Page 3 of The Prince's Curse

He didn’t answer at first, and she looked back to make sure he hadn’t slipped away into the night as he sometimes did. But he was there, those red eyes fixed on something far across the horizon. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. “I can’t even imagine,” he finally said. “Are you afraid?”

“No,” she said automatically. “I mean…yes. A little. Don’t tell her.”

“I won’t,” he said.

“Ever since she told me what Julian did to my mother, I’ve been preparing to kill him,” she said. “But once I do, what do I do next?”

Kova’s firm hand closed on her arm and pulled her back. She instinctively spun, ready to break away, but there was a look in his eyes that could only be described as haunted, a profound guilt that she’d only seen once before when he broke her arm in a sparring match. He’d apologized for weeks, even though she had known it was an accident.

“You should leave,” he said. His intent gaze unsettled her.

“After I kill him? But?—”

“Leave now,” he said.“Go do something else. You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do. He killed my mother. This is what I’ve been preparing for my entire life,” she protested.

His grip tightened. For a moment, she saw the burning glow of the marks on his forearms, even through his long sleeves. He gritted his teeth. “You aren’t—” Another painful squeeze, and he shook himself. There was blood on his teeth, as if he’d bitten his tongue. “You don’t have to do it. I’ll kill him for you.”

“You’re hurting my arm,” she said quietly. When he let go, she rubbed the indented fingerprints. What had gotten into him? It wasn’t the first time he’d acted strangely in the last few weeks. “I want to do it. I’m tired of it hanging over my head after all these years.”

“She’s not—” He hissed like a snake. “Your aunt wants you.”

“Are you okay?” she asked.

His handsome face creased with pain, and the glowing marks on his hands pulsed bright again. “Just fine. Our training has my vampire instincts on edge, and Ms. Voss’s magic is helping me rein myself in,” he said, though his smile seemed forced. “I’ll join you inside later.”

“All right,” she said, leaving him to walk the perimeter of the property alone.

Long ago, Tante Mina had explained that Kova wanted very badly to be a good man, but his spirit was trapped in the body of a wicked vampire whose hunger sometimes overpowered his morality. Even her magic could not change that, but she held back the worst parts of him, allowing him to be as good as a vampire could be. And when he began to lose control, her magic tamed the wildness in him until he was himself again.

Still, Scarlett never liked seeing it in action. The magic clearly hurt Kova, though he rarely complained. As she strode across the grass toward the glowing warmth of the mansion, she wondered what had gotten into him this evening. He was one of her oldest friends—rather, one of her only friends, so it didn’t seem all that strange that he’d offered to kill Julian Alcott for her.

But there was something else going on. Something on his mind that he couldn’t say. Perhaps he was bothered by their new guest like she was, but feared Mina overhearing his criticism.

Her heart thumped as she walked into house, where the air was cool and dry. The scent of blood tickled at her nostrils; Lux was probably feeding their new guest. Since he’d shown up a few weeks earlier, Scarlett had spent far more time in her little cottage close to the woods, at least when it was her choice. And to her credit, Mina had granted her request, saying she understood why Scarlett didn’t feel comfortable around him.

Tonight, her aunt was in her workshop on the ground floor. Her voice rang out down the hall. “Scarlett, dear, come and see me.”

Just past the workshop door at the end of the hall hung a framed photograph of Mina and Helena, Scarlett’s mother. With her red curls and bright green eyes, Helena was an eerie reflection of Scarlett. Her mother and Tante Mina had been good friends, practically sisters.

Until Julian Alcott tore out Helena’s throat and left her to die alone in an alley. That woman with the enigmatic smile had bled out while her infant daughter slept at home, unaware that her world was shattered before she ever glimpsed it.

She smiled at the portrait and imagined the woman smiling back at her, as if to say, I’m proud of you.

Inside Mina’s workshop, she found the witch seated at a high stool, round glasses on the edge of her nose as she maneuvered two sharp silver needles over an array of red candles. In glinting streaks, she wove strands of shadow and light into a tapestry. Scarlett could only glimpse it in tiny flashes, in the arcing thread as Mina tied a knot, passing her hands expertly through the large space as if it was a loom.

Scarlett watched in silence until her aunt paused and drew a needle slowly back, like a seamstress pulling a thread taut. She released the needle, but it hung in the air until Mina snapped her fingers, then held out her palm to catch it. The other needle joined it in her palm. With her other hand, Mina gestured broadly across her work bench to reveal a beautiful silver knife.

“Come and see, my love,” she said. As Scarlett approached, Mina’s arm slid around her waist, hugging her gently.Her long dark hair hung in a loose braid over her shoulder, perfumed with lavender.

Scarlett breathed in the familiar scent and relaxed. “It’s very pretty,” she said. Engraved ornaments swirled across the curved blade, while intricate filigree decorated the hilt.

“It was your mother’s,” Mina said, gently stroking her back. “I’m enchanting it for you.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to imagine her mother holding it. It was probably supposed to be a lovely gesture, but she couldn’t help thinking, It didn’t save her from him.

“Thank you,” she managed to say.

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