Free Marked: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Thrice Cursed Mage Book 2) by J. A. Cipriano Page B

me, and her braces flashed in the sunlight spilling in through the window.
    I was about to make a cocky response, but I stopped myself because Ricky was staring at me in a way that was anything but casual. No, she was doing it in a way that begged for more, and honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was in a place where I could step into something like that. Because let’s be real here, I was about to go kill a lot of people so I could kill one very specific person. I might have been amped up due to my own Devil’s bargain, but I’d have to pay for that, and right now, the absolute last thing I wanted to do was turn Ricky into Sera.
    “How about we put a pin in this conversation until tomorrow because we might both be dead in the next fifteen minutes?” I smiled at her, and she returned it with a look I couldn’t read.
    “Okay, Mac. We can do that.” Her words were slow and careful. “So, fifteen minutes? What do you have planned, exactly?”
    “We take the fight to Pierce before shit gets worse. I have no idea who else is coming for me. Hell, for all I know, Maya and those NWO goons might not even be with Pierce. There are forces at play here I don’t understand, and right now, I just don’t have time to deal with them. I need to take down Pierce before I run out of time.” As I spoke, Ricky’s face twisted in confusion, and she took a step backward.
    “What do you mean by ‘run out of time’ exactly?” Ricky’s voice had gained an edge of a snarl. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Something I should know?”
    “Okay,” I said, holding up my hands in the universal sign for please don’t turn into a giant rage beast and tear out my throat. “You already know Pierce is after me, you just don’t know why. The reason Pierce is after me is because I tried to kill him and failed.”
    “Uh, huh.” Ricky raised an eyebrow at me. An angry eyebrow. She was like one second from full on “hands on the hips” bitch mode. That would probably not end well even if she wasn’t a werewolf.
    “And because I failed to kill him originally, some other guys kidnapped my sister and her son to use as collateral so I’ll finish the job.” I let out a sigh. “This is my last day to make good on my end of the deal before they kill my family, Ricky.” I tried to smile at her. “You might say, no matter what, this ends tonight.”
    “Are you kidding me?” Ricky cried. Her hands tightened into fists as she glared at me hard enough to make me want to hide under the bed. “This whole time I’ve been feeling like a total bitch because I dragged you into this. When I saw you being chased by his goons, I thought, hey, it’s probably Pierce trying to extend his territory by killing you because you killed Van, but it was way, way, not that.” She stepped close to me, and the smell of wolf hit me full on as amber-coloring started to melt into her eyes. She was dangerously close to changing, and there was no way that would end well for me. “It turns out you’ve been using me this whole time, and you weren’t even honest about it.” She shook her head. “Did you think I wouldn’t help if I knew the truth?”
    “No, I didn’t think that, Ricky. I know you’ll help me.” I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding. “I can’t say why I know, but I do.” I swallowed hard. “I trust you in a way I can’t explain.”
    “If you trust me so much, why didn’t you tell me, Mac?” she asked, looking up at me.
    “It’s complicated,” I said, reaching out and brushing the hair from her face. The moment I touched her, it felt like an electric shock short-circuited my brain. She must have felt it too because she stopped and stared into my eyes, lips half-parted. She swallowed hard.
    “Uncomplicate it for me,” she replied, stepping in closer so we were nearly pressed together. “Please.”
    “Ricky,” I said, but my word came out breathless. “I don’t want to tell you.” I put my forehead against