Cursed (Howl, #6) Read online

  “Are you coming, Sam?” Luke asked, as the rest of the pack began to head back to their cars, which they had parked alongside the road.

  “Actually,” Samara replied, “I don’t think I am. I have a weird feeling. Sort of like I need to be in the woods. It’s similar to the way I felt the night when I first met Penelope—and when I realized that the talisman was probably in the woods. I think I’m going to walk home, if that’s okay.”

  “It’s fine with me,” Luke replied. Once their pack members were all out of earshot, he said quietly, “Try not to take too long though, okay? Your parents are gone on your dad’s business trip until Sunday.”

  Samara’s heart began to beat a little more rapidly in her chest. She knew what Luke was trying to say, and truthfully, she was actually looking forward to being able to have some alone time with him, too.

  Moving towards him, she pressed her hands against his chest and met his lips. As his mouth came down on hers, she felt a tiny burst of energy dance throughout her body as she felt the fiery-ice feeling that she always got whenever their skin touched. “I’ll try not to take too long,” she whispered, running her mouth over his ear lobe.

  “Good,” Luke murmured back, and Samara felt the arousal that he felt wash over from his emotions to hers, and she suddenly couldn’t wait to get home.

  “Just call me if anything happens,” Luke told her. “If you need me or anything.”

  Samara nodded before turning off in the direction of the woods. She wasn’t sure what it was that was calling to her, but she did know one thing.

  She had to find whatever it was.

  Chapter 17

  Samara was wandering in the middle of the woods when she heard a branch cracking not too far away from her. Her heart began to thump against her chest, as she began to panic. Was it Darren trying to sneak up on her? Or maybe it was Declan . . . or Rocco.

  She was about to call Luke and tell him that maybe she did need the pack to come back her up when the person stepped out from behind a tree. When he met Samara’s eyes with his own amber eyes, the breath caught in the back of her throat.

  “It is really is you,” Samara said, dumbfounded by the sight right before her eyes. Even though she really thought she had seen Grandpa Joe on the night of the wedding, everything that Eddie had told her really made her doubt what she’d seen. It was nice to know that she wasn’t just crazy or imagining the whole thing; her grandfather really was still alive.

  “Of course it’s me,” her grandfather replied gruffly. “Who else would I be?”

  Samara didn’t say anything in response. It had been a long time since she’d spoken to Grandpa Joe, but she couldn’t help but feel like here, standing across from him in the woods, he was meaner than the last time he had been when they’d spoken before he had died.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so rude,” Grandpa Joe went on, as though he were reading her mind. “I’ve just been in a bit of a bad mood lately, with all of the things that have been going on. I can’t tell you about all of them just yet, but you have to promise me something.”

  “Okay, I promise,” Samara agreed, even though she had no idea why was she agreeing to something when she was unaware of what the terms were yet. Her grandfather could be making her promise to just about anything, and here she was, agreeing to it.

  Her grandfather met her gaze, and she noted the serious look in his eyes. “This needs to be our little secret. You can’t tell anyone I’m here . . . or that I’m alive.”

  “But I already told them I thought I saw you,” Samara protested.

  “I know,” her grandfather replied sadly. “I wish you hadn’t. At this point, though, it should be easy to make them believe you were confused. Just let them keep on believing that you think you were mistaken—that Eddie’s right.”

  “I don’t understand,” Samara replied, shaking her head. “Why can’t I tell anyone?”

  Grandpa Joe sighed. “It’s a lot for me to explain right now, but it would just be better if you and I are the only ones who know I’m here—at least for now. Eventually, we’ll be able to tell everyone that I’m here.”

  “But my pack is like my family. How could I keep a secret like this from them?” Samara questioned, feeling like she was betraying her pack.

  “It wouldn’t be the first time you kept something from them, now would it?”

  Samara looked away from him and down at the ground. She wasn’t sure how he knew that she was keeping the secret about Declan from her pack members, but it was obvious that he did know . . . somehow.

  Her grandfather studied her face for a moment. Finally, his lips titled into a small smile. “You really don’t know the truth, do you?”

  “The truth about what?” Samara questioned with raised eyebrows.

  Grandpa Joe turned away from her and stared up at the sky. “Not all of your pack members are that innocent, Samara. Some of them have been keeping secrets from you—some big, some little, but secrets, nonetheless.”

  “I know about Emma and Colby being married, if that’s what you’re talking about,” Samara said.

  “Oh, so you know about one of them at least,” Grandpa Joe said with a nod. “That was the small one—the one that wasn’t going to be a big deal, but that might have helped you feel less guilty about keeping the truth about me from them. There’s another secret I’m talking about, though. A big secret.”

  “How do you know?” Samara asked, a bitter taste filling her mouth. Even though she wanted to object, to tell him there was no way her own pack members would keep important things from her, she also somehow knew that there was no way her grandfather would lie to her. Not about this, at least.

  Grandpa Joe glanced over at her. “I just know things, Samara. I have visions. I can see the future.”

