Page 158 of Cursed

“By blood we seal, by shadow sworn,”I intoned.

Titus remained cool and impassive—he had probably executed many of these spells himself. He didn’t flinch as the blade cut into his flesh.

“Bound in flesh, a pact is born.”

Last was Bastian— Despite his protests, his pulse thrummed beneath my fingers—fast and scared. My hand trembled and Bastian watched my movements with clenched teeth. With a swift, fierce movement, I sliced into his arm. He let out a furious breath and flexed his fingers as blood welled up and dripped down his arm.

“Break this vow, and life shall sever,”I murmured and drew the blade across my palm. “Promise me— promise me you won’t betray me.”

“I promise,” Valen was first.

Titus next. “I promise.”

Bastian let out a grunt.

“Out loud,” Titus growled.

“I promise—but you’re all fucking insane,” Bastian said through gritted teeth.

It was enough. A burning heat spread through my arm and I tried not to gasp as I laid my wounded hand over each of the cuts I had made.“Dust to bone, bound together.”

“You said cursed wrong,” Bastian quipped. “Are we done here?”

Power coursed through me, and I could feel the connection between us.

Now I was sure I could trust them—they wouldn’t be foolish enough to break their promise to me. Not again.

Not if it meant their own lives would be forfeit.

They were assholes, but they weren’t stupid.

“We are,” I said. I flexed my hand and watched in awe as the wound closed over. My palm was smooth and unblemished, with only a faint purple line visible where I’d made the cut. Blood still covered my hand, but that would wash away. Valen, Titus, and Bastian all looked down at their arms as their cuts sealed over, too.

“Bullshit,” Bastian muttered. “Now there’s blood on the floor.”

I shrugged. “Clean it up if you don’t like it.”

Bastian made a face, and Titus pushed past him to walk across the room to the bathroom. Water splashed into the sink and I smiled as I heard his muttered curses. I was in control now.

Me.

Not so long ago, all of this would have been impossible.

The power I’d taken from Clara surged through me—and the sensation of it twining around the magic already in my veins pushed aside the guilt that had crippled me.

It was unsettling and electrifying… this fresh surge of power. I flexed my fingers and felt the magic shift inside me.

Delicious.

“Can we talk about this now?” Valen asked.

“About what?” Bastian snarled. He paced the room like a caged animal and I could feel the anger radiating off him.

Had he planned to betray me? After everything he had said? Was that why he was so agitated?

Valen watched his younger brother with suspicious eyes and then glanced up as Titus strode back into the room.

“We need to talk,” Titus said. “But not yet. Plans are… difficult.”

---