Chapter 102: The Curse Unraveled
FINNIAN
I walked through the corridor and my footsteps echoed against the stone walls and the sound seemed to follow me like a shadow. The torches flickered in their sconces and they cast dancing shadows that moved and twisted and made me feel like I was being watched. I had been avoiding everyone all day. I had been hiding in the library and then in the gardens and then in the empty corridors where no one would find me.
I had been feeling strange since the incident with Samantha. Her blood had touched my tongue and it had calmed the beast and it had brought a peace that I had not felt in years. But now, something else was happening. Something worse.
The beast was back and it was angrier than ever.
It had been building inside me for days and it was clawing and screaming and demanding to be set free. I could feel it pressing against my skin and I could hear it growling in my ears and I could taste its hunger in my mouth.
I stopped walking and I leaned against the wall and I pressed my hand against my chest. My heart was pounding and my breathing was shallow and I could feel the beast pushing harder and harder.
"Stop," I whispered. "Please. Just stop."
The beast did not listen.
I doubled over in pain and I felt my bones beginning to crack and shift. My fingers lengthened and my teeth sharpened and my skin rippled and tore. I fell to my knees and I let out a howl that echoed through the empty corridor.
The sound was loud and primal and it shook the walls and it rattled the windows and it seemed to go on forever.
When I looked up, I saw them.
Serena and Kylie were standing at the end of the corridor. They were not running. They were not screaming. They were watching me with curiosity in their eyes and smiles on their faces.
Kylie whispered something to Serena and Serena nodded and they both stepped closer.
"Fascinating," Serena said. "The curse is stronger in him than in his brothers."
Kylie tilted her head. "The blood woke something up. Something ancient. Something that has been sleeping for centuries."
"We need to study him," Serena said.
The beast roared and it lunged toward them. But Serena raised her hand and the beast froze in place. I tried to move. I tried to break free. But I could not. I was trapped.
Serena walked toward me and she circled me like a predator studying its prey. Her eyes moved across my body and she examined me like I was a specimen.
"Look at him," she said. "He is magnificent. The curse has made him stronger than any ordinary wolf."
Kylie stepped closer and she reached out and she touched my face. Her fingers were cold against my skin.
"The blood is still inside him," she said. "I can feel it. It is changing him."
"Changing him into what?" Serena asked.
"I do not know yet. But I intend to find out."
I wanted to speak. I wanted to tell them to stop. I wanted to beg them to leave me alone. But I could not move. I could not speak. I was a prisoner inside my own body.
Serena leaned closer and her voice was soft and dangerous. "You are going to help us, Finnian. You are going to tell us everything about the blood. Everything about Samantha. Everything about the curse."
I tried to shake my head. I tried to say no. But nothing came out.
Kylie laughed. "He is trying to resist. How adorable."
"He will not be able to resist for long," Serena said. "The curse is consuming him. Soon, he will be nothing but the beast."
"Then we will have to work quickly," Kylie said.
They were interrupted by a voice from the end of the corridor.
"Step away from him," the voice said. "Now."
Serena and Kylie turned and they saw Darlington standing at the end of the corridor. His eyes were blazing. His hands were clenched. His face was pale with fury.
Serena smiled. "Prince Darlington. How nice of you to join us."
"I said step away from him," Darlington repeated.
Serena did not move. "We were just having a conversation with your brother. He is very interesting. The curse is making him stronger."
"Step away from him now."
Kylie laughed. "Or what? You will fight us? You will hurt us? You will do nothing and you know it."
Darlington stepped forward and his voice was low and dangerous. "You do not know what I am capable of."
"Oh, but we do," Serena said. "We know everything about you, Darlington. We know your weaknesses. We know your fears. We know what you want most in this world."
Darlington’s expression flickered.
"We know you want to protect her," Serena continued. "Samantha. The slave with the golden blood. You think she is yours. You think you can save her. But you cannot. She belongs to us now."
"She does not belong to anyone," Darlington said.
"She belongs to the curse," Kylie said. "And the curse belongs to us."
Darlington stepped closer and his hand reached out and he grabbed Serena’s wrist. His grip was tight and his eyes were blazing.
"Touch him again," he said, "and I will kill you."
Serena laughed. "You would not dare."
"Try me."
The sisters exchanged a look. Then Serena pulled her wrist free and she stepped back.
"This is not over," she said. "We are not finished with him yet."
They turned and they walked away.
Darlington knelt beside me. His hand was on my shoulder and his voice was soft and worried.
"Finnian," he said. "Can you hear me?"
I tried to speak. I tried to move. Nothing happened.
"Stay with me," Darlington said. "I am going to get you out of here."
He lifted me and he carried me down the corridor and I closed my eyes and I let myself drift.
I was not alone.
But I was not safe.
The sisters were still out there. They were still planning. They were still coming for me.
And I did not know if I had the strength to fight them.
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