Cursed: Legend of the Grimoire, Book One

by Leah Ross

  Declan, on the other hand, was nearly the polar opposite. He was tender and kind, took everything in stride with a ready smile, his wit razor sharp and his sense of humor ever-present. Selfless almost to a fault, he treated Laria like a goddess. He made sure his full attention was on her, and everything he did was with a care to her comfort and happiness. It was a new experience for her. She had always had to compete with Guinn’s other interests for his attention; she wasn’t accustomed to a man’s entire focus being devoted to her.

  “Ye look distressed, Miss Laria,” Declan observed, concern written across his face.

  She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

  “Ye sure I canna help?”

  Not when you’re part of the problem. She couldn’t tell him what was really on her mind. She didn’t want to confuse the situation any more than it already was. Suddenly she remembered something he might be able to explain. “Well, actually, there is something...”

  “Anythin’, Miss Laria.”

  “Please, just Laria.” He nodded and she continued, “When I inquired after Guinn at the rental office at the shipyard, the secretary was rather rude.”

  He looked positively relieved that she hadn’t brought up the subject hanging heavily in the air between them. He relaxed and smiled. “I’ll have a talk wi’ her.”

  Laria shook her head. “That’s not the problem. She said that she was tired of dealing with the constant stream of girls asking for Guinn. Is there something I should know?”

  He laughed heartily, patting her hand in reassurance at her indignant pout. “Forgive me the chuckle, lass. I mean no disrespect at all. Ye need no’ worry ‘bout that.”

  She continued to pout, finding no humor in the situation. “Then why are other girls seeking him out?”

  “‘Tis all ‘bout the captain’s reputation, lass,” he explained. “Marketin’, advertisin’, public relations—‘tis all part an’ parcel o’ the gig.”

  She added a frown to her pout, and Declan found the combination almost too adorable to endure. He went on. “The captain flirts wi’ some o’ the girls at the taverns, charms them, buys them drinks. Harmless ego-boostin’. In return, the girls tell their friends ‘bout the handsome young captain, their infatuation makes the men jealous, an’ Guinn has the makin’s o’ a legendary reputation.

  “Now, the captain is fair brilliant at this—o’ course his charismatic personality goes a long way—so ‘tis gotten a bit out o’ hand. Girls have been showin’ up at the shipyard wantin’ to see him again. ‘Tis all ‘bout gettin’ his name out there, an’ now most people know who he is. The next step is to get out on the water an’ start buildin’ his seafarin’ legend.”

  “It’s all just a ruse?” She didn’t quite believe that even Guinn McCabe could resist throngs of girls throwing themselves at him.

  Declan reached across the table, took her hand, and kissed her fingers, eliciting the same heart-pounding, gut-wrenching feeling in her core that she’d felt before. A tiny gasp escaped her lips, and she fervently hoped he hadn’t heard it. He smiled. “Laria, Guinn is absolutely besotted wi’ ye. He willna even go into the shipyard rental office anymore because he doesna want any girl but ye. I’ve broken enough hearts tellin’ girls he’s taken to last me a lifetime. As I said, ye dinna need to worry ‘bout it.”

  “Thank you, Declan,” she said, her worry melting away.

  “My pleasure, Laria.”

  ~*~

  The sun was sinking fast below the horizon. Declan and Laria had spent the whole day exploring the city. Now they were back outside the men’s apartment building. Declan didn’t want to leave, but he felt guilty for leaving his captain behind to work all day while he was out having fun.

  “Did ye enjoy yerself today, Laria?”

  “Immensely, thank you,” she said, “You’re a wonderful tour guide.”

  He smiled. “Ye’re too kind. Have a wonderful evenin’, an’ I’ll see ye tomorrow.”

