Curse

I woke up at the hospital. Anna was sitting beside me. Her face lit up when she noticed that I was awake.

“You were very lucky that the knife didn’t hit anything vital. You’ve just lost a lot of blood,” she said. “Like, really lucky. The doctor called it a miracle.”

I felt a throbbing pain and remembered being stabbed in the side.

“Yeah, it was odd. I barely felt it when it happened,” I mumbled drowsily.

A doctor entered the room. I could see that she was a born umbra who had decided on another career path, just like my mother.

“So, how are you feeling, Bella?” she asked.

“Weak, pain on the side of my stomach,” I answered.

“As expected then. You will heal a lot faster than a regular human, but you still need to take it easy. I am informing Louisa that you shouldn’t work for three weeks,” the doctor told me.

“My parents don’t know, do they?” I asked.

“No, you’re an adult,” she answered plainly.

I went home to my apartment when I got discharged. I was still so tired that I went straight to bed and fell asleep like a rock.

***

It was three in the morning when I woke up again. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. I had gotten a text from Ellie.

Ellie

Heard you got hurt. What’s the doctor’s prognosis?

Bella

Pretty much bed rest for a week, and no work for three weeks

I was surprised when my phone buzzed. Of course I should have known—Ellie was still awake.

Ellie

Don’t worry, kitten, Aurora is coming over to see if she can fix you.

Only a few minutes later, the doorbell rang. It was Aurora, of course. She’d teleported to the building.

Spellcasters couldn’t create portals that let them into someone else’s home, the same way vampires had to be invited in.

“You didn’t have to come,” I said when I opened the door.

Even though I liked her, I was afraid to be alone with Aurora. Especially after last night’s mission. It wasn’t something I’d like to admit.

“No, but I wanted to. How are you hurt?” Aurora asked, looking suspiciously worried.

I reluctantly lifted my T-shirt. Aurora removed the bandage and placed her hand over the wound.

“~Reveal your secrets,~” she said in the arcane language.

I really could understand it…

“Good thing I checked it. Your doctor missed that the blade that struck you was cursed. They should have realized something was off when nothing vital was hit,” Aurora sighed. She was obviously thinking the doctor incompetent.

She looked at me with cold eyes, like she was disappointed in me too.

“Now I want you to tell me why there is witch blood on your hands,” she said, dead serious.

“I got ordered to join the first squad, as they went to try and put an end to Marcus’s demon-worshipping cult,” I answered honestly.

“I thought you didn’t follow orders,” Aurora pointed out.

“They were sacrificing people, trying to summon a powerful demon,” I said.

Aurora was rubbing her temple.

“Fair point,” she admitted.

“From what I’ve read, your hands are covered in umbra blood,” I said, so quietly it was almost a whisper.

“Indeed, that was generations ago, though,” Aurora said, with a spark in her eyes.

It was hard to believe—she was a very dangerous witch. She looked really sweet.

“I can’t break this curse. You’ll die within a fourth night if we don’t,” she added, and picked up her phone to send a text.

“What?” I asked, shocked.

“Don’t worry, Damion will break it,” Aurora answered like it was no big deal.

Right as she had said that, he appeared out of thin air.

He shouldn’t be able to do that. Spellcasters weren’t supposed to be able to teleport into other people’s homes.

“I’m a guardian. The normal rules don’t apply to me,” he said as if he had just read my mind.

“Now let’s have a look at that wound of yours,” he said while he bent down to investigate my injury.

I didn’t even get the time to react.

“This was done by a blackthorn knife. It’s an old artifact. It never kills on impact. It plants a curse to kill you next full moon, while sacrificing your soul to the devil,” Damion calmly explained.

“Can it be removed?” I asked, feeling horrified.

How could they both deliver such dreadful news so lightheartedly? Damion gave me a confident smile.

It was very strange, but he made me feel safe and comfortable. Not in a romantic way.

Even though he was really beautiful, I wasn’t the slightest bit attracted to him, but something felt so awfully familiar about him.

“Of course I can break it. There isn’t a spellcaster stronger than me,” he replied.

“Why help me? I killed three spellcasters,” I asked.

“I don’t care much for those who murder innocents,” he said coldly.

“Now ~sleep~.” He spoke in the arcane language.

***

The sun was shining outside when I awoke again. I was in my bed. The wound on my stomach was gone; I could still feel a faint ache, but that was all.

I went into the kitchen to find something to eat. I hadn’t eaten since I left the hospital, and I was hungry.

I couldn’t help but laugh at myself when I opened the almost empty fridge. I was responsible for myself now.

I had gotten a text from the delivery service, too. My package with the kitchen stuff had been delivered outside my door.

I now had proper tableware, at least. And an ice cream machine…

I got a text from Erik while I was in the shower. He was asking if I wanted to hang out.

