Themanadvancedtowardhim,fistclenchednearhiship “Youtouchmywife ” Ashjumped to his feetand cutthe restofthe sentence offwitha beautifullyplaced uppercut. The manwentdownlike a felledtree.
Andstayeddown
The bell rang and Ash threw cheeky little curtsies to the crowd. He could see money changing hands between the big spendershispresencealwaysdrew out,somepeoplemorepleasedaboutitthanothers Heknew hisfanbasewasrelatively small. Somethingabouthimrubbed people the wrongwaymostofthe time, so theyusuallyopted to rootfor whoever was standingontheothersideofthecage,butthosewhowereinitjustforthemoney,theyknewAshwastheirman. He’dneverlostafight.
“Ibetyousaythatto all the boys,” he said, smirkingwhenhe came face to face withHurricane justCane, ifyoucared aboutyour ownlife the ringleader ofthis lovelyand sordid underground fightclub He was aboutas tall as Ashwas, but probablytwicehiswidth.Themanwasagiant.
Every visible inch of his skin was covered in tattoos and scars, some of which looked way too neat and artistic to be unintentional.Several piercings hungfromhis ears,noseandlip,andAshhadheardstories aboutother…bodyparts…being justasdecorated.
“Just the biggest pains in my ass,” Cane said, looking around and growling at the sight of several very hostile money exchangestakingplace.TherewerebustedlipsandladiesscreamingwhereverAshlooked.
“Yousaythat,butwebothknowyoudon’tmeanit”Hemadefortheexit,blowingCaneafarewellkiss “Later,babe!” He walked outofthe abandoned warehouse Cane claimed as his territoryand into a foggynight. The scentofsmoke and motoroilhungheavyintheair,andthesoftbreezedidnothingtomakethenightcomfortable
The smell offood and the growlinginhis stomachmade himpress the gas pedal harder. The inner-citycircle was nearly emptysolateintheevening,thelasttrainofthenightmakingitsroundtotheoutskirts
Heparkedhiscarinfrontofalargemultistoryhouse,shuttingtheengineoffandfrowningwhenhenoticedmostofthelights were off The house loomed atthe edge ofa small forest, lookinglike anovergrownlogcabin All ofthe outer walls were made ofdarkwood, there was a wide porchwrapped around the entire base ofit, and several lawnchairs and tables were scatteredaroundeverywhere
“Therewerenofilesonthelivingroomtable,”Hartsaid,andAshfrowned “There were files pinned to the wall though,” he said, and Blacknodded, sittingup so Ashcould see himover the bag barrier
AshgrinnedatBlack,whomadeafaceathim,mockinghisslightlispnowthattheswellingonhisfacehadspreadtohislip. Ash flipped himoff before grabbing a bag of frozen peas fromthe fridge and smushing themover the side of his face, ignoringtheslurpingcomingfromBlackandwaitingforHarttocomesavehim
Hisgreat-great-aunthadpassedawayacoupleofmonthsago,andinherwill,she’dleftheroldhousetoMorgan.And whenhesaidoldhouse,hemeantOLDhouse Thethingwasbarelystandingupright Therewasn’tawallstandingstraightora window thatwasn’tflappinginthe wind. The roofwas halfcaved inand the paintwas chipped to the pointwhere Morgan wasn’tsurewhichpartsweretheoriginalcolorandwhichwerejustpeeledoff He didn’tevenwantto thinkaboutthe veritable jungle the yardhad become bythis point, or the four steps thatled to the porchthatlookedliketheycouldmaybeholdafive-year-oldchildbutdefinitelynotafull-grownman.
“Rules!” she said, and he threw his head backwitha groan, hatinghis ten-year-old selffor agreeingto this stupid game wheretheyhadtodowhatevertheotherdaredthemtodo.
ButhehadtoadmitthathewasalwaysweakwhenitcametoBrea.Herfamilyhadgivenhimahomewhenhisownhome life got too messy His parents loved him, and each other, but they didn’t work well as a couple They argued a lot And Morganhad found solace inBrea and her family. They’d welcomed himwithopenarms backthen, and he’d never looked back He’ddoanythingforher
He walked toward the steps, as careful as his uncoordinated bodyallowed himto be, and gripped the dilapidated railing beforehetookthefirststep Therottenwoodgroanedandcreakedunder his foot,andhefeltitgivealittlewhenheputhis weightonitfully.
