Chapter 42

Zander

It'd slipped off my tongue so easily. Seeing her wearing my mother's favorite necklace sliced through the last of my resolve, and I saw Piper with 20/20 vision.

Her hazel eyes widened in shock.

Her mouth opened as if she was going to answer, but nothing came out. I pressed my thumb against her bottom lip and shook my head. "You don't need to say anything. I just wanted you to know how I feel. I'll know when you feel it," I said with a nervous chuckle. "We'll all know when you feel it."

Piper nodded, her eyes still wide, and her fingers clutched together. "Thank you for the necklace, and for opening up to me," she whispered, unlacing her fingers to touch my face.

I lifted my hand to cover hers. The beast stirred from within me as the sun sank over the bayou, dimming the room even further. Piper walked me over toward the chains and locked me to the wall.

Her fingers held my mother's necklace around her throat. I watched as she took it off, sat it next to my bed, and crawled onto my pillow.

Her gaze settled on mine as the beast slowly took over, shoving me inside, and ripping free like a prisoner. The calm she brought him soothed his ache to be let free.

Her eyes drifted shut after many minutes of gazing at the beast. The world around me tunneled, and Piper's sleeping body was the last thing I saw before he rested.

I woke to my wrist being freed from their chains, and my body thudding toward the floor. The light told me it was morning, but with Piper still in bed meant it was early.

William stood above me, a worried look on his face. "Come to the kitchen," he whispered.

I rubbed my wrists while standing to grab my clothes. The sound of Piper's breathing lured me toward the bed. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and hold her until the evening.

But I didn't need William having a meltdown for whatever reason he needed me in the kitchen. I slipped into some sweatpants and walked toward the kitchen.

The smell of breakfast and whispers wafted from the closed door. I swung it open. "Why is everyone up so—,"

I stopped in the doorjamb, the swinging door hit me in the back, but I didn't budge. A woman I'd never seen before sat at our kitchen table. She held one of my mugs, steam billowing up from the dark liquid.

I knew by the way Vivian avoided eye contact that this wasn't going to be good.

"Zander—," William started.

"Who is she?" I asked, jabbing my finger toward her. "Who are you?"

The redhead smiled, a kind smile that reached her eyes. She looked to be in her late forties, early fifties, and her eyes twinkled the deepest shade of green I'd ever seen.

She stood, swinging her braid over her shoulder, and offered me her hand. "I'm Clarice Boudard. Your brother asked me to come by."

Shaking her hand, my gaze turned toward William who looked extremely nervous on the other side of the room. "He did, did he? And why did he ask you to stop by?"

I folded my arms across my chest and tucked my hands beneath my biceps to keep from strangling William.

She chuckled, and slowly sat back down. "He said you're dealing with a woman that's into voodoo?"

Dear God ...

I slid my tongue against my teeth, I swore William's life flashed before my eyes. "I'm guessing you're not human, and you know who we are?"

She shrugged. "I'm human enough, and I have an idea of who you are, but I'm here to help you."

I closed my eyes and put up my index finger. "You invited a witch here, William—,"

"I'm not a witch," she interrupted. "I just sense things. I know some things that others don't."

"I've told William numerous times that I'm not interested in dark magic. It all comes at a price, and as you've been told, I have nothing left to give."

Clarice sipped her tea. "You're right. Me reaching to find information does come at a price, and digging deep to find someone—like Priscilla—would be costly."

A familiar breeze drafted into the room. Clarice stilled, her gaze shifted toward the corner of the room, like in those ghost movies I hated so much. "She's in here," she said calmly.

"She's everywhere," I snapped.

Clarice's dark eyes moved toward mine. "You have dark magic in you."

I chuckled humorlessly and slid my palm down my face. "Yeah? You don't think I know that? I've been cursed for years. I turn into a beast every night, I'm locked in this castle, I can't touch the sun, and I can't break the curse unless my mate, who is asleep in my room upstairs, falls in love with me."

Clarice tilted her head, and my anger soared. I couldn't wait to get her out so that I could beat William's ass.

"I don't want any more dark magic in this house. I have to protect Piper."

