Cursed (The Curse Trilogy Book 1)

by Nicole Marsh

  Waiting an extra couple of minutes after I hear the doorbell, I walk slowly down the stairs into the foyer, hoping to make an entrance. Vlad’s reaction doesn’t disappoint. His eyes widen as he watches me descend the stares. He fidgets with his collar while he looks at me, and I smile. He seems nervous too.

  Upon reaching the bottom step, my eyes soak his black suit that’s perfectly fitted to his form, making him even more handsome than usual. He isn’t wearing a tie, but he is holding a bunch of pale pink peonies. I take them and smile at him stupidly, ”Hi.” I say bashfully over the small grouping of flowers.

  He smiles back at me softly, “hi.”

  We spend the journey to the restaurant, listening to music and chatting about whatever pops into our heads. The nervousness from earlier quickly evaporates and this feels like every other time we’ve hung out, just in nicer clothes.

  Vlad tells me about his most recent story at work and I respond by telling him about Glenna before the wolf tore apart the expo. “I’ve never seen anyone move faster to check out a bamboo knitting needle.”

  We’re still laughing as we pull up to the Italian restaurant. I wait for Vlad to open my door. He grabs my hand as we walk in and his static shocks me like it always does. It’s almost comforting that it happens now, something that’s remained constant as everything else keeps changing in our crazy new life.

  We decided tonight we wouldn’t focus on the curse or the Shifter Council or the pile of books waiting for us at my grandmother’s house. Today was just about the two of us. A first date- between two people who could possibly fall in in love someday, obviously I added that last part on without discussing it with Vlad first.

  The hostess leads us to a small bistro table covered in a navy-colored table cloth. She sets a fancy looking leather bound menu in front of each of us, going over the specials before she walks away. I get a bit possessive when she winks at Vlad, reaching my hand across the table to grab onto his. Instinctually making sure she knows that he’s mine, at least for now. Vlad doesn’t comment, just holds my hand until a basket of bread is dropped onto the table.

  After we order our pasta, I glance around the restaurant. It’s mostly empty tonight. Weeknights aren’t overly popular here, apparently. Our food arrives quickly and I dig into my chicken penne hungrily. I try to eat daintily, but with gusto. Shoveling tiny, flavorful bites into my mouth in quick succession.

  Vlad and I finish around the same time and he laughs, as I wipe my mouth at the sides like I’m proper. “It was delicious!” I gush.

  “I agree,” he says, smiling at me.

  After he pays for our meal, we decide to walk downtown. It isn’t raining tonight, meaning it’s a nice night for a walk. We stop after a bit, to sit on one of the benches facing the fountain in the main part of town, holding hands but not saying much.

  Vlad places a palm on my cheek, swiping his thumb underneath my chin. “I’ve wanted to go on a date with you for a long time, Mira Love. Thank you for giving me a chance to take you out.”

  He swoops in for a kiss, his plump lips settling warmly onto mine. It’s better than I imagined when I was standing in the parking lot of the Daily. My first kiss. Vlad licks and nips at the seam of my lips until my mouth opens of its own accord. A low groan echoes from his mouth into my own, as his tongue sweeps inside my mouth.

  I raise my arms and wrap them around Vlad’s neck before I tentatively touch his tongue with my own. He groans again, pulling me across the bench and onto his lap, his hands spread across my lower back, the tips of his fingers grazing the top of my butt. The warmth of his skin seeping through the thin fabric of my dress and heat blooms low in my belly.

  This time I’m the one that moans, sounding embarrassingly out of breath as I do so. I push further into Vlad and he sweeps his tongue through my mouth one more time before pulling back. He rests his forehead against mine as we both pant, trying to catch our breath.

  My first kiss.

  With Vlad.

  It was perfect.

  Everything about this entire night has been perfect.

  Too soon, Vlad helps me up, before standing from the bench himself, adjusting his suit back into place. We finish our walk around town, and Vlad brings me back to my house. As we sit in the driveway, I look at him expectantly. He doesn’t move, so I ask shyly, “Do I get a goodnight kiss?”

  He groans as he looks at me, “You’re trouble, Little Mir.” But he leans in and gives me another kiss anyways.

  18

  The Cure

  Mirabella

  Vlad and I have carried on a routine of going to work and spending time at my grandma’s house together afterwards for the past five days. We’ve been getting closer or at the very least more comfortable around each other since our first, real date, but he hasn’t kissed me again or brought up the last time it occurred.

  Although I’m anxious to know what he thinks about me and to know whether or not he wants to be more than friends, I’ve been pushing these thoughts to the side to focus on the goal my grandmother gave us. To find out more about the wolves and the wolf curse.

  With each day that passes, I learn more about my coven, other covens, and my witch ancestry from the massive texts that I spend every waking moment of my spare time devouring, but I’m still growing antsy. I need my grandma to return with answers, the whole fate of the town is resting on what she can find out from her contact on the other side of the states.

  We’re finishing up another long night of research around midnight on Friday when Vlad turns to me to ask, “Would you like to grab brunch at the Diner together before we come here tomorrow?”

