Gifted Curse (Curse Trilogy) (2 page)

I roll my eyes and decide to show mercy on the human guard shivering in fear.

“Fine,” I grumble.

“I’ll need you to turn around and put your hands on the wall, please,” he says with even more trepidation.

“Really?” I scoff, my brow raised in disbelief.

“Sorry, m… ma’am,” he stammers out.

I sigh as I turn around and throw my hands against the wall like a damn convict.  His hands begin patting me down very timidly at first, and then they’re scouring my body with a heated and almost desired touch.  I can’t stifle the grin spreading over my face when I realize it’s Hale.

Damn it.  Why am I smiling?  Fuck.

I keep my back turned while his breath lingers against my neck, and he slides one hand up to cuff the two of mine.  His free hand roams over my breasts, and I roll my eyes at their unwillingness to move.

“Really?  Is the captain going to let you violate all of his guests, or am I on some perverted grope list?” I mock, and his breath becomes closer as he bends down to my ear.

“The captain told me to make sure you were thoroughly searched.  I need a better angle,” he seduces, his voice smooth enough to fall into.

He whirls me around so quickly, I lose my breath.  My eyes connect with his, and he pins me against the wall with his forceful body as he strokes my sides with his hands - his daring, tempting, dangerous hands.  He looks so much fucking better than I remember him, and that’s the last thing I need.

His dark, tousled hair gleams under the tinted sky, and his cosmic blue eyes still haunt me in my dreams.  Staring into them right now is enough to course fire through my veins, and I do my best to remain cool.

“Satisfied?” I utter with a touch of a seductive edge, and I immediately feel guilty for using such a tone.

“Not yet,” he breathes as he leans in to bring his lips dangerously close to mine.

“No,” I gasp before swishing free from his clutches.

He sighs and then leans back against the wall with an aggravated and disappointed huff.

“Still not over it, eh?” he sighs.

“No.  I’m not, and I never will be,” I snark.

“Well, you may change your mind before the week is over,” he chirps with a more optimistic tone.

“Doubtful,” I scoff, and then I walk up beside him when he ushers me toward the massive building towering over us.

“I felt you up pretty damn good, and I didn’t find the chip you were supposed to bring,” he smolders.

I smirk before daringly responding, “Well, you never were good at finding the right places.”

He playfully cringes and shakes his head at my flagrant remark.

“Ouch.”  He covers his heart to show his wounded area.  I just roll my eyes before his darken, his tone changing to be more seductive as he continues with, “I’m not recalling a time when that was ever an issue.  I remember very well how loud you would scream when I found
all
the right places.”

In an instant, he has turned this playful banter into a stroll down lustful memory lane.  Now I’m squirming uncomfortably as his eyes dare me to try out his incredible lips that have forged trails on my body like no one else ever has.

I shake free from the seductive memories, and I pull off the artificial layer of skin from my forearm to reveal the chip Clay had me bring.

“Well, I’ll be damned.  I did miss the right spot,” he muses, and he takes it from me while making sure to force some skin contact between our hands.  “You look incredible,” he adds with a little more seriousness.

I try not to look into his delectable eyes, knowing all too well how easy it is for him to make me fold with those hybrid blues.  I wasn’t ready to see him.  I knew I wasn’t ready to see him. 
Damn you, Clay. 
It’s almost painful to be so close to him.

“You look like you’ve changed a few things since I saw you last,” I murmur while staring at the ground.

“I suppose I’ve spiced things up a bit.  So tell me how things are back at Javeline,” he says softly, and I feel the walls closing in on us when his hand grazes my back for too long as we enter the large, arched doorway.

“It’s about the same as it was when I first moved there.  A few things have changed, but for the most part, three years flashed by in a blink.”

Actually the first year was agony thanks to you, and the other two would have been as well if it hadn’t been for Brazen.

This is so fucking hard, and it shouldn’t be.  It wouldn’t be if Brazen hadn’t been gone for over two months on a damn mission for peace between rivaling clans.

“That’s our blood bank over there,” he says, snapping me out of my terrible train of thought.  “And there’s the school for the humans.  The hybrids and full bloods attend the school on the east gate side.”

“How are they treated?  The hybrids I mean.”

“I know who you’re talking about.”  He doesn’t hide his amusement for my constant concern.  I’ve always been worried about our young ones - the torture their lives come with.  “They’re treated fairly, very fairly.  The captain doesn’t allow for any mistreatment or harsh corporal punishment.”

“The captain at Javeline is good too, though I’m sure that has something to do with the commander of the United being stationed there.  Especially since Clay is a hybrid.”

Hale lets a laugh out, his head bobbing once.

“So I heard you had a bit of an outbreak,” he says, veering our conversation again.

“We had a full blood lose his patience with the overly diluted blood.  He went after animals when he couldn’t find any pleasure in his packaged meals.  The blood from another full blood apparently seemed less appealing than the four-legged creatures he drained.  We’ve exterminated the outbreak and the culprit is in custody,” I answer very matter-of-factly.

“I suppose you were the one to interrogate him.”

He takes a step closer to me, his mischievous eyes burning into mine while his tone drips sex appeal.

“Yes,” I breathily release, his proximity to my body over stimulating my senses, and he steps even closer.

Our very intense moment is interrupted when a group of people come walking up.  A man salutes Hale, and I see the smug smirk on the face of the man that still owns a piece of my heart as he salutes him dismissively in return.

“Captain,” the other man asserts, and my mouth almost slaps the ground as he keeps walking.

“Captain?” I ask with a bit more of a shocked tone than I had intended.

He grins very smugly, and then he gives me that sexy-as-Hale smirk.

“Yes.  You’ve just stepped into my compound.  Worried?” he smolders out, his captivating eyes drawing me in.

