The Black Moon's Curse (The Stellara Trilogy Book 1)

by Alicia Restucci

  Reid looked like he wanted to argue with her idea, but Ari was quick to stop him. “It’s the only plan that’ll work. You’ll have to take on most of Sebastian’s weight and keep a hand on James. You wouldn’t be able to protect them by yourself. Patch has to go with you. If we have to split up, this is the only way it’ll work and you both know it.”

  “Then it’s simple. We won’t split up.” Sebastian growled, his glare shifting between the two women.

  Ember tensed, her eyes narrowing on him. “You might be their captain, but you’re not mine. If we move as one big group, we’re putting a giant target on all of us. You can’t fight. Patch is the one who has a weapon. At least this way, instead of one big target it’ll be two smaller ones. We can’t wait here any longer. We need to move now.”

  If he wasn’t currently glaring daggers at her, she knew he’d be impressed with how she handled the conversation. She hated to feel proud of that. She shouldn’t care if she impressed him or not. He ruined her life the second he docked his ship into Iron Kress and she couldn’t forgive him for that.

  Ari straightened, brushing her hands off as she let her gaze shift between the two men on either side of her. Her gaze lingered on Reid, only flickering to Sebastian for a short moment. Ember noticed the small dip of his chin, though she knew no one else had. “It’s settled then. Let’s get this over with.” She said as she pushed by the boys.

  She only paused at Ember for a moment, her eyes giving her a once over. “You shouldn’t wear the necklaces. If things go south, it won’t be safe if you have both of them. Let Ana have one and James have the other.”

  Ember looked confused, hesitant, but nodded as she slipped the jewelry off and tossed them both to Ana and James. While Ari had a point, she knew there was more to it when she saw the look shared between sisters. Once the necklace was tucked safely around Ana’s neck, Ari headed over to where Patch and Ana were standing with James, no doubt to explain what was going to happen.

  Ember’s eyes followed her until Sebastian grabbed hold of her arm. She slowly took her eyes off the twins before turning toward him. “I can’t keep my promise to your cousin if you’re not with me. You and Patch could easily switch places and we both know it. It would make no difference in the outcome.” He said, keeping his voice low so the others didn’t hear him.

  Ember’s gaze dropped to his hand wrapped around her arm before looking back to meet his stare. “You said it yourself. I don’t need you to protect me and I don’t want you to. If Asher finds me gone and with you, he’ll kill you without blinking. He’s not thinking straight, he won’t hesitate to do it. If I’m running in a different direction, he’ll let the rest of you go.”

  The realization of her plan hit him as his eyes widened upon hearing her slip-up, a sadness flashing behind his eyes. “You don’t plan on making it to the trees at all, do you?”

  Ember lowered her head, refusing to meet his eyes now.

  His hand slipped down her arm and his fingers slipped into hers, entwining them together before he gave them a squeeze. The look of sadness in his eyes felt overwhelming. “No way, Ember. No, I’m not sacrificing your life, your freedom, to get out of this. That isn’t an option. It’s not.” He said, his grip tightening as he took a step closer.

  Hesitating, she raised a shaking hand up and placed it against his cheek. “It’s the only option we have if we’re caught. Don’t try to play hero, Sebastian. Please, make sure the others get to the trees and stay away from Klaus until the morning. Asher’s still got Ophelia and she has no one in Iron Kress. No friends, no family, no one to trust. I’ll have Theo there. I'll be fine, but you need to let me go.”

  His brows knit together as he tried to process what she was asking him to do. “You can’t ask me to do that.”

  “I know. I know. I’m sorry, Sebastian.” She whispered, tears rimming her eyes.

  Her eyes flickered past him briefly before a sad smile appeared on her lips. She leaned up, her eyes flickering down seconds before her lips pressed against his. He didn’t hesitate before his lips responded to her kiss. His fingers slipped from her hand as he moved to wrap it around her waist, holding her body against his with desperation.