The house fromthe outside looked as damaged as a house could be and still remainstanding, but the inside was unlike anythinghehadeverseen Foronething,otherthandustandthegeneralscentofhumidity,theplacelookedwellpreservedand relativelyclean.
Thatwaswherethepositivesstopped,though,becausethedecorwassomethingstraightoutofhisworstnightmares Every visiblewoodensurfacewascoveredinweirdsymbolsandwhatlookedlikecountlesseyesstaringathimwhereverhelooked.
“Onlyeverything,” he said, walkingfarther inside and ignoringBrea’s barrage ofquestions as he rounded a corner to the rightandfoundhimselfinsideakitchen Likethefronthallway,itwasinrelativelygoodcondition,despiteeverythinginsideit beingoldandcoveredinalayerofdust.
Heturnedhis backonitandcrossedthehallwayagaintotheoppositesideofthefrontdoor,andwentintoanother room, whichturnedouttobealarge,spacious livingroom Itwas filledwithmoreweird-assdecorations,morefurniturethanone personcould ever possiblyneed, and evenmore dead animals perchingoneveryavailable surface. He walked around the creakingfloors carefully, reachingthe large, ornate fireplace onthe opposite wall fromthe entrance, inspectingmore ofthe strangecarvingsinthewood,andwonderingexactlywhatwasitthathisgreat-aunthadbeenuptowhileshewasalive
No sooner had he thought that thanhe felt his foot catchthe edge of somethingand he fell backward into a large, plush armchairjustbehindhim Heletoutanoof ofsurprise,tryingtobatawaythecloudofdustbillowinguparoundhim
“Morgan!” He heard Brea screamfromoutside and he opened his mouthto call her for help, butwhatever came outwas swallowedbythestorm,andheknewshecouldn’thearhim.
Another flurry of wind slammed the windows shut, and Morgan watched in terror as the front door shook, rattled, and resistedbeforefinallygivingin.
His hand touched the remainingglass, thenslammed into somethinginvisible Somethingthat hurt like he had hit a wall Somethingthatkeptthewindowclosedevenwhileitwasbrokenwideopen.
ouhavereachedCursebreakersIncorporated.Formissinglimbs,pressone.Forlifetimecursesthathavenohope,press two.Ifyourex-boyfriendhascursedorlockedyououtofyourhome,pressthree.Ifyou’retrapped,beingheldhostage, or otherwise detained, press four. Ifyou’re onlymaimed, press five. Ifyou’re atriskofimminentdeath, press six. If you’ve turned into ananimal or a non-humanentityofsome kind and can’tpress the buttons, please howl, scream, hoot, or otherwisevocalizeintothephone.Ifnoneoftheprovidedoptionscoveryourcurrentissue,pleasepresszero.Remember,your callisimportanttousandamemberofourteamwillgetbacktoyoushortly Thismessagewillstopafterthebeep BEEP!” AshwatchedTaylor,theirsecretary,reciteintothephone,voicenasalandbored.
Thebeepshescreechedtowrapupthemessagewastheicingonthecake,andAshcrackeduplaughingashelistenedtoher huma piece ofelevator music into her headsetwhile the persononthe other end waited to be transferred to someone who couldhelpthem.
Her longblond hair was perfectlystraightand fallingdownher backand she was wearinga leopard printshirtand pink leatherpants.HerfeetwerekickeduponherdeskandherblackheelswerethesizeofAsh’sforearms.
“Okay,children,”Taylorsaidasshewalkedintotheroomwithhertabletencasedinanewbrightpink,bedazzledprotective case Shechangedthemoutlikeshedidherpurses “Settledown Wehavequiteabittodotoday”
“Youdo realize we’re all older thanyouare,” Ashpointed out, and Taylor looked up over the edge ofher tabletathim, freezingthebloodinhisveins
“Wellhopefullytheywon’tmindstickingtooppositewallsoftheirhomeforanotherday”TaylormarkedMidasasassigned to the case. “And finally, Ash, we have a prettyinterestingone. Ayoungwomancalled about her friend who was trapped insideahouse.”
