Page 16 of A Cursed Bite (Bound to the Enduar #1)

ARLET

“ I am so pleased you didn't get rid of my gift,” a voice slithers through my dreams. “It’s time for you to come back.”

I open my mouth to speak and my jaw hurts.

“What?” I croak.

No one responds.

Dark walls loom around me, but I don’t know where I am. The bed is warm, but my body refuses to hold the heat. I hear people moving, their footsteps slipping in and out of my awareness like whispers in a dream.

They aren’t safe.

None of them are.

Water had scoured my skin clean, washing away the evidence of blood, but not the filth. They thought a bit of soap could erase what happened, as if cleansing my body would cleanse my soul. But pieces of memories are scattered like shards of glass in my mind.

Diego was gentle.

I remember the warmth of him, the quiet, fleeting comfort of another body against mine. When he made to leave, I asked him to stay. I hadn’t wanted to be alone.

The world outside my door had felt too uncertain, too unsafe. And he—he had been something solid, something strong. Someone who, for a moment, could have shielded me from the void of terrible uncertainty swirling inside of me.

I just wanted to forget.

To not be the one left behind while everyone else moved forward. A few red flashes take over my thoughts. I see Diego under me, a knife in my hand. It slashes. Sinking deep into his stomach.

A dull roar fills my head. The blood. Trying to run from the images is impossible, and I am forced to stare at the truth head on. My eyes burn as the truth slaps me across the face. I was having problems, and I waited too long to go to Ulla. I shouldn’t have settled for her apprentice, I should have waited.

And now… my selfish neglect has resulted in a death.

The world wasn’t unsafe.

I was.

"Arlet."

Estela’s voice is soft, careful.

I don’t look at her.

"Something is wrong with you, and we’ll find out what."

Her words shatter me.

I had been lying in a pool of my own blood once when Daniel had told me those exact words— Something is wrong with you.

I grit my teeth.

Maybe Daniel is somewhere nearby. Maybe he will reappear to remind me of how awful I was. How broken I was.

I already know. I know . But can anyone actually fix this?

"I’d like to be alone," I murmur.

Estela steps forward, coming fully into my line of sight.

"I don’t think?—"

"I AM DANGEROUS!" The words rip from me, jagged enough to tear at my throat. "Leave me be!"

Estela’s eyes widen. Then she steps back. Instead of pressing, she lets me go.

For a moment, the silence is suffocating. But she returns into view. She always does that.

"Arlet, we need you to stay still."

Her hand closes over mine, warm and steady .

I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling the burn of unwanted tears.

Voices hum around me—questions, theories, but they are distant. I am lost in the black swirl of my thoughts, desperately clawing for memories of what happened.

My mind fractures.

Violence is seldom my answer when it comes to solving problems. How could I have killed someone? It is different from the spider or the day I spent lost.

I can remember parts of this act.

The world spins and my head throbs. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. Time passes, but I can’t tell how long.

"Arlet?" A voice pulls me back.

I press my lips together, wading through the black mist in my mind, searching.

"Sh, my child." Liana’s voice wraps around me. "You are in my home now. Can you hear me?"

I force my eyes open, blinking against the dim glow.

Instead, golden crystal light pulses along the walls, casting shifting patterns across the stone. The air is thick with the scent of dried herbs and something metallic, like crushed minerals.

I shift, my body aching, and take in Mother Liana’s home.

There are shelves carved into the rock that hold vials of tinctures, bowls of crushed powders, and polished gemstones. Bundles of hanging plants sway faintly, caught in an unseen draft. A heavy wooden table sits in the center, scattered with scrolls, mortars, and fragments of uncut crystal.

Veins of deep violet quartz twist through the ceiling, glowing softly. Unlike the throne room, these stones do not speak of war, but of healing.

My heart beats unevenly. I had always loved the minerals and stones in Enduvida. Through the Fuegorra, the enduares taught us humans that stones have energies—some more than others. I’d spent months learning their potential to heal, unify, and mourn. In Enduvida, life felt like a fabric—woven from the threads of loss and love.

But something is ripping me from that fabric.

I want to scream at whoever will listen—at the Human Goddess, locked in her prison, shackled and silent, refusing to help me. At the fates that had neglected to give me a simpler life.

"Liana." My voice is hoarse. Unyielding. “What exactly do you think is wrong with me?”

Silence spreads through the room like a slow-moving tide.

“There was dark magic around you after what happened last night,” Liana says carefully.

Last night. Wow.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Around one day,” Liana says softly.

More time lost. I focus on keeping my breaths even. “And… what is wrong with me?”

“You have been cursed, Arlet. We think it comes from one of the human witches. Have you been in contact with any recently?”

I furrow my brow. I hadn’t seen any since… since before the battle against the giants half a year ago.

“No. Not at all.” To be honest, I’d almost forgotten they existed.

"It will take time?—"

"It can’t,” I cut her off. "What if I hurt more people?"

I shift, attempting to rise—but hands close around me, firm.

My breath catches.

"What are you doing?" I twist my neck around, trying to see who’s here.

Vann steps into view, standing next to Estela. His expression is carefully blank. Why is he here? Is he angry?

He holds up a few silk ropes.

My skin goes cold.

Maldita sea. It’s too soon. I’m not ready.

"This is for your safety," he says, voice gruff. "We don’t want?—"

"No," I beg, voice cracking. "Don’t bind me again."

He looks confused. "Again?" His voice is softer now. “Arlet, this is the first time we’ve done this.”

Estela takes my hand. “We are here for you, querida . We’ll make this better.”

I press my lips together. "Please, find another way.”

They each take on their version of an apologetic look.

"Forgive me," Vann says, threading the rope through something on the bottom side of the table where I lie, and passing it around my wrist.

A sharp, icy press meets my forehead.

Liana’s voice fills my ears, a melodic hum that snakes its way into my thoughts.

Darkness surges up to meet me. Its claws fasten around my arms and throat, dragging me back. I try to call out again, but all that is left is darkness.