Bound (The Curse Trilogy Book 2)

by Nicole Marsh

  Sylvia sends back a bunch of emojis including a face with heart eyes, a shocked face, and a thumbs up.

  I send a quick message to Leif: Can we do eleven or later? Sylvia is stopping by in the morning!

  I don’t wait to see if he replies. If he doesn’t see the message tonight, he’ll see it tomorrow before he heads over. Either way he’ll get the message in time, so it’s not worth it to delay sleep any longer. I place my phone on the nightstand then move to change out of my clothes.

  Clad in pajamas, I climb back into bed. Despite being ready to pass out only ten minutes prior, I’m suddenly wide awake. Like my brief text messaging stint activated my brain again. While I lay there willing for sleep to come, I realize thoughts of Vlad, his whereabouts and overall well-being, have barely crossed my mind over the past few days.

  I’m plagued by guilt almost immediately. I feel like a terrible friend, or maybe even a terrible girlfriend, I’m not really sure which, since we never classified our relationship before Vlad disappeared. Either way, I haven’t spent much time trying to find him since Leif barged into my life.

  Jumping out of bed, I run to my closet and throw open the doors. Without bothering to flip on the light, I dig around on the top shelf for a few minutes. I continue until my right hand hits the piece of fabric I’m seeking. I pull out Vlad’s sweatshirt and slip the bulky piece of fabric over my head, inhaling deeply as it passes my face. Vlad’s scent wafts up. His earthy, musky smell teasing my nostrils with each breath.

  With a sigh, I crawl back into bed and snuggle my face in the neck of the sweatshirt. Inhaling deeply, I breathe in the soothing smell of pine trees and ocean water. I think of Vlad and what life will be like, when he finally returns from wherever he is. Within seconds, I fall asleep.

  11

  The Offer

  Mirabella

  Sylvia appears on my doorstep bright and early bearing a breakfast burrito and a coffee that’s more sugar than caffeine. With a smile, I let her inside and we wordlessly head upstairs to my studio. I unravel the wrapper covering my burrito and take a huge bite as we settle into the leather chairs. The bacon-y, cheese-y goodness hits my tongue and I let out an mmm in appreciation. “Will you bring me a burrito every day?” I ask Sylvia.

  She laughs. “I’m sure you could have these made here daily, if you asked for it.”

  “It’s not the same,” I mumble around a mouthful of food.

  Sylvia allows me a few more bites before pestering me for information. “So, you’re still spending time with Leif even after that creepy note someone left on your porch?”

  Swallowing the last bit of my burrito, I follow with a sip of my coffee then I’m ready for this conversation. “Well, really the note warned me to be cautious… not to necessarily avoid Leif. He’s honestly been a ton of help so far.”

  Sylvia hmms, but doesn’t reply other than that.

  I continue, feeling the need to justify my decision considering her wariness. “There hasn’t been any weirdness after the Kaylee incident either.”

  We sit in silence for a few seconds. I watch Sylvia’s face seeing her think over the meaning of the weird note and Leif’s intentions. I remain frozen, not wanting to disturb her thinking process. Since Leif arrived, I have had a tiny niggle in the back of my mind that he isn’t here for completely selfless reasons. I’ve felt that way since I met him, and it makes it hard for me to trust that he has good intentions.

  Sylvia opens her mouth to reply, but is interrupted by a knock on the doorframe. I see Sylvia’s eyes widen before both of our heads whip over to the door to see who may have been eavesdropping.

  Jacob offers a close-lipped smile, dipping his head. “Sorry to interrupt Miss Love, Miss Amica,” he says addressing both Sylvia and I. “A, Mr. Golden, is downstairs, waiting in the entry.”

  My brow furrows and I pull my phone out of my pocket to check the time and any missed messages. The clock on the front screen shows 8:30 and no notifications. I exchange a glance with Sylvia. Leif is early, super early, despite my request for him to show up until closer to midday.

  “Sorry, he wasn’t supposed to be over for a few more hours,” I apologize.

