Page 54 of Cursed (Haven Realm Chronicles 3)

I gulped for air. “I found out what Rek did to create the curse. He paid a voodoo witch, and they killed a young servant girl.But—”

“Who told you this?” His voicecrackled.

“His mistress. She saw it firsthand.” We reached the crest of the hill in no time. Only a slither of sunlight remained, and shadows filled thewoods.

Raze stiffened and sniffed the air. He pushed me behind him. “Talin’shere.”

I shuddered, so exhausted from running for my life, from someone trying to eat me. If I survived, I swore I was taking a trip to the sea with Ariella and sunbathing for a week straight. No drama. No fighting. No being terrified out of mymind.

Raze darted to my right so fast, I stumbled into a tree.Fuck, fuck!I reached into my boot, retrieved my pouch of persuasion herbs, and poured some into myhand.

Snow crunched behind me, and I snapped around to find Talin. His shoulders hunched forward, his face twisted into a wildbeast’s.

Coldness sank through me, and terror froze me on the spot. “Talin, it’s me.” I couldn’t catch mybreath.

“Don’t move,” Raze said from somewhere in thewoods.

Facing my death in Talin’s gaze terrified me because that wasn’t the person I’d craved, who loved his brothers, who’d nearly brought me to orgasm from a kiss. Patches of fur covered his torso and arms, one leg resembled a bear’s, the other a human, giving him a slant as he stood. But his face and eyes were his, and my heart broke to see him this way. I recalled his agony at losing his heritage or having no control of himself. Hating what the duke had done tohim.

Talincharged.

I flinched backward just as another blur whizzed past my peripheral vision. Raze, in human form, collided into Talin’s side, bringing them both down. Not wasting time, I rushed after them and blew the herbs into Talin’s face as he snarled from underneath his brother’sweight.

“Stopfighting.”

Talin thrashed, his teeth biting the air between him. Nochange.

Raze held down his clawed paws, his strengthimpressive.

“It’s not working,” he hissed. “Kiss him—now!”

My heart slammed into my ribcage. “Are youcrazy?”

Talin snarled, his fangs practically exploding out of hismaw.

“I can’t hold him much longer. Doit!”

Every inch of me ached, and I couldn’t get myself to move closer. Because when they read out my obituary, they’d say, “Bee died by having her face chewed off by a bearshifter.”

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