Selene

The pinewoods stretched on, their gnarled branches clawing at the sky as we pressed deeper into the night. My boots sank into the damp earth, each step heavier than the last, not from exhaustion but from the air itself which was now thick with the curse’s lingering taint.

I blinked hard as the path warped ahead, twisting like a snake, only to straighten when I narrowed my eyes. Hallucinations were the curse’s new game. And they clashed heavily with the memory of Draven’s kiss. His lips, fierce and unyielding, had stirred something I didn’t want to name.

Draven led the way, his stride confident despite the bandaged gash on...