Cursed-epub (10 page)

Unfortunately, the more she tried not to think about the dress, the more she could feel it, and the more she wanted to tear it off. Moving gently, she stepped out of his arms and plucked at the smooth material with distaste. He watched her carefully, and the hint of desire in his gaze was too much to deal with on top of everything else. Looking at her feet seemed like the safest place at the moment. “Um, I need to use the bathroom to change.”

“I can't leave you alone right now, Carmella. The situation is…complicated.” He ran his hands through his auburn hair, and she watched the muscles of his biceps flex in his arm. “I have to ask for you to trust me again. I'll turn my back, but I have to stay with you.”

Cheeks flaming, Carmella averted her gaze and grabbed the clothes. A quick peek showed his back as he faced the dark windows. Working as swiftly as possible, she stripped off the dress with a snarl of revulsion. A shocked gasp escaped her as she looked down at her underwear. What the hell was she doing in a black lace thong?

Sean spun around when she gasped, and his jaw dropped open while his broad chest filled as he took a deep breath. Erotic electricity crackled through the air, and his gaze on her body actually felt like fingers brushing against her skin.

With a very girly “Eeep!”
,
she turned her back so he wouldn't see her breasts. His energy brushed over her skin like a physical caress that started at her shoulders and worked its way down to her rear end. Her thong clad rear end. With another squeak she tried to cover her butt with her hands as those phantom fingers trailed across her cheeks, making goose bumps rise along her skin.

Sean coughed loudly and said in a strained voice, “Sorry. I thought you were in trouble. Uh, sorry about my aura. Got away from me again.”

“Nope, fine,” Carmella peeped. Yep, just woke up in a dress from a nightmare, in a thousand-dollar-a-night suite, with the world famous DJ Kal getting a good look at her butt while he lost control of something he called his aura. Totally normal night. A hysterical giggle bubbled in her throat. Clearing her throat to choke back the giggle, Carmella said, “Okay, I'm dressed.”

His blue eyes darkened to a deep gray as he looked slowly over her. She felt exposed, her body flushed and sensitive. His gaze lingered on her hips for a moment before moving to her breasts. In a delicious mixture of arousal and embarrassment, she felt her nipples tighten to points beneath the thin t-shirt. Sean's nostrils flared, and he sucked in a quick breath, taking a half step forward before turning around.

“Come into the living room. I'll get you a drink and try to explain what you're doing here,” Sean said in a rough voice. Even now his speech seemed to have a melody to it.

“Okay,” Carmella answered faintly. He could have invited her to skydive naked over a patch of cacti, and she would have agreed with a happy smile.

Before following Sean into the next room, Carmella paused for a moment and glared at the red dress lying on the floor. Taking in a deep breath, she spat on it and kicked it across the room. Scared, angry, confused, though slightly aroused, Carmella felt more alive than she had in months.

The chink of ice hitting glass led Carmella into the next room through the French doors. Sean knelt in front of a stainless steel mini-fridge, raiding the tiny bottles of alcohol. A sofa, table, and two chairs were shoved against the wall, and a rolled-up oriental carpet sat in the corner.

Kell hunched over his laptop and slammed away on the keys as his eyes darted over the screen.

Clearing her throat, Carmella said, “I'll take tequila if they have it.”

“How is Cabo Wabo?” Sean asked, holding up a tiny bottle of amber liquid.

Their hands brushed as Carmella took the little bottle from him, and a rush of electricity brushed against her. Her nipples tightened into hard points and she tried to regain control over her hormones. In an effort to distract herself, she tried to focus on something other than Sean and she noticed the large box of salt sitting on the counter over the fridge.

“I don't know how they do tequila shots where you come from, but around here, we just use a pinch of salt.”

“It's for something else,” Kell replied from the other side of the room while staring at the computer screen.

