Page 54 of Cursed Love
A wave of panic slithered down her body. Her gaze snapped from person to person, looking for the threat.
“Brandy?”he asked.
Ryan’s voice filled her mind, and she could taste his worry. The panic slamming into her was not her own but rather his. For a moment, she debated answering him, but she knew she could not stress him out even further over her disappearing act.
“I’m okay, honey,”she said.
“Where did you go? What’s going on? When did you leave?”he asked, peppering her with questions.
“I needed air… needed space.”
“From me? What did I do now?”he asked.
“My entire life was spent with overbearing brothers. I needed some time to myself. I promise I’ll be back soon… Speaking of which, what’s the address?”she asked.
She imagined the incredulous look on his face at her question. Normally responsible, she was the first to admit that not paying attention to her surroundings had not only been stupid but very dangerous on her part.
Sighing, she pulled up the address he gave her on her phone. At least she had walked in the right direction. She was not far, and the powerful anxiety she felt lowered to a natural dose of worry.
“I’m not far. I’ll come back soon,”she said.
“Please be careful. I’m pissed you left, just so you know what you’re coming back to,”he warned, his words harsher than the tone he used.
“I’m okay. I didn’t mean to scare you guys, but I needed to get out of there,”she said.
Brandy stared at the food she normally would have devoured and expelled a long sigh. A man one table over glanced up from his book and narrowed his eyes at her. She smiled apologetically for interrupting him, and she stood.
After cleaning up her mess, Brandy stepped onto the sidewalk and peeked at the map on her phone. She turned toward the condo and peered into boutiques from the sidewalk, admiring the cute clothes and trinkets meant to lure buyers into the stores.
She pushed aside the curse, her powerful attraction to Ryan, and that there were demons looking for her.
She tried focusing on the Brandy she had been before learning about her family’s secret and the supernatural world hiding in plain sight.
A few shops down, a family of mannequins in the window drew her attention. Ryan’s proposal, their possible future together, and the curse forced its way to the forefront of her thoughts.
Six generations of women had failed to undo what Suzanna put in motion. How would Brandy, a witch who only just learned about her heritage, be able to unlock the key to her survival?
“Ugh!” she groaned as she moved to the next shop. There, a pot filled with mums caught her eye. It once had been promising and filled with beauty and life, but now its future looked bleak with its yellow, wilted petals. Brandy could not help but notice the similarities to her own life.
Before her birthday, everything had seemed bright. Even her problems with Greg had not dimmed her beacon of hope.
Now, she only aimed to survive, to stumble her way through her new life and do what she could to hold on to the deep love blossoming with Ryan.
Brandy inhaled deeply and exhaled. Her eyes became unfocused as she released all the pent-up stress and negativity swirling within her. If the mum only needed some TLC to help bring it back to its glory, then there was no reason she could not do the same for herself.
Shaking off her thoughts, she looked from one pot of mums to another with surprise. Gone was the sad plant, and in its place was a bright bouquet of mums unlike the second mum plant.
Brandy looked around and found herself alone on the sidewalk. “Did I do that?” she muttered to herself.
Glancing around her, she made sure no one would witness her intentional use of magic. Reaching deep inside, she focused on the second pot of mums and watched it come to life. The effort to restore the plant’s beauty was minimal, and a bubble of pride filled her chest.
She continued down the block, a pep to her step at what she had accomplished. Not only had she renewed the plant but her energy had not waned from her use of magic.
Her phone vibrated in her back pocket as she passed an older couple walking hand in hand.
Andrea: Are you ever coming up for air?
Brandy laughed at her friend. She tapped out one reply and deleted it, remembering what Ethan had told the family about Ryan. Images of them in the kitchen with their bodies pressed together flashed in her mind. A quiver of need rolled down her spine at the mere memory of his touch.
