Sealed With a Curse(61)

Aric drew out a long sigh, his voice deepening once more. “He’s a manipulator and a bastard. Don’t be fooled into believing he meant to save anyone but himself.”

I thought about how Misha kept close to Emme during battle, how he’d carried me in his arms…and how his family shielded my sisters when the frigging Greyhound took out the entire front hall. Yet I kept those details to myself. Aric hated Misha. Nothing I said could change that. And arguing the point meant arguing with him…and the last thing I wanted then was to fight with Aric. I adjusted the thick sweater around me. From inside I could hear my sisters bustling around in the kitchen. I’d offered to help clean, but Shayna had practically shoved Aric and me outside together.

I lowered my lids briefly. “I understand what it’s like to feel the world is against you. My sisters and I have always been ostracized for being different…even as children.” My fingers played with the big round buttons of my sweater. “The kids at school knew we weren’t like them, but they didn’t know why. Since our last name is Wird, our classmates nicknamed us the ‘Weird Girls.’ No matter what school we went to, the nickname followed.”

“That must have been hard.” Aric’s voice lost that edge and grew quieter.

“It was.” I kept my tone casual, like the cruelty we’d experienced no longer bothered me. Some things, though, hurt forever. I nibbled on my bottom lip, wishing I hadn’t brought my past to Aric’s attention, and thought it best to move on. “But my sympathy alone is not what compelled me to help Misha. In the end, saving Tahoe seemed like the right thing to do—the only thing to do.”

“You sound like a were. Our kind is always trying to save the world from something evil.”

I smiled, feeling humbled. “I think you’re giving me too much credit. I don’t always do the right things.” I examined my palms. From time to time it surprised me that the blood from my first kills hadn’t left permanent stains. I’d been so vicious, brutal…and they’d been only human. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”

“Like what?”

My head angled toward him. I hadn’t expected him to be so direct. I wiped my hands against my sweater. The soft cashmere remained gentle against my palms in spite of how hard I rubbed. “Nothing I’m willing to discuss, at least…not tonight.”

Aric nodded, remaining preoccupied with my face. My pulse raced; I was unsure his focus was a good thing. My sisters had strutted out of their rooms like they were going club hopping. I’d slipped on a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved gray tunic, and hadn’t bothered with shoes or socks. No, I wasn’t the odd sister out or anything.

A soft breeze blew my curls into my face. Aric took a long strand and tucked it behind my ear. The trickling heat as his fingertip slid along my neck made my toes wiggle beneath me. “Another day then?” he whispered.

I didn’t answer, caught up in the strong angles of his heart-stopping face. Aric leaned closer and smiled. He had such a nice smile, one I found easy to return. And his eyes—they were business and bedroom all at the same time.

Aric’s clean, enticing aroma mixed with the fragrance of male spice. I wanted to taste his lips, to run my hands against the hard muscles of his body, to feel him pressing against me—

Liam threw open the front door. I jerked back like we’d been caught naked. He shoved a beer in Aric’s hand, then mine. Aric stared at the beer and back at Liam like he’d handed him an irate scorpion. “Hey, Aric. One of your babes keeps calling my phone wondering where you are. I think her name is Selene. She said you had a date tonight.”

Aric glared at him while my jaw fell to the floorboards. He had a date. With someone else. Not the chick who preferred bare feet, comfy clothes, and lip balm instead of lipstick. I stood abruptly, unable to keep the bite out of my voice. “Maybe you should give her a call.”

I stormed inside, more pissed at myself for getting my hopes up than at Liam. Damn, what was I thinking? Aric probably needed Shayna to beat females off with a battle-ax. “Do you need help with dessert?” I asked Shayna a little too loudly.

Shayna paused in the middle of placing strawberries around the chocolate fondue pot. “Ah…you could set the table if you want.”

I threw the silverware on the table and grabbed an armful of plates. Shayna abandoned her fruit and rushed to yank the plates from my grasp. “Ceel, let’s do paper instead.”

She probably worried I’d break our ceramic ones. She was probably right. Liam trailed in, taking a swig from his beer. Koda frowned. “Where’s Aric?”