Cursed To Death

“Friend, not foe,” Hunter shouted, losing patience.

Sasha cocked her head to the side and placed a hand on her hip. “That tone had foe all in it. Wa

“It was a long night,” Hunter said, staring at her.

“Friend,” Shogun said in a low, sensual rumble, the edges of his eyes begi

Hunter turned and tilted his head. But before things got ugly, a small face peered out of the bushes right next to Shogun, giving Hunter a start. It took a moment before Shogun realized what had made Hunter back off. All Sasha could do was laugh.

“Well, hello,” she said in a chipper voice, trying without much success to swallow away a smile.

The Sprite waved and then ducked its head back into the bushes.

“You big guys back up,” Sasha said, going to the shrub where the tiny creature had appeared.

Hunter loped off, with Shogun following, and stopped several feet away. Sasha bent down and glanced over her shoulder, but shook her head as Hunter turned away from her, rubbing the nape of his neck. Shogun had paced away to lean against a tree, facing away from her with his eyes closed. Men.

She returned her focus to the frightened Sprite, trying to coax it out with a sugar cube. Holding it on the flat of her palm the way one would feed a horse, she slowly moved her hand closer to the bush, just inside it, so the Sprite could make off with the sugar cube without being seen.

The sensation of it grazing her hand and snatching the cube away tickled and she laughed. Apparently, it responded to happy tones of voice, and it peeked its small face out with a cheerful smile, licking the cube that it held between both hands.

“Ah…” Sasha crooned, “so that’s it. You heard me giggling before and came out.”

The Sprite squeaked a happy sound and licked the cube, then released what sounded like a contented bee buzz. That only made Sasha laugh more. “You are sooo adorable,” she said, going down on her hands and knees.

It had a small face tinged light green with wide brown eyes and the longest lashes she’d ever seen. Its soft brown hair was swept up in an updo of wild hazel-toned ringlets. Pretty autumn-hued leaves covered its body in a makeshift dress, laced with vines, and its tiny toenails were each painted a different fall color.

“Aw… just look at you,” Sasha said as though doting over a cute toddler. She pulled out another sugar cube, offering it just to bring the small creature closer to get a better look.

But another tiny face popped out from behind a leaf and made her squeal in surprise. Both Sprites giggled as the second one, brown faced and with green hair, stretched out his arms for the sugar cube Sasha had promised.

“There’s enough for both of you. You guys are soooo awesome. I didn’t know what to expect, honestly.” She laughed and gave up the sugar, watching the second Sprite thoroughly enjoy it while swinging his legs as he straddled a small branch. “You don’t have to be afraid… You can have more if you want it.”

Yes! She’d made contact. Now was the delicate balancing act of getting the two edgy males behind her not to make any sudden moves while she asked for something deadly. She turned to glance over her shoulder to give them the eye to be cool, and then could only shake her head.

Hunter was leaning against a tree, one arm fully extended, back turned to her, taking in very slow breaths. A deep V of sweat stained his t-shirt. Shogun had claws dug into the bark where he remained, motionless, head back, eyes closed. They were so not going to be much help.

“Listen,” Sasha said, keeping her voice gentle and happy. “Sir Rodney needs us to find a really bad plant and to take as much of it out of the forest as possible… that way it won’t be over here to hurt you… And he sent a couple of big, bad wolves to do that-because they’re real strong and can carry a lot. They can also protect you, if we have to go somewhere scary to find it.”

The Sprites stopped licking their sugar and seemed like they were about to flee. “Would we have been able to get royal castle sugar if we were trying to trick you? Look at the stamp in it. This came from the king himself.”

With raised eyebrows of suspicion, the Sprites slowly turned the cubes over and then relaxed when they saw the royal coat of arms indented into the sugar cubes. But they then cast a questioning look at the two male wolves struggling to breathe by the tree line.

“Yeah, I know,” Sasha muttered. “I’m not that keen about going into the woods alone with those guys, either.”

CHAPTER 20

Sasha’s voice had sliced through Hunter’s groin so brutally that he’d broken out in a cold sweat. After needing her all night, the near-full moon staining his suite in madness blue… tossing and turning, nearly mating with the sheets, to hear her voice low and cooing… the words she said sending twisted translations through his head, her backside perfectly accented by her jeans, and then she’d gone down on all fours?

There wasn’t enough “safe haven” in the entire world. He had to walk it off. The fact that Shogun did, too, was forming a growl inside his chest. She was radiant at breakfast, the smell of her she-Shadow and rose petals and whatever she’d bathed in. Great Spirit help him; do not let him kill his brother in these woods.

“You guys ready?”

Both he and Shogun spun at Sasha’s voice. Were they ready? Did the sun rise in the east and set in the fucking west?

“We’ve gotta go get the rowan,” she said firmly, hands going to her hips. “If you scare these Sprites, I swear to…”

“We’re ready,” Shogun said, releasing a long breath. Hunter nodded.

“You’re showing canines, gentlemen. The wee folk don’t like it-it makes ’em nervous.”

Hunter rubbed the nape of his neck and walked away for a bit. Shogun rolled his shoulders and walked away in the opposite direction.

“Anytime you’re ready,” Sasha said, folding her arms.

Hunter and Shogun both turned slowly to stare at her.

“You’re going to have to use a better choice of words.” He nodded to the bush as she opened her mouth and then closed it. “Let’s get out of here.”

Winters came out of the occult shop digging in the bags. “This stuff is kinky, dude. Like, who really uses this stuff? Iron collars, cuffs, stakes, damn… If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you and ’Rissa-”

Both Clarissa and Bradley spun on Winters, Bradley grabbing him by the back of the shirt.

“My bad!” Winters said, struggling to get free.

“Not in front of Doc and Silver Hawk,” Bradley said, making the threesome come to an abrupt halt on the sidewalk.

Winters held up both hands, banging a bag against his chest by accident. “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”

“Good,” Bradley said, releasing his shirt. “Because from what you just saw in there, Clarissa and I are the last people in the world you want to have a grudge against you.”

Arms loaded down with branches and red berries, they trudged to where the nervous Sprites had pointed. A small, crystal-clear brook zigzagged before them, and it seemed so cool and inviting that she wanted to stop and take a sip from it, but couldn’t risk losing her toxic armload in the Fae water supply.

“Crossing ru

“All right,” she said, peeved. “On three, we jump the brook-keep those branches out of it so we don’t cause an ecological disaster out here. Where we land, your guess is as good as mine.” That’s all the time she had before Hunter rushed her.