Page 22 of Of Curses and Beauty

Finally breaking free of her indecision, she forced her feet to move, one in front of the other. She paused beside Daric and rose on her tip-toes to place a feather-soft kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

His eyebrows drew together. “For what?” he asked, his voice soft like hers, but lower. A growl that awakened butterflies in her stomach.

“For seeing me.”

That night Alaine dreamed of possibilities she’d never allowed herself to consider.

Chapter 18

The Witch

TheAncientOneclenchedTheir fists as the scene unfolded in the witch’s scrying mirror. Jagged nails punctured the skin of Their palms, but They couldn’t be bothered to care. The witch had almost ruined everything.

They felt her then, she whose body They inhabited.

Eudora.

Something had roused her from the dream-like state in which They kept her, nestled within her own subconscious. Something that invigorated her spirit. Made her fight back. She didn’t understand that They were protecting her, protecting all of them from the full power of the curse.

She must have stored her magic these years, hoarding it while They’d had to waste precious energy sustaining her fragile body. It had been a mistake to wear the maiden’s form during Their visit. The crone took far less effort to maintain.

Twice tonight she’d broken through Their defenses. The first time, she accepted that foolish bargain with the Prince. It changed nothing in the end. If anything, it might entice him to work harder for their shared goal.

They were that much closer to being free of this mess, but then Eudora had gone and returned the girl her beauty. It had happened suddenly as They were departing, Their magic so depleted They didn’t notice the subtle spell until They’d spied the girl in the mirror moments ago.

That risk could have spoiled all Their hard work in a matter of minutes. Of course, he would fall in love with the girl. Even after hundreds of years, he was still desperate for love. The girl, however, was not so easily convinced—even less so now that he could see her true face. Her beauty sowed seeds of doubt, and doubt was a weed not easily eliminated.

Thatdamage could set Them back years, and it was time that They didn’t have to spare. Already, Their magic weakened. The additional work of containing the girl stretched Them close to the limits of Their mighty gift.

They screeched in frustration, casting the mirror away. They couldn’t even spare the effort it would take to travel back to the cottage and assert some damage control over the situation. They would need to wait until Their magic replenished. Likely by morning.

That meant They had all night to consider Their next move.

It was no matter, though. They refused to be beaten at Their own games.

The spark of an idea ignited. Their lips split, revealing broken and yellowed teeth. Though They needed to fan the flames, They knew without a doubt that the battle was not lost. In the morning, They would visit Alaine.

Chapter 19

Daric

Daricmanagedtostayupright until the door to Alaine’s room closed. With thesnickof the latch, he collapsed into the waiting arms of his chair. The events of the night had wrought havoc on his nerves. At once, he felt hollow and full to bursting. He had so many emotions battling for control within him: fear, relief, hope. Things he hadn’t felt in years. And yet, there remained an emptiness too. A sense of foreboding that might only have been his self-sabotaging anxiety rearing its ugly head. But he knew better than to blame instinct on anxious thoughts.

He wanted to tell Alaine of his new bargain with the witch, but apprehension kept him from rising to knock on her door. She’d be furious to learn that he planned to have her freed in less than a year. While he hoped she would one day break his curse, he wouldn’t use this information to influence her feelings toward him in any way. Perhaps if she grew tired of the curse, if she grew weary of the monotony, then he would tell hersomething, but not a moment sooner.

One year.

Less than one year, if he was counting the days. It was hardly any time at all in the grand scheme of things, and then he would be free of this prison. He had to admit he’d been thinking of it as a cage less and less since Alaine had joined him there. For better or worse, he would soon be leaving. The question was, would he leave with Alaine or the witch?

Chapter 20

Alaine

Morningdawnedswiftandunwelcome, frost coating the window panes after a rapid drop in temperature overnight.

Alaine approached her looking glass with trepidation. Worried she had dreamed the whole thing, and yet also hoping she had. She couldn’t decide how to feel about having her face returned to her. For years, her beauty had been a curse in itself. While she had mourned the loss of the face she knew, it had been a welcome respite from the expectations and judgment that came with being beautiful.

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