Page 56 of Cursed

I glanced out the window—the rain that had pounded against the window all night and most of the morning had stopped and though evening approached; I was desperate for fresh air..

“May I go now?” I asked.

“If you wish.”

I nodded. “I do.”

She provided no explanation for this sudden change in my captivity, and I didn’t ask any questions—not that the woman would have answered any.

But I could guess that Lucian was pleased by the fact that I was attempting to decipher the Bloodstone Grimoire.

Perhaps the cool night air would wash away the suffocating dread that gripped my heart.

I tucked the dagger back into the spine of the grimoire and laid a blanket over it.

I wondered if I should hide it somewhere—but I had learned the hard way that trying to ignore the cursed thing only made it angry…

Even as I descended the stairs to the foyer, its whispers were loud in my mind.

As time had passed and I had read deeper into the book’s pages, the whispers which had been indecipherable became clearer. More distinct.

They were filled with temptation and longing.

Promises.

And anger.

You’re not strong enough.

Even an ancient book knew I wasn’t worthy of touching its pages.

My footsteps were careful as I navigated the dimly lit corridors and made my way toward the door that led out to the gardens.

“Just a little fresh air,” I murmured as I laid my hand on the heavy iron knob.Would it really help?

Or was there something waiting for me in the garden to ensnare me…

The question gnawed at me like a ravenous beast and the memory of my nightmares—the twisting vines and the agony of abandonment—every night they returned, and every night I awoke drenched in sweat and aching in places I didn’t want to think about.

The cool air wrapped around me as I stepped across the threshold and out into the gathering twilight.

The path to the garden was lit with lanterns, and I wondered if Lucian had done this for me—

The lanterns drenched the gardens in an otherworldly glow that made the shadows that writhed and shifted as I passed. The shadows in my room had become my companions as I agonized over the grimoire—they didn’t frighten me anymore.

Or was that a lie, too?

As I ventured farther along the cobblestone path, the manicured hedges grew wild, their claws reaching out as if to ensnare me. I paused as a shiver raced down my spine. A rustle in the darkness set my nerves on edge, and I slowed my breath, straining to listen. Was it merely my mind playing tricks on me? Or was something more sinister lurking just beyond the hedges?

“Careful where you venture, little bird—”

His voice slipped through the quiet like a dagger in the dark, sharp and smooth.

I choked back a gasp and spun around to face Valen. A nearby lantern framed his silhouette and my pulse quickened—not from fear alone, but from the magnetic pull he exuded, the same dark allure that both intrigued and repulsed me.

The last time I’d seen him in the garden, his fingers had been stained with poison—but not this time.

“Valen— You startled me.”

---