  “So I’ve heard,” Samara replied. “That’s how you knew I was going to be the most powerful werewolf in history. Besides you, that is.” When her grandfather didn’t say anything in response, she asked, “Can you tell me what secrets my pack members are keeping from me?”

  Her grandfather shook his head. “No, I can’t do that. They’re not my secrets to tell and, more importantly, the truth will come out on its own. It’s inevitable. It always does. Telling you would only ruin the natural progression of things.” He paused for a moment before adding, “All I can say is that you can’t trust everyone.”

  “Even Luke?” Samara asked quietly. She darted her eyes away from her grandfather and down into the lake’s water, staring into the reflection of the half moon. She felt guilty about asking, because she really did feel closer to Luke lately.

  Grandpa Joe’s eyes filled with a look of surprise. “Is there a reason you think you shouldn’t trust Lucas Davenport?”

  Samara hesitated. She hated to admit it to her grandfather before anyone else. She hadn’t even been able to tell Emma, and Emma was her best friend. But Emma was also mentally connected to Colby, which meant that if Samara told Emma the truth, she would also be telling Colby the truth, too—and she didn’t want to do that because it would run the risk of Luke finding out. Knowing that she needed to tell someone, though, she turned to Grandpa Joe. “I think Luke might have killed someone—a friend of mine.”

  Her grandfather glanced away from her and up at the sky. “Would it change things if he did?”

  “What do you mean?” Samara asked.

  “I mean, if Lucas really did kill this friend you speak of, would it change the way you feel about him? Would you still want to be with him?”

  “I don’t know,” Samara admitted. “I don’t think I would want to be with him anymore if he killed Brad. It’s not like he even had a good reason to kill him. He would have done it just because he was jealous, which is ridiculous because there was nothing going on between Brad and me.” She sighed. “I don’t know how to find out if Luke really did it or not, though.”

  There was a long pause before Grandpa Joe said, “Have you asked Lucas if he killed this Brad guy?”


  Samara shook her head. “No. I’ve been too afraid to ask him.”

  “Perhaps you should overcome that fear. If you feel you’re ready to know the answer, that is,” Grandpa Joe turned to face her, and when she stared into his eyes, it felt like she was looking into her own amber eyes. “And Samara? While we’re being honest with one another, you should know that I lied to everyone.”

  “I know. Everyone else thinks you’re dead—” Samara started to say and she was going to question him about why she lied, but her grandfather interrupted her before she had a chance.

  “That’s not the only thing I’ve lied about. Of course I lied about that, which I’ll explain to you tomorrow night when we meet back here around the same time, okay?”

  Samara nodded.

  “What I lied about is you and how powerful you would be,” Grandpa Joe went on. “I did see that you would be Alpha one day, but I never saw that you would be more powerful than any other werewolf in the world. I lied about that.”

  “Then why did you tell everyone I would be?” Samara didn’t ask the other question that circulated through her head: why would her grandfather put her in danger like that, for no reason? She also couldn’t ignore the change in mood she suddenly had. Even though being powerful hadn’t mattered that much to Samara before then, she couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of disappointment wash over her.

  “I lied because I needed you to believe it. I needed you to have the type of confidence that you had tonight when you fought that pack. I needed you to believe in yourself, until I came back, at least, but always,” Grandpa Joe replied before transforming into his wolf form. A silvery cloud of smoke formed around him—a color that didn’t belong to the Vyka, but also a color that Samara had never seen before—before he disappeared into the woods and away from her.

  *

  Samara slid into bed next to Luke when she got back home. As she curled alongside of him, he turned around and looked at her. His emerald green eyes sparkled with what appeared to be a look of desperation, a hunger for her that he hadn’t shown in a long time.

  Running a hand over his bare, muscular chest, Samara stared into his eyes before moving her face closer to his. His lips came down on hers, and he kissed her long and deeply. His tongue teased hers, making other areas of her body feel more excited than ever before.

  Samara’s own breathing was labored as Luke kissed her; she could feel the desire that he felt for her wash over into her own body and felt it run through her own veins.

  “I’ve missed this,” Luke whispered as he pulled away from her.

  “Me, too,” Samara whispered back, as she ran her hands over the bulge in his boxer shorts. She undid the draw string and ran her fingers beneath the silky fabric and over his warm skin, and he ground his hips against hers with excitement.

  He slid her camisole over her head and unhooked her bra from behind her back. Pressing her body against his, she couldn’t help but feel more exposed than she ever had before. He’d seen her naked before, but there was something different this time; their emotions were so connected at that moment that Samara knew Luke could see into her soul, the same way she felt like she could see into his.

  As she pulled his boxer shorts off and slid out of her own boy short underwear, Samara looked into his eyes and whispered, “I want you. All of you.”

  His lips came crashing down on hers again, this time with more hunger and desperation than he had before. As they lost themselves in each other, Samara knew that she had made the right decision.

  She felt more connected and in love with Luke, at that moment, than she ever had with anyone else.

  Chapter 18

  The next morning, Samara woke up and glanced over at Luke. He was staring up at the ceiling, a smile on his face.

