Dark Curse (Darkhaven Saga #5) - Danielle Rose Page 0,11

me?” I had asked her in disbelief when she gave it to me. I had only asked her for makeup and clothes.

She snorted. “Do not act so surprised. You are basically confined to the manor. I thought you might like new ways to spend your time. I mean, what else are you going to do around here? A person could go crazy being locked in!”

She was right. I was losing my mind—though for other reasons—but I did need to find new hobbies, and cooking was a great place to start. Unfortunately, everyone else claimed the space, and I never made it into those cookbooks.

The moment Jasik realizes something is wrong, he halts. The pot of soup slips from his hand. Chunks of meat, potatoes, and vegetables scatter across the floor, the liquid dousing a pile of nearby books. They were probably priceless, but he does not care. He pays no attention to them, focusing solely on me.

Jasik shuffles his way through the room, crushing chunks of food and kicking the useless bound paper to the side as he makes his way to me.

“What is it? What happened?” His eyes are dark, and the concern within them makes my heart sink.

Holland says something, but I do not hear him. My attention is solely on my sire. He reaches my side in seconds, and he wraps his long fingers around my thinning arms. He holds me like this, not too close and not too far, assessing every inch of me. His gaze never lands on my neck, where my mark and horrific makeup job betrayed my secrets only moments ago.

I shake my head, losing my grip over one of the many tears threatening to spill, and it drips down to my chin. I fall against him. He wraps his arms around me, holding me tightly, and I feel like nothing can penetrate his arms of steel. Jasik is strong enough to keep me safe from any physical danger, but when I look up at him, our lips nearly grazing as he looks down at me, I see it.

In his eyes, there is defeat, because he knows he can protect me from any threat that comes knocking at our door, but he cannot save me from the greatest danger of all: the evil residing within my mortal coil. Every day, he watches as I become weaker, thinner, smaller. Every day, I die a little bit, and he sits beside me, holding my hand as I take my final breaths. I know he will always be there, watching, waiting, unable to stop what fate has already set in motion.

Life should not be this cruel.

Gaining better control over my emotions, I sniffle and push away from Jasik. There is nothing I would like more than to fall into his arms and let the time pass in his safe embrace, but I know I can’t do that. I need to remain strong—if only for my own sake—because the truth is soon to be revealed.

“What happened?” Jasik asks as I wipe my eyes and adjust my sweater. I fight the urge to leave it lopsided, where I know it will cover the blotches of mismatched concealer, but I know that will only cause more attention.

I shake my head, ignoring Jasik’s question, and I dare a peek at Holland, who stands several feet away, arms crossed, brow furrowed. He is not angry with me, but he is insistent in his desires. He wants me to come clean, to admit the severity of my situation, but I can’t. Admitting the truth makes it real, and I am not ready for that yet. I do not think the hunters are either.

After several seconds pass, Jasik tosses a glance back at Holland and says, probably more forcefully than intended, “Someone say something.”

“I think the side effect of the witches’ black magic is starting to affect Ava,” Holland says bluntly.

I shoot him a look of utter betrayal, but I can’t be angry with him. He said what I should have. These were my secrets to bare, and I should have confided the truth in Jasik. After everything we have been through, my sire deserved that.

Jasik frowns. “Is this true?”

He wants to hear it from me, so I mentally prepare myself to speak the truth. I nod, throat clenching. Once again, it is hard to speak. Whenever I think about my situation, I can’t see straight. My vision blurs, my mind races, my heart screams in my head. My hands get clammy, my

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