Bound By His Curse

CHAPTER 6

SERAPHINA POV:

The name hung heavy in the air, thick with tension I could almost reach out and touch. Cassian’s dark eyes hardened instantly, the soft, vulnerable look from moments before vanishing behind that familiar cold mask I had grown to know so well. His jaw tightened, and he took a step back, putting distance between us like my connection to Vince was something that could hurt him.

“Vince Walton,” he said, his voice low, sharp, and laced with something dark—jealousy, fear, or maybe both. “Your childhood friend. The one who offered to run away with you before the wedding.”

It wasn’t a question. He remembered every detail, every part of the story I had never even told him, but he had seen it in my face, in the way Vince had looked at me at the church. I twisted the crumpled note in my hand, my heart hammering against my ribs.

“He said he knows about the curse,” I whispered, looking up at him, desperate for him to understand. “He said he knows everything, and that he needs to tell me to save both of us.”

Cassian’s hand clenched into a fist at his side, his knuckles turning white. For a second, I thought he would tear the note apart, or forbid me from going, or lock me away to keep his secret safe forever. But then he looked at me—really looked at me—and saw the fear and confusion in my eyes, the need to understand what was happening to us, to the bond that was slowly draining me bit by bit.

“Go,” he said finally, his voice rough, like the words were being dragged out of him. “But I’m coming with you. I’ll stay hidden. If anything happens… if he tries to take you, or hurt you… I’ll be there.”

I shook my head quickly. “No—if he sees you, he won’t talk. He said to come alone. Please, Cassian. Trust me. I’ll tell you every single word he says, I promise.”

He stared at me for a long, tense moment, then nodded slowly, though his expression remained dark and troubled. “Midnight. The west garden. Don’t be late. And Seraphina…” He reached out, his fingers brushing lightly against my wrist, warm and steady. “Remember who you belong to now. You are my wife. Whatever he offers… whatever he says… remember that.”

I nodded, too overwhelmed to speak, and hurried back to my rooms to wait for the clock to strike twelve.

The hours dragged by, slow and agonizing. I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything Vince had written, about the way I got weaker every time I helped Cassian, about the curse that bound us together in ways no one understood. Just as the clock began to chime midnight, I slipped out of my room, wrapping a thin shawl around my shoulders, making sure to step silently so I wouldn’t wake anyone or draw attention.

I almost jumped out of my skin when a figure stepped out from the shadows near the staircase, blocking my path.

Arabella.

She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, a cruel, knowing smile on her face. She must have been waiting for me, watching me like a hawk ever since we came here.

“Sneaking out in the middle of the night, little sister?” she purred, stepping closer, her voice low and dripping with malice. “What would your dear husband say if he knew his quiet, obedient wife was meeting another man? Oh, wait… I already know who you’re going to see. Vince Walton. He’s been hanging around the gates for days, looking for you. How sweet. You think you’re so clever, don’t you? Stealing Cassian, sneaking around with Vince… but I’ll ruin you, Seraphina. I’ll tell everyone exactly what kind of wife you really are. And then Cassian will throw you out, and I’ll be the one taking your place.”

I didn’t stop to argue, didn’t stop to let her words cut me like they used to. I pushed past her, my voice steady and cold, colder than I had ever been to anyone.

“Try it, Arabella. And remember what Cassian said at the gala. He chose me. And nothing you do or say will ever change that.”

I left her standing there, shocked and furious, and hurried toward the west garden, my heart racing.

Vince was already there, waiting under the old oak tree at the far end, the one we used to play under as children. He looked thinner, tired, his face lined with worry, and the moment he saw me, he stepped forward quickly, reaching for my hands.

“Seraphina,” he breathed, holding my fingers tight. “Thank God you came. I was so scared you wouldn’t. I have to tell you everything, before it’s too late.”

“What do you know, Vince?” I asked, pulling my hands gently from his grip, stepping back just enough to keep space between us. “You said you know about the curse. How?”

He looked at me, his expression serious and sad, and pulled out an old, yellowed book from his coat, its pages frayed at the edges, covered in strange symbols I recognized from the amulet around Cassian’s neck.