  I shudder as I recall my first experience there during a busy time, with the flying food and the water exploding all over the table. Vlad must sense my reason for hesitation. “I’ve spread the word to stop tormenting you, or I’d be out for blood.” He says the statement in such a gentle tone considering the message of his words. “Plus last time we went they weren’t even there.”

  “Sure,” I say, albeit a bit reluctantly. I glance around my grandmother’s eclectic home and take in the stacks of books that we’ve read through so far. Only a small number remain for us to review. “I feel like we aren’t making any progress here, to be completely honest.” We’ve been looking for anything that could help for a week, but almost every book omits any details of the curse. “At this point, I’m hoping my grandmother’s lead works out because it’s starting to feel like she’s the last hope that we have to finding a cure.”

  Vlad nods his head and scoots closer across the floor to throw an arm around my shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, little Mir. I have faith, and so should you.”

  Together we clean up our mess and leave the cluttered room. I’m locking the door behind us when a pair of headlights appear on the winding dirt path that leads to my grandmother’s treehouse. I put my hand above my eyes, trying to see the make of the car, to identify if it’s someone we know.

  The car finally reaches the end of the dirt road and the headlights shut off. My grandmother pops out of her old Chevelle that’s seen better days. “Oh good! You’re both still here,” she says, her nasally voice carrying on the wind. “Come help this old lady bring this things in.” She pops the trunk as we head down the steps.

  I peer inside and see a large pewter cauldron and a few cardboard banker boxes with closed lids. “Is this going to help with the cure?” I ask excitedly.

  Grandmother shoots me a look before glancing around the woods. “Even the trees have ears, my Dear. Let’s get these things inside, then we’ll talk about my trip.”

  We each grab something from the trunk and carry it up the stairs, forced to wait at the top because I didn’t think to unlock the front door. By the time we’re all finally settled inside, I feel as if my arms are about to fall off.

  My grandmother continues to putter around after the last trip, making tea. I haven’t known her for long, but I can tell she’s enjoying building the suspense and rushing he
r won’t do anything to move her along. She finally loads up a tray, placing it on the coffee table before sitting down in the pink armchair.

  Vlad and I are settled into our usual couch, watching her intently. She takes a deep breath then launches into her story. “I met with the Coven in Canada, where my contact lives. Their powers are different than some other witches. They believe that if they were able to meet you, that they could help us to break the curse.”

  I jump off the couch, filled with excitement. “What are we waiting for Grandma? Let’s get whatever we need to bring with us and head out. We can tell my parents and I’ll text Marc in the morning and let him know I had an emergency and can’t come into the Daily next week. I’m just an intern anyways…” I’m rambling on as thoughts fly across my mind.

  My grandmother did it. Together we’ll be able to save Garth and all of the other wolves that have been affected. We can keep it from spreading further than it already has. This is it.

  She holds one hand in the air and her somber face gives me pause. “Hold on, Dear.” She looks like she’s waiting for me to sit back down, so I plop back onto the couch, hitting Vlad with one of my arms during the fall downwards. “It’s not that simple,” she begins. “There are witch laws in place.”

  I open my mouth, only to close it again after receiving a glare. My grandma has to be allowed her purposeful, dramatic pauses. “Before you can travel to another Coven, you have to formally request to join your own and take the test to gain your witching license. Otherwise, leaving to visit another Coven looks like you’re searching for a new place to live and you won’t be welcomed back when you return if you haven’t been accepted already.”

  “There’s no exceptions, not even if we explain the situation….”

  “No exceptions,” My grandmother says firmly. “But I’ve brought you everything that you need for the next few weeks. I’ll help you practice, to learn, and to pass your test.” She gestures at the large cauldron and the boxes we carried up from her car.

  I nod my head, taking in her apartment. “Okay, what do we do first?”

  Grandmother chuckles as she stands from her chair. “It’s late now, you two go home and get some rest.” She walks to the door, holding it open as a not so subtle reinforcement of her words. “We’ll begin tomorrow. Be here at noon.”

  Vlad and I step out onto the front porch and the door shuts firmly behind us. Before we walk down to my car, I see a glint of something flashing among the tree line. “Did you see that?” I whisper, pointing towards the trees for Vlad.

  “No,” he whispers back, just as quietly. I can tell he’s now on high alert, his shoulders tense and his ears alert for any threats.

  We both hear the twig snapping at the same time, meaning whatever is coming is already close by. The golden wolf, now free from the muzzle, and two others step forward. The three sit down in a line about twenty yards away, lifting their snouts to the air and let out a long howl before flipping over to show us their bellies.

  I’m bewildered, unsure of what kind of wolf protocol this is. When I look at Vlad, his expression matches my own. “Are they submitting… to our dominance?” I ask.

  Another howl echoes out into the night air as my only response.

  To Be Continued…

  Books by Nicole Marsh

  Vice Series (Romantic Thrillers)

  Vice

  Wrath (Winter 2019)

  Pain (Spring 2020)

  Hospital Series (Short Romance Reads)

  Sleeping With My Surgeon

  Dating My Doctor (Spring 2020)

  The Curse Trilogy (Paranormal Romance)

  Cursed

  Bound (Winter 2019)

  Shattered (Spring 2020)

  Standalones

  Miss Fortune (Winter 2019)

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