  Sylvia shrugs, “Well I guess we could both help you to study. We can talk more later, after he leaves.”

  “Sorry Syl,” I say with a grimace. “I asked him to come over at eleven, I’m not sure why he’s so early.”

  With a smile that looks a little forced, she replies, “Let’s go see what your boy wants.”

  Feeling like a guilty friend for not being able to dedicate more time to hanging out with Sylvia, although at no fault of my own, I return the smile. “He’s not my boy, but let’s go see if he has a good reason for being so early. If not, we can kick him out so we can finish catching up.”

  Sylvia gets out of her seat, following me out the door. “Yeah right, he’d probably turn me into a frog or something for threatening him.”

  A feeling like deja vu comes over me, as Sylvia sits on one of the Navy colored armchairs in the witching chamber. She’s crunching on snacks while Leif and I stand by the cauldron to run through our flashcards for the third time. The only difference between this study session versus last time is I have two separate coffee beverages to consume while I study.

  Once we finish reviewing the final card and Leif mixes them up for another go, I turn to Sylvia. “How did you prepare for the witches exams?”

  She crunches through the rest of her chip then responds, “My dad made a sort of study guide of things I needed to know and a list of reference books. He let me loose in the family library to find the information I needed and study. That was when I was fifteen though, so I kind of had an advantage of years of study… instead of weeks like you’ve had.” I nod to acknowledge her response and the slightly apologetic look on her face.

  Whenever Sylvia’s knowledge of witches comes up, she always looks a bit regretful. I usually chalk it up to the fact that she knew we were witches without telling me, but I never acknowledge it. We moved past that point in our friendship. I’m over it and eventually she will be too.

  Leif interjects, “Typically that’s how the process works.” He continues to shuffle the cards, his hands slowing once he realizes his words have garnered both of our attention.

  “What do you mean typically works like that?” I ask.

  Shrugging, Leif places the cards back on the table. “The Coven usually designates a specific person to train each new witch, some take a more hands-off approach like Sylvia’s dad. Some trainers spend more time working together, like we are.”

  “What age do most witches start studying?” Sylvia chimes in.

  Leif gives another shrug, looking over at Sylvia nestled in her armchair. “It just depends on the witch and the Coven. I wouldn’t really say there’s a set standard. Although waiting until eighteen to learn about magic seems a bit old, if you ask me.”

  Neither of us ask further questions on the matter and Leif picks the flashcards back up. The only noise in the room is the shuffling of the paper cards filled with information on magical ingredients. Sylvia shrugs and turns back to crunching through chips and scrolling through her phone.

  Personally, I’m impressed that she’s been able to look through LifeNovel without yelling angry comments at the screen while fighting with internet strangers. Either she’s growing up or she’s not that comfortable around Leif to show her true colors, yet.

  Out of the corner of my eye I see her fingers begin to rapidly fly across the screen of her phone. Her expression changes several times before she looks up and sees me watching. “Hey, my parents are asking me to come back home and watch my little brothers.” She pulls a grimace. “Do you want to have dinner together tomorrow night? ...we can finish catching up.” Her eyes slide pointedly to Leif like she’s silently adding “alone”. Thankfully he’s not looking her way, he’s too concentrated on reading something from one of the books we’ve been using to study.

  “Yeah, I’d like that.
” I walk over to the armchair and give her a quick hug. “Thanks for coming over and bringing the sustenance,” I say. “Do you want me to walk you out?”

  Sylvia smiles and brushes me off gently as we walk to the large wooden door together. “Nah, I know the way out. Don’t study too hard. And I’ll see you tomorrow.” Looking past me, she gives a quick wave. “Bye, Leif.”

  He calls out a goodbye and once the door closes firmly behind her, he moves towards the armchairs. “Would it be okay if we sat for a bit?” He asks, gesturing to the two chairs facing the fireplace.

  “Oh, of course.” I nod abruptly before plopping into one of the chairs.

