Page 111 of Cursed

I take a sip, letting the rich alcohol wash away the anxiety. We settle on the couch, a careful distance between us.

“Thank you,” he says suddenly. “For what you did tonight.”

“You already thanked me for patching you up.”

“Not for that.” His eyes meet mine. “For saving my life.”

The wine feels warm in my chest. “We saved each other.”

Landon’s gaze drifts toward the window, his profile sharp against the city lights. He takes a long sip of wine, then sighs deeply.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, setting my glass on the coffee table.

He turns to me, his expression uncharacteristically troubled. “This wasn’t meant to happen.”

“What wasn’t?”

His fingers tighten around the stem of his wine glass. “I care about you.” The words come out strained, as if they’re being pulled from the depths of his soul. “I don’t... I don’t care about things. Or people. I never have.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” I ask, unsure how to process this confession from a man like him.

“It’s not supposed to be anything.” Landon sets his glass down with deliberate care. “It just is. And it terrifies me.”

The admission of fear from someone like Landon Blackwood feels momentous.

“I can’t think of life without you by my side anymore,” he continues, his voice dropping. “I’ve tried. I’ve imagined you walking away when this year is over, and it feels...” He pauses, struggling for words. “It feels like drowning.”

My breath catches. This is as close to a declaration of love as someone like Landon could possibly get. Not flowery words or romantic gestures, but the stark admission that he’s come to need me in a way he never expected.

“Landon, I?—”

“Don’t,” he interrupts, reaching for my hand. “You don’t have to say anything. I just need you to know.”

His fingers tighten around mine, and I watch his throat work as he swallows hard.

“I’ve never said this to anyone before,” he continues, voice rough. “I don’t even know if I’m capable of saying it right.” His eyes lock with mine, intense and vulnerable in a way I’ve never seen. “But you’ve become essential to me, Sadie. Not as a possession or a prize. As someone far more vital. You’re the air I breathe now.”

My heart pounds against my ribs as I recognize what he’s trying to say.

“I want to give you more space,” he says quietly. “Not to hold you, not to keep you caged—I want to stand beside you. As an equal. As a partner.” His thumb traces slow circles on my palm. “I want you to choose me, not because of a contract or the Hunt, but because you want to.”

This is Landon Blackwood—cold, calculating—offering me a choice he’s never given anyone.

“I don’t know how to do this,” he admits. “But I want to try. For you.”

I lean forward and press my lips to his, a kiss that says everything I can’t put into words. His uninjured arm wraps around me, pulling me closer.

When we break apart, I rest my forehead against his. “I choose you,” I whisper. “But Landon, I need you to understand something.”

He waits, eyes searching mine.

“The dominance—don’t take that away,” I say. “After what happened, I felt broken, cut off from myself. But with you, when you take the lead…” I falter, searching. “It makes me feel whole again. Like I’ve reclaimed what was stolen from me.

Understanding dawns in his eyes. “You want both,” he says. “Freedom and submission.”

“Yes.” I nod slowly. “In the world, I’ll be your equal. In bed, I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”

His lips curve into that familiar, wolfish smile, which sends heat coursing through me. “That,” he says, voice dropping lower, “I can definitely provide, little butterfly.”