Page 1 of The Prince's Curse

Chapter 1

Scarlett’s blood sang with the joy of the hunt. She darted across the dew-damp grass, never breaking eye contact with the furious, red-eyed vampire across the lawn. The wiry man leaned slightly right, and she followed.

Then he leaped into the air, disappearing against the black of night.

What the…

Wind whispered across her left cheek. She rolled away as Kova slammed to the ground at her left side. Tricky bastard. She dodged his vicious kicks, waiting for him to throw a wild punch. When one fist hurtled toward her, she grabbed his wrist and hauled herself upright, using his own momentum against him to swing him around.

He didn’t go down, but she sprang up a few yards away and grinned at him. “If you’re going to give a real effort, then I won’t hold back,” he said, baring his fangs.

“I’d be offended if you did,” she said.

With a low growl, he pounced. It took all her focus to dodge his fast blows. One wrong move and she’d?—

Pain cracked through her chest as she flew backward. The taste of old pennies licked up the back of her throat. His shadow passed over her like a cloud, and she pretended to be more hurt than she was, wheezing noisily for extra dramatic effect. As his shadow loomed, she threw out a kick that snapped into his nose and sent him reeling.

It was hard to breathe, but Scarlett couldn’t give up so soon. She was moving slower now, but spilling blood had made Kova unsteady. They tussled again, feet skidding over slick grass. With each sharp, fast blow, she barely shifted and dodged, hanging on by her fingernails. When her energy flagged, she reminded herself, You’ll get one chance at Julian.

Instead of the old friend she’d known her whole life, she fixed that older vampire in her imagination, with that thick dark hair and the eerie green eyes. Every blow was for him, every slash of her blade, every single step bringing her closer to ending his reign of terror forever. No more mothers slain, no more daughters left alone in a frightening world.

The smell of vampire blood was stronger now. Kova’s red eyes grew bright and furious. Scarlett drew a sharpened wooden blade from her belt and spun around him, slashing wildly.

You took everything from me, Julian, she thought. What would it be like to stand over him and finally get the satisfaction of revenge for all that she had lost? Her throat tightened around that lump of fury. She growled and lunged for Kova, but the space where he’d stood was empty.

Fire rippled over her scalp as Kova yanked her back by her braid. She managed to spin, but he’d already gotten a fistful of her jacket, pulling her chest-to-chest, his teeth grazing her throat. Her blade rested against his side.

“Got you,” he said against her throat, the deep rumble of his voice vibrating against her chest.

She struggled against him, but his powerful grip on her neck might as well have been forged steel. Vainly, she tapped the wooden knife against his side. “I got you.”

It was a weak protest, but her ego wouldn’t allow her to surrender without the token attempt.

“Tell you what. I’ll rip out your jugular, you stick that in my side, and we see who’s still standing in ninety seconds,” he said.

She sighed, then finally tapped his hand three times. “Fine.”

For a moment, he lingered, and she wondered if he would finally give in to his hunger. She’d been bitten—every vampire hunter had— but never by Kova. Given how Tante Mina liked to teach her ‘hard lessons,’ she wouldn’t have been surprised if Kova tore into her so that she’d learn to protect herself.

Better to learn it at the hands of a friend than the fangs of the enemy, Mina would say.

But the vicious bite never came, just the whisper of lips as he pulled away.“You should cut your hair,” he said, surreptitiously swiping his nose. His fingers came away bloody, proving she’d at least landed a few hits before her embarrassing defeat.

Scarlett pulled back and ran a hand over the fat, silky braid. “I like my hair. It looks like my mother’s.” Not a single drop of dye had gone into the fiery red color, which was one of her few vanities. It was one of the only connections she had to her mother.

Kova’s lips parted for a moment. “It does look like hers,” he finally said. He reached out, twining the loose ends under the elastic around his fingers. “Make sure you pin it up before you go in the field. I could have ripped it right off your head.”

“I will.” Then she sheathed her blade at her thigh. “Shall we go again?”

“You want me to kick your ass again?” he said with a teasing lilt in his voice. “All right. Come and get it.”

Half an hour later,she was panting and spitting a mouthful of blood on the grass as Tante Mina strolled across the moonlit lawn. The scent of her magic, dark and old, swept through the air and teased at Scarlett’s senses. Mina’s power had always unsettled her, even though she assured Scarlett it was good magic, wielded for the good of humanity.

“That’s enough,” Mina said, her brow furrowing. “Scarlett, come.”

She lurched to her feet and brushed past Kova and into her aunt’s grasp. Standing six inches shorter than Scarlett, the older witch was petite, with a brittleness that she hid with her graceful steps and regal posture. But her presence felt massive, as if raw power radiated from her to the edges of the property, painting the night sky and soaking into the earth.

Her bejeweled hand tilted Scarlett’s face back and forth.“How did she do?” Mina asked.

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