Page 54 of Cursed

“Leave,” I hissed, my voice trembling despite the sharpness of my command. “I don’t need anything from you.”

“Do you truly want me to go?” he asked as he tilted his head, genuinely amused. “Or are you afraid of what I can offer you?”

“Get out!” I shouted, but even as the words left my mouth, doubt crept in.

What if I was wrong? What if therewasa way out—an escape—from the chains that bound me to Withermarsh?

“Think about it, Avril,” Titus said softly. His voice was a velvet caress that wrapped around me like tendrils of smoke. “What will you choose? Do you want to be a sorcerer’s plaything? Or will you rise up and claim your destiny—”

I sucked in a breath and his eyebrow rose slightly.

Shit.

“Did you even know that you had one to claim?”

He lingered, his gaze locked on mine.

I felt torn between the darkness that beckoned and the light I desperately clung to, but I could feel the precipice beneath me shifting.

I had wondered how long it would take for my stepbrothers to descend… Bastian had been their scout, and I had given in far too easily.

Now I was weak—and desperate.

My mind raced with thoughts that clawed at me—memories of their betrayal, the lingering echoes of Lucian’s voice—my mother’s dead eyes...

But how could I trust the men who had reveled in my pain?

“Do you really think I would betray you again?” Titus purred, his dark eyes glinted with amusement as if he could read my thoughts. “You’re smarter than that, Avril. Do you know what’s at stake here?”

“Why should I believe anything you say?” I shot back, struggling to keep my voice steady. “You’ve made your intentions clear time and time again. You thrive on suffering. Especially mine.”

“Haven’t you dreamed of a life where Lucian’s shadow no longer looms over you— Where you’re free to go where you please and do as you like?”

His words wrapped around me, full of seductive promise.

I had dreamed of that freedom.

I had dreamed of the chains of Lucian’s control snapping one by one, and the weight of his thinly veiled lust lifted from my shoulders. A world where I could breathe, unfettered, pursued only by my own desires rather than someone else’s cruel whims. But was that freedom truly attainable, or was it just another illusion?

“It’s not real,” I hissed. Fear crept up my spine, impossible to shrug away. “What happens when I reach for that freedom only to find out that your promises are nothing more than smoke? Lucian would kill me—” Fear cut off my words and tightened my throat.

“Ah, but this isn’t just any offer,” he countered. His tone lowered and turned conspiratorial. “This ispower—the very magic contained within the Bloodstone Grimoire. With it, you can become somethingmore.”

My gaze flickered involuntarily toward the grimoire, and its leather cover gleamed ominously in the low light, taunting me. It radiated an unsettling energy, whispering promises of dark secrets and untold strength. Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine and ignited something deep within me that begged to be unleashed.

“Every choice has consequences, doesn’t it?” I said and forced myself to meet his gaze, even though my insides churned. “You’ve betrayed me before. What makes this time different?”

“Trust?” His lips curled into a smirk, the kind that sent a jolt of dread through me. “Trust is overrated, don’t you think? It’sdesirethat truly binds us. Your desire for liberation, your hunger for power—it aligns perfectly with my own goals.”

With every word he spoke, the line between temptation and treachery blurred further.

“I— I don’t know—”

He tilted his head slightly and his gaze pierced through me. “Why do you hesitate? The potential is within your grasp, Avril. You simply need to seize it… I know you’re afraid that you’re not strong enough. Let me help you.”

“What’s in it for you?” I demanded.

“Power,” he replied. “The grimoire can unlock a potential within you that’s been dormant for far too long. This is a chance to rise above the ashes of your circumstances. You’d be foolish not to consider it.”

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