Page 16 of Cursed (Wicked Heirs #2)

I stood before my sprawling closet and glared at its contents.

“Focus,” I whispered, and pushed aside a low cut emerald gown that would have caught Valen’s eye but wouldn’t serve my purpose. My fingers grazed over the soft material of a black velvet dress that had been embroidered with tiny constellations picked out in metallic silver thread and tiny chips of sparkling stones.

The dress was short, and its deep-V neckline exposed my shoulders and the tops of my breasts—I would need the distraction from the dagger I intended to strap to my thigh.

A smile tugged at my lips as I pulled it from the rack; it was gorgeous, and just a little immodest.

Just enough to pique Valen’s interest.

As I slipped it on and smoothed the rich velvet over my curves, I relished the comforting weight of the blackened silver dagger strapped firmly to my thigh.

I couldn’t afford hesitation; too much was at stake.

Urgency clawed at my insides— If Valen suspected anything, he would ruin me.

He would tell his brothers. Or Lucian. Or… he would kill me.

I couldn’t fail.

If I could do this—just once—I would be strong enough to take Bastian next.

And then Titus.

Valen was the one I felt closest to. He had wanted to understand what was happening to me—

What if he had cared?

He’d also lied.

He said he wanted to protect me—but if that were true, he would have stopped his brothers.

I pulled my hair into a tight ponytail and swept some dark eyeshadow over my lids before using blush to hide the paleness of my cheeks.

Would he notice—

A wry smile twisted my lips.

Probably not.

He would be in the garage. He was always in the garage.

I stared into the mirror and muttered the words of the spell again and traced the sigil on my palm with my fingertip.

My magic surged, and the whispers in my mind were loud.

Urging me on.

“Bound now to me, this strength remains.

Yours no longer, the magic wanes.”

I wasn’t ready—but I couldn’t back away now.

I pressed the flat of my hand against the dagger.

Courage.

The mansion was silent as I made my way down the stairs and crossed the foyer.

My bare feet whispered against the stones and I carried my heels in one hand.

The night air that brushed over my skin as I stepped out into the darkness was cold enough to make me gasp—but I couldn’t risk wearing more clothing than what I had on. When I was far enough away from the house to risk some noise, I stepped into my heels and smoothed down my dress. The garage doors were open, and music seeped into the night.

Good.

When I stepped into the garage, the scent of oil and metal mingled with the sharp tang of gasoline filled my nostrils and I paused in the doorway to gather my nerves.

Valen was absorbed in his world of machinery. He had tied his wild brown hair back from his forehead, and his t-shirt stretched tight across his muscled chest. My gaze tracked down his arms as his muscles flexed while he tightened a bolt on his sleek motorcycle. The overhead lights cast shadows across his face and emphasized the sharp angles of his jaw as he frowned at his handiwork.

He was so dangerously captivating—and I felt a familiar flutter in my stomach as I remembered the way his hands had felt on my body.

His focus was absolute, and the low rumble of the bike drowned out the sound of my steps as I approached.

I could still turn back—he hadn’t seen me yet.

But I had come here for a reason. This was no time for cowardice.

Only a few steps away from him, I stopped, set my hand on my hip, and lifted my chin.

I felt ridiculous. But it was too late.

“Valen,” I said, but the sound barely broke through the mechanical noise surrounding us.

He looked up, and surprise flickered in his stormy eyes, but only for a moment as his gaze raked over me.

The noise of the bike cut out, and the metal music, something with a hard, driving beat, filled the air.

“Avril.” The corners of his mouth curled upward slightly, but it was a wry expression. He didn’t trust me, either. “What are you doing here?”

My heart beat strangely in my chest, and my throat was tight. I shrugged in what I hoped was a nonchalant gesture. “Looking for you.”

I’d never seduced anyone before—I didn’t even know if it would work.

If he resisted me, then everything I’d hoped to achieve would dissipate like smoke.

Curiosity flickered in his gaze as he stood.

“What for? Need to yell at me some more?”

I laughed lightly. “No, I came— I came to apologize.”

His eyebrow rose. “Really—”

I had to play this up.

But I didn’t know how to flirt—or… anything.

Fuck.

I frowned at him. “Don’t make it harder than it already is,” I said.