  Laria wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He held her close to his body, sure that she could hear and feel his heart pound, wishing the moment could last forever, wishing even more that their circumstances were different, lamenting the fact that she belonged to someone else. As if he could not control his own body, his head bent and his lips sought hers. He heard the voice in his head wickedly urging him on. She lifted her chin, her eyes closed. Only a tiny bit more; the yearning between them was frighteningly intense. Yeeeeeeeeeeeessssssss, came the hiss through his mind, kissherkissherkissher.

  He bit his lip hard and turned away, releasing her from his arms. He thought the desire coursing through his veins would surely kill him. “I canna do it.”

  A tiny squeak of protest sounded in her throat, and her eyes widened with the shock that she’d wanted the kiss just as much as he did. They stepped away from each other, realizing the precarious position they were in. She retreated to the doorstep as he started down the street toward the shipyard.

  “I’ll send him home,” he called over his shoulder, not trusting himself to look at her.

  She nodded and stood in silence, watching him go.

  ~*~

  On her last day in Terracova, Laria sat with William as they lounged on the soft grass in the shade of a huge tree in the central garden. Guinn and Declan were aboard the ship getting everything ready to sail in the morning. William rested his head casually in her lap, his eyes closed, while she played absently with his tousled blond hair.

  “Mmm….” he groaned with a sigh. “I insist you blow off those selfish rogues and stay here with me. I haven’t been this relaxed in months. Guinn’s a sadistic slave driver.”

  She smiled. “I wish you were coming with us, Will. Life will be so dreadfully dull without you.”

  “Oh, I’m certain you’ll find something with which to occupy your abundance of free time. You won’t have time to miss me.”

  “Are you sure you won’t come?”

  “The last thing Guinn and Declan need is one more useless passenger. Besides, I have a business to run into the ground,” he said.

  She grinned. “Congratulations, by the way. Everyone has been so consumed with the launch of Guinn’s ship that we haven’t properly recognized your success, Will.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “What-the hell-ever. You know I loathe being the center of attention.” He opened an eye to see her smile as one corner of his lips lifted wryly.

  Giggling, she yanked gently on a lock of his hair. “Just make sure your building is the largest, most ostentatious edifice in the city and that absolutely every soul entering Terracova can see it. Nothing less would suit the illustrious William Hannigan.”

  “Ah.” He heaved a dramatic sigh of contentment. “Someone finally understands me. That’s it. I have to lock you away for my own keeping now. Those blighters McCabe and Maclairish simply cannot have you.”

  She smiled and shook her head, sinking back against the tree. She truly would miss William very much. She couldn’t converse so openly with anyone else. With William there was no tension, just friendship and enjoyment of each other’s company.

  “You’ll come to the wedding, won’t you?” she asked.

  “I suppose Guinn will do something asinine like order me to be his best man, so I really don’t have much choice in the matter, do I? Besides, I need to ensure that the ass vows to worship the ground you walk upon, so yes, I’ll be there.”

  “What about you?”

  “What about me? I already worship every grain of sand that has ever been privileged enough to bask in your glory, Laria.”

  “I meant in the love and relationship department, wise ass.”

  “I’d rather not, thanks. I’ve wasted enough of my life on Guinn as it is.” He winked at her. “But if you’re offering, beautiful…” He tweaked her nose affectionately.

  She sighed with exasperation and smiled at him. “Do you ever get tired of amusing yourself with your own wit, Hannigan?”

  He grinned rakishly. “Hell no.�
�

  “You need someone to love too, Will. Someone to spend your life with.”

  “No,” he said harshly. “I don’t believe in love.”

  “That’s so sad.”

  He shrugged. “Not from my perspective. I’ve seen nothing but devastation and broken souls result from that parasitic emotion. I’ve no wish to become its next victim.”

  She caressed his cheek tenderly. “Has no one ever shown you the beautiful side of love, Will? How two souls can complete each other through love?”

  “No,” he replied bitterly. “No one has been foolish enough to waste their love on me.”

  “I love you, William,” she said softly. His hard gaze bored into her tender one, and he saw the truth in her eyes. She smiled at him. “In a purely platonic way, of course.”

