Chapter 31 #2
I brushed my fingertips against them. But opening the witch books was like a cozy fire in my hands, and now I felt a shock—a jolt of energy ran through my fingers like when I rubbed against fuzzy clothes.
The tiny lines adjusted and rearranged into words that read, Ancient Curse.
Two things happened before I could blink.
Torin drew in a sharp breath, swatting the book out of my hand.
The book dropped on the floor with the front cover flipped open. A spark of magic danced along the surface of the first page, the air around it shimmering with energy.
A sudden surge of magic burst from the page. It looked like a translucent ball with snowflakes. It lifted in the air, hitting me square in the chest.
My heart stuttered, my pulse slowing to a crawl as an icy chill spread throughout my body. I gasped, clutching at my chest as I stumbled backward into Torin's arms.
"Anna," he cried out, his voice laced with panic. "What's happening?"
The cold seeped deeper into my bones, sapping the warmth from my limbs and replacing it with a numbness that threatened to consume me whole.
With chilling certainty, I knew my time was running out.
"I-I don't know," I managed to choke out, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "It feels like…like I'm dying."
Torin’s growl echoed in the vast chamber so loud that the floor beneath our feet vibrated.
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. Would this be my end? There were so many more things I wanted to experience—to have a family, travel, and see my parents and best friend again.
Torin dropped to his knees while holding my upper body and then gently laid me on the ground. He touched my forehead and then placed his fingers on the crook of my neck, checking my pulse.
His eyebrows drew together as he took a shuddering breath. “What do you feel?”
“Cold and as if I’m going numb from the inside out.”
Torin let out a curse, his eyes flashing crimson. A slew of emotions passed behind his gaze, but he remained quiet.
“It was protected by a curse,” I said, shivering. “Willa must not have known about it since she never got close to the book.”
Torin’s breathing shallowed. I took a deep breath and exhaled an icy breath slowly.
“If the book was protected by a curse that would cost me my life, then does it mean that the second person who finds it will be able to open and use the book?” I sighed. “It doesn’t make sense.”
My fingertips and toes tingled, turning numb, and my body felt heavy, as if lead infused my veins.
Torin’s gaze cleared, focusing on me. Then he looked at the book on the ground and lunged for it. But before I could ask him not to touch it, he had it in his hands.
No more magical clouds lifted from the book. Torin’s mouth moved as he read something written on the first page. I blinked as I realized that the book wasn’t written in an ancient witch language.
"Promise me," I rasped, my voice shaky. I lifted on my elbows, and Torin looked at me. "Promise me you'll find a way to destroy the book after…I’m gone."
The coldness slowly took over my limbs, creeping up to my chest, and my soul knew that when it surrounded my heart, it’d be game over for me.
I was no expert in curses, and it didn’t seem Willa knew about them, either.
My knowledge only grew from reading mythology books for my major in college.
Typically, after a sacrifice was made and a person perished—the price paid for the curse—the pages would become accessible, the spell would be lifted, and the book would open.
Torin walked back to me with the book in his hand. "Stop this, little witch wolf," he whispered, his distress clear in every line of his body. "You're not going to die. I won't let you. Listen to this. I think it holds the key to breaking the curse:
In a land of forgotten time,
A heart was sealed within a frosty grime,
A curse was cast, dark and dire,
No one can break the spell or soothe the pain,
Till love’s pure touch is felt again.
A lover’s touch, a sweet embrace,
A kiss so soft to chase the pain,
A love that feels like coming home.”
Torin looked up at me.
Pure heart. Willa did mention that only a person with a pure heart and good intentions could open the book. So would breaking the curse be the proof of that?
Torin straddled me, and my eyes grew big as I stared at him. His face was only inches away. He leaned in, burying his head in the crook of my neck, and sucked on my flesh.
“T-Torin, what are you doing?”
He licked the spot, soothing it, and tiny sparks ignited under my skin.
“I think I’m supposed to make love to you,” he said and then placed small kisses down my collarbone and my chest.
“I don’t,” I said breathlessly, “think that’s what the riddle said. It talked about a kiss, like in the fairy tales.”
He pulled me close, his body a warm anchor against the cold that seeped into my bones. His hand grasped mine, and sparks tingled in my numb fingers.
My eyes widened.
“No, I have to be inside you,” he said in his authoritative voice that left no room for argument.
