Page 17 of Cursed (Wicked Heirs #2)

The power I had stolen days before was only a mere drop from Valen’s dark reservoir.

That was what I told myself.

That was how I pushed away the guilt that had enveloped me in the days that followed our encounter.

He was fine— I’d seen him stalking through the grounds of Withermarsh, but I wasn’t brave enough to speak to him.

I was afraid of what he would remember.

But when he didn’t come to my room to confront me, and the power I’d taken from him didn’t ebb away, the elation that had eluded me in those first hours began to take hold.

If he didn’t remember—if he hadn’t noticed…

The fresh magic that I’d taken pulsed beneath my skin—a restless whisper that stirred in my veins that urged me to wield it. The whispers from the grimoire did, too. It begged me to open its pages and test my newfound strength… But there was only one spell I wanted to use, and the power I had still seemed insufficient for what I needed to conjure.

Titus—

I’d put it off as long as I could. But with every day that passed, the fear that Lucian would summon me to his study loomed over me.

How long would he wait before he demanded my obedience?

How long would it be before he demanded that I wear his ring and call myself his bride?

I clenched my fists and took a breath as I tried to steady myself.

The eldest Romano brother was often in the library… While his brothers roared through the night on their motorcycles doing Lucian’s dark bidding, Titus studied ancient scrolls and manuscripts in the search of more power and arcane knowledge.

Of the three of them, I feared Titus the most.

Bastian was unpredictable and sadistic, but Titus seemed to revel in his cruelty.

The heavy oak door was open, and I lingered in the hallway and peered into the dimly lit interior.

My heart raced at the sight of towering shelves filled with ancient tomes, their spines cracked and leather-bound. Flickering candlelight made shadows that twisted like specters across the room.

The blackened silver dagger was heavy against my thigh, and I placed my hand against it to reassure myself of its presence.

You’ve already done this once, you can do it again.

I straightened my shoulders and stepped into the room, but every instinct was on high alert.

I was the one doing the hunting—but my prey was more than a little terrifying.

Titus was nestled in a shadowed corner of the library. He leaned against the bookshelf, his focus consumed by an ancient tome in his hands. The flickering candlelight danced around him and illuminated the sharp lines of his face and the dark chaos of his hair that curled over his collar and fell into his eyes.

The solid weight of the dagger knife against my thigh was both a comfort and a reminder of my reason for coming here.

I had taken only a sliver of Valen’s power, and yet it surged through me like tempestuous waves, and its ebb and flow left me unsteady and raw.

I couldn’t allow fear to take hold; I needed this spell to work.

Worrying about how Titus’ power would react to what I already held in my veins was tempting—but it would take my courage in an instant.

You can do this.

What if I can’t?

No time to think about that.

Titus looked up, and I wondered for the hundredth time if he could hear my thoughts.

I hope not.

I’d be dead.

“Avril,” he said. His voice was bitter. He didn’t like being interrupted.

The whispers in my mind buzzed like hornets as I forced myself to keep walking.

It would have been easier to freeze in place like a fawn—or run back to my room and forget all of my plans— so much easier to just… give in.

“What are you doing here?”

The question was simple, but my tongue was frozen in my mouth. Instead of answering, I continued to walk toward him, conscious of the sway of my hips and the way Titus’ gaze raked down my body.

“Looking for you,” I managed.

His eyebrow rose, but he didn’t close the book he was reading. “Oh, really. And why might that be?”

He was intrigued.

Better than nothing.

“I’ve been thinking,” I said.

“About?”

“Your offer.”

“My offer.”

I gritted my teeth. “Are you just going to repeat everything I say?” I countered.

A brief smile.

He slid a charred ribbon between the pages of the book to mark his place and set it down on the bookshelf in front of him. “That depends on what you say next,” he said evenly.

“You offered to help me,” I said. “With… with the grimoire.”

Titus' smile was smooth, but calculated. “Did I?”

