Page 43 of The Prince's Curse

This was like nothing she’d ever seen. The curses laid on Alistair and the others were mere parlor tricks compared to this. The markings on her arms ignited, and two lashes of shadow shot out from Scarlett to push back at her. Shoshanna recoiled, and the other woman frowned at her.

“What are you doing?”

“I was just curious about the magic surrounding you,” Shoshanna said, her heart still pounding in that cold waste of her chest.

Alistair shook his head. “Scarlett, it’s a long and complicated story. But look in my eyes. I swear to you that Julian Alcott did not kill your mother and father. He has loved you for a long time.”

“How?” she said. “When I was a baby?”

“No. It’s… Look, Armina’s obviously filled your head with lies,” Alistair said. “If we call Julian, he’ll be here in half an hour, and he can answer whatever you want to know. He wants to help you.”

“Don’t call him. I shouldn’t have come here,” Scarlett said, lurching to her feet and knocking over the teacup with a clatter. The dhampir woman bolted for the door, and Shoshanna took a risk. She plucked one of the powerful threads of magic embedded into the house, trying to latch onto Scarlett.

Darkness burst across her vision, and she watched as the tendrils coalesced at her back, disintegrating Shoshanna’s magic like sand. Scarlett sprinted through the door, and Shoshanna fell back as the sting of her magic snapped back at her again.

Alistair swore, then knelt next to her. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Call Julian,” she said, lying back on the cold tile. Her frustration boiled over. “Why did you suggest calling him here?”

“I thought it would help,” he said.

She threw up her hands in frustration, and he was quiet as he went to retrieve his phone from downstairs. His voice was muffled through the floor, but he creaked his way back upstairs to join her. Gently, he took her hand, helped her up, and guided her to sit on the couch.

“I didn’t mean to snap at you,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

His hand skimmed over her knee and squeezed. “It’s all right.”

“Your instincts were correct. We have to get them together somehow. I just…” She looked up to meet his eyes. “Allie, I’ve never seen anything like the magic surrounding her. She just walked right through all my spells like they weren’t there. It’s almost like the curse is pushing everything else back. I don’t know if I can help her.”

“Shoshanna York,” he said sternly. “Are you telling me that you doubt yourself?”

“A little,” she dared.His arm curled around her and pulled her in close, and despite everything, she felt safe in his embrace. The closeness pushed back the cold of Scarlett’s curse and the anxiety of her invasion. She rested her head against his chest for a while before she spoke again. “What if I can’t help her?”

“Then you’ll be the same as the rest of us mere mortals,” he replied. “Not one of us has been able to stop this in the past.” He kissed the top of her head, his lips lingering as he spoke. “And if it fails, it is not your fault. I cannot imagine how much hate and malice Armina Voss has woven into her magic over the years.”

“It sounds like you’re preparing me to fail,” she said.

“I think you need to be prepared for that,” he said. She pulled back and frowned up at him. Then he gently cupped her cheek. “I also think that if anyone on this planet is capable of helping her, it’s you. And as long as you don’t destroy yourself to do it, I will back you all the way to the end.”

Her throat tightened. “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you,” he said. “Which is a much easier task than loving me, I assure you.”

At that, she laughed. “Come on. You need to go back to bed. I have a feeling we’re in for a long night once Julian hears the news.”

Chapter 11

There was no good reason for Olivia Pierce to wake him in the middle of the day, and given that his alarm hadn’t gone off and his legs felt like concrete, it was nowhere near sunset. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he sat up, winced at the raging headache, and slurred, “What’s wrong?”

For a moment, the smell of human blood worried him; was Olivia hurt? But she pressed a warm mug into his hands and said, “I’m sorry to wake you early, but I thought it was important. We’re all fine. But something’s happened you need to know about.”

He glanced down, cheeks heating as he realized he was sitting in front of his assistant in nothing but his briefs. At least he hadn’t slept in the nude. “Can I have a minute?”

She laughed and said, “Yes. Sorry about the rude awakening.”

When she was gone, he gulped down the mug’s contents, then lurched out of bed. He didn’t bother with a shower, just threw on jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, then hurried down the hall to meet her in her office. The glass windows of the compound’s central building had been thoroughly tinted so the UV rays didn’t hurt him, but he still felt the aching burden of daylight, cramping his muscles and making him sluggish.

Two more familiar smells greeted him as he walked into the office wing. Mixed with the smell of fresh coffee were the strong, lively scents of Alistair Thorne and Shoshanna York, whose voices greeted him as he rounded the corner and found them all sitting in Olivia’s office.Alistair looked pale, though his head was on straight, which was an improvement. Shoshanna’s cheeks were flushed, and her heartbeat pulsed noisy and quick.

---