Chapter 23: Their Cursed

Cullen

Minutes after I sent Jaime back to the Supernatural Realm, I heard everyone else arrive in the living room. Gentry and Amanda came up the stairs first. I loosened my tie around my neck as I paced back and forth in my room. I threw back the whiskey in my glass. Tonight, could not have gone any worse.

I almost snapped when I saw Jaime tossing her drink onto Remi. I was asked multiple times where Jaime was by other guests and figured I would go find her. I was heading toward the restroom when I saw Amanda, Jaime, and Remi standing there. Amanda and Jaime were fighting of course but I was not focused on what they were saying. Jaime had just turned and tossed her wine glass all over Remi and I saw red.

I moved as quickly as I could without sparking suspicion and got in between them. I wanted to simultaneously rip Jaime’s head off and hold Remi in my arms. She looked terrified when I looked down at her. I knew I had to control myself, so I simply gave her my handkerchief and removed Jaime from the situation.

I had driven us home while Jaime gave me an earful. Amanda had found out that I was in bed with Remi last night and told Jaime causing her to throw her drink on Remi. I had nearly broken the steering wheel as I gripped it in my fist, trying to keep myself from exploding on Jaime. When we got inside, I ordered her to return to the pack house and keep her head down until I returned.

There was a knock at my door. “Come in,” I said. Calder came into the room with a hard look on his face. “I don’t need to hear it,” I said looking away from him. I went over to the drink cart to pour another drink.

“Cullen, she threw a drink on her. Who knows what would have happened if Remi was alone?” he said angrily.

“Save it. I sent Jaime back to the pack house.”

“Cullen, our mate is in there right now hurting. When are you going to give this martyr act up? You can’t play this game with her!” I ignored him, taking a drink from my glass. “Every dismissive look hurts her. Every conversation about rejecting her hurts her. Don’t you see it? Can’t you feel it? You cannot play this game where you secretly accept her when you think no one is looking! You do not even know what her life has been like! If this continues, you are going to cost me my mate as well, not just yours!” Calder was almost shouting at me now.

I turned around to him quickly. “Stop! You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know!” I shot back.

“Then what is your problem? You should be in there right now apologizing and begging her to accept you!”

My anger was rising again. I was gripping my glass so hard that it was bound to break soon. “If it was that simple, I would be!” I growled at him.

“It is that simple Cullen! It is!”

I set my glass down on the desk next to me with enough force that it cracked. “I feel her despair and heart ache. I feel the joy she gets when she looks at you and the unease she gets when looking at me. I feel it, okay? Is that what you want from me? You are right, I want to accept her. I want nothing more than to hold to her, protect her, cherish her. But we have a responsibility if you have forgotten.” I did my best to mask the emotion welling up inside of me.

Calder relaxed his posture. “I haven’t forgotten. That is why tomorrow, I am going to speak with a witch tomorrow that may be able to help us.” He paused and sighed. “It isn’t too late. She needs both of us and we need her. You have looked like shit since the night we found her, and I know you are not sleeping. She is in the bath right now and I suspect she will not be much longer. I have something that needs my attention so I will be back in a bit,” he said before turning around and leaving the room. He left the door open.

I let out a deep breath. I walked over to my bed and sat down, rubbing my hands over my face. I pulled my tie looser as I let the defeat wash over me. I should have rejected her as soon as I took her beyond the boundary. I should not have let it linger this long. I should not have let myself enjoy her scent. I should not have slept with her last night. The longer I put it off, the more impossible it was becoming. At this moment, I could not imagine walking in that room and rejecting her. I knew I was going to give in…

There was movement in the hallway and my head shot up. Remi was standing in the doorway. Her long hair was loose around her face. She wore a long sleeve shirt easily 2 sizes too big on her and some fabric shorts that barely peeked out under the shirt. Her small button nose was red, and her face was slightly puffy as if she had just been crying. Her eyes went wide. “I am s-sorry… I was looking for…” she whispered. I stood up and walked to her. She took an unsure step backwards. Her doe eyes peered up at me. “I’ll go back…”

I stopped in front of her, reaching up to cup her face. Almost imperceptibly, she leaned into my touch.