My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides and I moved closer to him. “You did,” I replied. “And— I’ve been selfish. I’ve been… na?ve. I thought I would be able to wield the grimoire’s power on my own. But I was wrong.”

He shifted and then stepped away from the bookshelf. “Go on. What else have you been thinking about?”

He towered over me, and I swallowed hard as his dark eyes held mine.

“I— I’ve been thinking about what you said. And what you might want in return for your help.”

Whore.

The whisper was sharp, cutting, but I pushed it away.

I paused and searched his eyes for any sign of vulnerability beneath that chilling confidence. Instead, I found only amusement—he liked it when I begged. “Perhaps you need a taste of what I’ve been thinking about,” I offered.

“Enlighten me.” His dark eyes held me captive as he crossed his arms over his chest in a movement that was both casual and predatory. The space between us narrowed as I took another step closer, drawn to him despite the instinctive warning bells that rang in my mind.

But then the whispers of the grimoire drowned them out.

It was so close—everything I wanted was just within reach.

“There’s something exhilarating about surrender,” I murmured, and I allowed my vulnerability to bleed through the facade just a little. I bit down on my lip as I looked up at him and hated myself for putting on such an act. “Especially when it’s not a choice.”

“Ah, but isn’t that the beauty of it?” His gaze never wavered; it was a cold flame that consumed everything in its path and I couldn’t deny the way lust flared inside me at the memory of what had happened to me—and how my body had responded so eagerly—when I had been under his hands. “To be completely at the mercy of someone else? It can be... exquisitely thrilling.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “It can be.” I tilted my head slightly. I could feel the heat radiating from him, a magnetic pull that made it impossible to retreat. “You like being in control, don’t you… brother?”

He stiffened at that word.

I knew it was a risk to antagonize him, but I had to keep him off balance. And part of me, the part that yearned for some sense of control, reveled in his brief discomfort.

But a wolfish grin that sent chills down my spine replaced the faint smirk on Titus’s face. “And you like testing boundaries, don’t you… sister ? Venom laced his words, yet his eyes held a glimmer of interest.

For a moment, I felt dizzy with conflicting emotions and the pressure of the grimoire’s whispers in my mind. They had grown louder, and more insistent, since I’d taken Valen’s power. It was starting to feel as though I couldn’t remember a time when my mind had been quiet.

I had never wanted anyone this much before—but I was playing a dangerous game that could easily cost me my life—or worse.

His proximity was electric, and the scent of him filled my senses and made me feel both giddy and terrified at the same time.

But I couldn’t falter now—not when I was so close to completing what I had started.

“Are you going to tell me what you want, Avril?” Titus’s words were almost soft, but the painful intensity in his eyes remained. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards before his lips curved into a slow and wicked smile. My heart pounded, and I dared to whisper the first words of the incantation that would bind Titus and allow me to steal a shred of his power.

Titus’s brows knitted as he studied me with a careful gaze that lingered on my slightly parted lips. “What did you just say?”

“I want to learn from you.” The lie stung as the words rolled off my tongue—a necessary deception.

His tall figure eclipsed the dim light around us and cast an even deeper shadow over the ill-lit library. “Is that so, dear sister?” His voice was low, and dark like his eyes.

“Yes.”

“How are you going to prove that I can trust you?” he asked.

I blinked at him in surprise. “Trust you?” I choked out. “I’m the one who should be asking that question.”

“ You came to me ,” he shot back. “I need to know I can trust you, Avril. I need you to prove to me that I’m not wasting my time.”

“I— how…”

But from the glint in his eye, I knew what he wanted.

It was a good thing I was prepared for that exact demand.

But I had to pretend I wasn’t.

“Titus—”

He reached out to brush his fingertips along my jaw. My skin burned under his touch, and I knew he was using his magic on me, coercing me, reminding me of how it had felt to be under his control—and how much I’d liked it. How much I still craved it.

But I didn’t need the help.

His thumb rubbed across my lower lip. Slow and sensual.

“You know what I want,” he said.