Balls.

Fortunately Clay walks up before Hale can seduce me further.  I’m going to have to put steel rods in my knees to steady them while I’m here.  I wish our connection could be broken.  I wish he didn’t own a piece of me I can’t take back.

“Well seeing you two so close together brings back old memories,” he chuckles out, and Hale offers a wolfish grin to me before turning to face the commander of the United and our shared friend.

“It feels pretty damn good,” Hale rolls out too easily.

Why haven’t I told him I’m engaged?

“We’re ready for you in the interrogation room.  Let’s get the sham out of the way for today so we can start on the real stuff,” Clay grouches.

“So they’re learning interrogation today?” I inquire.

“Go easy on them, they’re new, young, and very eager to be the best.  You’ll be taking lead of course.”

“I love watching her work,” Hale says to Clay, but his eyes stay fixated on mine, holding that endearing admiration I can’t bear to see in this moment of weakness I’m almost drowning in.

I quickly sprint toward the assembled group to try to avoid the in depth game of seduction we seem to keep toying with.  I clear my throat, ready to forget Hale and get to work.

I examine the room to see the setup is about the same.  The walls promise to carry the same secrets, and the layout offers the same work room.  I smile at the familiarity in the strange place, and a calm washes over me.

“This is Araya Crush.  She’ll be your instructor this evening.  Please don’t ask questions, just listen for the answers you would be seeking while she advises,” Clay asserts.

All the eager students show their readiness to impress the commander of the United by saluting in perfect unison.  I take my cue, and I point to a ready to oblige girl in the front row of the seven newbies.

“You can go first.  We need to know the name of someone.  The answer is hidden inside this room, but you can’t look for it anywhere but your suspect.  Use your wit, your skill, and your ability to bring out the truth.  Commander Jude and Captain Banner both know the name you seek.  I don’t know the name because I’ll be stepping in
when
you fail to show you the proper way to execute an interrogation. 
Captain
Banner will be your suspect for the demonstration.  Make him talk,” I add very mischievously, and Hale’s eyes narrow at me for volunteering his services.

“Very well,” he murmurs hesitantly, and he takes his seat behind the steel table.

The girl turns to break the rules about not asking questions.

“What all can we do?” she inquires.

“The only thing you
can’t
do is kill him,” I menace, and Hale glares at me for opening such a gaping door.

Take that Captain Sexy.

She smirks, and then she walks around him to size up his incredibly sculpted physique.  She fights a blushing urge when her eyes linger against his face for too long, and his eyes look up to catch her ogling instead of working.

Yes, he’s very distracting, little girl, but you couldn’t handle him.

My twisted mind flashes back to the scandalous things we once did, and my bottom lip folds between my teeth to clue him in on my dark thoughts.  His eyes burn into mine, and for a second too long, we’re lost in our own little world - one in which his body owns mine just as mine owns his.

“You should tell me what you know,” she murmurs with a touch of embarrassment for her earlier slip, and we both snap out of our dangerously erotic trance.

I have to stifle my laughter for her pathetic opening. 
She’s a beginner.  Play nice, Araya.

“Go fuck yourself,” Hale chirps while stifling a grin of his own, his eyes catching mine again.

He’s playing the belligerent suspect a little too well.  Her temper flares as her cheeks heat.  I’m sure she’s used to feeling more in control.  Hale’s too hot to let a girl think straight. 
Welcome to my world, bitch.

Her eyes burn with anger, and she smirks more before he suddenly grips his side, instantly writhing in pain.  His face distorts, forcing me to wince.

Oh crap.

“What the fuck?” he strains out.

“Tell me,” she growls, and Hale slides to the floor, his pain becoming all the more pronounced as he curls into a ball.

“Charman,” he grunts under duress.

She dusts her hands off very smugly, releasing him from her hold.  When she struts by me, I taste the triumph she has started celebrating too soon.  My stern tone halts her cocky stalk.

“Tell me the three things you did wrong,” I demand.

I love being a bitch.

“Excuse me,” the bratty girl scoffs, a derisive snort following behind.

“Watch how you address your superiors,” Hale warns while slowly standing back up.

“Sorry, Mrs. Crush,” she says very humbly, her eyes lowering to the ground like a child in trouble.

“It’s
Ms
. Crush, and I’m still waiting on an answer,” I say without cracking the grin I want to.

Hale starts smirking despite his attempt to suppress it.  He enjoys hazing the new ones as well.  Clay rolls his eyes at our amusement, but I can tell he’s having a bit of fun as well, despite his very obvious attempt to look disapproving.

“I’m really sorry, Ms. Crush, but I got the name we were looking for.  You said anything goes, so I’m not sure what you’re looking for,” she says with stupefied bewilderment.

“Let me educate you,” I tartly remark.  “You don’t walk into a room and exert your dominance by inflicting pain.  You need them to want to talk to you.  You have to own the suspect.  The first thing you did wrong was use your gift.  Your gift should never be displayed to anyone without top level security clearance.  Anyone else that sees it should be in a body bag by the time you finish up.  Now your suspect lives, and he’ll go tell everyone the gift you possess.  They’ll prepare for you, and you’ll lose your edge.”

She lowers her eyes again to hide her embarrassment, but I’m not through berating her just yet.

“The second thing you did wrong was force your suspect into a state of frenzy.  If you do your job right, then you get the right name.  If you try to force a name out the way you did, then you have someone pissed off and ready to shut you down.  You didn’t gauge his eyes, his body language, or his reaction to the name.  It was a lie - a false, made-up name to hinder your quest.  Now you’ve wasted precious time and valuable resources on a dead end because your arrogance interfered,” I scold, and her eyes lower all the more - her body begging to sink beneath the floor.