Page 1 of Blood Curse

1

BRYONY

Stellan’s knees hit the stone.

His long silver hair fell forwards, hiding part of his face. The movement dragged his torn shirt across his broad shoulders and the healing wound in his side. Pale chains of light pinned his tattooed forearms to his body, but his grey-blue eyes stayed on mine. The Crown made my lips curve.

I felt the smile happen. I couldn’t stop it or turn my head so Stellan wouldn’t see. My body sat straight against the throne while my long red hair clung to the blood behind my ear and spilled over the front of my ruined clothes.

What I still thought of as the woman inside the Crown dug into my memories. It wore Cecily’s voice and found Adrian holding the broken dagger over Stellan’s chest, his smug mouth shaping the order he wanted me to give.

Surrender your heartblood.

Cold tightened around my throat. Stellan watched my mouth. Fear hardened his face, but he didn’t look away. He knew I was still in here. He knew the next words wouldn’t be mine. The Crown drew breath into my lungs.

“Stellan Varen, you will⁠—”

I forced my tongue between my teeth and bit down. Pain cut through the cold. Blood filled my mouth, warm and sharp. The Crown tried to pull my tongue back, but I caught one sentence before it could shape the next.

“Be released from my command.”

The words came out thick with blood. Stellan stayed on his knees. For one awful second, nothing changed. Then the red light inside the chains guttered. Every pale link broke into sparks and disappeared before it touched the floor. Stellan dragged in a breath.

“Bryony?”

I fought for my right hand. My fingers trembled against my thigh, then lifted a fraction. His expression changed. Relief loosened his jaw. Anger followed, aimed past me at the thing wearing my face.

“Was that you?”

I moved one finger again. Stellan rose. He straightened to his full height, more than a head taller than me when I was standing, and stepped towards the throne. The Crown strained for another command. I tasted blood and held my jaw shut.

“I’m coming to you,” he said. “Stop me if it hurts.”

One step. Two. Nothing pulled him back. Nothing closed around my heart.

He reached me.

His hands hovered beside my face. He didn’t touch the metal. He didn’t touch me until I forced my fingers up once.

“Yes?” he asked.

I lifted them again. His palm closed carefully around my hand. Warm skin. Callused fingers. Stellan, not the dead woman crowding my head with her hate. My fear broke open anyway.

Fuck. I made him kneel.

He read it in my face.

“You didn’t do that.”

The Crown made my smile return. I bit my tongue again. The smile broke into a grimace.

“There you are.” His thumb pressed once against my knuckles. “The Crown used your voice. I know the difference.”

I held his gaze, willing him to understand the part I couldn’t say.

“You think knowing that makes it easy.” His voice dropped. “It doesn’t. I hated being on my knees. I hated hearing your voice used against us. But I never thought you chose it.”

My eyes stung.