Somehow, this little flower—this cursed rose—was at the center of everything.
Fae blood and human blood had both been shed in this room. Vows had been made and broken. Now, dark magic was devouring this house, the woods, and even Hugo.
If there was any chance of breaking free from this place, of saving both of us, I would have to study it, understand it.
I stepped forward, my fingers brushing against the glass that encased the rose.
“Don’t—” Hugo’s voice rang out, but before I could react, he lunged for me. Our hands collided, and the glass surrounding the rose fell to the floor and shattered. We both froze, staring at the broken pieces. Horror twisted in my chest as I watched the rose turn black.
Then the ground began to tremble beneath us.
A creeping blackness seeped from the rose, spreading outward like a poisonous shadow.
“I’ve ruined us,” I whispered, my heart sinking.
Before Hugo could respond, the dark magic surged toward me, tendrils of shadow reaching for my legs. It coiled around me, cold as ice, locking me in place. The moment it touched my skin, pain exploded through me—agony like I’d never felt before. I screamed.
“No!” Hugo roared, rushing to me, pulling me into his arms. His magic flared, warm and fierce, surging out of him with a desperation that made the air crackle. He poured everything he had into pushing the darkness back.
For a moment, it worked.
The inky tendrils recoiled, retreating as if repelled by an unseen force. We stood there, encased in a shimmering, fragile bubble of protection. His magic was the only thing holding the shadows at bay.
But then the estate shook again. The walls groaned, stones shifting as if the very foundation was being pulled apart by this sinister force. The protective orb wavered, then shattered as the shadow pushed back with a vengeance, slithering toward me again.
The darkness latched onto my legs, crawling up my body, wrapping around my waist, my chest. I screamed, writhing in pain, my body trembling as the curse tore through me. I could feel it, trying to consume me from the inside out.
Hugo’s face twisted with panic, desperation filling his eyes as he tried to hold me tighter, tried to channel more magic—but it wasn’t enough. I was slipping away, just like Elyssa had. Just like everyone else he’d loved and lost.
“No,” he shouted, his voice raw with anguish. The darkness crawled higher, its cold grip seeping into my shoulders. His voice broke as he rasped out, “Take me instead!”
The darkness paused.
For a brief, terrible moment, it hesitated. And then, as if answering his plea, the black magic uncoiled itself from me, slithering away from my skin like a living thing. It reared back, shifting its terrible, hungry focus onto him.
“No!” I tried to pull him away, but the dark magic fell upon him in a suffocating wave, knocking him to the ground.
The air around us seemed to freeze, the room going deathly quiet as the black shadow wrapped itself around Hugo. I watched in horror as he gritted his teeth and fought back with everything he had. But the magic was relentless.
“Hugo!” I screamed, but my voice seemed distant, muffled by the oppressive weight of the magic.
Then something happened—something I couldn’t explain.
A burst of light, faint at first, flickered from within the darkness. It came from Hugo, as though his very core had ignited. The light grew stronger, brighter, pushing back against the blackness. I watched, wide-eyed, as the darkness recoiled, unable to withstand the force of his magic.
And then, with a final burst of blinding light, the dark magic shattered—disintegrating into nothingness.
The room fell silent.
I blinked, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Hugo lay on the ground, chest heaving, his body trembling from the effort. The cursed rose, once the epicenter, had withered to ash.
It was over.
I dropped to my knees beside him. “Hugo,” I whispered, touching his face.
He opened his eyes slowly, a tired smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You okay?” he rasped.
Relief flooded through me, my heart racing as I leaned down, pressing my forehead to his. “You idiot,” I whispered, tears brimming in my eyes. “You nearly died.”
“Would’ve been worth it,” he murmured, his eyes soft as they met mine.
Before I could stop myself, I kissed him, full of desperation and relief. He kissed me back, softly at first, then deeper, as though this kiss was our anchor, our tether back to life.
When we finally pulled apart, everything was still. The house was no longer shaking, the dark magic was vanquished, and I knew the nightmare was over.