Bound By His Curse

CHAPTER 10

SERAPHINA POV:

Rain lashed against the windshield as we sped up the winding mountain road, the old Valemont estate looming ahead like a dark shadow against the stormy sky. It was a massive, crumbling stone structure, abandoned for decades, covered in ivy and mystery—exactly the kind of place where a centuries-old curse would be born and bred. Thunder rumbled overhead, and every flash of lightning illuminated the broken windows and cracked stone walls, making it look like something out of a nightmare.

Cassian gripped the steering wheel tight, his jaw set, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. The golden glow of our bond hummed softly between us, warm and steady, pushing back the cold, heavy magic that drifted down from the mountain. I could feel it too—ancient, dark, hungry power that pulled at my skin, that whispered promises and threats in the back of my mind. But as long as our hands were laced together, as long as we were side by side, it couldn’t touch us.

“She’s already here,” Cassian said, his voice low and tight. “I can feel her. And she’s not here to break anything. She’s here to take everything.”

We rounded the final bend, and my heart dropped. There were cars everywhere—police cruisers, news vans, expensive sedans full of officials and wealthy socialites. A huge crowd had gathered at the iron gates of the estate, and right at the front, standing tall and bright in a white dress that stood out against the grey rain, was Arabella.

She looked like an angel sent to save the day, exactly the act she had perfected her whole life. She was speaking to a cluster of reporters, her voice loud and clear, carrying over the wind and rain.

“—they are dangerous!” she cried, her eyes wide and tearful, her hands clasped over her chest like she was terrified. “My sister is a good girl, but she’s been manipulated! Cassian Valemont isn’t just sick… he’s cursed! He uses dark magic to keep himself alive, and he’s draining my sister’s life away to feed his own! I came here to end it! To destroy the source of this evil, to save everyone from his darkness!”

The crowd roared, angry and scared, turning as one to face us as our car pulled to a stop. I heard shouts: Monster! Witch! Cursed! People pointed, cameras flashed, and police officers moved to block our way, hands hovering over their weapons.

Cassian was out of the car in a second, rushing around to my side, shielding me with his body, his presence commanding enough to make even the officers hesitate.

“She’s lying!” I called out, my voice clear and steady, louder than I ever thought possible. “She’s the one who wants power! She’s the one who’s been trying to hurt us this whole time!”

Arabella laughed, sharp and cruel, stepping closer to the gates, playing the victim perfectly. “Oh, poor Seraphina. Brainwashed, just like I said. Can’t you see? He’s got you under some spell! I’m here to free you! I’m here to save everyone!” She turned back to the crowd, throwing her arms wide. “Follow me! We end this now! We destroy the source of the curse, and rid the world of this evil forever!”

She pushed open the gates and marched inside, the whole crowd following close behind her like sheep, desperate for a hero, desperate for someone to blame.

“Come on,” Cassian said, gripping my hand tight. “We have to get to the altar first. If she touches the source… if she tries to take the power… the books said it would consume anyone who wants it for greed. But if she damages it, we lose our only chance to break the curse forever.”

We ran past the confused officers, slipping through the gates and into the grounds of the estate, leaving the shouting crowd far behind us as we raced toward the main entrance. The moment we stepped inside the old house, the atmosphere shifted completely. The noise of the storm vanished, replaced by a heavy, suffocating silence. The air was freezing cold, thick with old magic that tasted like copper and fear. Shadows danced on the walls, and a faint, pulsing red glow lit up the corridors, growing brighter the deeper we went.

But right beside it, wrapping around us like a shield, was our golden light—warm, bright, alive, pushing back the darkness with every step we took. We weren’t two people anymore, fighting a battle we could never win. We were one, strong enough to stand against anything.

We burst into the grand central hall, and skidded to a halt.

Arabella was already there, standing in front of a huge stone altar in the center of the room. Resting on top of it was the original Valemont amulet—twice the size of the one Cassian wore, carved with the same twisted symbols, glowing so bright red it hurt to look at. This was the heart of the curse. This was where the bargain had been struck, centuries ago.

