Page 98 of Cursed Beasts

Lucien had mentioned needing to be close to each other, but for how long? Was it for the rest of our lives? I knew we needed to talk, but so much had happened that I didn’t know what to do. I knew I hurt him, that having a husband was never talked about, but what did he expect?

The sound of footsteps pulled me from my never-ending thoughts about Lucien and me. It was exhausting always wondering about us.

The new spot I found in the library kept me well hidden, but I was afraid one of them was going to find me. I wasn’t ready to be found, especially not by Zev. We had had a rocky relationship, but lately I had felt him becoming unhinged. It wasn’t just taunting or chasing anymore, it was I was going to hurt you or kill you.

He blamed me for everything, even things that weren’t even my fault. I didn’t know if I wanted to hate him or pity him because whatever had happened between him and Vivienne had left him a broken man. Was it just her fault?

Once the footsteps faded away, I pulled out all the books I had about Vivienne. I went back to decoding her grimoire because this felt just as important. It felt like the piece of the story I was missing, but most of it was just jumbled words that made no sense.

It was getting closer to four, but I desperately wanted to crack this code. I was also avoiding my room, hating that I would stare at the spot Caston violated and Lucien left after using me.

Just thinking about it made me want to cry, but fuck that. I needed to get out of here. The past week set me back, and I needed to get my shit together.

I was decoding one more page, when again it didn’t make sense. The words were just a jumbled mess, looking like she was out of her mind, or she had done it on purpose so no one could read it. Why go through all this trouble if it was going to be so hard to read?

Unless…

Vivienne dabbled in blood magic. Would it be safe to say that she would cast a spell that required blood from her? I slipped a knife out of my holster, slicing the top of my finger. I hope this doesn’t require an incantation. I opened the first page of the book and set my finger down.

I expected a quick response but when nothing happened, disappointment shot through me. Raising my finger up, ready to throw these books across the room, when I saw the book shimmer with power.

Slowly turning the pages, I saw everything decoded and the familiar penmanship of Vivienne Belladonna. I didn’t think it would be that easy. The decoding must have been a decoy, and I quickly left my bloody print on the other book, only to find something completely different underneath.

One had nothing but spells in it, and another had journal entries like the other book Aeon had given me. I quickly looked through the spellbook to see if anything popped out, but then realized I had no idea what I was looking for, and these spells weren’t anything I’d seen before.

I went back to the journal to see if there were any clues about what triggered her to cast the spell or hints at what she used. I opened it to the first entry, seeing it picked up not too long after the other journal.

War. I’m so tired of the constant fear that war is going to come to us. My family seems to take it upon themselves to butt their nose into everyone’s business, but this time a coven stronger than ours is terrorizing villages and not just witches. It’s all magical beings and it seems no one is safe.

Aeon and Zev are being sent as allies not too far away to see if they can help with a few Belladonnas, like my brother and uncle. Meanwhile, I’m stuck here waiting for my betrothed like a good little helpless girl.

I hate being treated like I’m fragile. I’m told to spend time with my other betrothed, but Lucien is just a kid and every time we spend time together, I feel like he doesn’t want me around, or maybe he’s just too young. I’m baffled that they have chosen him to be in Aeon’s and Zev’s pack. Apparently, he is strong, maybe even stronger than Zev, but he looks like a scrawny child.

The longer I go without mating them, the more doubt filters into my mind. I’m losing confidence in this union, and I don’t want to waste what years I have left to enjoy worrying about this stupid treaty and selling myself to three men who don’t want me.

The chime of the clock interrupts me.

I don’t like her mention of Lucien, feeling instantly protective of him for a weird reason. How much younger was he than her? More questions surfaced as I packed up my things to make it back to my room.

The small nook I occupied had a bench by a window with a table and two bookshelves hiding me. It was on the second floor, giving me a good view to see who was in here with me without being noticed.

I listened for a moment before I went downstairs to leave. The house was unusually quiet, making me worry that something had happened. I ached to be with Lucien so much that I wanted to whine as I got to the landing and smelled him.

Since our mating, my sense of smell had gotten better, making it easier to tell who was close by or was here not too long ago. The smell was coming from the stairs. I knew each of them had their own room, making me wonder if I could slip into Lucien’s and steal a shirt or something that smelled like him.

I decided to go check on the room I found Aeon fucking Lucien in. If that wasn’t his room, then I could just go straight back to my room. My heart pounded loudly in my ears when I reached the hallway, remembering just how hot they looked together. I wondered if they would give me a repeat performance, but with the way things were going, I wasn’t so sure.

When I arrived at the room, the door was opened a little. Lucien’s scent was strong so I hesitated, wondering if he was still in here. I stayed still for a moment, trying to hear anything, but I was met with just silence. I pushed the door open and the moment I did, Lucien sat up in his bed and growled.

He immediately stopped when he noticed it was me.

“Kit Kat,” he said, in disbelief.

I didn't know what to say, so I continued to stare at him, debating if I should leave, knowing I had little time left to get to my room. He got up from the bed, walking over to me naked.

Why does he have to be so damn good looking?

“Are you ok?” he asked hesitantly.

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