Page 65 of Cursed

If it took hold of her—there was no telling what might happen.

My brothers and I had been plotting to use her, and the grimoire—but now, I couldn’t shake the suspicion that whatever ghost haunted Avril could derail everything we had worked for.

If she had glimpsed something sinister, or if the ancient book had begun to unravel her mind, it could mean danger, not just for her but for all of us.

I leaned against the grand staircase’s wrought-iron railing and took a deep breath to steady myself.

Avril’s wide hazel eyes haunted me—dark and strange—why wouldn’t she tell me what she had seen?

I didn’t want to leave her alone and vulnerable, but if I wanted her to trust me, I had to obey her command.

Her mistrust cut deeply, but I knew I deserved it.

I had been the first to breach that trust on the day of her mother’s funeral, and while I wouldn’t change anything about what had happened between us—there were other things that I regretted.

I shuddered at the memory of the wounds I’d seen on her arms. Bastian had taught her how to access the grimoire’s hidden spells—but fresh blood spilled for dark magic had terrible consequences.

Lucian had given her that book for a reason—but why?

Now it threatened to swallow her whole - body and mind.

I dragged a hand down my face to try to rub away my frustration and guilt.

Avril was too fragile to confront the monstrous horrors of the past and the darkness that surrounded us.

If she didn’t let me help her—

The grimoire had consumed stronger minds and overpowered stronger magic than hers…

What hope did she have?

I considered going back to her and refusing to leave again…

What good would it do me?

If Lucian discovered our plan…

My hand tightened on the railing.

If Lucian discovered our plan, we might not survive his wrath.

None of us were strong enough to stand against him.

Not without the grimoire—and not without Avril.

“Fuck.”

I forced my legs to move and descended the stairs as quickly as I could—I had to get out of the house and away from the dark pressure of the grimoire. When it had come to me, I had been too close to falling under its power… At the bottom of the stairs, I dared to look up at Avril’s door.

Regardless of her intentions, dark, malevolent magic filled the grimoire. There was nothing good about it… any of it.

But the grimoire was deceptive, and even if she thought she could resist it… she was wrong.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” I muttered.

She didn’t.

But there was nothing I could do.

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