  As she pulled back, her eyes opened and shifted behind him, her chin dipping slightly as she nodded. Before he could question what was happening, Reid came up behind him and wrapped his arm around his neck, pulling him into a sleeper’s hold. Sebastian struggled, but he was already weak from his injuries. He didn’t stand a chance. He dropped to his knees in seconds, his eyes watching her with confusion and betrayal.

  Why? His eyes asked.

  She refused to answer his unspoken question as she met Reid’s gaze. “Please get them to safety. Asher won’t bother looking for you if he has me. I’ll give you as much time as I can. Be careful of Klaus.”

  “I will. You know he’ll come after you. Nothing will stop him.” He said, his eyes flickering past her to where Ari was pushing back Patch, her words too quiet to hear as she explained what was happening.

  Ember glanced at Sebastian for only a moment before she nodded. “I’m counting on it.”

  And with that, she ran.

  Chapter 34

  Looking up at the sky, she saw the dark moon glowing above her. It felt like it was taunting her, making sure she knew just how close she’d been. They just had to last hours until they could have broken the curse and now that chance was gone. Breaking her curse was the least of their worries right now though. She had to give the others a fighting chance to get into the woods and hidden away safely from the beast and the guards.

  Ember wasn’t sure where she was running to exactly, but she needed to get Asher’s attention so it wouldn’t be land on the others. Her run had slowed to a jog as it dawned on her she didn’t have a plan. She couldn’t just run in front of him and hold up her arms awaiting the cuffs. He’d see right through that. The fact she was alone and not with the others was a dead giveaway she was planning something.

  She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn’t see the person following her until they were moving right beside her. “You weren’t supposed to follow me.” Ember snarled, shooting a glare at the person beside her.

  Ari flashed her a grin as she shrugged. “We both know the bastard prince won’t believe Sebastian let you go off alone. Even if you hated him.”

  The blonde had a point, but she wasn’t about to tell her that.

  Instead, she chose to ignore her comment. “We have to make it look like we’re trying to escape the camp. He won’t believe we were just stumbling through the camp wanting to be caught by him.”

  Before Ari could say anything, the beach shook so badly they both fell to the knees from the vibration. Their eyes met for a moment before looking up to the sky. The barrier. They could see it now as gold fragments fell from the dark sky all around them. It was destroyed, meaning Klaus would be invading the camp soon.

  “Screw wandering around. We need to find Ophelia. She’ll be defenseless against the beast.” Ari snarled, already pushing herself forward into a run.

  Ember didn’t argue as she hurried to catch up with her. She wasn’t sure if Ari remembered where the med-tent was, but she ran determinedly like she did. Ember tried to study the tents they were passing until one three rows down caught her sight. “Wait! Wait, over there. The med-tent's over there.” She called over, pointing in the direction of the tent.

  Ari didn’t wait before changing directions and heading into the path she had pointed toward. Ember looked back toward the line of trees, praying now that Klaus was on his way to the camp that the others wouldn’t cross paths with him in the woods. With a look toward Ari, she also prayed they didn’t run into the beast either.

  With a heavy sigh, she pushed herself forward and followed after Ari.

  Ember stumbled as she tried to keep up with the blonde who was running much faster than she was able to keep up with. It wasn’t long after the barrier shattered that she started hearing the terrif
ied screams of the guards. It was chaos all around her, but she kept moving toward the med-tent where they knew their friend was being kept.

  As she popped out between two of the tents, a solid body collided with hers. A gasp was torn out from her lungs as she hit the ground. She felt the old cuts on her hands split open from the rocks embedded in the sand. Breathing hard, she lifted her head and met the wide-eyed guard a few feet from her.

  The fear in his eyes wasn’t directed at her though, but instead it was at something behind her. The heavy pungent breath hit her back and she felt her entire body tense up as her eyes widened when she realized what was scaring this man so much.

  The man screamed as he scrambled to his feet, fumbling before he pushed himself into a fullon run. The beast lunged after its prey. Ember screamed as she covered her head, closing her eyes as soon as she felt the vibration of its landing. A growl rumbled through the air, the man’s scream growing louder until they suddenly stopped after the sound of tearing flesh met her ears.

