The Cursed Prince, Teresa Roman [the reader ebook TXT] 📗

was different. It shouldn’t have happened. It wouldn’t have if I hadn’t let Peter into my life. My anger from earlier returned. I wanted to take Peter’s life the way he’d taken my father’s. Nothing would feel better until I had my revenge.

Nicolai held me tighter. We sat there without talking until Maria burst into the room.

“Willow, it’s time to get back to your lessons.”

“I don’t think she’s ready for that yet,” Nicolai said.

“It’s okay,” I said, then stood, turning my gaze to Maria. “I am ready.”

“Then come.” Maria held her hand out to me. I took it. She led me to the salon where my books were piled high on the table. Maria must’ve gotten them from the trunk of my car.

“Incubi are hard to kill. Especially if they’ve recently fed, because doing so enhances their powers. They become faster, and stronger,” Maria said. “But I have no doubt that two witches and three werewolves are more than capable of handling an incubus. We’ll have to find Peter first though, which won’t be easy because something tells me he plans on staying hidden until he’s ready to make his next move.”

“I thought you said we were going to wait for him to come to us.”

Maria shook her head. “He wants you back. Despite the risk, he won’t be able to resist coming here for you. He could feed off your power for years,” Maria said. “But waiting for him to show up looking for you isn’t a good plan. No doubt when he returns he’ll come prepared. It’s better if we find him first.”

“He has to know that if I ever see him again, I’ll kill him.”

“Like I said, it won’t be that easy. If he gets his hands on you, it won’t be hard for him to twist your mind again. That’s the power of incubi.”

I didn’t want to believe Maria, but when I thought about the way Peter had made me feel whenever we were together, I knew she was right. “So what do we do?”

“We prepare ourselves.” She turned and opened one of the books on the table behind her. “And the best way to do that is to learn more spells.”

We practiced for hours, but the look on Maria’s face told me she wasn’t happy. I wasn’t either. Something about my magic was off. My spells worked, but not always the way I’d intended them to.

“Strong emotions, like grief and anger, can affect a witch’s magic in strange ways.” Maria ran a hand through her wavy hair. “This is no good.”

“What am I supposed to do? I can’t help the way I feel.”

“I know.” Maria paced back and forth in front of me. “At least your powers aren’t gone completely. Perhaps a bit more to eat and some rest will help.”

I had no appetite, but Maria was right about the rest part. Using magic took a lot of mental concentration. Even the most skilled witches needed to recharge, and Maria and I had been working on spells for hours. I had reached the point of exhaustion.

Chapter 21

The next day my brothers, Finn, Owen, and Riley, arrived with their families. Nicolai had arranged for their transportation to Beaver Falls.

“They’re going to want to know what I’m doing here,” I said to Maria. “What am I supposed to tell them?”

“That staying at the same house where you found your father dead is too hard right now.” Noticing the skeptical look on my face, Maria continued, “You worry too much, Willow. A simple spell is all that’s needed to stifle an inquisitive mind. And it will give you a chance to practice your magic in real-life situations.”

The old Willow would have never agreed to such duplicity, but I didn’t have it in me to come up with answers to the long list of questions each of my brothers would undoubtedly have.

A few days later my father’s funeral was held. It seemed like almost everyone in Beaver Falls showed up. Dad had lived here for a long time and had a lot of friends. I thought I’d gotten beyond the crying phase that comes after a loved one dies, but when my eldest brother, Finn, spoke about what a cool guy my father was, and how sad it made him to think about his own sons who’d never get the chance to go fishing with Dad, I broke down in a puddle of tears. I longed for Nicolai, who would’ve put his arm around me if he had been able to attend the funeral.

Word was that I’d found my father in his bed, dead after a sudden heart attack. Word had also gotten around that I was staying at the Korzhas’ castle. The mixture of sympathy and curiosity was overwhelming. I could see questions in peoples’ expressions. Thankfully they went unasked. Still, by the time the funeral was over, I couldn’t wait to get back to the castle, where I could bury myself under the covers of my bed.

My brother Riley threaded his arm through mine as we left the cemetery. “How come Nicolai isn’t here? He is your boyfriend, right?”

I recited a spell under my breath, one that I’d been practicing for the past few days.

When the truth is dark as night

Let your heart hear what sounds right

“What was that?” Riley asked.

“Nicolai wasn’t feeling well this morning,” I replied.

“Oh no. I hope it isn’t anything serious.”

I managed a weak smile. Even with my powers on the fritz, the spell had worked. “I’m sure he’ll be fine in a few days.”

By the time I returned to the castle, grief had once more given way to anger. That’s how it had been since my father’s death. One moment I was filled with heart-shattering despair, the next, an all-consuming fury.

“Where do you think Peter is now?” I asked Nicolai, who’d been waiting for me in the drawing room. “What’s taking him so long to show his face?”

“Personally, I’m happy he’s staying away,” Nicolai replied.

“But he won’t stay away forever.