Free Cursed (The Order of the Wolf) by Angela Addams Page A

giddy, feeling like this was the most important moment of her life.
    Raven looked down at her, licked his lips, his fangs gleaming.
    “You don’t want to do that, wolf. Open the goddamned door if you know what’s good for you.”
    Darcy snapped her eyes to the door. That sounded like… “Annie?”
    “That’s right, Darcy. Open this door or I’ll spell it open.”
    Darcy jumped from the bed and scrambled to find some clothes to throw on before opening the door. Outside stood Annie and another woman, presumably Kat. The woman had dark hair streaked with white, its length rivaling Annie’s waist-long braid. Her eyes were so blue they shone.
    “Whew, girl, you almost made the biggest mistake of your life.” Annie pushed past her into the room, toting a big bag and her companion. Kat had said nothing about Annie coming too.
    “How did you…?”
    “Kat is a seer, unreliable power, let me tell you.” She scoffed in Kat’s general direction. “Realized you two beat us here and hit the gas…just in the nick of time, by the looks of it.”
    Kat nodded as she helped Annie heave the bag onto the small hotel table. “You’re a foolish girl. Messing with a werewolf. Do you have no sense?”
    Raven growled low and long as he stalked toward the women. “What are you two doing?”
    Kat refused to look at him. “We’re setting up the spell, that’s what we’re doing. You want to be free of this curse, don’t ya?” She continued mumbling. “No sense to be meddling with a werewolf. Fool of a witch, get herself killed.”
    Annie took out a pouch from the bag and poured its contents into a small bowl, then lifted it to Raven’s nose. “Cleansing powder…for the curse.”
    With the bowl right under his nostrils, he had no choice but to inhale. He immediately started coughing and gagging as he pushed it away. “What the fuck, lady?”
    Annie smiled. “Oh, so sorry, thought you might want to see it.”
    “See it?” He coughed, his eyes red and weeping. “You practically shoved it up my nose!”
    Darcy frowned as she looked from Annie to Kat. There was something so odd—
    “Annie…how did you meet—?”
    “Kat?” Annie nodded. “I’ve known Kat for years. Expert curse remover.” She set up a series of candles, brushed her hand over the lot of them and muttered the incantation to set them ablaze.
    A seer and a curse remover? Huh? Two powerful traits in the same witch…not likely. And if Annie had known a curse remover all along, why hadn’t she said something right from the start? Darcy shook her head. Odd didn’t even begin to describe the situation. “Why do you need candles to—?”
    Annie waved her question away, then turned and hugged her. “I didn’t even say hello properly.” She laughed then quietly whispered against her ear. “Hush now, girl, you want to get us all killed?”
    Darcy shook her head again, hugged Annie back. When she pulled away, Annie winked then resumed her strange spell preparation. There was nothing about this scene that made any sense. Darcy didn’t know a lot about removing curses but she knew enough to recognize smoke and mirrors when she saw it. These women weren’t setting up for a spell.
    “What was in that powder?” Raven rubbed his eyes, took a step toward the women and stumbled.
    “Raven!” Darcy made a move toward him and Annie halted her mid-step with a touch of power—a warning jolt—and a minute shake of her head.
    “You’ve drugged me!” he roared.
    Kat dripped the candle wax over the powder, mumbled a few words, then scooped it up and flung it at Raven. It landed with a splat across his eyes. He bellowed his rage as he frantically tried to clear the mess off his face.
    His body began to contort. His bellow turned into a growl. The witches had forced a change.
    Kat nodded at Annie.
    “Time to go,” Annie said as she grabbed Darcy’s hand and dragged her toward the door.
    “What’s going on?” Darcy screeched as Kat followed up behind her,