Page 53 of The Curse of Indy Moore (The Cursed Duology #1)

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. There was a moment where I thought he’d close the gap between us to take me into his arms. What comfort that would have brought—and admittedly, panic, but I would take that over this dread.

The possibility fled as soon as it arrived.

“Miss Moore, you are stronger than you give yourself credit for. I hope you will see that.”

His presence became warm over these weeks. It was a strange thing to recall, our initial meeting and how sour I was toward him. Here, he carried an encouraging confidence. When he showed that crooked smile, I was instantly drawn, as if it beat back the darkness of the room.

“You are more than capable of defeating Carline. You are stubborn, and I mean that as the highest compliment,” he added.

“My stubbornness has come to feel like a weakness of late,” I replied.

He nodded, his eyes lowered to the floor, where he licked his lips. I paid too much attention to the motion and cast my attention aside.

“All that we are can be both a strength and a weakness. It is about our choices, and you are faced with a choice I wouldn’t wish upon an enemy, that I would take in your stead if I could,” he said while reaching over to urge Slate onto his hand.

The crow made a displeased noise but obeyed.

He brought his hand to his shoulder for Slate to perch on.

He put a hope in me that I couldn’t risk sparking now of all times. I didn’t know what to say to that, too hopeful of a response that wouldn’t come, too scared of a response that might .

“What do you plan to do once all this is over?” he suddenly asked, his shoulders so rigid they could hold up Ivory House all on their own.

I took a gulp of air that felt too heavy. “Oh, I haven’t thought about it, considering how this might end.”

“This will end with you perfectly well,” he practically growled, then calmed himself. “Will you return to Westshire?”

“Of course. My family needs me. I have nowhere else to go.”

“But what if you did?” His words hovered in the space between us, thick with connotations that lit a fire I had known too well.

Most of my life, it had been doused too soon, and I feared the same would happen here.

Slate flapped his wings aggressively while Mr. Hawthorne stood taller, his voice soft and true. “Stay here at Ivory House with me.”

I caught his eyes, and they were like eternal wells dragging me further and further into their endless green. I didn’t wish to be anywhere else.

“With all of us, for however long you like,” he blurted out while running a hand through his hair.

“Your family may keep the helping hands. Technically, artificers aren’t allowed to offer up enchantments free of charge, but I’ll stop by every now and again for some free eggs or something of the like. ”

“You’re truly okay with that?” I whispered, that spark of hope igniting into a flame burning through me, leaving a mark that would be entirely him.

“I am.”

I yearned to reach out. I yearned for him to reach out. But making plans for a future that may not be…

I stepped into the shadows of the room. “Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne. You take your job ever so seriously, and I appreciate that. Please, give me time to consider your offer?”

His lips parted in a silent breath then he backed away. “Of course. Goodnight, Miss Moore.”

“Goodnight. ”

Shutting the door, I pressed my forehead to the cool wood. He hadn’t moved. I watched the door handle, then his footsteps carried further away into nothing.

After undressing, I left the clothes in the hall. In the corner, the blankets waited. I curled into them, thinking of what transpired, of what we learned, of what the professor said, of what Mr. Hawthorne offered, and how I felt about Ivory House. I liked it here.

No, I loved it.

I loved being here, even on the bad days when I missed my family.

Westshire had its perks, such as being safely on the ground, but Ivory House and its inhabitants had become so ingrained in me in such a short time.

I couldn’t imagine moving on without them, not seeing Mr. Hawthorne’s hunched form swaddled in sheets, rummaging through the cupboards every morning, or Miss Beamy chasing Slate through the halls, or Otis huddled over a potentially deadly plant with a pencil between his teeth.

The truth hit me with such a force that I fell against the wall.

I didn’t want to go home. As much as I feared my aunt and cousins being without me, their letters spoke of the helping hands doing a wonderful job.

They were getting the rest they deserved, and they hadn’t forgotten me, quite the opposite.

My family wrote to me, and Mr. Hawthorne said I could stay here, with him, with all of them.

We could travel. We could see the world.

I never thought I’d leave Westshire, that I would spend my life on the farm until my old bones gave out, then I’d be buried there to feed the next spring.

But now, there was an opportunity for more than I could ever imagine.

That life I wanted as a child, standing in that beautiful dress in a warehouse, it was actually in reach.

I could wear a beautiful dress of my own.

I could attend a masquerade ball. I could travel and maybe find that bastard vendor who struck a fear in me and spit in his face.

Mr. Hawthorne would probably help, and that made me laugh.

I laughed until I cried, uncertain about how to feel over the truth and endless possibilities .

I wanted those endless possibilities. For the first time, I didn’t feel greedy to think about it.

“It’s only natural,” Mr. Hawthorne would probably say, and I believed him.

I fell into the blankets, feeling sleep take me, but I wasn’t frightened that time. My chest had never felt so warm and my mind so full of thoughts that I knew I’d dream a beautiful dream.

The dream didn’t last, and I woke in darkness. That hadn’t happened in some time, so I lay there believing this was part of the dream. Carline stood in the corner of the room, her eyes that same brilliant shade of gold. She approached, donning a smile so unlike her, all sweet and caring.

“You will be with us soon,” she said, speaking more to herself than me.

She came closer, moving into a crouch in front of me. That’s when I realized the sheets weren’t torn up. Nothing was. The room was the same as it had been when I entered.

“You’re so well-behaved this evening.” Carline reached out, and I retreated. “Come now, don’t be frightened. You’ve never been before.”

Before? Has she visited me in the night to watch the curse?

I growled without realizing it. Carline tilted her head and lowered her hand. I stood up, and she did the same. She kept her hands carefully folded at her waist, never looking away from me. She was watching, waiting for me to make a move. I glanced down and saw them: paws.

I was awake in this form. Did she realize I had control over myself? Did I actually have control of myself?

I had a chance to test the theory. I couldn’t let Carline vanish before I lost that opportunity.

I lunged, and Carline jumped back with an unusual shout.

When I went for her the second time, she disappeared.

She was frightened, but so was I. My pulse jumped.

My vision blurred, and I felt myself falling into darkness until I inevitably blacked out.

Next thing I knew, I woke alone to sunlight and torn sheets.

Did last night really happen ?

That was the worst part. I couldn’t trust my eyes.

Carline caused regular hallucinations, but I think last night actually happened.

She was there, and she was worried when I lunged.

Our theory could be correct. I had to tell them, so I scurried to the door, where my clothes waited on the other side.

After throwing them on, I burst into a run. I threw open the office door to find Mr. Hawthorne scribbling at the desk, so focused he didn’t hear the door open. Professor Kumir rummaged through books towered by the desk.

“Good morning,” she managed to say prior to my interruption.

“I lunged at her.” My words even broke Mr. Hawthorne’s focus. He and the professor stopped what they were doing.

“Carline,” I elaborated. “Last night, I don’t know why or how, or maybe it was another one of her hallucinations, but I don’t think it was. I woke up last night, and I was in control of the wolf. Carline was there, so I lunged at her, and she looked scared. I think you’re right.”

Professor Kumir smiled so largely, I questioned if it was her. Mr. Hawthorne’s tense shoulders relaxed, and he bore a smile that made my heart ache.

The professor caught my hand. She brought me to the chairs, where we took our seats. “Brilliant, that’s simply brilliant, Indy. Were you aware of yourself all night?”

“No, I blacked out after I lunged at her. I don’t know why.”

“This is a good sign, either way. Tell us every detail.”

We had three days left until the full moon, and I think I had a little hope.