Free Cursed by Aubrey Brown

Conall had yet to reach their ending, the moment when
the curse would be lifted and the happily ever after could
commence. She felt for sure that it would come to her. She just
hoped it was fast and effective. Even though she only met him, she
felt for sure that she was deeply committed to helping him and
discovering this intense feeling they seemed to share.
    Addie was so deep in her musings that she
almost missed the tent.
    Drawing in a breath, she pulled the flap back
and entered the darkened space.

Chapter Ten
    “I told ye tha’ the, gel would come.”
    Addie looked to the old crone that had spoken
and nodded her head.
    “I had some work obligations to attend to
today,” Addie replied.
    “Sit and ye will learn how tae curse those
who use evil fer personal gain inta the depths o’ hell.”
    Obediently listening to their instructions,
she sat and repeated old words of Gaelic back to the women.
    Addie kept at it until she cried a halt at
almost 9 o’ clock at night. She was tired and distressed.
    Mixing potions, magical words, chanting
spells, and creating something from nothing, was all overwhelming.
And on top of all of her feelings, she was terrified with the
prospect of using her new knowledge.
    Thinking of Conall helped some, but not
enough. During her session this afternoon, a thought struck her.
She would not go through all of this for a simple affair or a book.
She was definitely in love with the man, a man who was centuries
old, a highlander, a partial ghost, and her ancestor’s fiancée to
boot.
    He had explained to her that his Addie was
long dead, and only she had stirred feelings within him that had
long since died with her.
    Not quite knowing why, she felt something was
missing. And even though she knew something was missing. She loved
him non-the-less.
    She recalled his words of fate and destiny
and smiled. Feeling carefree and in love she promised herself that
she would do whatever it took to bring Conall into this realm and
lift the ages old curse.
    A bit of omission from Conall were not
outright lies. Were they? Alternatively, the even worse omission
that she knew Addie did not jump from the window of her own accord.
Sighing into the air she continued walking.
    As she stepped into her home, she looked to
her phone. She had turned the thing off while she was with the
women of fern.
    She looked through her texts and felt cold
skim through her blood. Steven had texted and his messages were
slowly becoming agitated and then downright rude. Wincing, she
looked to the last text and saw these simple words.
    I know where you went, and we need to have a
chat. I am coming to you, and I expect you to accommodate me.
    Turning her lips into a sneer, she promised
herself she would not let that crazed creep near her or Conall.
    She looked at the time of the text and then
looked at her current time. By her figures, he would take a plane
and be here within nine hours.
    Sighing, she decided to catch a nap before
she went to Conall.
    Typing quickly into her phone as she walked
up the stairs and ignoring her growling stomach, she replied, 'Do not come here, Steven. We have NOTHING to discuss. Nothing. If
you try to come into my home, you will be escorted off the
property.'
    Finally coming to her bedroom door, she
stripped naked and went to lay beneath the cool sheets.
    Sleep claimed her quickly with images of
Conall, mist, terror, and death.
    Hours later after a fit filled nap, she awoke
naked in tangled sheets and a terror she never felt before.
    She had these dreams before, but now she
could feel the terror to her bones.
    Addie was there! She would swear to it. She
stood in the attic, in a period dress, her hair a mess from a
confining bun. Her corset much too tight, her skirts cumbersome,
and her back riddled with sweat.
    Addie screamed herself into a full
wakefulness when she suddenly heard a pounding on her door.
    She quickly grabbed her robe and tied the
sash when she jerked open the door to find Mister King