I snorted. “Sex is probably not the answer.”
Not that I minded, but it was probably not the right time.
Despite the chill that settled over me, my cheeks flushed. With no other choices, I had to believe that Torin's idea of intimacy was the solution to the curse. Was Torin onto something?
He ignored my last statement—too focused on his mission. He pulled down my bodice under my breasts and kissed my skin around my nipples. When his tongue licked over the hardened nub, more warmth spread into my chest. A small moan escaped my mouth, my cold body responding to Torin’s touch.
I guessed if I had to die, I would choose to be with Torin one last time.
I wasn’t sure if sex at this exact moment would break an ancient curse, though. The myth spoke of the immense love Thoradis had for the Moon Goddess. My mother had said only the purest of hearts could open the book. Torin believed making love would express a pure heart.
It almost sounded silly, but I wanted to feel Torin inside me. I had no idea how long I had, but my dying wish was to spend my last moment with Torin, my true mate.
I wondered what happened to our bodies after we took our last breath, and I knew I would regret it if I didn’t do this with him one last time, even if it was on the marble floor of some ancient chamber.
“Okay, I’m here with you, Torin,” I said.
His next movements were a blur of shrugging off his clothes and tugging on mine to remove them.
Once we were both naked, he lowered his gaze, tracing every contour of my body until he was satisfied, and then he looked at me. “I don’t know how to slow down and do this properly, Anna.”
“I like it any way you do it, as long as it’s you.”
He tenderly brushed my hair away from my face and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. His amber eyes met mine, filled with love, sadness, and acceptance.
"I'll cherish this moment forever, Torin."
In that instant, everything else fell away. All that mattered was the love that bound us together, the unbreakable bond forged between our souls. We lay together on the ancient temple floor, surrounded by paintings of the past.
Torin’s fingers traced the curves of my face, his touch sending jolts of electricity down my spine. At first, his lips brushed against mine in a soft, gentle kiss. But as if he couldn’t get enough of me, he deepened the kiss, his hands roaming my breasts.
“Mmm,” I moaned against his mouth as he tweaked my nipples between his thumb and forefinger.
He propped himself next to me, his eyes glued to my breasts as he continued to stroke and caress them. My back arched, wanting more. Torin inhaled deeply, flashing crimson eyes. His body vibrated as if keeping himself in place, refusing to rush through this.
Then I realized that whenever Torin’s desire for me ignited, his vampire usually took over, except the last time when he remained in his human form. But I had never connected in such an intimate way with his wolf.
“Torin,” I said, “how come your wolf doesn’t usually surface when we have sex?”
“Because the vampire side always wins,” he said, cupping my breast. “And I wasn’t sure if you’d like to meet my Alpha side in such a moment.”
I lifted on my elbows, my face only inches apart from Torin’s. His hot breath tickled my ear, making me smile.
“Since you can control your vampire now, can you call on your wolf instead? I want to feel him.” Heat spread over my cheeks.
Torin's eyes turned crimson and remained that way. I couldn’t tell which side of him surfaced because both his wolf and vampire had red eyes, but I could feel it.
As his wolf surfaced, he called to my wolf spirit—a primal energy stirring within me, awakening a wild need only Torin could satisfy. My heartbeat quickened, pounding in my chest, echoing his call.
My senses heightened, and the air thickened with electric tension.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I surrendered to my wolf spirit, letting her press against the boundaries of my human form.
Although Torin and I didn’t shift, I could feel his wolf presence, his spirit resonating with mine, drawing us closer.
Our connection was visceral, metaphorical, and irresistible.
Torin’s hand slid down my stomach to my pussy and massaged my lips, slipping a finger between them. I spread my legs wider for him, welcoming his touch.
He pushed my chest, taking me to the floor again, and kissed my mouth. Hungry growls escaped his throat as he pressed his body to my side. His hard cock throbbed, and I imagined he ached for me as much as I did for him.
My wolf spirit pushed harder at my mind, and my need for Torin heightened tenfold. I wanted him inside me. Without Torin, I felt empty and desperate. I wanted to beg him to start moving, to give me more.
“Torin,” I said breathlessly.
Growling, he thrust two fingers inside me. I whimpered and moaned as his fingers pumped and swirled.
Abruptly, he withdrew from me. “My wolf wants to taste you.”