Page 132 of The Prince's Curse

“But she was also nice to me,” Scarlett said. “Well, nicer than Lux. That’s not saying much, I guess.”

“Yes, but Armina Voss was also nice to you,” Julian said. “Let me clarify what I’m asking. Is there a chance that she’s turned on the witch and wants to help us?”

“I really don’t know,” Scarlett said.

Rachel had sent a brief note, simply saying that Stella wasn’t dead—alive was a stretch—but she likely wouldn’t wake up before the transition was complete. “And what happened with the magic? How did she get up to the house so quickly?” Julian asked.

If Armina’s apprentice could walk right through Shoshanna’s protections, then they weren’t safe anywhere from the witch herself. Misha met his eyes, his grim expression showing that they were on the same page.

“I don’t know,” Shoshanna said. “She triggered my alarm spells, but it was a little delayed. We found an amulet on her that was similar to what Kova had. Armina built it specifically to get past my spells. But it must have failed pretty fast for Stella.”

“But your spells don’t usually get that violent,” Julian said. He raised an eyebrow. “Do they?”

She smiled at him. “They can. After Infinity got attacked, I stepped up everything, just like I did here. But still…it shouldn’t have been that bad.”

“She was fighting it,” Misha said. “Could that be it?”

Shoshanna shrugged. “I’ve got no idea. None of this is predictable. I know how my spells react to humans and vampires, not Night Weavers. Different kinds of magic could clash, I guess.”

“I think we should proceed with caution. You should—” Misha put up his hands and smiled sheepishly. “It’s your court.”

Julian shook his head. “Consider yourself my advisor for the moment. Speak your mind.”

“I think you should take the chance that she really was warning us. It’s clear that Armina wants Shoshanna dead, and the house is no longer safe,” Misha said. “And we should assume she’s about to launch an attack. We’ve gotten in the way of her plan to hurt Scarlett, and I’m sure she’s displeased about it. As soon as Stella awakens, Kova can get the truth out of her and find out where Armina is holed up.”

“And how close are we to breaking the curse?” Julian said.

Shoshanna let out a sharp laugh. “Who’s we?” Then she shook her head. “I’m almost there.”

“That’s wonderful. I should?—”

“Don’t get too excited yet. I still have to break it, and it’s going to kick my ass,” Shoshanna said. Her eyes cut to Scarlett. “But we need to do it soon. I don’t want to take the risk that something happens to you.”

Julian nodded and said, “Just a moment.” Leaving his mate in the care of the other vampire, he hurried outside to find the mangled snake lying on the concrete just outside Building Five. He brought it inside, holding it gingerly. Shoshanna jumped back and gasped when he laid it on Misha’s workbench.

“What the…”

“This is just one of them,” Julian said. “Paired with the accident on the interstate…”

“It’s the curse. Look,” Scarlett said quietly. She held out her arm, where angry red flesh marked a scrape with a distinct pattern. With her eyes downcast, she laid it next to the snake’s outstretched body. “Look at the markings. The same as you showed me earlier,” she said to Misha.

Shoshanna’s eyes glazed over, and then she shuddered, her breathing becoming shallow and rapid. “That has her fingerprints all over it.”

“So she’s sending snakes after me?” Scarlett said incredulously. “And stray trucks?”

Shoshanna shook her head. “It fits with our theory about your curse. Before your birthday, the curse pushed away things that could hurt you, but now it’s attracting danger. I can feel the pull of it when I look at you.”

“So it’s just finding whatever is around her to hurt her,” Misha mused.

Shoshanna shrugged. “It seems that way.”

“It’s not just the snakes and the truck,” Scarlett said quietly. “When I first got here and met you, there was a freak accident at the MARTA station. Something electrical, right as I got off the train.” She shook her head, eyes going wide. “Traffic lights going out, causing accidents.”

“And all the lights at Infinity. The deer,” Shoshanna said. She glanced upward, as if she expected the lights to explode.

“But some of that was before my birthday,” Scarlett said.

“And it didn’t hurt you, did it?” Shoshanna said, eyes going wide. Despite the gravity of the situation, she looked excited about figuring it out. “The sheer magnitude of your curse must have been causing ripples all around you, but none of them could affect you until your birthday. This is incredible. I wonder if…” As she trailed off, she smiled sheepishly. “We should focus, huh?”

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