“You don’t need to apologize,” I said quietly. “I do.” Her eyes went from unsure to curious. I sighed. “What happened tonight was uncalled for. It should not have happened to you. I won’t let it happen again.” I skimmed my thumb over her soft cheek.

“Cullen?” she said.

“Yes, Remi?”

“Am I not good enough?”

I felt pain in my chest as she spoke. Maximus howled in pain as well. Her eyes were starting to water. I leaned my forehead against hers. “No. You are more than enough. I am the one who isn’t good enough,” I whispered.

She closed her eyes. “You’re more than enough for me…” she said in the smallest whisper. I did not hesitate. My mouth moved to capture hers and I kissed her perfect lips. I used my other hand to pull her to me and her body melted against me. I kissed her softly, trying to show her that I did care. Her hands gripped my shirt as I held her to my body.

I reached my hands down and grabbed her thighs. I picked her up and moved back inside. I walked over to the bed and sat down, placing her on my lap. We broke apart and I rested my forehead on hers again.

"Cullen, I don't understand…" she whispered. How did I explain the storm inside me? How did I tell her that I never wanted to hurt her but I had to in order to protect her and my pack? I held her face in my hands and investigated her sweet face. Her eyes examined my face, searching for answers I did not know how to give her.

"If you don't want me… why am I here? Why did you sleep with me last night?" She asked in a cracked voice.

"I just…" I started but could not find the words. I did not deserve to have her here with me when all I have done is push her away. I am personally responsible for all the hurt she has felt since the cloaking was pulled from her.

"Do you not want me?" She said her eyes moving down away from me. "I would understand… I just want you to tell me the truth…" she looked so upset, like I was shattering her from the inside. I could not pretend anymore. I pulled her face to mine, kissing her fiercely. She let me kiss her and kissed me back. I could feel warm tears touch my fingers.

"Remi, I will always want you. You are all I want and all I can think about. I cannot stay away from you anymore. Please forgive me…" I said breaking away from her.

Her eyes fluttered up to mine and her hand came up to cover one of mine. "Promise you won't leave me… promise you'll stay…"

"I promise… I'll do anything for you…" I said.

"Okay," she said. "As long as you'll stay…"

A weight lifted from my chest and I could breathe again. I pulled her tight to my chest, burying my nose in the top of her hair. I inhaled deeply, letting her delicious scent fill my senses. Her arms wrapped around my torso, holding onto me. We sat like that for a while, just holding each other.

"Stay with me tonight…" I pleaded. She nodded her head then looked up at me.

"What about Calder?" She asked.

"He can join us tomorrow. Tonight, I want you to myself…" I whispered. I lifted her small frame just enough so that I could maneuver us onto the bed properly. I laid back against the pillows propped against the headboard of my bed. I kept her on top of me, needing her close. I kissed the top of her head. She cuddled herself into my chest. I pulled the blanket over us and let myself relax in her embrace, not even caring that I was still dressed. It did not take long before I could feel her breathing even out and I knew she was asleep.

“Finally,” Maximus purred in my head. I had to agree with him for once. I should have accepted her right away.

Remi

I woke up completely surrounded by warmth. As the sleepy fog lifted from my brain, I remembered last night. I remembered looking for Calder and finding Cullen. I remembered him promising not to leave. I think he was finally accepting me. Cullen was wrapped around me like a cocoon. Unlike his brother, he did not snore at all. I was trapped against his chest, completely engulfed in his arms and legs. I did not realize just how much bigger than me they both were until now. I was able to turn my head upwards just enough to look at Cullen’s sleeping face. Without the intense look he always carried, he looked so young and carefree. I ached to see his smile.

“Good morning, love,” he said softly. His eyes slowly opened to look at me. I smiled shyly. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and it gave me butterflies. “How did you sleep?” he asked. His voice was low and rough with sleep. It made me warm in my abdomen.

“Good,” I said, giving him a smile. He gave me a warm smile back and I thought my heart stopped. I could not decide who I like to see smile more, him or Calder. His eyes glazed over slightly for a moment like they were not focused.

His nose nuzzled mine. “As much as I want to keep you here all day, I need to shower and take care of a few things,” he said softly. The door opened behind me. His eyes moved past my head to look at who walked in. The bed dipped behind me and Cullen loosened his grip on me. Another arm came around me and I smelled my favorite coffee and caramel scent.

