Cursed (Enchanted Gods #1) - K.K. Allen Page 0,24

to scold me for my growing impatience and frustration, but her expression only softens.

“Astina’s existence is a mystery, and is rumored to have come about rather spontaneously, much like that of other primordial gods.”

I have to bite down on my lip to keep from bursting out with a laugh. “Interesting.”

Charlotte tilts her head at me and rolls her eyes. “I can see you’re taking this seriously.”

Heat swarms my chest. “You expect me to believe all of this? You’re talking about immaculate conception.”

Charlotte chuckles. “I suppose I am. I thought you said you wanted to understand.”

I scoff. “I was just asking about the importance of a statue.”

Charlotte nods. “Perhaps Rose can elaborate for you when you speak with her.” She pushes her chair back. “I’m heading to the restroom. Be right back. Order an appetizer if you like.”

As she walks off, I look down at the menu angrily. There are times when I’m so in awe of this town, I can barely keep my jaw shut. Then there are times like now, when I wonder why I ever came here. Surely, I could have let the state place me somewhere until I turned eighteen. But then what? My mom had nothing but debt and bills she could barely pay. I would have been homeless. And without any education or employment references, who knows if I would have found a job? Coming here felt like my only real choice at the time, but I’m really starting to question that decision.

A figure approaches. I notice his black shoes first, his tanned muscular legs next, then his black shorts. The sleeves of his black button-down dress shirt are rolled and pushed up his arms. It’s him.

A shiver shakes through me as I make the connection before I even look up to see his face. Up close, he’s even more intimidating than he was last night when he glared at me from beneath his cap. He’s got to be over six feet tall, with bold blue eyes and scruff around his jaw. If I had to guess, I would think he was somewhere in his midtwenties, but I don’t know why I’m thinking that hard about it. That’s when I notice something I somehow missed the first couple of times I saw him. A jagged scar extends from just below his brow to his cheek.

His intense stare narrows as he just stands there and says nothing while holding a notepad and a pen poised in his hand. “Well, are you going to order or what?” His gruff voice is even darker than his glare.

What is this guy’s problem? He glares as if he hates me, but he doesn’t even know me.

My mouth opens, but I can’t seem to find the words. Even if I could, I’m not sure I’ll be able to utter a single thing with my heart in my throat. I want to ask him if he his problem is with me or just life in general. It’s not like he took one look at me staring at him through the passenger window then decided to hate me. Maybe he was having a bad night, and I just happened to drive by at the wrong time.

I look down at the menu, trying to buy some time to work up the nerve to look up at him again, but not even a second passes before he turns and walks away. My eyes snap up just as he stops at the next table over and tosses me yet another glare. This time, I don’t shy away. I narrow my eyes back in his direction before averting them completely.

“That Kat girl is so weird.”

I jerk my head to find the origin of the voice, but it sounds more like a whisper all around me. I swivel my head until my eyes catch on Iris. She’s currently leaning forward and talking to her friends while darting glances at me. But she’s several tables away. There’s no way it could have been her speaking.

I whip my head in all directions, expecting to find the true culprit. Then I hear more whispers. This time, the voice belongs to a male.

“No, she’s not. She’s nice. Give her a break.”

My head turns back to face the threesome.

“Of course you think she’s nice. You think everyone is nice.”

I’m no lip reader, but the words match the movement of Iris’s mouth. My heart starts to pound.

“And that’s a bad thing how?”

“She clearly likes you,” Ava chimes in.

“What? Why would you think that?”

“Alec, you