The curse wasn’t just poisoning his strength anymore, it was crawling into his mind. Making him see things and hear sounds that weren’t there. Or worse, things he didn’t want to remember.

Tonight felt worse than the others. His chest felt like it had caved in on one side. He staggered back toward the packhouse, fingers digging into the bark of nearby trees just to stay upright. He didn’t remember how long it took to get back. Maybe minutes. Maybe an hour.

He got to the back porch, leaned against the railing, and tried to catch his breath. His hand made their way to his chest as tried to keep...