“Good morning, baby,” came Calder’s voice in my ear. I turned slightly so that I could see him.

“Good morning,” I said. He gave me a soft kiss on my lips before Cullen pulled my face back to his.

“I will be back later,” he said quietly. He gave me a kiss too. One a little deeper than Calder’s. When he was done, he untangled our limbs and climbed out of the bed and Calder pulled me to him. Cullen disappeared into what I assume to be his bathroom. I turned to face Calder who was smiling at me.

“What?” I asked.

“You are amazing, you know that?” he said. I just blushed. “I missed you,” he said nuzzling my neck.

“I missed you, too,” I said.

“Don’t worry, from now on you can have both of us every night. We won’t make you choose between us,” he said. I looked up at him. “I promise, we won’t walk away. We can’t imagine being away from you, even if it took Cullen longer to accept it than me.” Then he laughed and I was confused. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just Cullen. Remember how I told you about talking through a mind link?”

“Oh,” I said.

“Don’t worry. We are going to fix that problem soon,” he said kissing the tip of my nose. “Hungry?” I nodded my head. He gave me another kiss before we climbed out of bed and went downstairs for breakfast.

When we got downstairs, Gentry and Amanda were fighting in the kitchen over what to have for breakfast. “No, we are not having left over pizza for breakfast!” Amanda whined.

“Well, are you going to cook?” Gentry said.

“What are we arguing about this morning?” Calder asked as we entered.

They both shrugged and said “Food,” at the same time. I giggled.

“They do that more than you would imagine,” Calder said with a smile.

“No, we do not!” they both said before looking at each other.

“I would be happy to make everyone some breakfast,” I said looking around. Amanda began bouncing again.

“Rem, you can cook? That is so cool! Can you show me?” she asked excitedly.

“Sure, an extra set of hands would be great,” I said. “What are you hungry for?”

“Hmm,” she thought. “Omelets and hash browns!”

I laughed. “I think I can do that.”

Calder gave me a kiss on the forehead. “We will wait in the living room then,” he said. Him and Gentry left the kitchen while Amanda and I started cooking.

Amanda was a fast learner and great listener. In no time at all, we had the hash browns done and the omelets finishing up as well as a fresh pot of coffee. Amanda left to find Calder and Gentry before Cullen came into the kitchen. He was showered, shaved and in fresh clothes. He came over to me immediately. I turned to him from my spot at the stove.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said quietly.

“Hi,” I said looking up into his grey eyes. They were not as hard and grim this morning. He bent down and ran his nose along mine before giving me a kiss, making me smile.

“Uh, this is a development,” said Amanda from the doorway. Gentry and Calder stood behind her. Calder just gave us a smile. Cullen gave her a bored look before moving over to the cabinet to get a coffee cup. I quickly started plating food for everyone while Amanda came over to me.

“So, you are definitely going to have to fill in the blanks here,” she said. “Last night his date threw wine at your face and he barely spared you a glance. Today, you two are kissing sweetly in the kitchen and his face is way less mean than usual.”

“I will tell you later,” I said, handing her a plate.

“You better!” she said. Everyone grabbed a plate and went into the dining room. Calder insisted on carrying mine since I cooked. Amanda went to sit down next to me at the table, but Cullen gave her a pointed look. She huffed and went to the other side next to Gentry. Calder and Cullen sat on either side of me.

“Is this how it's going to be now? You two are never going to let me near her?” Amanda pouted.

“Give it time, Pip. They will loosen up,” Gentry teased.

“Fat chance,” Cullen muttered. Gentry just smiled at him. Cullen’s hand rested dangerously high on my thigh under the table. I looked over at him and he just continued to eat like this was completely normal. I felt another hand on my other thigh and turned my head to see Calder giving me a smirk. Their hands were distracting as we ate.

While we ate, Amanda talked about an art exhibit that she wanted to go see. She asked if I would go with her. I looked at Cullen and Calder before answering, not knowing if they had some other plan for the day.

“I actually have an errand to run later, so have fun with Amanda,” Calder said. Cullen just gave me a stoic nod. I smiled to myself as Amanda discussed our new plans. Cullen and Calder were so different, it was hard to tell they were twins sometimes. Their hands never moved as we all finished our breakfast.