Arabella turned to face us, her face twisted into a wild, greedy smile, her eyes glowing with the reflection of the magic. She didn’t look like the sweet, innocent girl she pretended to be anymore. She looked exactly what she was: selfish, hungry, and dangerous.

“You’re too late,” she purred, stepping closer to the altar, reaching out her hand toward the glowing stone. “I know everything now. I read every page of those old books you hid, Cassian. The curse gives wealth, power, long life… to whoever controls it. You were too weak to use it properly. You let it eat you alive. But me? I’ll be the most powerful woman in the world. Richer than you, more famous than you, loved by everyone. And Seraphina? She’ll be nothing but a memory, just like you.”

“Arabella, stop!” I yelled, stepping forward, my heart racing. “You don’t know what you’re doing! That magic feeds on greed! It destroys anyone who tries to take it for themselves!”

She just laughed, loud and shrill. “You’re just scared I’ll get everything you wanted! Everything you were too boring and stupid to ever deserve!”

Her fingers brushed the surface of the amulet.

A deafening boom shook the whole building. Bright red light exploded outward, knocking us both off our feet, wrapping around Arabella like living vines. She screamed, a high, terrified sound that echoed off the stone walls, as the magic sank into her skin. Her perfect, expensive dress tore to rags. Her smooth skin wrinkled, her bright hair turned grey and thin, her beauty fading right before our eyes, aged and destroyed by the very power she wanted so badly.

“What is this?!” she shrieked, clawing at her arms, trying to tear the magic off her. “Make it stop! Help me! Someone help me!”

Cassian pulled me to my feet, holding me back as I tried to run to her. “Don’t! She brought this on herself! The curse was never meant to be taken—it was meant to be carried, endured, loved through. She wanted power, so it’s taking everything she ever had instead.”

I looked at her, broken and screaming, and my heart ached. Even after everything she had done, all the lies, all the pain she caused… she was still my sister. But there was no time to help her now. The red glow was growing brighter, spreading out from the altar, threatening to swallow the whole house, the whole mountain, everything. If we didn’t act now, the curse wouldn’t just be on Cassian—it would be loose on the whole world.

I turned to Cassian, squeezing his hand tight, our golden light flaring up in response. “The book said: Return what was taken. The first Valemont traded his family’s peace, his freedom, his happiness… for wealth, power, and long life. That’s the bargain. That’s what we have to undo.”

Cassian nodded, his face serious and determined, no fear left in his eyes. “I have more wealth, more power, more influence than my ancestor ever dreamed of. I’ll give it all back. Every penny, every company, every title, everything. I don’t care about any of it. All I care about is you. All I care about is being free.”

He stepped toward the altar, pulling me with him, our golden light mixing together, growing brighter and brighter, pushing back the red darkness.

“It wasn’t just his to give, or yours to take,” I said softly, looking up at him, smiling through the fear. “We’re one now, remember? We share everything. We give everything together.”

We stood in front of the glowing amulet, hand in hand, facing the source of all our pain, all our secrets, all our suffering. Around us, Arabella’s screams faded into silence. Outside, the storm raged on. Inside, there was only us, and the choice we were about to make.

Cassian lifted our joined hands, holding them out toward the red light, his voice loud and clear, ringing through the whole hall.

“We return what was taken! We give back the wealth, the power, the long life! We trade it for what was always meant to be ours: freedom, peace… and love!”

For a second, nothing happened. Then, the golden light burst from us, brighter than the sun, wrapping around the altar, swallowing the red glow completely. The whole building shook. The amulet glowed so bright I had to close my eyes, and I felt something lift off my shoulders—something heavy, ancient, terrible, that I had been carrying for months, for years, for lifetimes.

When I opened my eyes, the red light was gone. The amulet was dull, grey, dead. The silence was soft, warm, and free.

The curse was broken.