I stepped closer, and my breath caught as I brushed my fingertips against his arm, lingering just a moment longer than necessary. The contact sent shivers cascading down my spine and ignited a heat that threatened to consume me whole.

The dagger on my thigh was heavy.

Shadows danced in the dim light of the garage, and flickered against the sleek contours of the motorcycle he’d been working on.

“Okay—” he ventured. “Apologize then.”

I smiled and looked up at him as I moved closer. “I’m sorry for running away,” I murmured, searching for the right words. “It’s just… everything is so overwhelming.” I paused and hoped that my admission might draw him in. “It’s really hard to trust anything in this place. I didn’t mean to leave things… unresolved.”

“Unresolved?” A smirk played at the corners of his mouth, teasing and dangerous. “That’s one way to put it.”

Irritation prickled at the back of my neck. He was going to make this as difficult as possible.

“I— I don’t want you to think that I hate you,” I said. “I don’t… I just— What’s between us… It’s complicated…” I let my voice trail away and forced myself to look at something other than his eyes. His shoulder. The bike. Before looking back at him.

His eyes narrowed, and curiosity ignited beneath the flicker of lust swirling in their depths. The shadows cast by the overhead lights danced over his face and accentuated the sharp lines of his jaw and the intensity of his gaze. “And what exactly do you think is between us?”

“Are you going to make me say it?”

His expression didn’t change, but he shifted slightly to allow me to move closer. “Maybe.”

“I think— Maybe I was just scared— I was so hurt by what you did. But I want to believe you. You said you wanted to protect me…” My heart raced as I leaned in slightly and let my fingertips rest against his chest. “And I want that… I want to trust you again. I want… your protection.” I let the word hang between us and watched his jaw tighten. “I think I want to finish what we started.”

In an instant, the distance between us evaporated. Valen’s eyes darkened as his hands fell to my hips and he pulled me against him.

“Careful, little witch.” His voice was a husky murmur that made my stomach twist. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“Don’t I?”

I pressed against him and relished the feel of the taut muscles beneath his shirt. He let out a low growl as he bent his head to capture my lips in a searing kiss. His hands tightened on my waist and one slipped down to my ass.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, opened my mouth under his, and tilted my hips to rub myself against the growing hardness of his cock.

His grip tightened, a possessive claim, as he spun us both, and pressed me against the cold metal of the workbench.

His body was a heated brand against my own, all hard muscle and smoldering lust. I gasped into his mouth as he nipped at my lower lip, and my fingers dug into his shoulder blades through the thin fabric of his shirt.

He broke away, his breath ragged against my cheek as he muttered a string of curses under his breath. His hands roamed over my breasts and hips, and every touch reawakened the lust that had lain dormant inside me.

A dangerous thrill coursed through me.

It was working.

I could feel him succumbing to the allure I offered. I grabbed his hand as he tried to drag it down over my thigh.

Ah, ah… No touching that.

I pulled his wandering hands to my breasts and grabbed his shoulders, and pressed him down.

He resisted, but only for a moment, and an expression that was torn between amusement and confusion played over his face. The look of shock was replaced by a sharp grin that told me he was enjoying this reversal as I stepped away from the bench and he allowed me to take control. I maneuvered him onto his back on the concrete floor of the garage, and he fumbled with his belt and the button fly of his jeans.

I fell to my knees beside him, slapped his hands away, and tugged his jeans down with feverish hands. He groaned, shifted to help me, and then pulled his shirt up and over his head to reveal the dark tattoos that twisted over his chest and upper arms like the vines he controlled in the gardens.

And in my nightmares .

Valen’s sharp intake of breath filled my ears as I bent to take his cock into my mouth.

His fingers wrapped around my ponytail as my lips closed around his hard length.

I tasted him, savored him, and reveled in the sounds he made—soft, guttural moans that were swept into the cool garage air. He was hard and burning hot, and I moved my head slowly, exploring him until I knew the feel of him intimately. His body writhed beneath me, desperate for more.

The dangerous thrill of power and control surged through me—holding him at my mercy was a heady thing.

But I had to maintain it and use it to my advantage.

As his pleasure escalated, so did my confidence.

I allowed a small smile to play on my lips, emboldened by the almost feral sound that escaped him as he surrendered to my manipulation.