  “I need to ask you something,” Samara whispered. She knew that it was probably the worst time for her to ask him—right after they had just made love—but she couldn’t help herself. Not knowing was killing her. She wasn’t even sure if she would leave him if he told her he’d done it, but she had to know once and for all.

  Luke turned his head so that he was facing her. “You can ask me anything.”

  “Did you kill Brad Kelly?” Samara questioned, nervously darting her eyes away from his so she wouldn’t have to see the look that passed through them.

  “What? Why would you even ask me that, Samara?” Luke asked. His voice didn’t sound angry; more than anything, he sounded hurt by her question, which made her feel like shit.

  “I . . . I got a letter,” Samara said, sighing. She stood up and grabbed the clutch that she had used on their wedding night. She opened it and pulled out the envelope that had been addressed to her.

  Luke pulled out the note that was tucked inside, which was written in red writing, and said: Congratulations, Samara! You’ve married a killer. He also pulled out the photo, which was of Luke holding a knife in the air over Brad’s dead body.

  He met Samara’s eyes. “Where did you get this?”

  “Someone put it on our wedding gift table,” Samara explained. “I saw it on the night of our wedding, but . . . I’ve been too afraid to ask you about it until now. I guess I didn’t really want to know if you did it or not.”

  “So, instead of asking me about it, you’ve kept it from me this whole time?” Luke questioned, narrowing his emerald green eyes at her. He clenched his jaw.

  “I . . . I didn’t know what else to do,” Samara replied. “We were already married, and I just . . . I didn’t want to find out you did it, after I already married you.” She paused before saying, “If you were jealous because Brad was my tutor—”

  “What?” Luke asked, anger flashing through his eyes. “You told me your tutor was an old woman who was a retired teacher! It was really Brad?”

  Samara nodded. “Yeah, it was. I thought you knew. I thought you saw us together at the library that day when someone was watching us in one of the aisles and that you got mad at me—and jealous of him—so you killed him.”

  Luke climbed out of bed and began to put on his clothes.

  “Where are you going?” Samara questioned. “It’s not time to go to school yet.”

  “Yeah, I know it’s not, but I’m not staying here right now,” Luke said, shaking his head frustratedly. Glancing over at her, he said, “You know, I’ve tried my hardest do everything I could to do good by you. I even felt guilty months ago when Ashley Everest hit on me in front of you, that day you got jealous. But I’ve never kept a secret from you before—not like this. I’ve never lied to you. Is there anything else you’re not telling me?”

  As a tear fell from Samara’s eye, she debated what she should and shouldn’t tell Luke. She had been keeping so many secrets from him over the past few months, and she knew now that wasn’t what a person who loved someone should do. “I . . . I was mated to Declan again,” she replied quietly, looking away from Luke. This time, she really didn’t need to see the pain that overtook his eyes; she could feel it wash over his body. “It was when we merged with the Vyka to form the Tala.”

  Luke didn’t say anything for a long while. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t want to hurt you,” Samara replied, knowing that was the best excuse she could give him. She couldn’t explain all of the reasons she hadn’t told him—that she loved Declan and she had considered being with him, instead.

  “Like it’s not hurting me now, Sam? Because it is. It’s really fucking hurting me now,” Luke said, his voice rising to an angry level.

  “I know . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s not like it changed anything, though. I still love you,” Samara said, glancing over at him nervously. “I chose you. I married you. That’s what matters, isn’t it?”

  Luke shrugged. “I don’t know what matters and what doesn’t, but I know that this changes things. It means that I can’t trust you.” He shook his head angrily. Narrowing his eyes at her, he asked, “You’re not still mated to him, are
you?”

  “I don’t know,” Samara admitted. “I . . . I don’t think so. I tried to get in touch with him a few times, but he never answered me and—”

  “You tried to get in touch with him?” Luke asked, his voice shrill and becoming even more angry now. “Why would you try to get in touch with him?”

  “He was my best friend, Luke!” Samara blurted. “You can’t expect me to want to give up on him completely, just because we’re married.” After she said the words and saw the look on his face, she knew that she had said the wrong thing. Climbing off the bed and moving across the room towards him, she reached out to touch his arm, but he pushed her hands away.

  “I don’t want to speak to you right now, Samara,” Luke said. There was a look of fury in his eyes, and it scared her a little. She didn’t think he would do anything to hurt her, but she knew at that moment just how bad she had hurt him. He turned to leave the room, but before he did, he asked, “Just tell me one thing. Did you cheat on me with him?”

  Samara glanced down at the ground. She wanted to tell him that she hadn’t—she wished she could tell him that she hadn’t even—but that would be a lie.

  “Figures,” Luke muttered under his breath. He opened the door and stepped out of the room.

  “Luke, wait! Please don’t go,” Samara called after him, choking on her own desperate sobs.

  She heard the front door and open and slam shut, but she already knew at that point that it was too late. Luke was gone.

  Chapter 19

  “Okay, I brought you some Cherry Garcia, because I know that’s your favorite,” Emma said, setting a carton of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream down on the coffee table in front of her. She pulled a few DVDs out of her tote bag. “I also brought the Notebook, the Proposal, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Now, get talking, woman. What happened?”