Wicked (Joey Santana Book 4), page 1
WICKED
JOEY SANTANA #4
KARINA ESPINOSA
Copyright © 2022 by Karina Espinosa
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by © Orina Kafe
Edited by Stacy Sanford
Copyright 2022 by Karina Espinosa
ISBN-13: 9798827054573
ASIN: B09W6CBRB2
For my readers.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
About the Author
Also by Karina Espinosa
About the Author
1
The grass beneath me was soft and the sun’s warm light bathed my face with its buttery rays. I closed my eyes and released a deep sigh, lazily watching time drift by at the same slow, leisurely pace it had employed the past few weeks. I ran my fingers through the wildflowers in the meadow around me, releasing their sweet perfume, which blended harmoniously with the honeyed fragrance of fruits that lay heavily in the laden branches of the orchard to my left. I was too lethargic to move. I had been for weeks, since the day Magdalena’s curse to live an immortal life unloved by anyone became my own.
“Is this what you plan to do the rest of your immortal life?” The Seelie Queen hovered above me, blocking the sun with her disapproving glare.
I opened my eyes and looked up into her scowling face. She was beautiful as ever with long, flowing red hair that seemed to glow with the sun making a halo behind her. I was envious of her eternal beauty. Maybe I shouldn’t be. After all, I was stuck as a twenty-six-year-old for the rest of my days.
“Just leave me alone.” I draped an arm over my face, shielding my eyes from her glower.
She sighed. “You have work to do, Josephine. I let you wallow for a few weeks, but now it’s time to get to work.” She paused for a beat before adding, “The Alpha is looking for you.”
I sat up quickly and gasped. “What? Elliott?”
She nodded. “You’re still part of his pack, Josephine. They may not love you like they once did, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want anything to do with you.”
I murmured, “I don’t know how this curse works … I thought they’d hate me.”
The Seelie Queen shook her head. “No, that’s not how it is. There’s a fine line between love and hate, but within that in-between space is indifference.”
I groaned. “God, that sounds worse.”
She chuckled and squatted to be at eye level with me. “It can be. But remember, you already know what it’s like to be unloved. It’s hard to put yourself back in that time, but this is only temporary. I promise.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re making a lot of promises. I remember when you told me you could remove my curse, but look at me now!”
“Patience, Josephine,” the Seelie Queen soothed. “Try to see the bigger picture.”
Irritated, I blew the hair out of my face, scattering the pink strands. “The problem is that I don’t know what your plan is, which means I can’t see the big picture! You don’t share anything with me,” I grumbled. “By the way … where’s Maggie?”
The Seelie Queen stood. “Everything in due time. For now, go see what the Alpha wants. I’m sure he’s not pleased that you’re staying with us in Seelie Town instead of with his pack.”
As if I had a choice.
I stepped outside the seelies’ botanical garden and hailed a supernatural taxi, asking the driver to take me to the Pack den where the Seelie Queen told me a Pack meeting was being held. Unfortunately, I arrived at the end and missed it completely. I walked inside the bustling bar full of werewolves talking amongst themselves. The first floor was packed, but I knew the Alpha would be on the second floor.
I navigated through the crowd, cutting around tables and avoiding stares from other Pack members when a hand caught my elbow and hauled me to a stop in the middle of the bar.
“Joey?” Levi released my arm. “Where have you been?”
I frowned at his question, unsure why any of them would care what happened to me, but then I remembered Levi never loved me to begin with. If there was anyone who hated me from the beginning, it was Levi. Through our shared imprisonment at the military compound, he had slowly shifted to indifference. Even with my curse, he was probably the only person who hadn’t changed.
“Hey, Levi, how’s it going?” I looked around the room, finally settling my eyes on him.
“Good. I just wondered where you’d been. You weren’t in the caravan back to Los Angeles that night, and I haven’t seen you since. Is everything okay?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ve just been staying low key since all that went down. I don’t know about you, but the few weeks I was there took a lot out of me. I can’t imagine how it must be for the rest of you guys.”
“Oh, yeah, I understand that feeling all too well,” he acknowledged. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I asked Reed about you, but he acted really weird.” Levi frowned.
My brows shot up and my stomach churned anxiously. “Weird how?”
“Well … to put it plainly, like he didn’t care what happened to you. I mean, the day I was kidnapped by the humans, the guy practically followed me out to the human territories to threaten me to stay away from you. It was the whole reason we were together. And now he can’t care less?” Levi scratched his head. “Like I said, weird.”
Each word that spilled from his lips was like a punch to the gut. It took everything in me not to double over in pain. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, it really was over between me and Reed. Well, I couldn’t say what was between us was over since nothing technically started. I remembered asking Reed to wait for me right before the curse unfolded, but if he didn’t remember, there was nothing I could do about it.
