Curve Charm (Paranormal BBW Erotic Romance) (7 page)

A curl of his lip told her she was right. "Better hurry, witch, or you'll miss watching him die."

Another lurch of the van and Esme lost the vision -- or Quentin cut the signal. She couldn't be sure which it was. She turned to Seth, one hand clutching at his arm. "They know we're coming."

Peeling her hand away, Seth shoved an electronic tablet at her. The screen showed a satellite capture of the mill.

"Where, Esme?"

She pointed to the center of the building. Her finger tracked right, to the east end. She tapped the screen. "Guards here." She tracked back across the screen to the opposite end of the building. "And here. Two each."

She drew a circle where she had first indicated Dana's position. "Quentin is with him." Along the south wall, she traced another line. "Two more behind Dana, along the wall."

Seth gave a grim nod and radioed the lead van. "Take out the west corner -- smash it to motherfucking pieces."

Another press on the radio and he told the driver of the third van to take out the east corner. Constructed of wood and over two hundred years old, the mill's walls wouldn't stand up to the reinforced vans. Reaching up, Seth switched off the interior light and then he leaned forward and opened the panel separating the van's cargo area from the driver.

"Hit it just enough to break the wall. Dana's about six feet beyond that." Before moving to the van's side door, Seth pushed Esme into Cade's arms. "Keep her safe."

"Brace yourself," Cade whispered into her ear. One arm circled her waist to hold her tight, his form no longer human. His other hand curled around one of the inside support bars.

Esme had half a second to let the warning sink in before she saw the south wall of the mill coming up fast. Her hand flew to join Cade's along the bar as her other hand shot up to press against the roof of the van, her mouth voicing her surprise as the wall disintegrated in front of them.

"Holy shit!"

Seth was out of the van before the dust settled, rifle up and firing. Unslinging his rifle, Cade pushed Esme behind him. The impact or one of the Hunters had taken out the mill’s lights, preventing her from seeing anything other than muzzle flashes beyond the van's interior. Her ears told her men were dying -- human males pleading and screaming in pain. She wanted them torn limb from limb for what they'd done -- to Dana, most of all, but also to Leah and the other latents, Quentin's murder of Leah's sister Amanda.

The cries were extinguished with quick snaps, the broken necks too merciful in Esme's mind. To her right, the van's back doors were thrown open, the interior light automatically turning on. Seeing Seth carrying Dana's limp body in his arms, Esme pushed out from behind Cade. The back doors slammed shut and then the side door, everyone lurching as the driver threw the vehicle into reverse.

With the van moving, Esme knelt on the floor in front of Dana. Seth and another shifter held him across their laps. His upper body bare, she could see the network of bulging black veins. They moved in an obscene writhing pattern over his stomach and chest, crawling up his neck and along his shoulders. It reminded her of the spell she'd cast to keep Dana out of her home and the way his body had reacted when he obstinately tried to enter.

"Did you get a sample?"

Seth grunted. Esme’s eyes flicked up, saw him nod at a pouch then flicked back down to her inert mate. He hovered at the edge of death. She looked at Seth, nailing him with a hard stare. "I need Camille
and
Leah at the closest border house, and as many of the other latents as you can bring."

Seth nodded at Cade. "Radio Ash, tell him to bring the latents to Eckels stat." He looked back to Esme. "Leah and your mother are already there."

Ignoring the grateful tear sliding down her cheek, she leaned over Dana's chest, her palm directly over his heart. She stroked his hair, using the caress to tilt his head back, his lips parting from the gentle force. Esme sucked a deep breath in, sealed her mouth against his and slowly blew.

Sometime before the van reached Eckels, she blacked out.

**********

Esme woke in a room she didn't know by sight, but her nose told her Dana had frequented it. She stretched, her muscles as sore as when she'd woken up a week after Quentin almost murdered her. Her head felt like someone had taken a hammer to it. Cautiously, she reached up and touched her scalp, her fingers gently exploring to make sure no one had actually hammered her skull.

Finding no damage, she tried to focus her thoughts. They refused to coalesce. She had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there. She searched for the last memory she could grab hold of.

An eagle holding a cub.

Blood.

