Page 31 of Cursed

I touched the doorknob, and its chill startled me. My fingers tingled with pain from the burns I had sustained, but the cold metal eased it somewhat.

“What?” I called out. “I’m not hungry!”

Whoever was outside knocked again, harder this time, and the door vibrated with the force of their blows.

I pulled the door open and gasped at the warmth that spilled into the room.

“Bastian—” I blurted out.

Framed by the dim light from the corridor, the youngest Romano brother’s unruly blond hair caught the light like an angel’s halo, though I knew better than to be fooled. The disarming smile that stretched across his lips was only a mask that concealed the darkness I knew lurked beneath.

“Avril,” he said. His voice was smooth and warm, and yet it sent a shiver down my spine as his gaze traveled up and down my body. “You look positively enchanting,” he said wryly.

I looked down at my soot stained feet and the blackened patches on my robe.

I was a complete mess.

“Um...” My words faltered and I could feel the heat of my cheeks rising.Why did he have to be so captivating?Why did I want him so badly— even after what they had done to me?I cleared my throat and glared back at him as I pulled the door closed just a little so he couldn’t see into the room. “What do you want?”

“Just wanted to see how my favorite sister is faring—you haven’t been to dinner in some time—” He leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting with mischief as they flickered past me. I bit down on my tongue as his pale gaze sharpened, hungry and intense.

“Don’t come any closer!” I blurted, but the command felt feeble and Bastian’s answering smile was wolfish.

With a fluid movement, he laid a hand on my shoulder and pushed me aside, invading my space with an unsettling energy that made my heart race and my instincts scream. How had he walked through the protective spells that had been laid over my room? How—

A sudden thought raced through me—Had I undone them all by opening the grimoire? Had I invited my tormentor into my sanctuary with that reckless act?

Bastian moved with a fluidity that stole my breath. He glided across the worn floorboards, each step deliberate and silent, like a predator stalking its prey. As he sank to his knees beside the Bloodstone Grimoire, I couldn’t help but notice the way he handled himself—there was an elegance in his movements, delicate and dangerous.

His fingers hovered just above the pages, trembling slightly, as though the book itself pulsed with a dark energy that called to him.

“Stop—” I called out, but he wasn’t listening. I pushed the door closed and rushed across the room toward him.

“Such a beautiful monstrosity,” he murmured. His voice was a sultry whisper that curled around my heart like smoke, and his lips curled into a smirk.

My fingers itched to reach out and pull him away, to protect both myself and the grimoire from whatever wickedness he might unleash. Yet, as I watched him, I found myself entranced by the way he brushed his fingertips against the leather cover and traced its spine like a lover’s caress.

“Don’t touch it!” I croaked. It felt futile, but I couldn’t stop myself.

It’s mine.

His pale eyes gleamed with something primal as he looked up at me. His expression was strange—and I couldn’t decide if he was mocking me, or if he was genuinely curious about the grimoire. He leaned closer to it and inhaled deeply, as if savoring the scent of forbidden knowledge. “It’s addictive, isn’t it?”

“Why are you really here, Bastian?” I asked, and hated the tremor in my voice. “What do you want?”

“With you?” He feigned innocence, tilting his head as if considering the question seriously. “Oh, Avril, it’s not you I’m after.” He patted the grimoire gently and rubbed his thumb over one of the dark stones in a way that made my core clench.

“You don’t understand,” I said. “This book—you don’t know what it can do.”

“Perhaps I do.” A low chuckle escaped his lips and a jolt of arousal shuddered through me. “And that makes it all the more thrilling.”

I was acutely aware of the space between us, charged with an energy that could ignite into chaos at any second. I could feel my resolve wavering, the boundaries of safety blurring under the weight of his allure.

“Stay away from it,” I implored, feeling small and fragile beneath his unwavering gaze. Yet, deep down, I wondered if I truly wanted him to listen.

“Tell me, Avril,” he murmured, maintaining that wolfish gaze as he looked up at me, “what secrets has this wondrous relic whispered in your ear?”

I swallowed hard, my heart racing. It took every ounce of willpower not to back away from the intensity that smoldered in his pale eyes. “Nothing,” I said shortly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

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