Unbound Affection

Chapter 3

“Are you sure it’s her?” Mick said, spreading his arms.

He was Allen’s friend.

They were on the sofa, managing to continue their “important” conversation amidst the loud music playing.

Allen licked his lips, his eyes fixed on the girls dancing. However, his mind was focused on the scene in school.

“I’m not sure about it,” he replied, as the image of the amber eyes turning bright yellow flashed in his mind. “But I saw the colour change.” He poured liquor into his glass.

“Did her eyes really turn yellow?” Mick asked with raised brows.

“Yes, and it was bright like a lightbulb.” Allen took a sip of his liquor. His grip on the glass tightened, and he slammed it on the table.

The liquid inside swirled in circles and spilt out.

He remained silent, his hands clenched tight, as his mind went back to what had happened at noon. Her face was crystal clear in his mind at that moment when she looked at him. Her pouted lips made him smile, but his smile vanished when her amber eyes shrank and shone as bright as a star—like those in cartoons—the yellow shining star. That shocked him, and he observed her as she got on her feet, took her things off the table, and ran.

“You’re zoned out,” Mick interrupted. He leaned closer to Allen as if they were about to discuss something important in secret. “What’s your plan?” he whispered.

Allen leaned forward, his elbows resting on his thighs and his hands clasped. His gaze was still fixed on the girls dancing in the crowd, their bodies swaying rhythmically. Then his lips spread into a smirk when his eyes fell on a specific person, Fiona. Her low-cut red top matched well with that pair of tight black pants. Her plump lips formed into a wide smile as she noticed his gaze on her. She excused herself from the crowd and walked towards him.

“Allen.”

“Hmm.” He nodded, his eyes never leaving her sexy hip as she sashayed, showing off her perfect curves.

“What are you going to do next?” Mick asked again.

Allen only smiled.

“Seems like you’ve got a plan.”

“I’m going to make sure everything goes my way.” Allen shrugged.

He had been searching for ages, and finally God had put her in front of him. He was not talking about Fiona; he was talking about that girl, Viola. Those eyes never left his head. It was the exact description written in the book of his aunt—the book of the supernatural, the book instructing how to break a curse. He was sure it was her, as her eyes didn’t just turn yellow; they were shining abnormally bright.

“Shall we?” He stood and stepped in front of the pair of high, shimmering black heels. He snaked his arm around Fiona’s waist and pushed her to his chest. A grin swept across his lips as her soft chuckles hit his ears.

“I didn’t see you in school today,” he said as they swayed to the music, their bodies brushing against each other.

“I overslept.” She looked at him and then rested her chin on his hard chest, fluttering her fake lashes. Her hands were on his shoulders, and her warm and sweet breath hit his neck.

The scent of pink apple hit his nostrils. He stared down at her, and the image of Viola looking at him appeared at the back of his head. He curled his bottom lip and tried to pay attention to the girl in his hold.

Fiona lifted her chin and captured his lips, and their tongues tangled. But Allen’s phone rang, and he stepped back, breaking contact. He glanced at her flushed face and smirked.

“I’ll be back,” he said and walked out of the pub as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

He sighed at the view of the bright evening sky as he leaned against the wall outside. He unlocked his phone and picked up the call with a smile.

“Where are you?” asked the soft, anxious voice from the other side.

“I’m in . . .”

“Come back now,” she ordered and hung up.

“Is she mad at me?” he uttered to himself. He stared at the wallpaper of his phone for a while—the picture of him and his older sister, Lira.

She was the only one who had always been there for him, taking care of him more than she took care of herself.

Allen blinked multiple times when the screen turned black, just like in real life. Lira’s life journey was bound to be short. She knew she was going to die, and he knew that as well, and that death was not how normal people die. She had been cursed by her maternal aunt.

He could still recall that day even though he was just eight then. Lira was being tied in the chair a few metres away from a large open window, where the bright moonlight shone on her. It was the night of the two full moons. Allen was held by the neck at another window. His aunt carried him and made him sit on the sill.

That was all he could remember: his sister’s loud cries and his aunt’s evil smile after casting a spell on Lira because of the grudge she had harboured against their parents. The curse that could only be transferred into another body of a person who should be against the dark—the one born against evil, the one who could see all.

Lira had gotten worse for the past few months as the day of the two full moons got closer, which only happened once in a lifetime. Allen had never slept in peace, his heart pounding every time whenever Lira screamed in her sleep. She often had nightmares, and he had desperately wanted to help and break the curse after finding out what had actually happened that day.

When his aunt died, no one dared to enter the abandoned cabin in the woods, but he did. He went there and investigated, and found a book of witchcraft in an old rusted cupboard. He found some answers to his questions about Lira and, most importantly, the cure for the curse. He studied the book on sleepless nights, and yet, he still had questions with no answers: Who was the cure? Who were the creatures mentioned? And what was meant by “one dead”? The only information he knew was about the one who could cure his sister, the one to whom Lira’s blood could be transferred. A little of that person’s blood in Lira’s body could break the curse.

The rustling of dry leaves made him stand straight away from the wall and look around. His brows furrowed when he saw a figure.

Going into the woods when it is about to be dark? Does that person have a death wish? He pushed his phone into his pocket and crossed the narrow path, curious to know that person.

The footsteps trampled over the dry leaves and twigs, mixing with the sound of insects and nature. The figure came into view, and at the distant sight of her, he knew who it was. Her hair tied up in a messy bun displayed her swan neck. She squatted and pushed away the leaves, then put her palm over the grassless part of the ground and closed her eyes.

Allen stood behind a tree trunk, watching her from a distance. His brows rose as the air thickened and the sounds of insects and birds disappeared.

What is she doing? Am I hallucinating because of too much alcohol? He held on to the trunk and slowly stepped on a large root.

He tiptoed a bit to take a look at what she was doing, but his feet twisted and he lost his balance.

A loud shriek left his lips. s**t, this is embarrassing!

He mentally slapped himself when she turned around.