Cursed Read online

  With her last words, the barrier between them melted and she fell into Stavros’s waiting arms.

  “Charlotte…falinda,” he murmured, gathering her close.

  She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest like an exhausted child.

  “Stav, please—get us out of here.”

  “I’ll try,” he said grimly.

  Rising easily, he shifted her slight weight so that she was pressed against him. He couldn’t carry her like a child—the black corridors of the Temple of Regret were too claustrophobically narrow for that. And yet, he didn’t want to put her down—didn’t want to risk losing her again.

  Charlotte seemed to understand the problem which she solved by wrapping her legs around his waist and laying her head on his shoulder. Stavros put a hand under her bottom, supporting her, and wrapped the other arm across her back. She gave a little moan of pure weariness and closed her eyes.

  “Let’s go,” he said and began the long walk to try and find his way back through the maze.

  * * * * *

  It seemed like they were walking forever. Or rather, Stavros was. Charlie knew she ought to ask if he was tired and wanted to put her down but honestly, she didn’t feel like she could walk on her own right now. She was too emotionally spent. Experiencing Missy’s death all over again had drained her completely. She literally had nothing left.

  The big Kindred marched on tirelessly, following twists and curves in the confusing hallways without hesitation which Charlie hoped meant they were slowly but surely getting to the end of the horrible maze inside the temple.

  But their progress was impeded several times when they were stopped by scenes from his past. Charlie saw him in school as a kid and watched the first time the other children saw his mark and found out he was Cursed. They mocked and shouted at him and when he got into a fight with a boy much larger than him, it was Stavros who was punished and sent him in disgrace even though the other boy had started it.

  Then she saw other scenes from his childhood—more subtle but just as hurtful. His mother refusing to hug him, his father keeping him at arm’s length. The terrible loneliness and isolation he felt until he at last was old enough to go out to the Mother Ship and leave his home planet of Tranq Prime. Other Kindred didn’t care so much about his Sin Eater status and for the first time he was able to have a more or less normal life. Well, other than feeling the pain of everyone around him all the time, that was.

  Even as emotionally worn out as she was, Charlotte couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. He’d had a crappy childhood too—just like she had. Growing up marked as a Sin Eater hadn’t been easy for him, especially when he hadn’t had much support from home. At least she’d had Missy—Stavros had had no one. No one at all.

  Every time a scene from his childhood happened Stavros stood still for a moment and she felt him taking deep breaths. Then he muttered under his breath, “Not real. It’s not real.”

  After a moment of tense concentration in which she felt his whole, muscular body shiver against hers, the scene would fade and they were able to continue on their way.

  Thankfully, the Temple didn’t show Charlie any more of her own past though she half expected to see her mother’s heart attack or her father’s slow death by lung cancer. But neither of those had hurt her as badly as Missy’s suicide. Presumably the temple knew it had thrown the worst thing it had at her and now it had no more ammunition. Or maybe it could sense that she had no more emotion to spend, no matter what it showed her.

  Charlie tried to feel something…anything…but she just couldn’t. She couldn’t even summon guilt that she was letting a Kindred warrior hold her close and carry her this way. She knew she ought to be angry with him—with all of them for what had happened to Missy. And she ought to hate herself for feeling comforted by Stavros’s strong arms around her. But she couldn’t feel any of that—she was just numb. So numb she began to wonder if she would feel anything ever again.

  At last she heard the big Kindred give a hoarse exclamation.

  “Look!”

  Lifting her head wearily from his shoulder she saw a bright line of light—like a crack in a door—at the far end of the hallway they were currently traversing.

  Oh please, oh please… Charlie thought fervently. She had a terrible fear that the Temple was just teasing them—holding out false hope which would be snatched back at the last moment.

  Stavros must have had the same thought because he started to walk faster and faster until soon he was almost running. He burst from the Temple of Regrets with Charlie clinging to him, her heart beating like a jackhammer. She blinked, finding even the dim light hard on her eyes, but as the familiar blue hallways that surrounded the spooky tunnel-like entrance to the temple came into view, she knew that they were truly out at last.

  “Out. We’re out,” Stavros said hoarsely, echoing her thoughts. He took a deep, shuddering breath. “Thank the Goddess, I didn’t think we would make it.”

  “You didn’t?” Charlie looked at him. “Then why did you keep going?”

  “I had to,” he said grimly. “I knew if I gave up and let myself stop, we’d never get out. We would’ve been eaten alive in there by the temple—by whatever it is that makes bad memories into visions.”

  Charlie shivered. The idea that the temple was alive in some way hadn’t occurred to her and she was glad it hadn’t. It made her feel like she had escaped from a living haunted house—a sentient monster that wanted to feast on her feelings.

  Well it should’ve had enough from me to keep it full for a month, she thought dully. I don’t know what else it could do—what else it could make me feel. Right now I’m just exhausted. Then it occurred to her that Stavros probably was too. He’d been hauling her around for over an hour through that house of horrors—he was probably dead on his feet.

  “Thank you for carrying me,” she said stiffly. “You’re probably really tired. I should get down now.”

  She started to unwrap her legs from around his waist but he held her by the waist, not letting her go.

  “It is all right,” he rumbled softly. “I am not tired. But you still look fatigued—let me hold you awhile longer.”

  Charlie bit her lip. “Why…why would you want to? I must look a mess right now.” After sobbing her heart out inside the awful Temple of Regrets she was sure her eyes were red and her hair was crazy—in other words, she wasn’t going to be winning any beauty pageants right now.

  Stav sighed. “I confess I am…reluctant to let you go. Knowing as I do that you will certainly never let me hold you again.”

  “You think I’m still mad at you?” Charlie asked. “Because…”

  “Because of what happened to your sister,” he said gently. “Charlotte, I saw everything. Forgive me for intruding on your privacy but I could not help it—the scene played out in front of me and I was worried about you.”

  Charlie gave a broken little laugh that felt more like a sob.

  “That’s all right. I saw crap from your past too, if you recall. I guess…I guess there’s no hiding anything in there.” She nodded over her shoulder at the Temple of Regrets.

  “That is certainly true,” he said grimly. “But I wanted you to know I understand your point of view now. I know why you hate my people—why you hate me. And I do not blame you.”

  Charlie shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t…don’t hate anybody right now. I just feel…numb.”

  “You’re in shock,” he murmured. “Having to re-live such traumatic events is wearing to the emotions.”

  “Wearing is right.” She sighed and let her head rest on his broad shoulder again. God he smelled good—that was nice. “I’m all worn out,” she whispered.

  “Of course you are.” He rubbed her back soothingly with one big hand. “What you need is a hot bath and a long rest.”

  “Which is exactly what you are not going to get.” The familiar voice ringing out behind them made Charlie jump. It occurred to her b