Page 135 of The Prince's Curse

He had not objected, and her pulse still hadn’t returned to normal. Intimacy would strengthen the bond, naturally, or at least that was what she was telling herself.

Finally, the witch sat back and swiped at her brow. Her eyes lifted, and she said, “We need to start soon.”

Scarlett turned back to Julian, who cupped her face lightly and kissed her. “I’ll be close by,” he said, his voice quiet and shaky.

“I know,” she murmured. Staring up at him, she said, “I love you.” She wasn’t sure if she meant it—wasn’t sure she knew what it even meant—but she knew she wanted to say it. She wanted to mean it, and maybe that was good enough.

His eyes widened. “I love you,” he echoed, bringing her into a tight embrace. The heated bond between them pulsed like a heartbeat. As it often did, that close touch conjured bloody images, but she didn’t dare let go.

This man had fought for her, even when she hated him. He had held out the tiniest shred of hope through endless years of darkness. And she had nearly missed this. If not for Kova raising the question, would she have ever come here?

But you’re here, she reminded herself, holding him tighter. His arms shifted around her, as if he heard that need for comfort.

Finally, she pulled back and gazed up at him. His eyes had gone red, but he was smiling faintly. It was that same sad smile he usually wore, but it was a lovely expression even so.

She touched his lips gently, then said, “I’ll stay here all night if you let me.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” he teased. But he gently nudged her into the workshop, where Shoshanna was waiting with a large glass and a cushion. It was becoming a familiar routine after all these nights of work together.

“I wasn’t sure you should be here,” Shoshanna said to Julian. “I’m not sure what her curse could do to you, but I figured you wouldn’t want to be locked in your office, either.”

He laughed and said, “You are correct. Just tell me what to do so I’m not in your way.”

“Oh, I will,” Shoshanna said archly. She passed a glass of thick, dark liquid to Scarlett and said, “Drink up. That’ll take the edge off the curse while I work. Extra strength pagos, courtesy of Mr. Volkov.”

While Scarlett drank, Shoshanna placed small silver dishes of ingredients at junctions on her intricate design. The faint smell of blood drifted in the air as she placed bloodstones all around, with another half dozen in the center.

The potion slid down her throat like cold honey, making it hard to swallow. Wincing, she finished it off, then carefully sat in the large space Shoshanna had drawn for her.

The witch smiled at her. “Doing okay?”

“Scared,” Scarlett admitted, handing her the glass. The potion pooled like a lump of ice in her belly, radiating cold through her body. “Thank you for all of this. You’re a good friend. I hope?—”

“No ma’am,” Shoshanna said, shaking her finger. “We don’t do ‘in case I don’t make it’ speeches here. I’ve got a six-and-oh record, thank you very much.”

Scarlett chuckled and nodded. “Okay.”

“I don’t really know what to expect from yours. Armina cursed the rest of them because of something they did, but you’re different. They all faced a test of character. You might see things. You might even see me, but trust yourself. Trust Julian. We care about you,” she said warmly. “So if you see me and I tell you to just give up or something awful, it’s probably not me. Okay?”

“Okay,” Scarlett said quietly.

“Julian will be here if we need him. You’re not alone, no matter what it feels like in there,” Shoshanna said. “When this is done, we’re getting brunch. You and me and Olivia, like normal girls on a Sunday.”

She laughed a little. “Okay. That’s a promise.”

“If you can, call for me. I can usually get in there somehow. Not directly, but you’ll know it’s me,” Shoshanna said. Then she gently pushed on Scarlett’s shoulder. “Let’s do this.”

The ground seemed to shift under her, and she lay back on the soft cushion, staring up at the ceiling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Julian pacing. There was still a warm pulsing sensation between them, one that got stronger when she paid attention to it. She liked that.

Her head was swimming now, her eyes going heavy. She was barely aware as Shoshanna began her ritual, speaking quietly in French. She didn’t know if it was the sedatives or magic as the room began to tremble. Her eyes were too heavy to open, and she couldn’t hear anything but rushing water.

Then she was falling, reaching for the hand of a woman with bright red hair, cut to her chin. Blood poured over her lips.

Mom?

Her fingers brushed against that woman’s, and she fell back again.

Now there was a woman in an oversized army jacket, red hair braided. Throat torn out. She reached and missed, fell again.

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