I tried to laugh it off and brush away Levi’s concern. “Uh … things are different now. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“I can tell.” Levi jabbed a thumb behind him toward a crowd of werewolves in the far corner. I looked over his shoulder and gasped when I saw Reed in the center of the crowd, seated in a chair with Ava on his lap. They were all laughing and having a good time, appearing as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
That was the final blow to my gut … except this time the jolt hit my heart. I clutched my chest, feeling the pain of a thousand knives as I hurriedly looked away from the crowd.
“Joey …” Levi murmured, “are you okay?”
The last person in the world I ever would’ve thought would be concerned for my welfare was the wolf standing before me. Maybe it was only because we’d been through hell and back together, but his concern was sincere and in the midst of all this pain, it was oddly comforting. Even if it was coming from Levi.
I tried to smile. “Yeah … I’m okay.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be here.”
I shook my head. “Elliott wanted to see me.”
Levi still looked unsure, but he nodded. “Okay,” he said. “He’s upstairs.”
I nodded and excused myself, ignoring the raucous crowd behind him as I made my way to the stairwell. I took the steps two at a time to the second floor where Elliott was seated at a table with Valentina. I cleared my throat. “Excuse me. Elliott?”
He looked up and saw me, his expression carefully neutral. “Ah, Joey. Finally, you’ve come out of hiding.” He turned to his Beta. “Valentina, will you excuse us?”
The pack’s Beta nodded and headed downstairs, leaving the two of us alone.
“Have a seat.” Elliott motioned to the chair across from him.
I took my seat quietly and waited for him to speak. I didn’t have much to say.
“First, I believe a thank you is in order,” he said. “In all the turmoil, I never got the opportunity to thank you for freeing me. If you hadn’t switched places with me, who knows what would have happened.”
His voice no longer held traces of guilt for what I’d done. He was merely appreciative. This was a different version of Elliott from the one I’d left.
“Of course,” I said. “Anytime.”
He nodded. “According to Valentina and Atticus, in my absence you did so much for the supe district. That’s why I’m confused as to why you’re hiding … especially in Seelie Town, of all places. Did the Seelie Queen offer you asylum?”
I swallowed deeply and rubbed my hands on my jean-clad legs under the table, wondering what to say. The Seelie Queen told me that any loved ones who knew about my family curse would no longer remember. This put me in quite a pickle because I couldn’t just tell Elliott my story again. He either wouldn’t beli
I shook my head. “The Seelie Queen didn’t offer me asylum. I … I simply thought I may have overstayed my welcome in your home and decided to make other arrangements. I figured you might need privacy with Lillian,” I rambled.
“Okay …” Elliott said, his brow creased. “But with the seelies?”
I bit my lip. “I’m trying to get them to help us.”
His eyes widened. “Oh! Well that’s great! Smart thinking, Joey.”
Even though I was lying through my teeth, selfishly I craved the Alpha’s encouragement. With every second I lingered in the Pack den, my heart shattered further into tiny little pieces. I wanted to get the hell out of there as fast as possible.
“From now on, I want you to report everything directly to me,” Elliott instructed. “I want weekly reports on their every movement.”
“Yes, sir.” I nodded, agreeing to something I had no business doing.
Elliott was all business. “You’re dismissed. Oh, and Joey?” I froze in the middle of standing. “Don’t miss any more Pack meetings.”
“Of course; my apologies,” I mumbled. Without looking behind me, I stood and scampered back downstairs. Once I reached the bottom step, I exhaled loudly as if I’d been holding my breath the whole time. This whole situation was beyond frustrating. I didn’t know how I would survive it.
Not wanting to be there a minute longer, I was on my way to the front door when a petite frame blocked my path. I groaned.
Ava.
She stood before me with her arms crossed over her chest and the biggest grin stretched across her face. The face of victory. “Well, look who we have here!” she said loud enough for everyone gathered nearby to hear.
As the eyes of the Pack landed on us, my body erupted in prickly heat from a fresh wave of embarrassment. “What do you want?” I grunted, clearly annoyed because I knew exactly where this conversation was headed.
“I see you’re no longer a claimed wolf,” she smirked. “I tried to tell you his bizarre interest in you wouldn’t last long. It was just a phase.”
My hands tightened at my sides. I was ready to throw a punch, but in the midst of hundreds of wolves, I had to control myself. No one here would back me up. I was officially on my own.
I snorted and let out a nonchalant laugh. “You’re actually gloating about snagging a man?” I acted cool and unbothered. Fake it ‘til you make it; words I’d always lived by. “How very twenty-first century of you.”
