Haunted

Sixteen

"I'm trying to comfort you, Cassie!" The offense in Liam's voice stings as he narrows his eyes at me, my yelling at a beta shifter of all people maybe not the best course of action, his wolf not happy with the tone my voice had taken on. 

I know that he doesn't mean to raise his hackles at me, but getting yelled at has probably not happened many times since stepping into his title...

The instructions that had been given to me so long ago for encountering unfriendly beast-men flooding back to me, my head craning down to give submission without bearing my throat, my eyes picking a spot on the mattress while I let myself fall limp, the tremors that come with the actions shaking me to my very core as I struggle to make myself look just a little bit smaller...

Until Liam realizes what's happening and snaps himself out of the tension he's holding in his shoulders, his wolf apparently satisfied with the image of me being weaker than he assumed me to be a moment ago when my voice was raised... But his human half seems to find it more distressing than anything else, a quiet swear breaking passed his lips while he tries to gather me close again, stopping when I push his hands away. 

"I... I didn't mean to get loud with you just now. I just don't understand why I can't hold you..." His muttering is nearly as quiet as the swear had been, the regret on his face instant and genuine, "I just want to hold you..."

...

Liam

...

"I...Liam, it isn't safe for you to just hold me willy nilly... We have to make sure my leg doesn't touch you." Casper is slow as he starts to move, his movements overly exaggerated so I can watch as he swaddles his top sheet around his bad leg creating an extra layer between us before pulling the comforter back into his lap and easing back into me, "I-I know that you've been waiting a long time to be able to hold me... And I'm sorry I made you wait... But this really is so you don't get hurt... The curse trapped in my leg will kill you if given the chance and I really really need you to understand that you cannot touch it skin to skin."

The mention of the curse his family is responsible for him having in the first place brings the ice in my veins back up to a boil, the injustices forced upon my beautiful mate always going to enrage me no matter how much time passes between when they happened and the present...

No one should ever have their own family do to them what Casper's had down to his, the loyalty of the witches in my personal life called into question despite not having been the generation to have surrendered my Cassie up as though his life was worth less than everyone else's just because he had been burdened with being turned into a walking war machine with no thoughts on what the consequences to his mind might be when said war was over...

I have to take a few minutes to process and breathe before I can start thinking of a way to approach the subject without setting off another bout of tears or even worse, another meltdown like the one he had the other day when he had to flee from me, "C-Can you explain why the curse is so bad? I think maybe if I understand it a bit more it'll be easier for me to remind myself in the future to be careful."

I think I've phrased it well enough... I've been vague and open-ended for my slight immortal to add or retract as much detail as he wants while still hopefully giving me enough information for me to understand the importance of it, "I know Kore said he touched your ankle about a month ago by accident and that the sickness he got because of it still bothers him sometimes... But how do we know it'll affect me at all?"  

...

Casper

...

The questions makes me uncomfortable, but at least he isn't asking for a more accurate retelling of how I came to receive such a curse that I have to safeguard everyone else against even touching me the wrong way or in the wrong spot...

It takes me a few seconds, but eventually, I can push past the emotion that always seems to choke me when it comes to being reminded of my past, "It took a lot of combined power from the forces on the other side to save Kore, and I still haven't forgiven myself for letting him be exposed to the curse in the first place." 

My hand instinctually lifts itself to touch the pendant slung around my neck, more than one burn branded into my flesh in the same shape as the dog tag's that the council had chosen to enchant... One of the deepest burns one that I'll never regret, the power it had taken to pull my nephew back from the grips of death enough to summon not one council member but three once they felt the ripples I was causing... Luckily none of them had stopped me once they realized what I was doing.

"Other side?" The confusion on Liam's face tells me that I've only created more questions in his mind by pausing where I have. 

"Hell. The power I draw on comes from the other side... From Demons and Hellfire. Kore only survived because I chose to break the rules and use my powers to save him. He's still weak from it all, not because the curse almost killed him... But because I had to pour so much of my own magic into him that his soul has been slightly tainted... You should know though... I wouldn't be able to do that for you, Liam. If the curse jumps to you I cannot save you. I could barely save Kore and the only reason it even worked is that his body is made to handle copious amounts of magic... Your body is strong, but not strong enough to be doused in magic and survive it. So I really do need you to understand the seriousness of this, please."