Page 28 of The Curse Trilogy

Chapter 3

All Hale Breaks Loose.

“I hate leaving you again so soon,” Brazen grumbles.

“I would go back to Javeline, but I’m a little too scared to risk it now. I wouldn’t have made it there in time yesterday if I had been back at home. I was minutes away from leaving.”

“Don’t start doing that to yourself,” he soothes, and his lips close over mine before taking my hand in his.

“I’ll be here when you get ready to come back,” I pout, and the thought of more time alone with Hale is starting to excite me, while forcing more shame onto my already guilty mind.

“I’ll be back soon. I told you, I want to marry you as soon as possible,” he coos, and my eyes drip to release their guilty flow.

“Please don’t cry, baby,” he breathes comfortingly, but he doesn’t realize why these foolish tears are falling.

“I love you,” I choke out, and I do.

I love Brazen. I just happen to also love Hale.

“I love you,” he returns, and his hand wipes away my drizzling tears scaling down the sides of my cheeks.

“All guests of the Seminole, please report to the gate for departure,” the announcing speaker blares.

“That’s me. Walk me out?” he sighs, digging back into our usual routine.

“You know I will,” I say with dread.

What if Hale is just waiting on him to leave?

After our stare-down in the car, I’ve avoided him. I only had Brazen for one night, and we didn’t leave the room. I had completely acted like a crappy fiancée when I dismissed Brazen’s touch in front of Hale. It was discreet enough to fool my full blood, but not my hybrid counter.

We make our way down hand in hand, and Hale’s scent finds me before my eyes find him. He’s talking to Clay. Drool tries to form when I see his lips moving. I instantly envision those lips on my body, and guilt moves back into full swing, forcing me to shiver. His eyes don’t lift to meet mine the way I thought they would. Maybe he’s finally accepting Brazen and me. Do I want that? Yes. Yes I do. I actually need that.

“I’ll check in when I can. I love you,” Brazen huffs, and then his lips offer me one last taste of his perfection before swishing away.

“I love you,” I say into the wind following his vanishing trail, and I turn back to see Clay has already gone.

Hale is leaned against a wall talking to a girl about something I’m apparently not supposed to overhear because they’re talking too low for me to catch a word. I turn away and start heading back to the solitude my room offers when I feel someone suddenly behind me.

“Ms. Crush?” a guy’s voice chimes out.

“Yes?” I ask while turning around.

“I was hoping you would be my date to the function this afternoon,” he murmurs nervously.

I let a laugh escape, and I quickly mask it to spare his feelings.

“Function?” I ask curiously.

“Yes ma’am. They always have a gathering to celebrate the first week of training being completed. I… I was hoping… um… well… that… I could escort you,” the nervous man stammers.

“She’s already got a date for this evening,” Hale interjects, and then I feel his arm slinking around my waist while pulling me away from the disappointed man.

“That’s rather presumptuous of you,” I play.

“Would you prefer Mr. Drool All Over Himself?” he teases.

“Definitely not, but I really don’t think it’s a good idea for us to go to this together,” I hesitantly reply.