Cursed (Enchanted Gods #1) - K.K. Allen Page 0,10

hospital. Those kinds of headaches aren't normal.”

With a shake of my head, I edge away from him. “Thank you, but I’ll be fine. I already feel better.” I stand effortlessly to prove it.

He looks unsure but rises with me. “Can I at least walk you back to where you came from?” He nods to my grandmother’s manor, causing unease to snake through me.

“Um…” I start awkwardly. “How did you know where my home is? I just moved here today.”

“You’re Rose’s granddaughter, right?” He says it confidently, but there’s also something else there I’m struggling to detect. Disapproval?

I shake away the thoughts. Now is not the time to make assumptions about the thoughts of a boy I don’t even know. “That would be me.”

“We’ve been expecting you.”

My insides jump at that comment. “You have?” Then I shake my head, realizing I have a more important question. “Did you say ‘we’?”

Alec nods then throws a look over his shoulder. I follow his gaze to find Alec’s friends all huddled together, staring at us. The guys look genuinely curious, but I can’t shake the hasty glares the girls cast in my direction.

“You’ve kind of been the talk of the town,” Alec says with a sheepish smile. “It’s the curse of moving to a small town, I guess.”

I let out an awkward laugh.

“C’mon, already,” one of the girls calls out to Alec. “We’re going inside to watch a movie.”

“Yeah, man,” one of the guys says with a grin. “Bring your new friend if you want. She’s cute.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks at the compliment, and Alec lifts his brows as if that’s not a bad idea. “Well, what do you say, new girl? Want to make some friends?”

A whispered argument strikes up between the members of the group behind him. I’m sure they think I can’t hear them. I make out every single word, and it’s enough to solidify the fact that I’m as unwelcome in this town as I was back in Silver Lake. I try not to feel dejected about that small fact, but it’s close to impossible.

I take a step backward and shake my head. “I really should get going. It’s late, and Charlotte is waiting for me.” I start to turn away, but first, I sneak a look at him from under my eyelashes. “It was nice meeting you.”

“Nice meeting you…”

I walk away quickly, ignoring his voice when he calls from behind me. “Wait. Let me at least walk you home.”

I refuse to let Alec waste another second on me when I know my time here is limited. My birthday is in one month. I’ll be eighteen and free to leave this place. And that’s exactly what I plan to do.

Maybe I was rude to take off like that when Alec was nothing but nice to me, but this situation is much too strange to explain to a complete stranger, especially one whose name I didn’t even ask for but overheard, nonetheless. Then again, he didn’t ask for mine either. But none of that matters. Something tells me I will see him again soon.

Charlotte is standing at the great room window when I enter the house. I half expect a lecture for staying out too late, but she smiles easily and leads me up the white marble staircase. At the far end of the hall, she opens a set of double doors with a grand flourish.

The bedroom is an overabundance of riches, with floor-to-ceiling windows filling a rounded wall that faces the bay, a gold four-poster bed with fluffy white bedding, dozens of gold-framed photos on the wallpapered walls, sculptures, and various pieces of distressed furniture. I meet my own gaze in the vanity’s oval mirror. The ornate looking glass might just be the most beautiful piece in the room. With its intricately carved gold frame and hand-sculpted design, it stands out from everything else in the room by far.

My mousy brown hair is all knotted and windblown. I consider taking the gold-plated brush to it, wishing it were longer so I could pull it up into a bun and let my neck breathe. But while I’m in my grandmother’s home and this is my room for the time being, I feel like I’m an intruder.

I look back up at my reflection and consider my complexion. I think this is the first time I’ve really looked at myself in months. My skin is pastier than normal, and my dull gray eyes still hint at life despite being bloodshot from lack