“Aone-sided bondingcurse?” Ashsaid, now sittingfullyuprightinhis chair Bondingcurses were his specialty He was goodatfiguringoutthebondsthatkeptpeoplelinkedtosomeoneorsomethingandhowtountiethemwithoutharminganyone. “Lookslike,”Taylorsaid
No matter how intriguingthe curse sounded at the briefing, it usuallyended up beingjust a standard curse decked out in glitterandbaublestomakeitlookfancy.
Thedilapidatedshackheparkedinfrontofwasthelastthinghe’dexpectedtosee Sowastheflurryofblackleather and shortbrownhairthataccostedhimassoonashesteppedoutofthecar.
“Are you the cursebreaker?” the woman asked, and Ash nodded “I hope that’s not an indication of your ability?” She pointedtohisbustedface.
“Yes Mybestfriendistrappedinside,”shesaid “Pleasehelphim” Ashlookedather,andwhilenotalotoftimehadpassedforhertobepanicking,fearanduncertaintywereobviousonher face, and he sympathized withher Nobodyexpected to be hit bya curse intheir life, and people reacted to it inso many differentways.Ashwassurehehadseenthemall.Fromcryinghystericallytopanickingbeyondreasontogoingcompletely numbandcatatonicuntilsomeoneexplainedtothemthattheycouldbesaved.Itwasallstandardforhislineofwork. “I’lldoeverythingIcan.”Hepointedtothehouse.“Upthere?”
“What’s that?” Morganasked, and Ashlooked up to find himpressinghis head against the invisible barrier, buttonnose squishedweirdlyashelookedatwhatAshwasdoing
“I’mgonna use this to determine whether the curse was initiallymalicious or ifit started as a protectionspell that went rogue,”Ashsaid,liningthestripoffabricupoverthewindowsillandpouringBlackthorneoverit.
“Doesitmatter?”Morganasked “Ijustwantoutofhere!”
“Iknow. Butthis will determine how Iproceed. IfIattacka well-meaningspell withcounter curses instead ofa counter spell,itcanbackfireandmakethingsworse” “But…”
“Morgan?” Ashsaid, waitinguntil Morganlooked up into his eyes “Iknow you’re scared, butI’mhere to help, and I’m gonnaneedyoutotrustthatIknowwhatI’mdoing.Alljokingaside,I’mreallygoodatwhatIdo,soifyoucantrustmeforjust amoment,I’llfigureouthowtogetyououtofhere,okay?”
He pulled outone longmatchand ranhis fingers over the small runes etched into the wood before strikingit. Asoftblue flameshotup,andAshgaveitafew secondstostabilizebeforebringingittothecenterofthestripoffabric,wherethetwo colorsmet.Hebroughtthematchdownandtouchedthegroundthornsliningit.
The whooshing sound gave way to a high-pitched screamas the strip of linen in front of himcaught fire, but instead of lightingupjustonesideofthestriptogivehimdirection,thewholethingburstintoflames.
Morganwas screaming, and Ashdove for his bagto stop the fire before it tookthemall out. But he wasn’t sure he had anythingtostopit Itwasasimplediagnosticsprocedure,notsomethingheshouldneedtofightagainst
Therewasasoundofwoodcracking,likeabeamsplinteringrightabovetheirheads Ashlookedupandsawthewallofthe house beingswallowed bycrackafter crack, the plaster fromthe ceilingfallingaround Morgan’s head, and there was still screaming.
Ashdidtheonlythinghecouldthinkof He dove through the window, grabbing Morgan around the shoulders and rolling themonto the floor and away fromthe decadesofpaintlayerstumblingdownfromthewalls
“Ithoughtyousaidyouknew whatyouweredoing!”Morganscreechedwhenrealitymaderoomforitselfinsidehishead, liftinghishandstopushagainstamassivechest.Amassive,muscledchest.Areallyquitenicemassive,muscledchest. He squeezed with his hands, just to double-check he wasn’t imagining it in his terror Like seeing the pearly gates or something.