My breath caught and I couldn’t drag my eyes away from his. “Do I?”

Had I pushed too far?

Maybe not.

I knew he wanted me to submit.

And I would. But only to get what I wanted.

Titus’ other hand pushed into my hair and gripped tight at the roots. He tugged gently, but hard enough to make me gasp.

“Get on your knees,” he growled.

That command echoed through the silence of the library, and my heart lurched.

I was walking along a razor’s edge—on the brink of my own undoing.

But I had no choice.

If I wanted his power, if I wanted any hope of distracting him long enough to utter the incantation, I was going to have to play along.

“I...” I hesitated, but only for a moment.

“Do it,” he ordered again, his voice firm.

“Is this how you teach me?” I asked as I looked up to meet his icy stare. I swallowed hard as I tried to suppress the tremor in my voice. “Is this how you teach me? By ordering me around like a servant?”

Instead of anger, an amused smile graced his lips. “No,” Titus drawled. The hand on my jaw slid down to my throat and he squeezed lightly before letting his hand drop away. His other hand, wound tight into my hair, still held me captive. “But it’s how you show me your loyalty.”

Loyalty... This wasn’t loyalty. It was obedience he wanted in exchange for his help.

With every ounce of willpower chaining down my fear and humiliation, I slowly sank to my knees on the cool stone floor. I maintained eye contact with Titus all the while. His expression remained unreadable even as his free hand unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his fly.

The whispers from the grimoire grew louder, as if excited by my submission as Titus pulled his cock from his pants.

“Good girl,” he purred.

His fingers tightened in my hair, and I suppressed a shiver at the darkness in his voice. Pain laced with pleasure shot through me as he gave another tug on my hair that forced me to tilt my head back to look up at him. His gaze was heavy with hunger, and his eyes reflected the gloomy, flickering candlelight of the library.

The grimoire’s whispers echoed inside my skull like a perverse chorus that cheered on my continued debasement.

Cautiously, I reached out and took hold of his cock. His hard length was hot and smooth against my palm, and his grip in my hair tightened almost painfully when I wrapped my fingers around his girth. His sharp inhalation was all the encouragement I needed.

He wanted me.

He was the one submitting here.

My movements were hesitant at first, but I watched him closely, and took note of every twitch of his brow or twitch of his lush lips. I needed to keep him distracted and on the verge of release while I finished the incantation.

“Open your mouth,” he growled.

I did as he commanded, and Titus held me still as he pushed the thick head of his cock into my mouth.

The taste of him was overwhelming, and I moaned as his cock moved over my tongue. I almost choked on his length, but I forced myself to remain calm as he widened my mouth further with a slow thrust of his hips that pushed his cock deeper into my mouth. My hands rested on his thighs, and I relished the powerful muscles that flexed beneath the fabric of his pants.

His firm grip on my hair never eased. He held my head steady as he moved and pushed himself deeper into my mouth with each inward thrust.

The grimoire echoed in my mind with perversely joyous cheers. It reveled in my humiliation at Titus’ hands, and its shadowy energy flowed through my body like a pulsating heartbeat that matched Titus’s movements.

There was nothing sweet or slow about how he fucked my mouth and drool trailed down my chin as he pushed deeper and the head of his cock struck the back of my throat.

“Look at me,” he commanded, and I opened my eyes as tears streamed down my cheeks. His face was twisted with lust—dark and powerful, and an unnerving ripple of excitement coursed through me as I allowed him to take what he wanted.

His rhythm was relentless. The rigid length of him filled my mouth with a indulgent strokes. My body trembled under his dark dominion, and my own desires were drowned under the dire necessity of my objective.

All at once, his grip on my hair loosened, and I took the opportunity to regain some control.

I gripped his cock at the base and ran my tongue along the underside before I sucked hard on the thick head, which forced him to let out a gasp of surprised pleasure. I glanced up to see his head tilted back slightly.

“That’s it,” he encouraged through gritted teeth.