“Avril…” His voice was hoarse. His fingers tightened on my hair and held me in place as his hips bucked upward so he could fuck my mouth. The desperation in his voice sent a shock of triumph through me. He was utterly lost in the thrall of the moment—exactly where I needed him. I closed my eyes and stayed still as he thrust deep into my throat, choking me on his thick cock. It took everything in me not to pull away, but I willed myself to stay still and allowed him to control the situation, but only for a moment, before I pushed his hand away.

I was in control.

He let out a thick groan as I released him from my mouth and swung my leg over his waist to straddle him. The head of his cock pressed against my pussy, and I held his gaze as I reached between us to grip him and position him at my soaking entrance.

Being in control had made me wet—so wet—and his dark blue eyes widened as I teased him with the slick heat of my cunt.

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. It was a deep kiss that made him respond with equal fervor as I sank down slowly on his cock.

Gods, he felt good.

Thick and hard, it stretched my pussy as I took every inch of him inside me.

“Fuck, Avril,” he choked out.

He tried to grab my thighs, but I grabbed his hands and pulled them to my breasts. He tugged at the expensive fabric of my dress; the straps slipped from my shoulders, and he groaned as my breasts were exposed to his eager palms.

But I didn’t want his hands on me.

They were a distraction, and as he squeezed my breasts and plucked at my nipples, I felt my control beginning to slip away.

It would have been so easy to just—give in and allow him to fuck me the way he wanted.

But this wasn’t about him… or us.

He had something I needed.

My body ached to move faster and take the pounding I craved… but I grabbed Valen’s hands. He chuckled, but there was confusion in his eyes.

“Bossy—” he said.

“Hush,” I hissed.

I leaned forward, and he groaned as I moved. I pinned his arms to the floor above his head and looked for something to secure them with.

His shirt.

I moved quickly to tie his wrists together and the look of confusion on Valen’s face changed—he liked this.

Good.

I laid my palms on his tattooed chest and relished the hard beat of his heart as it thudded against his ribs. Braced, I used him as leverage to my movements as I rode his cock. I might have had a plan, but it felt too good being filled with his dick to waste the opportunity.

Valen’s eyes drifted closed.

“That’s right, little bird, use my cock—take what you want.”

I intend to.

My climax built—slowly at first, but it wound tighter inside me, burning hotter with each movement of my hips.

One hand pushed between my legs, and I teased my clit with my fingers.

In the heat of this fiery dance, I began to utter the spell under my breath, hoping he wouldn’t notice… praying he wouldn’t.

“By blood, our essence entwines. By sacrifice, your strength becomes mine.”

I was so close, teetering on the bring of release—but I couldn’t allow myself to cum… not yet.

I gritted my teeth as I pulled my fingers away from my throbbing pussy and, instead, drew the dagger from its hiding place.

“I sever your flame. I claim your light,” I murmured.

Valen’s eyes were still closed, and his mouth was open, his breathing harsh as I continued to ride his cock with sure strokes. He was under my spell—he had to be.

Above us, the lights flickered, and the music skipped just a little— The whispers of the grimoire buzzed in my mind even as my body shuddered on the edge of release.

I set the edge of the dagger against the side of my palm and pressed my lips together as I cut into my flesh. I smiled as blood welled up and coated the blade.

“Through blood and bone, your gift is mine,” I intoned before I pressed the dagger against Valen’s chest. A thin line of blood appeared at the edge and I felt another surge—but this time it was my magic rising inside me—and something more.

“I drink your power, one drop at a time.”

With those words, I pressed my palm against the cut I’d made on Valen’s chest. An immediate shock of pain traveled up my arm and flooded through me, but it was quickly overtaken by pleasure and the momentary panic that had accompanied it faded away as I moaned with abandon.

The warmth within me intensified as I burned along with Valen beneath me. His body shivered as though touched by an unseen force—and a sudden burst of energy arced through me and made me cry out.

“Bound now to me, this strength remains,” I gasped . “Yours no longer, the magic wanes.”

I didn’t know if the spell had worked—or if I had just made a terrible mistake, but I returned the dagger to its hiding place and concentrated on what was happening to my body.

Valen’s cock was hard and hot inside me, and I didn’t want the sensations to end.