“Yousaidtotrustyoubecauseyouknewwhatyouweredoing,”Morganrepeated “Idoknow whatI’mdoing,” Ashsaid,liftinghimselfupwithhis elbows either side ofMorgan’s headandlookingdown intohiseyes Morgan’sbreathcaught,andhesuddenlyfoundithardtoswallow Ashwasnotattractive.Atall.Notevenalittlebit.
His eyes were notthe color ofchocolate and caramel swirled together The lazystubble onhis jaw didn’tlookruggedly handsomeorlikeitwouldscratchjustright.Thebruisesonhisfaceobviouslytookaway fromhishandsomeness.Obviously. “Morgan?”AsmirkcurledtheedgesofAsh’sbustedmouth.
“It’s fine.” Morgandropped his hand and hoped he didn’tsound too disappointed. Itprobablywasn’teventhatgreatofa dickanyway He justneededtoconvince his eyes ofthatandgetthemtomove awayfromthe outline ofit “Canwe getout now?”
“We’re bothlivingour best lives, thankyou,” Ashsaid, cheerful as anything, and Morganstared at the backof his head incredulously.“Canyoutellmehowthehouseislookingatthemoment?”
“Solikeadeathtrap,”Morgansaid “Sentdirectlyfromhell Forme” “Brea, could you grab my bag and hand it to me through the window?” Ash asked, ignoring Morgan’s dramatic flailing completely.Rude.
Curiosityscratched atthe backofMorgan’s throat, and he opened his mouthto askhis questions. Ashmusthave noticed somehow,andheturnedtolookathim,shakinghisheadsoftlybeforeturningawayagain.
Morganbristledandwantedtoargue,butthenagain,Ashwas workingongettinghimoutofthere,sohe figuredhe could controlhisbarbsforhoweverlongthebreakingofthecursewouldtake.
He came backto the presentto watchas Ashwalked backto the center ofthe room, sprinklingthe powder alongthe silk strip.Hedidthesamethingwiththerestofthestrips,tuckingeachoneintoacorner,thensprinklingdifferentpowdersalong them
He reached into the bag and pulled out a larger burlap bag, untying it and taking out dried leaves and different twigs, arrangingthemneatlyaroundthepininthecenteroftheroom.
Heshiftedthecompositionseveraltimes,tiltinghisheadandwalkingaroundthearrangementuntilheseemedsatisfiedwith it
Hepackedthebagsaway,andjustwhenMorganthoughtitwasfinallyoverandthecursewouldbebrokensoon,Ashturned tothe small metal bottles he’dpulledoutearlier Theyhaddifferentrunic symbols onthemthatMorganhadnoidea how to decipher.
He startedwalkingagainandMorganlegithadthe urge tojusttake a nap,because itfeltlike they’dbe there for a while Sincehehad,unfortunately,beenraisedbetter thanthat,hedecidedtojustwatchwhatwas happeningandhopeitwouldall cometoanendsoon
Ashgave himanother look, but no Not this time That lookwas not gonna stop Morganfromaskingquestions this time around,becausethatwasablowtorchabouttobeusedinahousemadeofflammablematerial.Ahousethatrefusedtoletthem leave
“Notuntilyoutellmeexactlywhatyou’redoingwiththatthing,”Morgansaid,andAshsighed. “Okay.” He shouldered the damn torch. “The herb powders are used in binding rituals and curses. They symbolize connections,attachments,andtiestosomeoneorsomething.Rosemary,cloves,andsuch.Theonlywaytomakesureabonding
“Butthatmeansitalsobreaksthecurse,”Ashsaidhappily.“I’mgonnasetthestripsofclothinfusedwiththeherbsonfire.” “Butyoualsosprayedthewalls,”Morganpointedout “Whichmeansthehousewillburn” “Itwon’t.The herbs representintent.The curse is tiedtothis place withthem.The fire is goingtoburnthe herbs andthe intentbehindthem It’llburnthroughtheties,thebondsplacedonthisplace TheliquidIsprayedonthewallsisn’tthesame thing.It’sprotective.Sothefirewon’tspreadanddestroyanythingphysical.”