Black snakes writhing…

She brought her hands up to her face, trying to block the images in her mind. If she didn't know better, she'd think someone had placed a forgetting spell on her. She needed to find someone -- Leah. Leah would help her figure out what was wrong. She needed to sit up, struggled like hell to do so. Her chest felt like it had a mountain lion perched on it.

Something was wrong, very very wrong.

Should she scream?

Esme strained to hear voices or any sound that would tell her where she was at. All she heard was a slight ringing in her ears. Looking for more clues, her gaze moved around the room as she listened. It looked like a man cave. The surface beneath her was an oversized leather couch with thick layers of fur for extra padding. No television, just overflowing bookshelves.

Drawing a deep breath in, she ran through the detectible scents. Dana at the front, every surface saturated with his honey-dipped fragrance. The ghost of his presence calmed her and she inhaled again to find a trace of Leah and Seth. The most recent scent was her mother’s.

Esme released an inward sigh of relief. She was safe. Someone would return soon and tell her what was going on. Now that she was awake, she could assist in healing whatever blocked her memory. She closed her eyes, slowly starting to drift to sleep when she heard the door to her room softly open.

Footsteps crossed the carpeted floor. Someone's small body indented the cushion. Esme knew without opening her eyes it was Camille, her mother’s scent hiding beneath a fresh mix of healing herbs. She brought a cool hand to Esme's cheek, brushing the tangle of curls behind Esme's ear.

Esme thought it felt nice to have her mother do that, particularly since she couldn't remember a time when her mother had ever done it before. When Camille leaned over her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, Esme almost said something to let Camille know she was awake. Only the thought that her mother would be embarrassed and instantly turn cold stopped her.

Camille started chanting. The slow curling rhyme wrapped itself around Esme's thoughts, gently blanketing them, her mind's ability to discern their meaning suffocated one word at a time.

"Stop!" Esme's arms shot out, knocking her mother away from her. Sweat popping along her brow, Esme strained to remember the words, her tongue running them backwards as fast as they popped into memory. Everything rushed back to her at once -- Dana tortured, Dana in the van dying, her pouring all the life and magic she could into his body.

Camille tried to shush her. "Baby, shhh, you need to rest."

On her back and unable to raise her torso for any leverage, Esme struggled to keep Camille's hands from covering her mouth. Grabbing hold of the thin wrists, Esme resorted to a restraining spell. Glaring at her mother, she yanked on the woman's rest. "Undo your spell, mother. Now!"

"You're too weak to move, baby."

Esme shook her head. Her mother had placed at least three spells on her -- but only one concerned her at that moment. "Why did you put a forgetting spell on me. Were is Dana?"

At the mention of Dana, Camille glared at her. "Don't waste your energy on him. You arrived closer to death than that beast!"

Stunned by the hate in Camille's voice, Esme sank into the couch. "Is he alive?"

"Yes," Camille bit out. "Everyone's come to have a go at healing him. They can't let another one of their precious shifters die, can they?"

Camille’s face pinched into a hateful moue. "I wanted to take you home, baby girl, but they wouldn't let me.
He
started thrashing like a banshee in his bed the first time I tried. No one even told him we were doing it."

Looking at the door, Camille's gaze narrowed. "Seth said you had to stay. And that 'friend' of yours agreed. Like I don't know what's best for my own daughter!"

Esme slowly absorbed Camille's words, her panic easing now that she knew Dana was alive. "How many days have I been out?"

"Three." Camille didn't look at Esme when she answered.

"Don't lie. How many?"

The old woman closed her eyes for a second and then looked at Esme. "Almost five."

Ready to explode, Esme inhaled deeply. Five days! She could have been healing Dana those five days. She shook her head. "I don't understand, mom. If you don't want to help them, you didn’t have to suggest the ritual. The blood oath doesn’t care if you’re useless."

Camille's mouth popped open, tears wetting her eyes. Her arms strained to move but the restraining spell had her tethered in place. From the way Camille's eyes were pleading, Esme knew her mother wanted to stroke her, the thought alien and uncomfortable.

Esme shook her head, communicating to Camille that the restraining spell would stay in place until she released Esme from the same. Camille started to chant, Esme finishing a word or two behind her mother, her body free before she released Camille. Catching her mother, Esme kept her at arm's length. "Why?"