  His expression softened, and he reached his hand up to cup her cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart. That means a lot coming from you.”

  “You’ve always been so kind to me. I’m certain you have an enormous capacity to love if you’d just open yourself up to it.”

  “You know just as well as I do that love really isn’t an option for me.” He sighed. “I can’t have what I want, so why torture myself wishing for impossibilities?”

  “Oh, William.” She stroked a thumb over his cheek. “You have just as much right to love and happiness as everyone else.”

  “The Annali government vehemently disagrees with you.” He frowned. “It’s exhausting, you know. Living a lie. But I have to. Everything depends on it.”

  “There are ways…”

  “No!” He bolted upright and covered his face with his hands. “I mean, yes, there are, but there’s no future there.” He cast his anguished gaze at her, and the pain in his eyes made her bite her lip. “You don’t know,” he said hoarsely.

  “Tell me,” she whispered.

  A grunt of frustration erupted from him. “It crushes your soul. It doesn’t just break your heart; it rips it from your chest in a bloody lump and leaves you hollow.” He sucked in a ragged breath. “There’s no long-term in what I have to resort to. No love. No permanency. It’s just meaningless, temporary nothing!”

  Laria leaned forward and hugged him. “I’m sorry.”

  He pulled back and shook his head. He was pensively silent for a few minutes. “You remember back at school last year, right before graduation?” She nodded and he continued. “I couldn’t tell Guinn the whole truth of why I ended up dangling off that cliff. I didn’t tell Shana. But I’ll tell you.” William drew a deep breath. “Part of it was graduation and my dearth of a future at my father’s firm. But that was only part of it. My life had been spiraling into hell for a while, and those thugs that night tipped me right over the edge. I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t keep up the lie. Throwing myself off that cliff looked like my only way out, and I nearly took it…”

  She sniffled. “Oh, Will…”

  “So, no, I don’t believe in love. You have no idea what it’s like to finally connect with someone and be unable to hang onto it because you can’t be together.”

  “I might have some idea about that,” she murmured.

  He gazed at her with concern for a long moment. “I worry about you, Laria.”

  “Why?” she whispered, feeling the flutter of nerves deep in her gut.

  “I see the way he looks at you.”

  Her heart pounded. “Who does?”

  “Declan.”

  She covered the small gasp that escaped her lips with her hand. “I don’t know what you mean, Will.”

  He stared at her intently. “You know damn well exactly what I mean. And I worry because I see the way you look at him too.”

  Fresh tears sprang to her eyes once more. “Gods, William. What do I do? I’m so confused.”

  He squeezed her hand with dire urgency in his eyes. “You pray like hell that Guinn is too self-absorbed to notice. That man is not one to be trifled with. His intensity extends to every aspect of his being, his anger most of all. It terrifies me to my very core what he could be capable of given enough motivation.”

  “I don’t know if I can stop this,” she whispered, horrified by the implication. “I don’t know if I want to.”

  William sighed. “Only you and he can figure that out. But please, Laria, be careful.”

  She gasped as Neia’s prophecy from the harvest fair at Holystorm the previous year suddenly echoed through her mind, Any man who loves you will do so unconditionally, but he will be destroyed by it. She drew a shaky breath. “Bloody hell. She was right.”

  ~*~

  The boatswain piped the side to welcome Guinn aboard as he ascended the brow to take command of his ship for the first time. His skin nearly tingled with elation, and the roar of adrenaline through his body pounded like his heart. It was impossible to keep the wide grin from his face as the entire crew roared enthusiastically when he stepped on deck.

  Declan stepped aboard, escorting Laria by the arm. Then, leaving her momentarily with her parents, he snapped to attention at Guinn’s side. “Captain on deck!” he bellowed.

  The crew straightened, and all hands saluted stiffly. Guinn drew a deep breath, loving every moment of the dramatic formality.

  “Would ye like to do the honors, Captain?” Declan asked with a grin.

