Page 143 of The Rogue's Curse

“I’m here,” Shoshanna said, yawning as she walked into the room with Danielle in tow. “You should probably rest a while longer.”

“Why isn’t he awake?”

Shoshanna shook her head. “I don’t know. Some of them sleep a long time afterward. Alistair was out for a couple of hours, but Dominic slept for a solid day.”

“And given that he hasn’t slept in a hundred and eighty years, he probably needs it,” Safira mused.

“I can’t sense any magic. I just want to know—”

Shoshanna took his hand gently. “I think your power is fine.”

“I’m not worried about that,” he said sharply. She recoiled, and he winced. “I apologize. I appreciate what you’ve done. I just can’t see him to know he’s healed.”

Her gaze softened and she said, “The curse is gone. We gave you another round of the pagos and a sedative because you were both manifesting the curse, and I couldn’t control it all. We probably overdosed you a little, but your power is still there.” Her head cocked and she said, “Why don’t you come sit down and let me have a look at you? I’d love to hear what you experienced so I can learn.”

“Can we stay here so I can keep an eye on him?”

“Sure,” she said with a gentle smile. She glanced at her watch and said, “It’s close to sunrise.”

“That’s fine. He stayed up for hours to watch me.” He shook his head and said, “Forgive my atrocious manners. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m tired as hell and I have a headache, but my best friend is a green witch and she keeps me well stocked on the best headache tea in the world.”

A few minutes later, Danielle brought several extra chairs into the room, along with a warmed bag of blood for him and a cup of coffee for Shoshanna, who had a notebook open in her lap.Misha settled into a chair by Paris’s side, holding his hand lightly.

Dani lingered at Paris’s other side, eyes shining. Finally, she asked, “Can I stay? Do you think since we’re connected that I could help?”

Misha glanced at her. He wanted to snap at her; Paris was his, and yet she’d known him before he even knew Misha existed. “I don’t mind,” he said.

She nodded eagerly, then took his hand, sitting at the edge of his bed. She was quiet, but he could see the concern in her eyes as she silently looked him over.

Shoshanna cleared her throat and said, “Tell me anything you can remember, please.”

“Well…when I first met Paris, I had a dream about him,” he said. “Back when I was first turned, I was kept prisoner by someone who took my blood. Sometimes I have nightmares about it. But in that dream, he rescued me and then…” His cheeks heated. “Well, things became intimate.”

She chuckled and said, “I had a dream like that about Allie, too, if it makes you feel better.”

“I only mention it because I had a similar dream when you began the spell. I was locked in a cage, and there were shadows that kept turning into monsters, trying to get inside. But something told me to wait. There was a candle inside, so I just waited,” he said. His head cocked. “Was the candle your doing? It seemed so different than everything else.”

She beamed. “I wasn’t sure how you’d see it. I’ve got this array that I started adding to my counter-spells and it lets me evoke a one-way connection,” she said eagerly. “Sometimes they hear my voice, sometimes it’s a smell.”

“You are very clever,” he marveled, prompting a bright smile. “It took a while, but the cage opened, and I saw a path. So I took the candle and started walking. It felt like something was chasing me, but when I turned to shine the light on it, it ran away. I just kept walking until I saw a door, and then I opened it. It doesn’t sound terribly exciting when I tell it, but it felt so real.”

She nodded. “It’s very exciting,” she said. “Though I’d certainly prefer it you didn’t have to deal with all the weird dreams and contagious curses and all that, obviously.”

“Were you able to sense anything with Paris?” he asked.

“It doesn’t work like that. The first time I did this was different; I had my own vision, but I was breaking his curse that affected me. Even then, I didn’t see what Allie saw. Sometimes I get a glimpse of the spirit, though it tends to be a quick flash, almost like they seared something into my head and I remember it later. Each one teaches me something and leaves me a little gift,” she said with a little laugh. She showed him her hands, which were marked with thin crimson lines that glowed faintly. “It felt like Paris was fighting me more than usual. But I’m more stubborn than he is.”

“Which is impressive,” he said.

She laughed. “It is. He learned that early on.”

“And can you see the curse now? Or any sign of what’s going on?” he asked.

“The curse is broken. It tends to leave a mark like a scar,” she said. “And in breaking it… Forgive the metaphor, but it’s almost like cutting out a tumor. I think I draw on a lot of their energy with the curse, and it takes time to recover. But he’s clear. It’s just a matter of waiting now. And when he wakes up, don’t be alarmed if he says something odd. The spirits sometimes play mind games.” She pointed to the nightstand and pulled out the drawer, where a syringe was already loaded with a yellowish liquid. “Hit him with that if he gets too feisty.”

He nodded. “Why do you think they test that way?”

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