The kitchen door creaked shut. Piper stood behind me, her eyes on Clarice and the scene unfolding. "Good morning," she said, clearing her throat.

"Piper," I said, gesturing toward Clarice. "This is Clarice. She was just leaving."

Clarice smiled and nodded politely. She took another sip of her tea before standing. "It was nice to meet you all." She walked beside me and glanced up. "You"re smart to turn this down, but your brother seems to believe it's your only chance. What if I told you that the price wouldn't hinder your life with Ms. Piper here?"

The devil's temptation ran deep.

I wanted to say yes. I wanted her to break the curse.

To send Priscilla to Hell, but my mother's words whispered into my ear. "Zander you can at least hear her out—," William started.

I glared at him. "You know how I feel about this."

William's jaw clenched in an irritated way, and I planned to knock that defiant look off his face. "Thank you for stopping by, Mrs. Clarice."

She dropped her head and smiled. Giving everyone one last goodbye, she walked out of the kitchen. My anger began to boil, but once the front door closed, it poured out of me.

Piper tried to grab my forearm but I launched out of her grip and into William. I shoved him against the fridge and pressed my forearm into his neck. His light eyes widened in shock. "You know what mother said about dark magic, you know how I feel about it, and you invited that witch into our home? Who knows what she brought with her."

William coughed, pulling at my arm with all his might. "You're so stubborn," he said. "I brought her here. I would pay the price, Zander."

This pissed me off even more. William wanted to be the hero and save the day. Save me. "I don't need you paying any price for me. I'm paying my price, and no one else deserves to go down with me."

William hissed, and blindsided me with a knee to my gut. I stumbled back, the alpha in me pissed, as William wiped the drool from his mouth. "You think I am going to stand by why you try to break this curse on your own? It's ridiculous. You're already cursed, what's another one to stop this madness?"

"Do you hear yourself?!!" I shouted, shoving him into the counter. He dodged my right hook. "I'm already cursed, and using dark magic will drag me down into a different hole. Or drag you down. You deliberately disobeyed me. You swore you would never do this, and you brought her here."

William's gaze shifted toward the ground. His betrayal tasted like sweet acid going down. He wanted to save me, but only one person could do that, and it wasn"t him.

I gripped his shoulder and waited until he looked at me. "Don't ever disobey me again, Brother. I love you, but I'm still your alpha. No magic. No secret plans."

William's blue gaze shifted toward Piper behind me.

I could see the anger he held toward her, and it startled me. He was pissed that she didn't love me, that she hadn't broken the curse.

I shook my head. "Don't. Do. That. You can't force it."

He swallowed. "I need a shower."

I let him walk by, and he disappeared through the swinging kitchen door. After several seconds, Vivian cleared her throat. "Breakfast is ready whenever you are. I'm not too hungry this morning. I think I'll take a nap before I clean up if that's okay."

I watched her dark eyes fill with sadness. "Of course, Vivian."

She shot out of the room, leaving Piper and I. Piper's soft fingertips touched my back. "Everyone is mad at me, aren't they?"

I turned to face her. "Don't worry about them. They're just scared for me."

A tear slipped down her cheek. I tried to catch it, but she turned away to gather herself. "I'm sorry. It's not you, it's me. I'm broken. I'm guarded—,"

I slipped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her back against my chest. "You don't have to apologize for protecting your heart. It's been beaten up. It's human to be precautious."

Piper leaned her head back against my chest and closed her eyes. My heartbeat thumped underneath her head, the steady rhythm soothed me though I felt sick to my stomach.

The search party would start in several hours. Piper would face her family, and let them know she was alive. My nerves were all over the place. If the beast appeared in front of them I wasn't sure we'd be able to keep her here.

They would send the town to kill me.

Or animal control.

Either way, I would lose. I would lose Piper, and I would lose myself to the beast.

I tightened my arms in a protective way around her, noticing movement on my tattoo.

Another petal fluttered away and disappeared against my skin.

Panic formed a hard knot in my throat.

My time was running out.

If Piper didn't fall in love with me soon—Zander Blackwood would cease to exist.