  “Hell yes, I would,” Guinn replied.

  Declan bowed deeply, then escorted Laria and her parents as they followed Guinn to the bridge.

  “Welcome aboard, Captain,” Adrian Sinclair, the helmsman, greeted as Guinn approached the wheel. He stepped aside and gestured for Guinn to take the helm.

  Guinn smiled and grasped the wheel firmly. “Thank you, Mr. Sinclair.” He took a moment to look over his ship and crew. The exhilaration was gloriously heady. “All hands! Take your positions!” The crew scurried to their places. Those manning the capstan shoved their bars into place. “Weigh anchor!”

  “Weigh anchor, aye!” came the acknowledging reply.

  “Cast off!”

  “Cast off, aye!” The mooring lines were released.

  “Hoist and set the sails!”

  A flurry of activity ensued while the sails were raised and trimmed. A small lurch indicated that they’d caught the wind and were off. Guinn gently turned the wheel, heading them out to sea.

  “Underway to Callinar, sir,” Declan said from his position at the rail.

  “Very good, Mr. Maclairish.”

  Joran stepped forward and clapped Guinn on the shoulder. “Well done, Captain! She truly is magnificent.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Guinn replied with a grin. “We should make Callinar around midday tomorrow. Feel free to explore. I’ll show you the cabin where you and Rienna will spend the night a bit later. Until then, enjoy the trip!”

  As Joran took his wife’s arm and went to stroll the deck, Laria stood on the bridge next to Guinn, watching all of the activity and trying to be happy for her fiancé. She was so proud of his accomplishment, and she loved to see him so excited, but she didn’t want to be left behind again while he traveled the world in search of adventure. For what seemed like the millionth time, she considered leaving school to stay with Guinn.

  After a while, Guinn relinquished the wheel back to Sinclair and wrapped his arms around Laria, cradling her back against his broad chest. “Exhilarating, isn’t it?” His grin lit the whole deck.

  She smiled. “Indeed. Congratulations.” She turned around and looked up into his eyes. A frown flickered across her face when she saw that his eyes were on everything but her. “Guinn?”

  “Hmm?” he murmured absently.

  “What do you think of me staying with you instead of going back to school?”

  He smiled and nodded, still not looking at her. “You should.” Then his gaze flicked back to hers at last and his brows knotted in a frown. “Wait. What did you say?”

  She sighed, annoyed at having to repeat herself. “I’m thinking of leaving school to stay with you.”

  “No,” he said e
mphatically, shaking his head. “I won’t let you do that. Your magic license is too important. I need the most powerful Annali mage aboard my ship, but you must have your license. Only a fully qualified mage can cast the most powerful spells, and I need someone dedicated to the craft.”

  Laria frowned, but Guinn’s attention was back on the deck below and he didn’t see it. She knew it was just Guinn’s determination to have everything the way he wanted it, but she felt like he was using her just for her magical skill and to warm his bed. “As you wish, Guinn,” she said quietly, unsure if he’d even heard her. She walked to the deck rail and looked out over the water. Guinn strode down the stairs to bark orders at the men.

  She didn’t know what to think. She knew she still loved Guinn, and she thought he still loved her, but he’d become a slave to his ambition, and it was that which drove him onward. The passion that she had so admired in him a couple of years ago had consumed him and she longed for the simpler days when she was the center of his world. She felt eyes on her and she turned to look over the rail to the main deck below. Declan’s expression was one of concern. She turned away and went into the chart room to sit and think.

  Laria sat at the table and laid her head on her arms, blocking the bright sunlight from her eyes. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised that the arrogant, self-centered man she knew Guinn to be when they met turned out exactly that way now. She’d seen the all too infrequent tender and caring version of him, though, and it was unfortunately that man with whom she’d fallen in love.

  A gentle hand squeezed her shoulder. “Everythin’ all right, Laria?”

  She nodded, keeping her head down so that Declan couldn’t see her tears.