerable.”

“Ah…” The flecks of his eyes warmed to gold. “So you do care. I’m glad we can both admit that now because I’d die to protect you and everyone you love.”

When the hallway remained clear of the scent of sulfur, I couldn’t even question whether he meant those words. And the scariest part was that I felt exactly the same way about him. In less than two weeks, he’d become just as important to me as my sister, which shouldn’t have been possible. I wasn’t certain how we’d evolved from him being a gruff asshole to begrudging allies to this . I’d fallen for him.

But I couldn’t admit that to him.

“I care about a lot of people’s survival,” I deflected, crossing my arms. “Not just yours.”

He chuckled, a deep rumbling sound that unnerved me. “Nice try, lil rebel. But we both know that’s not entirely true.”

The way my heart skipped a beat told me we needed to end this conversation before things got even more complicated between us .

His eyes sparkled. “So, are you still going to sleep with me?”

Memories of sharing a bed for the past several nights sprang into my head. Every inch of me wanted to, which meant I definitely shouldn’t. “No, I need to check on Briar and stay close to her. But I’ll walk you back to your room to make sure you actually rest.”

He pouted. “Afraid you won’t be able to control yourself if you get too close?”

I rolled my eyes, refusing to take the bait. “More like afraid you’ll reopen that wound and bleed out in the middle of the night.”

“If it weren’t for your sister…” He shrugged and then grimaced from the movement. “I’ll allow you to have this one night.” He stuck out his tongue and wrinkled his nose, but his irises darkened in discomfort.

I couldn’t prevent the small smirk that played across my lips, which helped hide my worry. “Oh, you’ll allow me? How gracious of you.”

His eyes narrowed, and he growled, “Watch it, lil rebel. If you keep it up, I may have to punish you.”

I placed my hand on his lower back, and the inexplicable connection surged again. My hand trembled, and my wolf whimpered and howled in frustration. She wanted to connect with him physically, but she also wanted him not to die. Fortunately, him not dying won, so I managed to guide him forward with a level head.

I noticed a slight tremor in his legs and the way his breath caught with each movement. He must have been so eager to find me that adrenaline overrode his pain. But after we’d kissed, it had caught up with him again.

As we reached the kitchen, I noticed Raven’s and Briar’s scents, but this time, they were stronger, like they’d recently been here. As we continued to the door that led to the soundproof bedroom with the four queen beds, the scent went the same way.

When I opened the door, each Grimstone pack member was on his bed, and Raven and Briar were standing in the center of the room.

All eyes turned to us, and Raven’s attention went straight to Ryker’s wound. I tried to gauge her reaction, but her expression didn’t change.

“How,” she enunciated with deadly calm, “did his wound manage to reopen?”

Kendric, Xander, and Gage tilted their heads expectantly, not even attempting to come to our defense, while Briar’s hand pressed against her chest. Her wet hair appeared auburn and clung to her violet top, leaving wet spots.

“I’m still waiting for an answer as to why the three of them let him leave this room.” Briar glared at the three pack members who had left Ryker and me alone in the hallway.

On the left side of the room, Gage lifted both hands from his bed. “We did go after him, but he wouldn’t listen. He had to see if Ember was still here, and when he found her, the two of them argued. The three of us were super uncomfortable around the sexual tension brewing between them, and we felt like perverts watching. The entire hallway smelled like a brothel, so we left. We knew Ember would take care of him, or he would link to us if needed.”

Ryker snarled, and his body coiled, making it wet with fresh blood. “Never. Compare. What we share. To. A. Brothel.”

Briar’s head tilted back, her gaze darting between Ryker and me. The room fell silent, the only sounds the rapid beating of my heart and Ryker’s ragged breathing .

If I could have cloaked like our enemies, I would have done it in that moment. Ryker wasn’t even pretending to dislike me anymore, which meant I had to do something before people got the wrong idea.

I cleared my throat. “This conversation is irrelevant. Ryker and I weren’t having sex, so comparing us to a brothel is extreme. My priority is getting this pain in the ass in bed so he can heal.”

Ryker’s head jerked in my direction as he snorted. “ I’m the pain in the ass? Maybe you should go look in a mirror.”

I forced my jaw to drop, trying to relieve the tension in the room. “What? Me? Never! ” Maybe I made things challenging for people who didn’t agree with me, but I only did what I felt was right.

“Hey, tonight you were a badass.” Xander bowed his head. “If it weren’t for you, I’m pretty certain none of us would’ve made it out alive.”

“Then I can count on you doing me a solid.” I directed Ryker past the others and nudged him down on the bed. The descending moon shone through the windows, giving the room a twilit feel. “Keep his ornery butt in bed until he sleeps for at least twelve hours.”

A loud groan escaped Ryker as he lay down. His blanched skin was almost vampire -light. My gut twisted. I wished I could take his pain away.

“They won’t have to.” Ryker shifted in bed, the skin around his eyes tight. “I’ll do it for you.”

From his spot across from Ryker’s bed, Kendric chuckled. “Of course he will.”

My spine stiffened, and my injury throbbed. Awareness that everyone was still watching us seized me. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Please get some rest. Okay? ”

His eyelids were already drooping. “Anything for you.”

A lump formed in my throat, and my vision blurred. I needed him to turn back into the guarded asshole who wasn’t so kind to me. I needed some distance. And fast.

I took a few steps back, already missing the heat of his skin. I forced myself to turn my back on him and focus on Raven. “Where do Briar and I sleep tonight?”

“We brought an air mattress in here. I figured the six of you would want to stay together.” Raven gestured to a mattress placed against another wall, already blown up, with covers and two pillows.

My shoulders relaxed. I hadn’t realized that I’d been nervous about not being in the same room as the Grimstones. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Raven yawned and opened the door. “All of you, rest. The vampires are on their way back, so once I debrief with them and the queen, I’ll be getting some sleep myself.”

The guys didn’t hesitate, relaxing in their beds as Briar and I headed to our mattress. The two of us got settled, with me taking the side where I could check on Ryker easily. I whimpered faintly as I tried to get comfortable.

Briar linked, What exactly happened between you two in the hallway?

Nothing that’s— I stopped myself because what I was about to say was a lie, and she’d know. Worth talking about.

Oh, come on. I felt her flip toward me. I need to know. We tell each other everything.

However, now that I was clean and lying down, my muscles ached and my eyelids grew heavy. I focused on listening to the sounds of Ryker’s breathing. Can we talk about it tomorrow? I’m exhausted .

She sighed dramatically. Okay, fine. But you’re not getting out of it tomorrow.

Fate knew she’d make sure I didn’t.

I closed my eyes, missing the warmth of Ryker’s body near mine.

Something cold brushed my cheek, and my eyelids fluttered. The coolness felt like being cast in shadow. The faint scent of something familiar hit my nose.

No . This couldn’t be happening.