A Cursed Bloodline (WG 4) by Cecy Robson Read Free Book Online Page A

away from her and bounded into my bathroom, slamming the door hard enough to crack the frame. Once again, I threw up, although this time it had nothing to do with my pregnancy. It was, however, a reminder that this situation wasn’t solely about me. My baby depended on me to keep it together, and I’d be damned before I’d lie down and die.
    After spending nearly half an hour getting cleaned up, I walked into the living room. Misha and Emme waited in silence. Misha should have been in his glory now that he believed Aric was out of my life. Instead he sat with his hands clasped in a praying position, something he often did when troubled. Emme kept her head lowered and fiddled nervously with the sleeve of her lavender sweater.
    I rubbed at my face. “May I please have something to eat?”
    Misha stood. “Whatever you wish,” he said softly. He kissed my head. I was grateful for his show of affection. Perhaps I wasn’t such a monster after all.
    Emme approached me when he left and held tight to my hands. Her sweet face searched mine with sad eyes. “Celia, I don’t know what’s happening, but please promise me that if I can help, you’ll let me.”

    I didn’t promise her anything. Instead I released her and sat on the soft chocolate couch, staring at the unlit fireplace. Emme sighed and ignited it with a flip of a switch then took a seat beside me. She waited with me until Chef arrived with an assortment of finger sandwiches and hot bowls of carrot soup. I ate what I could stomach and went back to sleep.
    In my dream, I returned to the same field I’d been in with Misha. This time, I walked through the soft green grass with the Aric of my past. His long dark hair hung slightly over his brown eyes and his five o’clock shadow hugged the strong jaw of his sexy face. My fingertips slid down his cheek. His dark Irish skin was soft and whole once more. He smiled and kissed my hand.
    “I love you, Aric.”
    His smile faded and his dark brows creased into a deep frown. “No, you don’t.”
    He shoved my hand away from him and stepped back. A flicker of fire sparked from his core and spread, engulfing his large form in a blanket of flames.
    I screamed over Aric’s agonized roars. The heat blistered my face and hands as I shoved him to the ground and swatted the blaze with my palms. The flames eventually died, leaving Aric crouched in the fetal position, naked and shivering. His entire body had been burned, every muscle raw, exposed, and horribly charred. Tears leaked from my eyes. “No, baby, no,” I whispered.

    I tried to hold him, but he leapt to his feet and bolted away. The field around us erupted into an inferno. I chased him, calling his name, pleading for him to return. My legs grew heavy and weak, I couldn’t catch him. “Don’t leave me, Aric!” I begged. “Please, let me help you!”
    Aric vanished into the thickening cloud of smoke. Behind me children screamed for their mother. I whipped around frantically. Three small children raced toward me with their arms outstretched. They had all been burned, they were all in pain, and they all resembled Aric.

Chapter Six
    My screams woke me from my hellish nightmare. Emme’s voice called to me over the rising commotion around me. Strong arms grabbed me and held me down and hisses wafted above me. I forced my eyes open, my chest heaving from my attempt to shove the vampires holding me down.
    One by one they released me when I stopped struggling. Sweat stuck the thin fabric of my T-shirt against my skin and dripped from my scalp.
    “Celia, can you hear me?” Emme stood about ten feet away, held firmly in place by Misha. She was bleeding from deep gashes to her chest and arms. Misha’s vampires licked their lips greedily, turning their attention from me to her. Hank appeared especially ravenous.
    Emme blushed before her soft yellow light erased the signs of her embarrassment and knitted her wounds closed. “Let me go to her, Misha.” He released her and