“Let's take a seat on the sofa, and I'll try to explain what's going on.” Sean took her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. It made little goose bumps break out over her arm, and she suppressed a sigh as they sat down at the sofa pushed against the window. Beyond the glass, the lights of downtown Rio blazed into the night and reflected off the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Kell gave Sean a nod as they took a seat, and Sean's face closed into an angry mask. Bewildered, she sipped her small bottle and welcomed the burn of good tequila. “Thank you for the drink and the clothes.” She turned so she could see both men, and her voice hardened. “Now can you please tell me what the heck I'm doing in your hotel room?”

Sean placed his arm over the couch behind her, and she found herself leaning back so she could feel his warmth. No matter how bizarre this was, being next to him was as natural as breathing. That made her even more nervous, and she self-medicated with another sip from the bottle.

Kell glanced at her. “Long story short, you were possessed by the spirit of a succubus. Sean managed to put it to sleep with his music, but it's still within you. We've figured a way to get it out, I think…probably,” he finished with a game smile and then clicked his mouse.

She stared at Kell and Sean cleared his throat and said, “I was trying to think of a gentler way to tell you, but what Kell said is pretty much it. You came to the club I was spinning at tonight, and you were trying to get a married man to leave with you.”

She blinked at him then chugged the rest of her tequila in two big swallows as fear chilled her from within. “Bullshit.”

Kell gave her a sympathetic look as Sean gently said, “No bullshit. We could take you back to the club and show you the security tapes of you kissing an old fat man, but we don't have time for that right now.”

She gripped the small bottle so hard her knuckles turned white and her fingers hurt. “I'd think you were playing a joke on me, but I've been having nightmares about that red dress for weeks. I haven't told anyone about it. There is no way you could have known.” A revolted shudder whipped through her body. “What did you mean by it's still within me, and what exactly is a succubus?”

Kell opened his mouth, and Sean gave him a look that clearly said,
don't help.
“A succubus is a minor demon that seduces married men and then eats their guilt over cheating on their wives. The better the marriage, the more guilt, the happier the succubus. They usually use their own forms to do this, but for some reason, this one is using your body.” Sean took her hand in his, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb in a soothing manner.

“I'm pretty sure your succubus was attached to you with an entry charm,” Kell added as he glanced up from the screen of his laptop. “We have to find the charm, put it in a salt circle, and destroy it with a blessed object. That will break the spirit’s connection to you and contain it long enough to banish it.”

“I've been sleeping with married men?” she said in a horrified whisper. “But I'm a virgin!”

Both men glanced at each other, and Kell shifted uncomfortably, then shrugged. “Might as well tell the lass.”

“Okay, seriously, if you two don't stop giving each other looks and nods, I'm going to have to choke you both.” She growled in frustration. “Tell me what?”

“Sorry, it umm…well, we didn't…you know, check or anything…but if you were a virgin before the succubus took you over, you're still one now. A succubus cannot force you to give up your virginity without losing your body as a vessel. And since you were still possessed at the club, and we haven’t done anything to change your…state—I’d say it’s safe to believe that you’re still…intact.” Sean's fair cheeks heated, and his eyes grew warm and dark.

“Oh,” she said in a faint voice as she imagined Sean—checking her, those long fingers stroking her body like an instrument. “Good, um…yeah.” Her cheeks also flooded with heat as they stared at each other in the charged silence.

Kell snorted. “If you two are done blushing at each other like a couple of schoolgirls, we need to find that charm.”

She considered giving Kell the finger. “What would it look like? Could it be clothing or jewelry or something like that?”

“Probably jewelry, you would have to wear it all the time.”

She shook her head. “I don't wear any jewelry. You don't walk through my neighborhood wearing anything that might invite a mugging.”

Looking confused, Sean held up her hand. “What about this ring?”

She stared at her hand then back at Sean. “What ring?”

“This ring, right here.” He ran his finger over the knuckle by her middle finger.

Very carefully, as though she was speaking to a slow child, she said, “Sean, I'm not wearing a ring.”

Kell frowned at her and said in an equally slow voice, “Yes, you are. Sean is touching it right now. It's a plain white circle, kind of looks like bone…er, ivory.”

“No, I'm not wearing a ring.” She jerked her hand away from Sean. “What's wrong with you guys? Don't you think I would know if I was wearing something on my hand?”

