Page 113 of Cursed to Be Mine
Someone I trust –trustedto keep my girl safe.
Maddox…
Leno…
Rudy…
Talon…
Enoch…
Ezriel…
Which one will it be?
“Who do you suspect?” I ask, trying to keep my voice from cracking.A flicker of pain crosses my brother’s face, but it’s quickly gone, hidden under a mask he’s been forced to wear since he was a child. “Micha,” he says softly, his fiance’s name a sudden balm on my pain.
A woman does not hold power in this Family, but she is an outsider, a Black – a strong Family up north that lets their women fight on the front lines and hold rank. If she kills Varius correctly, without suspicion, her kids will be the next generation of Shadows, and through them, she can rule, just as Mother did until Varius was of age.
Clasping my brother’s shoulder, I squeeze it gently. “I’m sorry,” I say. Although their arranged marriage is not a love match, it has to hurt like hel knowing even his fiance wants to kill him.
He shrugs me off. “Her life does not matter. But if her dad planted her, then this will mean war with the Blacks.”
My jaw tightens grimly as I look over at my girl. She sleeps peacefully now, but that peace will not last with us fighting on multiple fronts.
“Get some rest,” Varius says as he turns for the door. “I will look further into Micha and let you know when I need you.”
As the door shuts behind him, my heart aches for my oldest brother, who will never know what it’s like to be loved.
Thirty-Five
HER
Khalid is on edge today. As he stands at the counter, his back to me, talking to a woman in a low voice, I canfeelhis unease as if it were my own. I linger in the arch doorway of the kitchen, wiping my damp palms on my thighs as I try to pretend like I’m not dying of anxiety being out of his room.
It’s been three days since he brought me here, and in that time I have only been out to use the bathroom and shower. I could blame it on him keeping me too exhausted to leave his bed, but in truth, I’ve been deliberately hiding from his family.
Not just because they are witches all with the power to kill me where I stand either, but because I’ve simply never been big on families, let alonebigones. Ma was all I’ve ever known, and she wasn’t pleasant company.
Eat a salad, Gen.
You look like a watermelon in that dress, Gen.
Stand at the back of the photoshoot, Gen.
Nodding at her, their conversation over, Khalidturns to me, and the two of them cross the bamboo flooring.
Feline in her grace, the woman is lithe and well toned, like how I would envision a ballerina to be if they also liked to rock climb. Black hair hangs to her waist. With high cheekbones and a long nose, it’s clear Khalid’s sharp features run in the family. She smiles warmly as they stop in front of me.
“Scarlett, this is my mother Sau,” Khalid says.
My eyes widen. I know witches don’t age like humans, but she just looks so young – maybe only a decade or two older than me.
“Hi,” I squeak as she says, “It’s nice to see you out of Khalid’s room.”
My cheeks flush hot. “Sorry I haven’t –”
She waves away my apology. “I just meant it’s nice to see you’re getting comfortable here. You’ve been through a lot recently. It’s understandable that you need some time to come to terms with everything.”