“My family has kept records for generations,” he said quietly. “Our families, and the Valemonts… we’ve been tied together for centuries. The Valemont curse… it’s not just an illness, Seraphina. It’s a dark magic passed down from their ancestors, a punishment for something their family did long ago. It eats away at their life force, their mind, their soul, slowly killing them every single day.”

He paused, his voice softening, heavy with sorrow. “And there is only one cure. One person in every generation born with the gift to absorb the darkness, to take the pain away, to keep the Valemont heir alive. That person is you, Seraphina. You were born for this.”

My breath caught. I had guessed, deep down, but hearing it said out loud… it made everything feel so much heavier, so much more real.

“But that’s not all,” Vince went on, his voice urgent now. “Every time you take his pain, every time you heal him, you give a little piece of your own life away. It’s the price of the gift, Seraphina. The more you help him, the weaker you get, the shorter your own life becomes. If you stay with him… if you keep saving him… you will die long before your time. You’ll burn yourself out just to keep him alive.”

Tears pricked my eyes, hot and stinging. That explained everything—the dizziness, the fatigue, the way I felt like I was fading little by little every day. Cassian had suspected it, too. That was why he had looked so terrified when I almost fell earlier.

“Come with me,” Vince begged, stepping closer again, reaching for me. “Please, Seraphina. Leave with me tonight. We can go far away, somewhere no one will ever find us. You can be safe, you can live a long, happy life. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself for him. He forced you into this marriage. He doesn’t love you. He’s just using you to survive. Please… let me save you.”

Before I could answer, a low, cold voice cut through the air, sharp as a knife.

“Get your hands off my wife.”

Cassian stepped out from behind the hedge, his face pale, his eyes dark and blazing with a mix of fury and pain. He hadn’t stayed hidden like I thought. He had been there the whole time, listening to every word.

Vince stepped back instantly, stepping between me and Cassian, protective and tense. “You’re killing her, Valemont. You’re letting her die just so you can live. How can you call yourself a man, let alone a husband?”

“I never asked for this!” Cassian roared, his voice cracking, raw with agony. “I never wanted her to suffer! I didn’t know! I thought it was just the curse hurting me… I never knew it was hurting her too!”

He turned to me then, his anger melting away into pure, devastating pain, his eyes filled with tears he wouldn’t let fall. He looked broken, terrified, more vulnerable than I had ever seen him.

“Is it true?” he whispered, his voice shaking. “Every time I feel better… you get worse? You’re dying to keep me alive?”

I looked between the two men—one who had loved me silently my whole life, offering me freedom and safety, and the other I had been forced to marry, the man I had grown to care for more than I ever thought possible, the man I was bound to by fate, by magic, by something far stronger than any contract.

I thought about the last few months. About the cold nights and the quiet mornings. About the way Cassian had stood up for me at the gala. About the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t watching. About the way we had become each other’s only safe place in a world full of greed and cruelty.

I stepped away from Vince, walked straight to Cassian, and took his cold, trembling hands in mine, holding them tight.

“It’s true,” I said softly, looking up at him, my voice steady and sure. “But I’m not leaving, Cassian. This isn’t just a contract anymore. It’s not just a curse. I choose this. I choose you.”

I turned to Vince, my expression gentle but firm. “Thank you, Vince. For caring about me. For trying to save me. But my place is here. With him. We’ll find a way. We’ll break the curse, or we’ll find a way to change the price. But I’m not going anywhere.”

Vince stared at me, heartbroken, then nodded slowly, stepping back, accepting my choice. “I won’t stop you,” he said quietly. “But remember this, Seraphina. If you ever need me… if you change your mind… I’ll always be here.”

He turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows, leaving me alone with Cassian.

Cassian pulled me into his arms then, holding me so tight I could barely breathe, burying his face in my hair, his body shaking with silent sobs.

“I won’t let you die,” he whispered, his voice fierce and desperate, promising me everything, promising the world. “I don’t care what it takes. I don’t care what I have to do. I’ll find a way to fix this. I’ll save you, just like you saved me.”

But as we stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, I knew the truth. The stakes were higher than ever now. We knew the cost, we knew the danger, we knew that every day we spent together was stealing time from my life.

And somewhere in the dark, hidden in the shadows, Arabella watched us, her eyes burning with rage and jealousy, her mind already spinning a new plan—one that would use every secret, every truth, every weakness we had, to tear us apart forever.