I wondered if he knew what I’d done. Would he want revenge if his brother had been killed?

Bella

Want to help me buy groceries?

Despite everything, I really wanted to see him again.

Erik

Kinda strange, but sure.

I sent him the address of the grocery store closest to my apartment.

I put on a hot pink silk shirt, black dress pants, and black heels. It was chilly outside today.

I saw Erik outside the store. He was dressed all in black, apart from his white suede jacket.

He looked ridiculously hot. I felt a flutter in my chest just looking at him.

“Well, don’t you look nice,” he greeted me with a warm smile.

“And that’s coming from you?” I asked, looking him up and down. That made him laugh.

He no longer made me nervous, just giddy.

“So what are we getting?” he asked as we went inside the store.

“I have absolutely no idea, just some kind of food, I suppose,” I admitted while looking around.

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

“Oh, I have never been to a grocery store before,” I informed him.

“How is that even possible? How old are you?” he asked, dread in his voice.

“I’m nineteen. I’ve had people supplying me with food,” I answered.

“I thought you were in your twenties,” Erik admitted, looking torn.

It made me wonder how old he was, but I didn’t ask. “So what to buy?” I asked instead while I put grapes in the shopping basket, ignoring his remark.

“I am assuming you can’t cook then?” Erik asked, suppressing a laugh.

I blushed. “You are assuming correctly,” I admitted.

“I guess I can try to teach you something,” he said, still sounding very amused.

He helped me buy some basic ingredients, and also a lot of readymade food and snacks.

He whistled at my apartment when we entered it. “Rich parents?” he asked.

“Yes, that’s why I’m nicknamed Princess by the other umbra,” I explained.

My tummy rumbled.

“My tour of this place can wait until after dinner,” Erik chuckled and moved past me to find the kitchen.

He taught me how to boil pasta, and he made a smoked salmon sauce for it.

He gave me a lot of quick-fix dinner advice that I appreciated a lot.

I had fun cooking with Erik. He was very attentive to me and reminded me of our night by subtle touches.

He corrected my grip of the knife, placed his hand on my lower back, stood very close and talked into my ear.

When dinner was done, I was hungry for more than just food, but I didn’t tell him.

We ate out on the balcony even though it was a little chilly.

There was still a bottle of white wine in my fridge that we decided to drink. I wasn’t allowed to buy alcohol from the liquor store for another year.

“Made one hundred percent without magic. What do you think?” Erik asked once we were seated.

“Tastes amazing, especially since I haven’t eaten since yesterday,” I admitted.

He seemed happy with the answer.

“It’s a shame my brother escaped,” Erik said when we both had finished our food.

I stopped breathing.

He knew I had overheard, and reported it.

---

“Don’t look so surprised. I woke you up on purpose,” he smirked.

“Then why whisper?” I asked.

“So it would seem like an accident, if you had done anything foolish,” he answered.

“So you brought me home, so I would overhear in the morning?” I asked.

“No, no. His visit was spontaneous,” he said while he got up.

He walked over to me and put his hand on my cheek.

“You are gorgeous, Bella. You can stab my brother all you like. I brought you home, because you’re hot!” he said before he started to clean away the dishes, leaving me with butterflies in my stomach again.

It made me wish I had the courage provided by everdream. I took the rest of the dishes into the kitchen and watched Erik load the dishwasher.

“Why would you want your brother killed?” I asked.

“Because he’s a psychopath,” he answered. “It seems like you don’t have any dishwasher tabs. I guess you haven’t used this yet,” he said, making fun of me again.

“But still, he’s your brother,” I pointed out.

“Only by blood. I’m going to check this place out now,” he said, giving up on the dishwasher.

I could tell from his short, monotone replies that he didn’t want to talk about him, so I didn’t push any further. I didn’t know him all that well.

“Damn, this place is nice! Judging by your closet, you really are a Princess, aren’t you?” he teased after seeing my walk-in closet.

“I’m so tired of that nickname,” I said with a sigh.

“Well then, let’s move on to a more serious matter,” he said seductively.

I liked where he was going with this.

“Like what?” I asked, smiling suggestively at him while he approached.

He bent over me so his mouth was right next to my ear.

“I am just dying to know what you look like, naked on that bed,” he purred in my ear, sending a pleasurable shiver through my body.

I had to take a second before responding.

“Well, great, because I am dying to get reminded what you feel like against my skin,” I answered and brushed my fingertips along his jaw before I walked to my bed.

When I was in front of it, I started to strip, slowly.

His eyes were eating me up while I got undressed.

My skin tickled with anticipation when he raised an eyebrow and smirked.

I was already ridiculously turned on, standing in only my bra and thong.

“I said naked,” Erik reminded me, with something dark and incredibly sexy in his voice while approaching me.