With Titus distracted, I focused on the incantation.

I pulled my mouth from his cock and drew a ragged breath, while with both hands, I stroked his cock with a steady rhythm.

Breathlessly, I murmured the words of the spell.

Titus released his hold on my hair and gripped the bookshelf behind him.

It was working.

There was a shift in the air and my body radiated with newfound power and opened my mouth to take Titus’ cock once more.

My mouth slid over his hot length and he groaned as I squeezed the base of his cock with my fingers as I pulled the dagger from its hiding place with my other hand.

I pushed away the fear and humiliation and focused on the last lines of incantation.

Gasping for air, I spoke the final words.

“ Through blood and bone, your gift is mine. I drink your power, one drop at a time.”

Titus’ thighs stiffened.

“What are you—” he choked out, but it was too late. The magic clung onto him like a leech and pinned him back against the bookshelf. A groan escaped his lips as I released his cock and focused on my task.

Working quickly, I pushed up his shirt to expose the smooth muscles of his torso.

I drew the dagger along my palm, coating it in my blood, and then pressed the blade against his smooth skin.

Blood welled up, and I pressed my palm against the cut. Pain streaked up my arm, and then settled to an intense burning sensation that traveled through my body and made my back arch.

My body thrummed with power, and my pussy clenched.

Unable to stop myself, I slid my mouth over Titus’ cock once more. I set the dagger on the floor beside me and pushed my free hand between my thighs.

The delicate material of my panties was soaked with my arousal, and I pushed them aside so my fingers could slide along my slick folds. I shuddered and moaned around Titus’s cock, and stroked him with renewed fervor.

Titus had been right, after all.

The grimoire’s power was intoxicating.

Barely aware of my own actions, I pressed one finger and then two into my clenched heat, and groaned as pleasure radiated through me. My mouth slid up and down Titus’s thick length at the same rhythm as my probing fingers.

Above me, Titus groaned, but his voice was hoarse and torn from his throat by the force of my spell and the cruel pleasure I gave him. His features twisted with a look of pure carnal desire, darkening further with each jerk of his hips that matched the rhythm I’d set with my mouth.

The magic surged forward and rode waves of energy that pulsed in uncanny harmony with our mutual release.

Though Titus’ hips bucked and his hands clenched tight on the shelves behind him, he couldn’t break free from the binding spell I’d recited.

I drew myself off his cock to murmur the final incantation, “Bound now to me, this strength remains. Yours no longer, the magic wanes.”

The magic flared brighter within me and surged through every vein until my entire form thrummed with it.

Titus groaned, and I sealed my mouth around the head of his cock as his climax came. My fingers worked over my clit at a furious pace, and as the first spurt of Titus’ cum filled my mouth, I moaned and swayed on my knees as my release swept through me. His cock pulsed against my tongue as his seed filled my throat and I swallowed it down eagerly.

When he was spent, I pulled my mouth away from Titus’ cock and peeled my hand from the cut I’d made on his stomach. The cut on his muscled abdomen, smeared with our mingled blood, glowed faintly. As I watched, the wound sealed shut, and I took a shuddering breath as a wave of dark energy surged through me and intertwined with the dark threads of his essence.

“Avril...”

I glanced up at Titus. The maddeningly cold veneer of confidence he always wore had slipped from him and revealed a vulnerability lurking beneath. He slumped against the towering bookshelf and the wooden shelves creaked under his weight. Books rattled ominously, but didn’t fall.

I pulled down his shirt, tucked his softening cock back into his pants, and re-buttoned his fly.

The belt was harder to fasten with shaking hands, but I managed well enough.

I snatched the dagger from the floor and stood on shaking legs as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand before I tucked the dagger back into the makeshift sheath strapped to my thigh.

Titus’ eyelids fluttered and then his legs gave out and he slid to the floor like a marionette who had lost his strings.

“Sleep now,” I murmured. Relief washed over me as the last shreds of his consciousness faded. His eyes rolled back as he succumbed to the spell, and the thrill of my victory coursed through my veins like wildfire.

