Greatest Curse (Book 2)

Bennett, Bentley, Chester, and Asher

(Jaxon)

One day later

A well thought-out lecture, a few swear words, and possible double-up on duties were probably what awaited me when I returned to Black Rock Canyon's new territory in Jasper Falls. There is no doubt in my mind, that once Hunter realizes I'm not home by the usual time, he'd figure out exactly where I went.

I had asked him to come with me if he was so afraid, but he said he'd be busy and unable to take me. So, early this morning, before he woke up, and before Darcy or Maia were up and about, I'd snuck downstairs, grabbed a few tools and loaded them into the tray of Hunter's Ford Toyota. Another reason he would throw a fit.

I'd borrowed his ride for the day, and he would immediately know where I went.

And then, I drove off, only stopping once or twice to buy a few things. Hunter had specifically warned me about the dangers of going back. But there were some things that just needed to be done, despite the lurking threats.

I should rephrase my previous statement. My phone had gone off at least fifteen times since the last four hours, and it was Hunter blowing up my phone. He'd even gotten Maia and Darcy, even Andre to call as well. I ignored all of the calls, chucking the phone into the back seat after turning it to silent.

They were not going to stop me from this. It was something I had to do. And I really hoped they would understand why I couldn't turn back or just forget about it.

After driving for another hour, I arrived at my destination. It was the old Black Rock territory. The homes were now abandoned, but they were still in good condition as it had only been a year since we had vacated it to flee from our enemy. The community-like group of houses was situated well into the woods, hidden by tall trees. Just further inside, just before the borders of what used to be my home territory, was a small cemetery for Black Rock's fallen.

As I slowly drove through the abandoned community, I took a chance to glance around at the houses. They were all vacant, almost like a little ghost town in the middle of nowhere. And as I approached a familiar house, blue in colour with a cute porch, I felt a painful stab in the centre of my chest. It was all too familiar that pain, but at the same time, it was the worst sort of pain I could ever experience.

And what hurt most wasn't the fact that it belonged to someone I once loved with everything I was worth, but the fact that of all the homes left vacant, a gang of party-goers had found and chosen this particular house as their venue. I could hear the R&B music flowing out through the windows, the porch lined with people dressed in leather and scanty clothing. Smoke wafted through the windows and doorway, creating a mist-like cover.

I almost hit the brakes, wanting to get out and throw those people out. But then, the essence of that house was no longer here. So, what was the point? I kept on driving, ignoring the fact that the party-goers lounging on the front porch were suspiciously eyeing Hunter's truck.

I finally got to the cemetery out back and parked the truck in the mini shed just outside the gated entrance to the cemetery. No one had been by to take care of it, that much was certain with the unkempt brush and weed growth covering the graves, and the twisting vines snaking around the headstones.

Grabbing up the few tools from the tray, I made my way into the cemetery and over to the graves of the people I had come to visit. But as I approached, my pace slowed when I noticed something wrong.

No one had been by in the last year, yet their graves were cleared. The weed and brush growth had been cleared, cut and trimmed revealing a slight bump in the ground where the earth was raised from the bodies we'd put down there. The headstones were perfectly gray, the dirt and mud cleaned off save for a few chipped markings that couldn't be helped, and the words engraved could be easily read.