  Leif sits gingerly like his legs are sore and I realize we’ve been standing on the hard, stone floor for a few hours now. During my first few days in the witching chamber, my feet were more tender after a couple hours of working but they seem to have become desensitized to the uncomfortable feeling.

  A small tendril of guilt tries to sneak in, saying I should have offered to take a break and sit sooner, but I push the thought away. After my talk with Leif at the Diner about being a legacy and needing to have confidence, I’ve been trying to take less accountability for other’s actions as well. Leif is an adult; he could’ve sat on his own, without my permission or invitation, if he needed to. End of story.

  Leif interrupts my wayward thoughts when he begins speaking, “I’ve been thinking, Mira Love, about what happens when it’s time for me to leave here.”

  He looks at me with an expectantly, while I stare blankly back. “Oh, and what have you been thinking about?” I finally ask, confused by the random conversation topic.

  “Well, I’m glad you asked.” Leif says with a smirk, like he didn’t introduce the topic with a leading statement. He leans forward, across the arm of his chair and grabs both of my hands with his. I experience a brief shock against my skin, but his words quickly override the initial surprise. “I’ve been thinking that I would like you to come back with me. To Canada. To my coven.”

  I give him my best “well, duh” look. “I was already planning to do that. My grandma, Vlad, and I were all planning to do that.’ I respond firmly. “When my grandma went to your coven for help, your father agreed to help me try to save my town and break our curse. Once I receive my witching license.”

  Leif shakes his head and gives my hands a tight squeeze. “No, I’m not interested in you coming to visit, Mira Love. I was thinking, you could come stay with me, with my coven. At least for a little while to test it out and determine if it’s somewhere you would be comfortable.” I shake my head, but Leif ignores it, continuing his train of thought, “We could work on getting you stronger in potion brewing, try pushing your limits. And we could also brew together…” He pauses, his gaze moving from the fireplace to ping back and forth between my eyes. “We’re both legacy witches. Together we could brew any potion, nothing would be out of reach for us.”

  I slowly mull over his words, letting his idea fill my brain completely before responding. “Leif…” I begin slowly. “I really appreciate your offer, I do,” I repeat when he makes a scoffing noise, apparently anticipating where my words are headed. “I just don’t want to leave Florence. This is my home, my family is here, Sylvia is here, and I’ve been seeing someone that I don’t want to leave yet either.”

  Leif lets out another scoff and his grip on my hands squeezes a bit tighter, bordering painful. “Seeing someone? I haven’t seen anyone.”

  His words and attitude hit a nerve. Pulling my hands away, I place them into my lap and fold them together. Then I lean back and level an annoyed look on Leif. Despite the fact that I don’t owe him any type of explanation for my decision, I give him one. “He’s been going through some things and is out of town right now. I really appreciate your offer, Leif. And the fact that your family is willing to help me. Both by sending you here and allowing me to come visit for even more help after I receive my witching license. I am very grateful, but I don’t think I’m willing to completely move my life at this point.” I try to pacify him the best I can with my next statement. “Over the next couple weeks while we’re studying, I’ll think over your offer a bit more. I’ll give you my final decision after I pass my witches exams.”

  As I’d hoped, my last few words seem to change Leif’s attitude about the entire conversation. His signature smirk slides into place and his next words are filled with confidence. “I guess I’ll just have to spend our days convincing you to try out the Canadian Coven, eh.”

  I lean against the railing to my balcony, watching the rain drizzle down outside. A ringing from inside my room startles me from my thoughts. Hustling in through the French doors, I dig through my bedding until my hand hits the cool glass surface of my phone.

  Crowing out my success, I answer the phone without checking the caller ID. “Hello,” I answer a bit breathlessly.

  “Hello Dear,” my grandma’s voice comes through the phone.

  “Grandma, is everything okay?” I ask, concerned about her late-night call.

  “Its… fine, Dear. Well I’m fine.” She starts slowly. I settle into my bed, pulling a blanket over my lap. Knowing my grandma, if this news is the least bit interesting, she’s going to take her sweet time telling me.

