Page 1 of Cursed Gift

Chapter One

Kai gave me one of his special knives.

Right now, it was being used to send to the other side of the room as I worked on my aim—and my anger.

Frustration, sense of helplessness.

Whatever this feeling was, it sucked. I was going to train it out of me while the guys were still sleeping.

Yesterday after the Council meeting, we’d went to the perimeter to look at the tracks. Nothing. Well, they were still there. Monstrous and clawed. Nothing referred to the amount of visions I had in relation to the tracks.

Big fat zero.

I’d even sat down next to one of them and pulled my knees up to my chest. Closing my eyes, I’d willed something to happen. I wanted a look at what did this and what they would bring to us. Was this the root of the vision I’d had? The one with war and death and blood?

Nothing.

Only Alexei knew what I was doing. One-by-one they all left, giving me the most peculiar looks until it was just him and me and Mom. “Anything?” she’d asked.

When I shook my head, she didn’t show any emotion, but I knew what she felt inside. Disappointment.

The same disappointment ran through my veins now as I sent the blade to the target. My aim was getting better. It narrowly missed the center. I sprinted to the target and ran back, toeing the line again only two seconds later. I was getting in trainingandcardio at the same time. The guard who’d been stationed outside my room and followed me here asked if I’d wanted help retrieving the blade, but I shot him down. I just wanted to be alone. To think about how useless this gift was if I couldn’t even use it on demand.

Those tracks… a shiver went up my spine. They certainly looked like they were from an enormous animal. How could something get that close to The Fort but not be seen at all? Worse yet, the tracks just disappeared as they neared the woods. It was as if the animal turned invisible. At one spot, fresh tracks led into the woods. The next? Nothing. Just gone. Vanished.

I wanted to scream to the treetops.

Oh, and the guard/intruder? Nowhere. He vanished as well.

The Fort was searched from top to bottom properly after Felix said the guard wasn’t from his camp. He was nowhere on the premises. Guards had been sent to Rajyvik house and my parents’ estate as well. Still nothing. As I stood here working on my technique, guards were being sent to the other Council members’ houses. Depending on the individual family’s wishes, the guards were either going to stay there to watch over them or just look for any sign that the intruder—the tracked animal or the guard—had been there. So far, no word back. Then again, it was crazy early in the morning. Only me and Mr. Had To Stay Up All Night Outside My Room were awake right now.

Footsteps sounded behind me just as I was running back to the throw line after another narrow miss. I whirled to tell the guard I still didn’t need his help when I saw Felix standing there. Of course he would be the only other person awake at this hour.

My shoulders slumped. I wasn’t in the mood to put up my princess mask right now and hold onto it. There were just too many disappointing things going on.

“Felix,” I said, nodding at him.

“Princess.”

I eyed him warily. He moved closer, each step a deliberate move toward me as if he knew his presence was antagonizing the shit out of me and didn’t care in the least. I tried to smile, but it probably came out more like a scowl. “I’m surprised you’re up this early.”

“Why?”

His brown hair, waves and all, was already perfectly styled where I’d pretty much rolled out of bed and threw my hair up into a messy bun.

He raised his eyebrows when I didn’t answer.

Why? I didn’t know exactly why I was surprised. If it was one of the other guys, would I still have been shocked to see they were up early? Maybe… Maybe not. Maybe this was all the prejudice against Felix’s family forming my opinions of him.

I shrugged. “It’s just early is all.”

“But you’re up.”

I placed my bladed hand on my hip. “Does that surprise you?”

He shook his head. “Not in the least. You seemed a bit out of sorts yesterday at the perimeter.” His brows furrowed. “Actually, you seemed a bit out of sorts ever since you learned about the tracks.”

“Shouldn’t I be?” I countered. My barely there patience was already fraying. “We have leadership families here from all over the world and first, we have an intruder of the human kind, and then second, we have an intruder of the animal variety. Neither of whose whereabouts are known.”

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