Page 2 of Of Curses and Moonlight

She took yet another step closer to him, letting her hand drift through her long, dark curls before sliding it down toward her breasts. Rothbart watched the movement, something fierce and hungry stirring in his gaze, mixing with the angry vindictiveness.

"It is not my death you should be worried about," she murmured.

Fury slashed across his face right as she went for the knife and bowled into him. She placed her leg behind him as he stumbled back, and a grunt tore out of him as he hit the ground. Odette jumped, straddling him and pressing the jagged edge of her weapon to his throat.

"Don't be surprised," she hissed. "You had to realize this was coming."

He broke out laughing, startling her. "Indeed, I did. If you kill me, Odette, there will be no way to free you from the curse at all."

She ground her teeth. "You lie."

"Then go ahead." He gripped her wrist, keeping her from retracting her hand, his eyes challenging. "See what your blood lust will cost you." A scorching heat passed through her at his touch, at the warmth of his body radiating up through her thighs that clutched him, and for a moment she was unsure whether rage or desire coursed through her veins.

She let a long breath out between her teeth. “You cast the curse, so killing you should end it.” She recited Yessly’s reasoning.

“Except I placed half of the curse’s anchor inside myself. So if I die, then the anchor will be destroyed and you will be cursed forever.”

She touched her chest. “And you placed the other half inside me.”

He smirked. “That’s right.”

“Meaning only I can break it?”

He didn’t answer. But she took his silence as a confirmation. Yessly had told Odette everything she knew about the swan curse. That it was usually anchored to one person. In order to break it, the cursed one who held the anchor had to meet a man willing to vow undying love to her before the world. Obviously, Rothbart didn’t think that was likely to happen. And it wasn’t, as he had trapped them in the woods, miles from any civilization. They could only change into human form when they were on the water of the lake and the moon reflected in its depths. No matter how hard they’d tried, cutting their shoeless feet on sharp stones and pointed twigs, they just couldn’t make it even close to any settlements within a night of traveling.

The taste of disappointment was sour on her tongue.

She was bound to this man against her will.

Rothbart released her hand, and she lifted the knife from his throat. He grabbed her and rolled, pinning her in the grass, his body shoved on top of her. His face was so close his breath mingled with hers. He glared at her with a searing triumph.

“You don’t think I know how to deal with your kind?” he growled.

He had her arms pinned to her sides so she couldn’t move. Odette didn’t struggle. An inkling of guilt raced through her, agreeing that she deserved this. That she was almost glad he’d cursed her. No, she was being dramatic. The sudden pressure of his body on hers and the hatred mixed with desire in his expression muddied her thoughts.

“Now go, my swan,” he murmured in her ear, the soft, ebony hair along his jaw brushing against her as he spoke. His voice was husky, dark. “Return to the others and see if there isn’t something one of you might have forgotten to tell me. Your worthless little lives depend on it.”

He released her, standing, taking his pressure and warmth with him. He readjusted his cloak and looked down on her, an arrogant, dismissive air to his movements. Odette glared back, guilt and despair battling her training that said to just jump up and kill him, to hell with the consequences.

But killing him would only bring damnation. Not freedom.

He turned from her. “You cannot escape your punishment, Odette. I’ll return in a few days to ask you again, and I hope, for your sake, you have a better answer.”

And with that, he vanished into the trees from which he came.

Chapter 2

Odette

2 Months Prior

Odette lay naked on a bed of homespun sheets. They had a rough, scratchy edge to them, but she was used to their feel by now. She took in the familiar rush-thatched roof above that covered the small unassuming home. Bastion, her lover, lay beside her. Young and handsome, his brown-skinned chest took on a golden hue in the candlelit space. He reached out a hand, caressing her face along her jawline, then drew his touch ever so lightly down between her breasts.

So gentle. It felt the same every time they had made love. It was so different from the harsh life she knew. How she wanted to stay like this forever. He leaned up over her on his muscular arms while tears coursed over her cheeks.

Concern wrinkled his forehead, creating an endearing furrow between his brows. His long hair hung around him, framing his face in attractive black locks. “What are you crying about, my sweet?”

Without warning, his eyes glazed over and he fell back. Blood spilled over the pillows and covered Odette’s hands. “No, Bastion.” She jolted up, gripping his bare shoulders, shaking him, sobbing. His mouth was open as crimson bubbled up, coating his body. “Bash,please.”

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