Page 58 of Cursed

I swallowed hard. “No,” I choked out, but even to myself, it sounded like a lie. I was already trapped here—and I was so tired… Exhausted by it all. Exhausted by my own weakness.

“Then consider this an opportunity—a chance to wield your own magic, to gain the strength that has been kept hidden from you.”

My eyes narrowed as I glared at him and pushed his hand away. “Why should I trust you?”

His mouth twisted, but only briefly, and his eyes never left mine. “You’re right,” he replied. “But you don’t have to trust me, Avril. But imagine what you could accomplish if you embraced your true potential.”

Titus had said something similar…

“Say sorry,” I blurted out.

Valen’s laugh was like a gunshot in the silence. “What?”

Tears pricked at my lashes and I blinked them away. “Apologize to me!”

“For what?”

I stared at him, incredulous. “For— for everything—”

“Say it,” he challenged.

“For fucking me,” I burst out. “For making me believe you gave a shit about me and then throwing it all in my face— I trusted you! I trusted all of you!”

My voice echoed over the garden and Valen stood still, his hands in his pockets.

My chest heaved painfully and my throat ached. Tears streamed down my face, hot and fierce.

“Well?” I shouted.

Silence.

Infuriating silence.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have.”

Disbelief flooded through me.

He’d said the words so casually. As though none of it had mattered.

“You asshole.”

He shrugged. “So— what now?”

“What now?”

My laugh was wild, and I was enraged to see Valen’s mouth curve up into a smile.

Breathless, I was actually unable to form any words, and I glared at him with renewed fury.

“I’m sorry you have bad judgement,” he said.

My mouth fell open. “That’s not an apology!”

He shrugged again. “No, it’s not. But I’m not sorry. You were a great fuck. I’d do it again—”

Bastard!

“Are you— Are you serious? Are you really going to stand there and say that you would betray me again?” I shouted back.

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