Her smirk lost some of its confidence, but she quickly recovered. “Don’t act like it doesn’t hurt, Joey. Reed left you for me. Publicly, too. The whole pack knows what Reed used to say about bitten werewolves. We all knew he was only by your side because the Alpha ordered him to, out of pity. You’re the only one who was out of the loop. That’s just sad.” She gave me a sarcastic frown that I wanted to smack off her pretty little face. “And to think you sacrificed everything for a guy who doesn’t even like you. You’re pathetic.”
That was it. Fuck control. Fuck the consequences. I was going to rearrange her cute little face.
I took a step forward, claws at the ready when a hand gripped mine, stopping me. For a second, just a split second, I thought it was Reed. I hoped it would be. But I quickly learned that was a delusional dream. Maybe Ava was right. I was pathetic.
“Ava, enough.” Levi stood beside me, gripping my wrist tightly. “Don’t you ever get tired of your own voice?”
Quickly overcoming her surprise, Ava laughed. “Aw, how cute! You seem to have a new savior. You must attract the ones who hate you.”
When I let out a growl, Levi tightened his grip.
“What’s going on here?” Reed pushed his way through the crowd, standing protectively beside Ava. He looked between us and then his dark honey eyes landed on me. They didn’t look happy. “Are you starting trouble, Joey?”
I scoffed, “Why don’t you ask your girlfriend? I was just minding my own business.” The word girlfriend tasted sour on my tongue.
Reed furrowed his brows before glancing down at Levi’s hand still clamped on my wrist. “Put a leash on her if she doesn’t know how to behave in public,” he snapped.
That was the moment I lost all sense of control or self-restraint.
Fuck love. I was going to break his face.
“What did you just say?” I growled and tried to take a step forward but was pulled back roughly. “Say it one more time. I dare you!”
“Don’t be a dick, Reed,” Levi cut in. “That’s my job. It doesn’t look good on you.”
Reed rolled his eyes as his hand reached for Ava’s. “Whatever. We don’t have time for this.”
There was that feeling again – a knife to the heart. The knowledge that we no longer included me made my heart seize. Did it ever? Was Reed finally showing his true colors? Did I ever truly know him to begin with? My emotions were a jumbled mess, and a sudden burst of claustrophobia took ahold of me, bringing with it the desperate need to exit the Pack den.
“Who said I had time for either of you?” I grimaced. “You’re the ones wasting my time.”
“You’re so bitter,” Ava chuckled. “And hey – don’t expect a wedding invitation.” She tugged on Reed’s hand as she turned around and dragged him back to their group of friends.
All I could do was stand there like an idiot with my hands in fists and my claws digging into my palms. If steam could blow out of my ears, I would’ve looked like a freight train right about then. She was right. I was bitter. But not for the reasons she thought.
Reed wasn’t an object that either of us owned. If he decided to be with her, I had to respect that. Did it make me happy? No. But it was his choice at the end of the day. What I was bitter about was that she had what I would never have, and that was someone who loved her. Once, I thought I had that with Reed. Oh, how the universe loved to play tricks on you. So very cruel.
“Come on.” Levi dragged me in the opposite direction toward the front door. I looked down and realized blood was dripping from my claws from piercing the skin of my palms.
Once we were outside, he led me around the corner to the parking lot and placed me against a brick wall. Slowly, he opened one of my hands to reveal where my nails had pierced skin. My palm was covered in blood. He dug in his pocket for something to clean my cuts.
I snatched my hand back. “It’s okay, Levi, it’s no big deal. I’ll heal. Why are you being so nice to me, anyway? Shouldn’t you hate my guts?” I frowned, realizing he was being extra nice – something that shouldn’t be possible in my current condition. I think. This curse was complicated.
“I don’t hate you,” he mumbled.
“Liar,” I laughed. “If you could kill me, you would.”
He released a deep sigh and ran a hand across his buzz cut. “Maybe before …” he muttered.
My brows rose almost to my hairline. “Before? What changed?”
He shrugged, shoved his hands in his pockets, and kicked at some rocks on the ground. “I don’t know. It just feels like we endured a nightmare together. You also made a huge sacrifice for our Alpha. That’s not something I take lightly.”
I nodded and nibbled my bottom lip. “You don’t like … love me, do you?” I asked hesitantly. It was a stupid question to ask, but the way he nervously spoke without making eye contact and how he protected me from Reed made me question everything. I mean, I was in the middle of a major life crisis! This shouldn’t be happening. According to the curse as I understood it, no one should be this nice to me.
“Girl, are you crazy?” He jerked back like I’d slapped him. “Did you hit your head or something? I said I don’t hate you, not that I love you. Let’s not get crazy, now. We’re more like in between those two. You’re … okay.”
