This Curse - By Alisha Basso Page 0,44
to abuse me.” Another big yawn, “What with what I am and all.”
I watched her fall asleep and chewed my lip. Her final words slowly worked their way into the ever-growing puzzle in my mind. Shit! I thought as unease spun my stomach into knots. Seth was MIA and I had a mystery woman on my couch.
FIFTEEN
Morning sun filtered through the windows baking my face with uncomfortable heat. I opened my eyes and was instantly blinded by the ruthless sun. Where the heck was the light coming from? I sat up. I was still on the couch, apparently having fallen asleep right beside my new roommate. Well, at least I thought she had slept right beside me. I hit the empty spot on the couch where I assumed she had slept. The blanket was rumpled but she was no longer there.
I stood and stretched, looking around the unusually bright room. Well, I thought, all the curtains had been opened for one thing. A big no, no in my mind, plus the front door was ajar. What the hell? I walked outside. The cool air nipped at my skin.
“Hello?” I called. “Oh, Blondie?” My footsteps crunched in the gravel as I stepped slowly around to the back of my house.
I rounded the corner. “Oh shit!” I yelled and ran.
“Nice day for a barbeque? Eh, Grace?” Blondie looked like a psychotic mad woman as she smiled at me. Her feet were planted firmly in the dirt by my stone fire pit. She held a long, thick rope in her hands; part of it was wrapped around her wrist as she leaned back, bracing herself in order to manage the huge dog dangling from the other end. She stared at the animal like she was some unhinged pit master.
“What the hell is going on here?” I panted as I skidded to a halt beside her. “Who is that?”
She smiled. “I caught this bastard sniffing around back here.” She pulled on the rope and adjusted her grip. I looked at her wondering how she was managing the huge creature’s weight. Her set up was pretty smart. She had the rope wrapped around a tree in such a way that she didn’t really bear any of the creatures’ weight.
“It’s Cooper.” She spat in his direction. “The lowest man on the totem pole.” Her lip curled in disgust and I held up my hands.
“Okay,” I said in confusion. “Let’s just get him down, okay? I have a few questions.”
She sliced the rope with a butcher’s knife and the dog fell hard, slamming into the side of the fire pit and then bounced off to the side to roll onto the ground. I flinched; knowing it wasn’t a real dog didn’t make the sight much easier. God they made beautiful animals. Cooper was a silvery-grey wolf with thick white patches on his chest and legs. I shook my head and focused on his inert form.
He began to change back into a man and my new friend turned, “Well, this is awkward.” She folded her arms, looking irritated.
“Understatement,” I sighed and grabbed the large, plastic tarp that kept my woodpile protected from the rain. I threw it over the very naked and very human form of Cooper. He was slowly coming to.
“James?” he moaned, looking around. His eyes focused on my new protector. “James, you fucking bitch!” he rolled over.
I looked at her. “Your name is James?” I goggled at the pretty woman.
She shrugged. “Jamie, Jamie Alexandre.”
“Oh, nice to formally meet you, Jamie,” I smiled. “And as for you, Cooper is it? You better just curb the attitude or you’ll find your pretty little naked ass strung right back up!”
Cooper stood, wrapping the cumbersome plastic around his body. “You’re the magical chick?” his lips twisted into a smile. “I was told to speak to the magical chick.”
“Oh, you’re a prize, aren’t you?” I laughed. “Standing there, naked as the day you were born, and you still have the balls to be cocky?”
“He’s a wolf, Grace. They’re all like that.” Jamie folded her arms and glared daggers at Cooper. “Just dust him, Grace. We already know what he’s going to say.”
Cooper was smart enough to pale slightly.
“I think I just might,” I teased. No way was I attacking an unarmed, naked man. “But I’ll give him a chance to impress me.” I shrugged and studied my cuticles. “What were you sent here to tell me, Cooper?” Then I met his eyes and waited.
“We have your man.” He looked around,