Sean took her hand and knocked it against her empty bottle on the table. It produced a chinking sound, like metal hitting glass. “Not if you've been put under a spell or hypnotized not to see it.”

Beginning to cry, her voice shook as she said, “Son of a bitch.” She rubbed away the tears before they could fall from her cheeks. “Can we please get this done? No more explanations. I just want it out of me.”

“Yes.” Sean stroked away a stray tear with his thumb. “I'm going to need you to stand in the middle of the room and follow my directions. I put the succubus to sleep at the club. She's in a state of limbo inside of you right now. We're going to wake the succubus up and draw her into the ring.” Sean moved over to the counter above the fridge. “You should be able to see the ring and once the ring turns black, I want you to place it in the center of the circle of salt that I'm going to make.”

She padded across the deep carpet and watched Sean spill the salt into a perfect white circle on the dark green carpet. Stroking her finger, she tried to feel the ring that they said was there. “Okay, what should I do?”

Kell spoke up from his laptop. “It might sting when you force the succubus out. You need to help Sean by not letting it deceive you. It will probably lie to you and try to manipulate you into letting it stay.”

Placing his big hands on her shoulders, Sean gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Her whole body warmed from head to toe at the soft press of his lips. The kiss was both comforting and distracting.

“I swear I will not let anything hurt you, my harmony,” he whispered against her forehead.

“Your harmony?”

Sean smiled and just gave her a wink. Once he was on the other side of the room, he grabbed a black case from behind the couch and set it on the table. Whistling a complicated tune, he pulled out a beautiful sword.

“Please tell me you're not going to use that on me,” she said in what she hoped was a strong voice. Inside she shook like a scared Chihuahua.

Kell stood and handed Sean a simple silver flute. “No, we need a blessed instrument to destroy the ring. Sean just happens to have a sacred sword, blessed by the high priests and priestesses of over forty-eight different religions.”

“Well, isn't that handy?” she said faintly as Sean sliced through the air with a simple twist of his wrist.

Handing the sword to Kell, Sean held the pipe to his lips. “Enough chitchat. Let's get this done before the sun rises.”

Unsure what to do with herself, she crossed her arms and toyed with the sleeves of Sean's T-shirt as he began to play a simple melody on the pipe. No, it wasn't simple; it was complex … riveting…beckoning. His slate-blue eyes watched her as he played, and she realized she was subconsciously swaying to the music with a roll of her hips.

Abruptly, she jerked as her finger began to hurt. It felt as though someone was slicing at the skin with a tiny knife. She looked in panic at Sean, but he just continued to play and watch her. Kell held a finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet. Gritting her teeth, she swallowed back a cry as the pain intensified. Her middle finger began to shiver and waver in her sight, like the heat rising off a hot pavement in the sun.

Carmella, he doesn't want you.
A sensual woman's voice filled her mind.
He just wants to use you like that pimp, Ramon. They all want to use you and laugh at you and leave you behind.

“Shut up,” she gritted out, concentrating on her finger. The ripples in the air grew more pronounced, and she could see a silvery-gray band on her finger.

You know you're not good for anything more than a roll in the hay.
When she didn't respond, it changed tactics.
I can help you make them pay, Carmella. I can make them hurt as much as they hurt you,
the voice continued, velvet and soft in her mind.
I can make Dianta and Branco regret what they've done to you.

“What are you talking about?” she whispered between her clenched teeth. The ring was almost a solid black now, just strings of silver running through it. It was heavy, and she had to use her other hand to hold her arm.

Who do you think invited me in and used the blood you donated to the Red Cross for the spell? Whose jealousy and desire for power gave you to me? Keep me with you, Carmella. I can help you bring them to justice like they never imagined.

As she stood trembling, Kell shouted, “Now!”

She stroked her finger over the ring and thought about what the succubus had said. The temptation to accept what it offered tugged at her conscience. Images filled her mind of Dianta crying at her feet and apologizing. All around her, the employees of the samba school cheered as Miguel and Dianta were arrested. She could feel their arms as they hugged her and called her a hero.