"Baby, I wouldn't have let him soil you if there was another way to break your blood bond." Camille squirmed, tried to free her arms from Esme's steely grip. "But you're free now, you can leave. We--"

Esme stopped her mother. "Mom, I love Dana."

Camille tilted her head to the side, fresh tears splashing hot on Esme's arms. "Well, who else was there to love, baby? One of the other cubs who wanted nothing to do with you unless they needed a charm?"

Esme didn't tell Camille she was off her rocker. There's never any point in telling someone they're crazy. Doing so only has the chance to make them more dangerous. Instead, Esme stood and walked to the door. Stepping into the hall, she closed the door and spelled a lock in place before quickly locating Seth and Leah.

Leah almost tackled her, joyful tears springing to her eyes at the sight of her friend up and walking around. Esme allowed herself a few seconds inside Leah's embrace before she repeated an abbreviated transcript of the conversation she'd just had with her mother.

Leah's eyes grew wider with each detail given while Seth visibly started to steam. Esme raised a hand, trying to calm him. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, this is for the Witches Council -- she hasn't broken her blood oath."

"She kept you from healing Dana," he growled. "He's not well, Ems. He may still be dying."

Esme felt the hammer connect with her head again, the psychic blow almost knocking her off her feet. She licked her lips. She couldn't abandon Camille. No matter how misguided the woman had been, Camille was her mother. "She danced at the perimeter, Seth. Just like I did when I warded my home against Dana's entry."

She paused, took a deep breath in and hoped he wouldn't see past her next statement for what it was -- an empty threat. "Promise me you'll transport her safely to the Witches Council so that I can start healing Dana with a clear mind."

Grinding his teeth, Seth looked to his mate for guidance. Leah placed a comforting hand against the back of Esme's shoulder. Esme couldn't see the slight nod Leah gave him, but she saw the acquiescence in Seth's gaze. Turning to Leah for a quick hug, she whispered in her ear. "I'd like a quick shower first."

**********

Freshly showered and dressed, Esme hesitated outside Dana's bedroom door. Her mate was on the other side, his body still weak and wracked with pain from the mercury and other substances Quentin had injected into him. From Leah's report, half a dozen healers had visited his bedside, each doubtful of a cure and all of them amazed he had lived.

Esme rested her forehead against the door, forcing herself not to cry. She had poured a little bit of her soul into Dana in the van. She would have pushed all of it down his throat if she hadn't blacked out. What was the point of living if he wasn't there to drive her crazy?

Quietly, she turned the door handle. Knowing he had refused to see any more healers, she didn't want to wake him just yet. If she was lucky, she would be able to put a sleeping spell on him and not have him fighting her every inch of the way.

Stepping inside the room, she knew her plan had already failed. She could feel his gaze on her, hard and penetrating. She shut the door and approached the bed, her eyes focused on the floor.

"Camille said you were in a coma."

Esme bit at her lip, uncertain how much to tell him. The truth would likely make him furious. Heaven forbid he might actually agree with her mother, but who knew how he would react! From the tone of his voice, he already wanted an excuse to drive her from the room.

Mute, she sat on the bed. Without asking his permission to do so, she reached up and grabbed the edge of the fur blanket covering him. He grabbed her wrists, no strength in his hands to stop her if he wanted to.

"She said I almost killed you."

Esme lifted her gaze to meet his. "None of this was your fault."

His mouth twitched, telling her she was wrong. She shook her head and freed her wrists with a gentle twist. "None of it," she repeated and peeled the blanket further down his chest. The veins stood out, black and throbbing but no longer whipping around beneath his skin.

He pushed impotently at her hands when she tried to place her palms against his chest. Only his voice remained strong enough to command her. "It weakened the others."

She continued meeting his gaze. "I'm stronger than any of them."

It wasn't a boast, didn't sound like one. She moved her hands lower down his stomach, her fingers wrapping around his trim waist. Even poisoned and disfigured, he was the most beautiful man she could ever imagine. When she looked in his eyes again, tears brimmed in her own. "And none of them were your mate. That makes me even stronger when it comes to healing you."