“Andnowyoujustsounddisappointed,”Morgansaid.Theguywasunhinged. Ashchuckled “Idon’tjustworkwithcursedhouses,youknow Iworkwithpeople too Theydon’ttake tookindlytothe suggestionofbeingburnedalivetobreaktheircurses.”
“I’d like to keep awayfromthis entire thing,” Morganmumbled to himself, buthe made sure notto touchthe wall or the stripsorevenasingletinyspeckoftheherbalpowderstrewnacrossthefloor.
Ashspread his arms wide, circlingthe torchthroughthe air once, paintingthe air blue withitbefore claspingbothhands aroundthehandleandloweringittothecenterofthestrips.
Theedgeoftheflametouchedthemetalpinholdingthestripstogether,andsingedthecornersoftheherbsarrangedaround it.
There was supposed to be a flame He’d been looking forward to a flame the smell of it catching all the herbs and intensifyingtheirscent.Thecrackleintheairthatcamewithit.Theheatonhisfaceandtheinevitablebiteofhotmetalonthe tipsofhisfingerswhenhetouchedthetipofhistorch
Heputtheblowtorchdownandwalkedaround,checkingthathe’ddoneeverythingcorrectly,evenwhenheknewhehadn’t madeasinglemistake.Cursebreakingwassodeeplyingrainedinwhohewasthathedidn’thavetothinkabouttheprocesstoo much Thesetupwasautomatic
Ash turned to look at Morgan, who was standing there with his hands on his slimhips and a condescending lift to his straight-tippednose.Hisdarkeyeswereglaringoutfromtheirnestoflonglashesandsmudgedeyeliner,killingtheeffectand onlymakingAshwanttopisshimoffmoreoften
“Right” Ash shook his head as he worked through the situation “Okay, so, I tried to break the curse and nada Still indescribablyupsetaboutthatifyouwerewondering.Butthere’sclearlysomethingdifferentaboutwhatever curseisonthis house,andit’lltakemeabitoftimetofigureitout.”
“Iknow”Ashmovedthefinger awayfromhis facewithagentlehand Morgan’s skinwas butterysoft “We’regonnaask Brea here to go grab some ofyour stuff, I’mgonna call one ofmyteammates to getme some ofmine, and inthe meantime, we’regonnapokearoundthehouseandseewhatwecanfind Andlookatitthisway You’retrappedinahousewithapretty hotdude.”
“Imetthatcrazyoldbat once inmylife!Thisisn’tlikeaholidayreunion,okay?TheonlyreasonI’minhereisbecausemy stupidbestfrienddaredmetocomebeforeIknockedtheplacedown!”
Ashlaughed again, butquicklygrew serious as he peered into the house beyond. Itwas darkas hell, all the thickvelvet drapes drawnonthe other side ofthe room, the spindlylamps turned off The rapidlysettingsunwasn’thelping He could smellthelayersofdustanddisusefromhere,themotesticklinghisnose.
“Okay, I’msorry” Ash rubbed his leg “But I’mnot asking just to be a dick I’mtrying to work out when the last time someonewasabletoleavethehousewas.Youknow,sanscurse.Ithelpstohaveatimeline.”
“So,”Ashsaid,tryingtofocus “IfIwereagenerator,I’dprobablybesomewherewhereI’mnotanuisance” “Offplanet?”Morgansuggested. “Hilarious I’mthinking basement” Morganslammedface-firstintoAsh’sback. “Basement?”hesqueaked “Youwanttoactuallygointothebasement?” “Iwantustohavelightandmaybesomeheattonightifpossible.Thesunisn’twaitingonourasses.I’llkeepyousafe.” “Last time youkept me safe youtackled me to the ground,” Morgangrumbled, but followed Ashwithout pause. He was stompinghisfeetalittlebit Ashwassureitwashisformofprotest “Andwasn’tthatfunforeveryoneinvolved.”