  Her pause lengthens and I finally ask, “What’s going on?”

  A sigh comes through the phone, then my grandma starts speaking again. “I had a run-in with one of the council members today.” I can’t help the sharp inhale of breath that follows her statement. Before I can ask her to elaborate, she continues, “Nothing happened to me. He just was very persistent for information on what else we’ve found regarding the curse, so far.”

  “What did you tell him?” I ask. To my knowledge, we don’t know any more than when they summoned Vlad and I, just over a month ago.

  “I just said that we’re working as fast as we can to uncover answers to help everyone in the town.” She sighs through the phone again. “I’m worried they’re going to become more aggressive to get information out of us soon. Something has them scared. Maybe the wolves are turning faster than anticipated, without being able to shift back We need to continue to look for answers to help the town, being mindful of the Council.”

  I think over her words, playing them on repeat through my mind. “It’ll be okay, right? My exams are scheduled for two weeks from today. After that you and I can go with Leif to his coven. They should be able to help us find some answers regarding the cure. We should be fine if we stay out of their sights for the next two weeks, Right?” I ask timidly.

  My grandma hesitates for a moment. Silence fills the phone, which concerns me more than any answer she could have provided. When she finally speaks, its more softly than before. “Yes, Dear. You’re probably right. Soon we’ll be able to help them find the answers they seek.”

  12

  The Countdown

  Mirabella

  The next couple days are jam-packed. I barely have time to sleep between my studies with Leif, my new, shorter hours at the Daily, and trying to carve out a little bit of time for my parents and Sylvia. When my alarm goes off on Wednesday morning, I groan loudly.

  On my third attempt, I’m able to fully open my sleep-crusted eyes and swing my legs over the edge of my bed to prepare for the day. I slowly move through the room, gathering my long hair into a loose ponytail and pulling on jeans and a nice, royal blue top with flutter sleeves. Groggily, I pull on my sandals and head out the door to my Prius.

  My sleep deprived brain barely registers the drive to the Daily. I run my hands across my face a few times to try and wake up before I get out of my car and head inside. Despite my initial resistance to Leif’s highhanded actions, I find myself grateful that he went over my head to speak with Marc and coordinate a shorter work week for me. Even the three days of work this week have been a struggle, after long nights of learning about magic and cramming for my upcoming tests.

  I’m the last one to pull up a chair to the morning meeting, a
nd I place myself at the back of the group. In my effort to focus I squint my eyes and try to follow the suggestions being added to the board and Marc’s feedback. I let my eyes drift shut and just listen to the words around me for one brief second.

  “Mira.” My shoulder shakes and I grumble. “Mira,” a laughing voice says again.

  Prying my eyes open slowly, I see Marc’s emerald colored gaze hovering in front of me. His eyes are twinkling like he’s in on a joke I haven’t heard yet. I look around and realize I’m the only one in a chair at the front of the room. Startled, I sit up straighter, trying to figure out what’s going on. The movement pulls my shirt tighter against my shoulder and I realize the fabric is damp. I look down and see a small, circular wet spot.

  Raising my hand to my face, I touch my upper cheek wondering if I started to cry. Unfortunately, the part of my face that’s wet is my lower chin. “What happened?” I finally mumble, with a sneaking suspicion the wet spot on my top is drool.

  My suspicion is confirmed when Marc quickly turns his face and lets out a cough that basically sounds like a laugh. When he turns back to face me again, his face is mostly straightened out, minus the twinkle in his eyes and the upturned corner of his lips. He clears his throat twice. “You fell asleep during morning meeting,” He finally responds.

  I feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment at his revelation. “I’m so sorry Marc,” I say softly. “I’ve been up late cramming every night. My exams are scheduled for ten days from now…” I trail off as Marc’s expression turns from lighthearted to concerned.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” He asks, his tone sounding irritated.

  “About my exams?” I ask.

  Marc shakes his head. “About the Daily being too much for you. I can give you the days off to study, Mira. You don’t need to spread yourself so thin that you’re falling asleep at work.”