Page 35 of Blood Brother Cursed

He nodded but didn’t look at her. “It definitely did. I don’t suppose there are any medical records to verify your claim.”

“No, there definitely aren’t. Dad and Evan took care of me.”

He flinched at her brother’s name.

“Look, I know that you believe that knowing you kills people and that a lot of people around you have bought into it, but there’s no evidence of that.”

“My whole life is evidence of that. I was trying to help the Sextons’ father when he died. He was a good man. That’s why my family came out here, thinking they could use my connection to the family to build up their reputation. It worked, but after the Sextons learned about my curse and connection with their father, they refused to have anything to do with me.”

Astrid let out a growl. “The more I hear about the Sextons, the less I like them.”

“They are good guys who’ve already lost a lot. I don’t blame them at all.”

“Well, I do, so they can suck it.” She pushed off the bed and pitched forward, anger propelling her off the bed and gravity pulling her toward the floor.

The man moved impossibly quickly, catching her before she hit the floor. “Astrid, you have got to stop pushing yourself. Notice your heart. If you keep up this ill-considered activity, it’s going to get you killed.”

“It’s good that you can admit it would be my fault.”

He scoffed, then lifted her and placed her carefully back on the bed. Astrid watched his back as he moved to the other side of the room. Her thoughts went in circles as she tried to remember his name—everything else about him seemed to have returned except that one detail.

Then, an idea came to her.

“Take me home.”

“It’s not safe for you there now, so no. I won’t return you for another round of electrocution.”

“No, I mean my home in Louisiana.”

“Nowthatsounds like a good idea.” He pulled out his phone and started typing on it. “I’ll set you up with a flight in a day or two, and in the meantime, I’ll work to stabilize you. You’ll just need to remain as calm as you can.”

“No, I don’t mean to stay. I mean to do research.”

He looked up at her. “I don’t follow you.”

“Well, you’ll have to because I’m not letting you do anything to heal me until I look into how to undo the curse.”

With a heavy groan, he dropped his head back. “We aren’t having this argument.”

“That’s right.” She felt her heart beating far too quickly as she got upset. “We aren’t. You are going to take me there to do some research. I can’t imagine a better place to look into it than a place where voodoo is still practiced.”

He just looked at her. “My curse wasn’t a voodoo curse.”

“My dad couldn’t control water, yet here I am, able to manipulate it.”

“You know that’s not the same thing.”

“No, I don’t. All of you have this set way of thinking. You are so boxed into certain ways of t looking at things that you fail to see real solutions.”

“Astrid, I’m really not comfortable with you—"

“I don’t want to hear it. If you want me to relax, you will have to just deal with your disappointment that I’m helping you, whether you like it or not.”

“I can’t stand the idea of you dying. Do you not understand that?” There was clear pain in his voice.

“And I can’t stand the idea of you living a life completely cut off from everyone. I mean, I lived a pretty isolated life, but at least I always had my dad. Yours ensured you were cursed sohecould profit. No, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to just let this go.”

Her heart was beating so rapidly that she was starting to have trouble breathing, but Astrid wasn’t about to let that stop her. As she started turning a bright red, she pointed a finger at him. “Either you stay and help, or you leave and feel guilty for the rest of your life.”

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