My hand pushed between my legs again and I moaned as I rubbed my clit with fevered fingers.

Valen’s eyes fluttered and then opened, and I had a moment of fear that he would freak out if he saw the blood on his chest—but his tattooed skin was smooth and unblemished. No cut. No blood. My palm was the same.

Healed.

Magic.

My mouth dropped open as my climax crashed over me. Valen groaned as my pussy clenched around his cock and I let out a cry as he swelled within me.

“Yes,” I croaked. “Cum for me.”

He strained against the shirt I’d tied around his wrists, and I smiled as I pressed my hands against his chest and leaned forward just a little to allow him to thrust up into me. He gritted his teeth as he bucked his hips up to fuck me hard and deep, and I groaned as his cock pistoned into me until he was panting.

“Avril—”

“Yes—”

With one last thrust, his cock erupted inside me and coated my walls with hot spurts of cum.

My head fell back as another climax rippled through me, this one stronger than the first, and a strangled cry tore from my throat as my body shook and tightened.

The warmth of Valen’s skin under my fingertips ignited each nerve ending, and I reveled in it.

The remnants of the spell coursed through my veins, electrifying and consuming, blinding me to everything except the need to hold on to this newfound strength. I gasped for breath as the aftershocks took hold of me.

“Valen— that was—”

But beneath me, Valen was still.

“Gods,” I breathed.

What have I done?

My pulse hammered in my ears and drowned out the whispers and the dawning horror that clawed at my consciousness.

With a frantic urgency, I disentangled myself from Valen, and my hands trembled as I pushed off him. His face, once fierce and commanding, was now slack, vulnerable— I pressed my fingers against his throat and was relieved to feel his pulse.

Guilt twisted in my gut, a serpent slithering through the remnants of my triumph.

I untied the shirt from around his wrists and struggled to pull it over his head and tug it down his muscled torso. Frantically, I pulled up his jeans and tucked his softening cock back inside his boxers before buttoning his fly and re-fastening his belt.

My hands shook, and my pussy throbbed, but power surged through me…

I stood and pulled my dress back into place to cover my breasts and hide the dagger that was once again secured to my thigh.

Valen’s cum smeared my thighs, and my heart thundered strangely against my ribs.

The whispers in my mind were deafening—the grimoire had seen its will done… and I had enjoyed it.

As I stared down at Valen, sprawled unconscious on the concrete floor, a wave of nausea swept over me.

What would he remember?

He wouldn’t understand how important this was to me.

I needed his strength—otherwise, I would never know the truth behind my mother’s death.

But as I gazed down at him, I felt only a hollow ache where triumph should have thrived.

“Forgive me,” I whispered, but the thump of the music that poured from hidden speakers swallowed the words.

I had crossed a line, and the weight of it pressed heavily on my shoulders as I wrestled with the magnitude of what I had done.

But I’d done it.

Realization gripped me with an icy fist.

I couldn’t stay here—

I cast one last look at Valen and then hurried across the garage to the door I’d entered through.

My body still thrummed with the heat of what had happened—and the new power that mingled with mine—and the moment I stepped out of the garage, the cool night air clawed at my skin, and made me gasp.

Each hurried footfall echoed against the cobblestones, and I paused to kick off my heels and gather them up.

Barefoot, I rushed back to the house.

Guilt and elation intertwined in my thoughts and tightened around my chest like a vise.

How could I feel so powerful and so small all at once?

It was dangerously thrilling, this newfound strength coursing through me—but I had taken it from Valen.

It should have felt wrong.

But the magic pulsing within me was like fire, searing and raw, yet it made me feel alive—alive in a way I’d never experienced. Nothing about the way my body responded to the change I’d wrought felt wrong.

This is how you should always have felt, the voices in my mind whispered.

A shiver ran down my spine as I quickened my pace.

I rounded the corner toward the back entrance, and the flickering light from the lanterns set around the house bobbed in the wind and created shadows that danced mockingly around me.

You’re one of them now, the whispers in my mind taunted me.

“Shut up,” I hissed.

It was too late for doubt.

This was about survival— my survival —nothing more.

They wouldn’t understand, but they didn’t have to.

As soon as I had what I wanted, everything would change.

But this time… this time I was in control.