Page 156 of Cursed

Valen positioned himself beside me; ever inscrutable, ever magnetic. His dark eyes bored into mine, seeking secrets I had to suppress even at that moment. His brows furrowed and his lips twitched as though he wanted to say something. But he didn’t. He simply nodded.

“What about him?” I ventured.

“He’s too powerful,” Bastian blurted out.

Titus let out a frustrated breath.

“What?” Bastian protested. “We need her help. We can’t just—sit here!”

I glanced at Valen. “My help?”

Titus glared at Bastian, who threw up his hands in disbelief.

“If Lucian’s power remains unchecked, the consequences will be catastrophic,” Titus said stiffly. “Not just for us, but for every soul tethered to his dark ambition.”

“He wants control of all of Messana,” Valen said.

“All— All of it?” I murmured. My mind raced back to the whispers of the Bloodstone Grimoire, and the lingering dread that accompanied its presence. Would my stepbrothers be any better than Lucian? Would they protect me?

“Protect you from what?”

The thought clawed at my insides.

Tears pricked at my lashes and I blinked them away. I was suddenly cold—I wished I’d put on my robe. I was so exposed—the luxurious fabric of the négligée was so thin. “What do you want from me?”

“Nothing more than your freedom,” Valen said. His voice was earnest, and I wanted to believe him… But there was something else in his tone—something I couldn’t quite decipher. “You’ve suffered enough—”

“Freedom,” I repeated, but the word tasted like ashes in my mouth.

What kind of freedom could they offer me?

Something flared in my chest. “How do I know this isn’t another trap? That you won’t just use me again and then abandon me?” Titus opened his mouth, but I held up a hand to silence him. To my surprise, pale violet smoke wreathed around my hand and snaked around my fingers. My magic—stolen magic. I’d never been able to do that before—without even trying. I gazed at my fingers in surprise for just a moment and then focused on Titus again. “If the next words that come out of your mouth are: ‘you’ll have to trust us—’ then you can get thefuckout of my room and fend for your goddamn selves.”

Bastian laughed.

“Bet you didn’t expect that,” he crowed. He pulled back the curtains that covered my window with a flourish and fell down onto the window seat. The unsettling grin on his face sent shivers down my spine.

Titus, however, looked infuriated, and his icy demeanor cracked ever so slightly, but he sucked in a breath and stood taller than before.

“Do you think we want to remain under his thumb?” Bastian interjected. “We’re bound by blood, yes, but we’re shackled by his tyranny, too. You’re not alone—”

“How do I know you won’t turn on me?” I pressed.

“Because we need you,” Titus replied. His tone shifted and revealed a sliver of sincerity. “We are all bound to a destiny we cannot escape alone. If we don’t act soon...” His voice trailed off, but instead of intrigue, only anger thrummed in my veins.

“Then what?” I challenged. “What if I agree and you betray me? What then?”

“Then you’ll have lost nothing,” Valen answered.

“Except my life,” I snapped. “If we try to stand against Lucian and fail— Do you really think he’ll let any of us survive?”

But if they lied—if they blamed it all on me— Iwouldlose everything and they would be spared.

If that was what they offered, I would have to make sure that if wedidfail—no one could walk away unscathed.

Every heartbeat was like a countdown. I needed to make a choice, but the fear of betrayal twisted in my gut like a knife.

“I want your word,” I said.

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