Page 14 of The Curse Breakers

“That was painful to watch.” Claire had followed us downstairs, and she stood next to me, looking out the glass doors.

“If he won’t help me, I’m as good as dead, Claire. He was my last chance at answers.”

“No, Ellie. You and I both know who you need to go see.”

I hated her for suggesting it, but I supposed there was no way around it.

It was beginning to look like I would have to pay a visit to Collin Dailey.

Chapter4

Iwas already having a shitty day, and then my car broke down in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge when we were almost home. I sat on the side of the road and allowed myself ten minutes of tears while Claire called her fiancé, Drew, to come and get us.

“It could be worse,” she said as we sat on the trunk, watching the cars speed past us as we waited for our rescue. “We could be two hours from Manteo instead of forty minutes.”

“I know.” She was right, but I barely had enough money to pay my rent, let alone the bill for a tow and car repair.

Claire wrapped her arm around my back and pulled my head to her shoulder. “You deserve a good cry. You’ve had a hell of a few weeks.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I said, wiping my face. “Dr. Preston was my Hail Mary plan.”

She turned to face me. “Ellie, you know you need to ask for Collin’s help.”

I shook my head and leaned my arms on my thighs. “He was the one who wanted the gate open in the first place. What makes you think he’d help? He doesn’t give a shit.”

“Yeah, that man doesn’t give two fucks about you. Which is why he sneaks to your front door in the middle of the night to put his protective marks over yours.”

“But I told him I never wanted to see him again. It would be humiliating.”

“How could it be humiliating?” She leaned back and stared into my face with disbelief. “He’s the shithead who made you a buffet for a bunch of vengeful gods. He owes you more than a few marks on your door.”

“Yeah.” Claire was right, and my head knew it, but I wasn’t sure if my heart could handle seeing him. The wound was still too raw. As much as I hated him for what he’d done, I didn’t feel whole without him, which seemed ridiculous given that we’d only known each other for a few weeks, and we’d only been together for less than a week of that time. But I also knew my feelings had more to do with the fact that our souls were bound together than it did with our attachment to each other.

Claire shivered. “This marsh still gives me the creeps.”

“Me too.”

The sun was setting, and a shiver ran down my spine as I watched it bow beneath the clouds. Over the past several nights, I’d noticed a new heaviness in the air for about thirty minutes during the merging of day and night—all shadow, substance, and danger. As the mark on my back faded, I could feel myself becoming more and more vulnerable. The things in the night were getting stronger while I was becoming weaker. It was only a matter of time before they overpowered me.

I had hoped Dr. Preston would know the symbol for Ahone. I had already accepted that I had to permanently etch a protective mark onto my skin. I just needed that final piece of the puzzle. Sure, I could ask Collin, but I couldn’t trust his answer. After all, he was the one who had originally put Okeus’s mark in the center of my henna tattoo.

“Curse Keeper,” a voice hissed.

I jerked upright, a slight tingle in my palm. “Did you hear that?”

Claire looked around, her forehead wrinkling with worry. “Hear what?”

“Shh.”

We sat in silence for a moment, the only sound was the cars whizzing past.

I turned my ear toward the marsh. “Shouldn’t there be some kind of sound? Birds? Bugs?”

Claire’s eyes widened. “Yeah.”

I slid to the ground, my heart racing. How could I be so stupid? This was a wildlife refuge, and the spirits had been targeting animals. “Get in the car.”

I walked to the edge of the marsh as she scrambled off the trunk and ran to the passenger door.

---