Cursed (Enchanted Gods #1) - K.K. Allen Page 0,8
instead protected by a retaining walls of rocks.
Still reeling from my swim, I decide to walk it off before returning to Summer Manor. I trudge along the shore, escaping the quiet darkness of my thoughts and focusing instead on my surroundings. The music I could hear earlier seems to be coming from up ahead. I continue in that direction, and eventually, I catch sight of a group of guys are playing what seems to be a competitive game of volleyball, while a group of girls cheer them on from the pool deck above. My focus is drawn to a bronze statue of the earth goddess, Gaia, resting at one end of the pool. Her hair rises to the sky in the shape of tree roots with birds perched atop them. She’s pressing a handful of feathers to her chest, her chin cast down.
Turning back to the game, my eyes lock on the ball as the guys lob it into the air, passing it back and forth more than a dozen times before one of them finally misses.
“You’re a lucky bastard, Alec. Let me see you try that again,” one boy taunts. “I won’t miss this time.”
“C’mon, Brett,” one of the girls says with a laugh. “Don’t be a sore loser.”
Brett tosses a glare up at her then flips her off.
Meanwhile, Alec is chuckling while playfully tossing the ball into the air and catching it. “We’ll see about that.” Alec winks.
A fluttering erupts in my chest. The boy, Alec, is gorgeous, with a charming full-blown smile, short wavy hair, tanned skin made evident in the house lights they play under, and an athletic build that has me curious as to his age. They all appear to be around the same age as me, but I can’t be sure from just one glance.
A moment later, the game is back in session. There’s some laughing, some grunting, and even some cursing each time one of them misses. While Brett looks to be in a competitive match, Alec seems to be just having fun with it. But when Alec jumps into the air and brings his palm down hard on the ball, my jaw falls open as it zooms over the net, angling for the ground at Brett’s feet.
Brett is already diving for it, anticipating its landing. I hold my breath and imagine the ball denting the beach while he overshoots his aim and misses it completely. Miss it. My mind echoes the words as my gaze follows the movement of the ball. I’m so focused on what’s going to happen next, it almost feels as if time slows. Miss it, my mind chants. Miss the ball.
Brett slides too far forward, causing his clenched fists to miss the ball completely. The ball comes down hard, smacking him square on the head. A resounding pop sounds through the air, and the girls from the balcony above laugh hysterically.
They all seem so focused on the game, I have every intention of walking away unnoticed, but I’m not fast enough. As if he senses my presence, Alec turns and finds me in the darkness. He tilts his head then—to my horror—takes a step in my direction.
All I can think to do is run. Maybe it’s my soaked-through clothes, my bare feet, or the sheer and utter embarrassment that floods me from being caught snooping on the group of friends, but I can’t seem to make my feet move. I’m glued to the spot, stunned as my gaze locks on the boy moving in my direction. Our eyes connect, and it’s like my insides freeze too. There’s an unmistakable intensity to his gaze, reminding me of the runner from earlier. But this is different, like an electric current slithering through every nerve ending of my body until I can’t deny it anymore.
A jolt zaps through me like lightning—so hard and fast, I drop to my knees. Pressure mounts behind my eyes as I force them closed and press my palms against my ears. My mouth opens, as if I’ll scream, but no sound follows. The pain is excruciating, and a flash of bright white light illuminates my darkened vision. It flashes over and over and over. I don’t know how many times it strikes, but each one feels like a mini-electrocution.
After what seems like an eternity, the light holds—a solid white expanse accompanied by an overwhelming sense of peace. Then I’m sinking.
What I see next makes no sense, but it’s as clear as the moon that hangs over