  Her entire body shook and the thought of moving didn’t even occur to her. She felt frozen on the ground, her breath coming out as pants. Heavy footsteps shook the ground beneath her, but she didn’t dare move until they stopped. The foul breath was hitting her face on now. She fought back the need to puke as she inhaled the smell.

  Ember slowly opened her eyes, her body shaking as she raised her head up just enough to meet the glowing green eyes of the beast. They were the same sea-green eyes she had only just seen on a man’s face that afternoon. “Klaus,” She gasped as her fingers dug into the sand in front of her.

  The beast crouched in front of her, its dark wild fur spiked up in odd directions. He stared at her with curiosity. Blood dripped from its mouth as well as what she knew was drool. Its massive chest panted with each breath he took. It was crouched down on all fours, its sharp claws dug deep into the sand. If she got a full look at the beast, she knew she’d find a tail sweeping from side to side.

  A growl rumbled through its body as it took a step closer to her, it’s head tilting as it studied her hungrily.

  Ember jolted back when someone run in between her and the beast. Her eyes widened as she took in the curly blonde hair brushing the curve of Ari’s back as she skidded to a stop. In her hands was a heavy sword, no doubt stolen from a guard who’d either been killed by the beast or had forgotten it when he ran for his life.

  “You’ll have to deal with me first if you want to eat her. She doesn’t taste too good, trust me. There’s plenty of other bastards around here you can rip apart, but leave us be. We’re your friends. Sebastian is our friend.” She snarled, her glare never moving from the beast.

  If she had, she would have seen the large sharp clawed paw before it smacked her from the side. “Ari!” Ember screamed as the pirate went airborne.

  Ari went crashing into the tent on their left with a cry of pain.

  Ember’s eyes widened as she watched the pirate disappear into the large tent.

  “No,” She gasped.

  Ari didn’t get back up.

  Ember’s eyes shifted, landing on the dropped sword her friend had taken. Her limbs were free from the panic that had trapped them as she grabbed the heavy weapon and climbed to her feet. She ignored the pain shooting down her leg as she lifted the sword up. “Klaus, it’s me. It’s Ember. Don’t make me hurt you.” She said, her eyes searching for any sign that the man she’d met earlier was still in there.

  The beast seemed to grin, showing off the bloody set of teeth that promised pain and death. He straightened up on its two back feet, rising to his full height. Ember swallowed her fear as she lifted her head so she could see the beast in his entire form.

  She was right about it having a tail.

  Adjusting her grip on the sword, she didn’t make the same mistake Ari did as she kept an eye on his claws. “I’m not afraid of you, Klaus. This isn’t you. You’ve let the beast control you for so many years, but it’s time to fight back. Fight, Klaus. I believe in you. I know Sebastian believes in you. You have to remember your brother, Klaus. Fight the beast. Fight!” She said, her voice raising before she could stop herself.

  Klaus moved and she matched each step, not letting him even just an inch closer to her. She wanted to see if Ari was alright, but she knew if she even glanced back for a split-second Klaus would make a lunge for her.

  When the beast paused, Ember held her breath, waiting to see what it did. She saw the battle going on behind its eyes and knew Klaus was fighting the beast. He just needed help. What else had her mother said?

  Do you remember my song for you? I used to sing it to you as a baby.

  The song her mother had been humming, she realized. It was something she must have sung to her as a baby. That's why it felt so familiar. What did it have to do with Klaus though? She saw the beast shake its head, as if trying to snap out of a daze. She knew she was losing what glimmer of hope that Klaus would take control.

  Without wasting another moment, Ember began to hum the tune she’d heard her mother making in her dream. It was off key and she knew she was forgetting parts, but it seemed to be doing the trick. Her eyes never strayed from the monster. She watched as he battled with himself and it encouraged her to keep humming. The song must have meant something to him and her mother. Whatever the story behind the song was, it didn’t matter as long as it continued to work.

  The beast eyes closed for a moment, and when they opened again, she knew it was Klaus looking back at her. She could see the sadness behind his eyes now instead of the hunger that had been there before.

  She let her breath loose, her shoulders dropping in relief.

  “Emberlyn!”

  No.