I stepped back and watched him slump further as the shadows in the room surged forward.

The weight of the blackened silver dagger pressed against my thigh and I smiled. The whispers in my mind pounded in time with my heartbeat and urged me to escape before the inevitable consequences unfurled.

Quietly, I slipped out of the library, my footsteps muted against the cold stone floor as I navigated the dim corridors.

My thoughts raced, and the volume and intensity of the whispers increased as I absorbed Titus’ power.

What had I done?

This was more than a betrayal.

How far would Lucian’s wrath stretch if my actions were discovered?

I hurried toward the foyer and the grand staircase that would take me back to the sanctuary of my bedroom. But something was wrong—the house was too quiet. I glanced out the window and looked toward the garage.

When I’d come downstairs in search of Titus, the light was on, and Bastian’s motorcycle was missing.

But it was back.

Shit.

Was he in the house?

“Avril—”

I swallowed hard and forced myself to turn.

What if he found Titus?

What then?

“Bastian— What are you doing here?”

His smirk was infuriating, and the shadows that filled the foyer sharpened his angelic features into something strange and otherworldly.

Threatening.

Predatory.

“A strange question for someone who lives in this house,” he replied.

“You know what I mean,” I snapped. “It’s late— What are you doing sneaking around?”

He laughed, and I flinched at the way it echoed off the high ceiling. “Sneaking? You’re the one who’s sneaking, sister.”

“I am not,” I said defensively.

He moved closer, and I straightened my shoulders. His pale eyes swept over me and lingered on the low neckline of the blood-red dress I’d chosen to catch Titus’ eye. “I shouldn’t complain,” he said. “You look delicious when you sneak.”

“I’m not sneaking—” The magic I’d stolen from Titus reared up in me like a viper and made me bold. I could complete my task all in one night. “I was looking for you,” I finished.

His eyebrow rose. “For me?”

“I heard you and Valen leaving— but I didn’t know when you’d be back.” I gestured vaguely at the window. “That’s why I was checking for your bike—”

“Why did you want to find me?” His tone was suspicious, but his icy pale eyes were hungry and I knew he was thinking about the way he’d made me cum in the shower without even touching me...

“I was hoping you could help me with something.”

A wicked smile replaced the smirk on his full lips. “Oh?” He regarded me carefully. “Have you changed your mind about the grimoire?”

“Maybe.”

“It’s a dangerous book,” he said. “You have to be sure—”

“Maybe you’ll be able to keep me safe,” I suggested coyly.

“Maybe.” Bastian studied me, but his expression was exasperatingly unreadable. “If I agree, it won’t come without risks—I want something in return.”

Of course you do.

My stepbrothers were so predictable.

“And I expect you to tell me exactly what you’re planning to do.”

I hadn’t anticipated that.

“Of course,” I replied and forced myself to smile. “I promise to share everything.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped a long finger against his forearm as he contemplated my request. “Fine,” he said. “I suppose I could spare some time to help you... But I’ll want my payment first.”

“Thank you,” I said with sincere relief. “Come after midnight— I’ll be ready for you.” My throat was tight, but the whispers in my mind were full of wicked encouragement. “But don’t— don’t tell anyone. Promise me.”

Bastian nodded, but then he uncrossed his arms and stepped closer. “I’ll promise you this, Avril,” he breathed. “Everything is about to change.” He reached out and pushed his hand into my hair and my breath hissed through my teeth as he tightened his grip and forced my chin to tilt up. “Whether you like it or not.”

I thought he was going to kiss me, and a dark thrill coiled in my stomach. But as quickly as he had grabbed me, he released his hold, and I staggered back.

“Watch the clock, sister,” he said as he turned away. “I won’t be late.”

He walked down the hallway in the opposite direction of the library, and I gritted my teeth in relief.

“You better not be late,” I muttered.

Without a backward glance, I rushed toward the grand staircase.

I was running out of time.