THE LUST AND THE CURSE

Chapter 3

The Lust and The Curse

Pain.

It pulsed through my body, a dull ache that refused to fade. The fight was over, the assassin nothing more than a pile of ash at Damien's feet, but the tremors still wracked my limbs. My breath was shallow, my heart hammering like a war drum.

Damien turned to me, his sharp features carved in shadow, eyes still glowing from the thrill of battle.

"You need to tell me everything," I whispered, barely recognizing my own voice.

He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair, his knuckles still smeared with blood. "Not everything is meant to be known."

I forced myself to stand, ignoring the pull of exhaustion. "You forced this bond on me. I deserve answers."

A flicker of something unreadable passed through his expression before he nodded once. "Fine. But you won't like what you hear."

The library was ancient, filled with the scent of old parchment and secrets better left undisturbed.

Damien leaned against a massive oak desk, arms crossed, watching me with that same frustrating intensity.

"The Blood Oath isn't just a mark, little one. It's eternal," he said. "It links our bodies, our minds, our souls."

My stomach twisted. "So what? I'm just your property now?"

His lips curled. "You're far more than that."

I swallowed hard, refusing to let the heat in his gaze shake me. "Then undo it."

A flicker of amusement. "Impossible."

A chill settled in my bones. "There has to be a way."

His expression darkened. "There isn't. And if you try to sever it, the pain will break you."

Something cold twisted in my gut, but I refused to show fear. "Why me?"

Damien hesitated. Just for a second. But that second told me everything.

"There's more, isn't there?" I stepped closer, the fire inside me rising again. "What aren't you telling me?"

His jaw clenched. "You were never meant to be mine."

I froze. "What?"

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "The bond—it was meant for someone else."

My blood ran cold. "Who?"

His silence was answer enough.

A realization slammed into me, leaving me breathless. "Who was I supposed to be mated to?"

His eyes flickered with something dangerous. "Valerian."

I felt the name like a slap to the face.

Valerian.

A name whispered in fear. A vampire older than Damien, more ruthless, more cruel. A monster even other monsters feared.

I shook my head. "No. That's impossible."

Damien's expression was carved from stone. "He was meant to claim you. I took you first."

The room swayed. "Why?"

His gaze locked onto mine. "Because I'd rather burn the world down than let him have you."

My breath hitched, heat curling low in my stomach.

This bond, this hunger—it was because of him. Because he had taken what wasn't his, stolen me from a fate far worse.

But what if I was never meant to belong to anyone?

The thought made me tremble, but before I could speak, a sharp pulse of desire slammed into me.

The bond.

It was growing stronger.

I bit my lip, fighting against the ache spreading through me, the unbearable need coiling deep inside. My thighs clenched, my breath came fast, and Damien—damn him—noticed.

His voice dropped, all silk and sin. "You're feeling it, aren't you?"

I glared at him, refusing to answer.

A knowing smirk. "You can't fight it, little one."

"Watch me," I snapped.

His eyes darkened, predatory. "There's only one way to control it."

Heat licked through me, my pulse a wild thing. "And let me guess—you just happen to know how."

He moved fast, pinning me against the desk before I could blink. His breath was warm against my ear, his scent intoxicating.

"I do," he murmured.

His hands slid down my body, teasing, igniting, claiming.

I gasped, my resolve crumbling as the bond roared to life.

"You need to learn how to control it," he whispered. "Or it will consume you."

I hated him.

I wanted him.

My body betrayed me, arching against him, the ache between my thighs unbearable.

"Let me teach you," he breathed, lips grazing my throat. "Let me show you."

I clenched my fists, torn between pride and desperation. "I won't be yours."

His fangs scraped my skin, and a shudder rocked through me. "You already are."

And then—

Heat.

Raw, unstoppable heat.

His hands tore at my dress, his lips claiming mine in a kiss that shattered every last ounce of resistance.

I moaned, lost in the storm of him—his hands, his mouth, his body pressing me down onto the desk, my legs wrapping around his waist.

We moved in perfect rhythm, the bond forcing us deeper, harder, closer.

Pleasure crashed over me in waves, my body pulsing with unbearable ecstasy as he drove me over the edge again and again.

But just as I thought I would drown in him completely—

The doors slammed open.

A figure stood in the doorway, wrapped in shadows, voice as cold as death.

"You have no idea what you've done," the stranger said.

The room crackled with energy, the very air shifting.

And then—

"The prophecy has begun."