  No, no, no.

  The beast’s glowing eyes blinked again and when they opened any trace of Klaus was gone. Ember made the mistake of looking away from the beast, ready to tell whoever it was to leave her and run.

  Asher stood there, fear in his eyes as he took in the scene before him.

  “Watch out!” Ari screamed as her body slammed into hers, shoving Ember to the ground just as the beast lunged for her.

  Ember felt her heart stop as Ari went to the ground. “No!”

  The beast raised up his clawed paw and swiped. Ari’s blood curdling scream broke through the air, her blood splattered Ember’s face and chest.

  Without thinking, Ember grabbed the fallen sword and pushed to her feet. She let out a powerful scream as she ran at the beast. She saw red as she positioned the sword to strike. Another scream ripped from her throat as she drove it up into the beast’s shoulder. It wasn’t his heart, but it would wound him long enough for her to get to Ari.

  The beast howled, falling back at it tried and failed to reach the spot she’d dug the sword into. Ember only watched it for a moment before she dropped to her knees. Blood was everywhere and she didn’t know what to do. Ari’s eyes were distant, but the small wheeze from her lips and the slight rise and fall from her chest told her she was still alive. Ember pulled her into her lap, grabbing onto her hand tightly. “No, no, no, Ari. Ari, hey. Hey, it’s me. I’m here. Hold on, okay? Asher!” She screamed, turning back to where she’d seen him standing.

  He’d run over, breathing hard as he slowed to a stop. His guards continued past him as they took on the wounded beast and chased him off.

  Tears she didn’t know she still had fell down her cheeks and in that moment, she wished she could take back every awful thought she’d had about the pirate in her arms. She might have hated her for what she did to Cassius, but it didn’t mean she wanted to see her die. “Asher, please, she needs your witch. She can heal her. Please, I’ll go back with you. I won’t fight. I promise, just please don’t let her die.” She begged her former friend.

  Ari’s hand squeezed hers, drawing her attention back to her. “Y-you can do it. You-you're magic.”

  “What’s she talking about?” Asher asked as he knelt down beside them.

  Ignoring him, Ember shook her he
ad. “I-I don’t know how.”

  Ari squeezed her hand again before she moved their hands to her shredded chest. She didn’t have the strength to do anything else. She was slipping away and Ember didn’t know how to help her. Closing her eyes, she tried to pull as whatever power she’d had inside of her. She pleaded for it to help Ari. She couldn’t lose anyone else.

  A warmth covered her hand, a similar feeling she’d felt before when she was fighting with Theo before he let them go. She only opened her eyes when she heard Asher’s stunned gasp. From her hand was a bright warm light, its rays sinking into Ari’s ruined skin.

  A deep breath slipped through Ari’s lips, as if the pressure was gone and she could finally breathe again.

  Because that was actually what was happening. Ember was healing her somehow.

  She’d almost forgotten Asher was there until he spoke. “Incredible,”

  The three sat there for a few minutes, just watching as Ember’s powers heal Ari’s fatal wounds. Sweat coated her skin, her body drained, but she didn’t stop. It wasn’t until a throat cleared; did they remember where they were.

  Asher raised his head, his throat clearing as he stood back onto his feet. “Take Lady Emberlyn and put her in my room on the ship. Make sure she stays there this time.” He said, not sparing either girl a glance as he turned to leave.

  The light disappeared the second one of the guards grabbed Ember’s arm to pull her up onto her feet. Her head spun from the sudden movement, but she fought to stay focused. Ari cried out in pain, still not completely healed from the wound that should have killed her. If they left her there, she’d die. Sebastian wouldn’t be able to come back to get her. She’d be here alone and suffering. Ember couldn’t let that happen.

  “Asher, please, she’s still hurt. Take her with us! Please, as a favor to me. I’ll do whatever you want me too. I'll owe you. Please, just don’t let her die.” She begged, pleading with him as she struggled against the guards keeping her from her friend.

  Asher paused where he stood, his shoulders tense with his fists clenched shut at his sides. Ember paused in her struggling, her eyes never leaving his back as she watched him consider her plea.