Curse Breaker Read online

  Curse Breaker

  A Dark Legends Novella

  Jaclyn Roche

  Moonlight and Fireflies Press

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  More from Jaclyn Roche

  Sneak Peek at Charming

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Get Written in Blood from Silvana G. Sánchez

  Written in Blood

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2020 by Jaclyn Roche

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover design by Selfpub Designs

  To my husband and children.

  I will love you forever until eternity.

  Acknowledgments

  Sara Lunsford: The best editor any author could ask for. Thank you for holding my hand.

  Find her at:

  Sara Lunsford, Author

  facebook.com/SaraLunsfordAuthor

  saralunsfordbooks.com

  Silvana G. Sánchez: My genius graphic designer.

  Find her at:

  Silvana G. Sánchez, Author

  facebook.com/silvanagsanchez.author

  Book Covers by SelfPub Designs

  facebook.com/selfpubdesigns

  Virginia Nelson: Thanks for inspiring me to pick the pen back up. I will forever be grateful.

  Find her at:

  Virginia Nelson, Author

  facebook.com/virginia.nelson.author

  virg-nelson.com

  Glenda, Kendra, and Alyssa: Thank you for being my Betas. You truly helped iron out the kinks. Hopefully I did Kali’s story justice.

  Prologue

  He was there, as he always was, when she slept. She couldn’t remember a time when Viktor wasn’t. The beast of her nightmares and the lover of her dreams. Viktor—or his cursed side, the minotaur—awaited her return each night in the between, the world betwixt this and the beyond. She never knew which one he would be until he appeared to her.

  Kalissandra Doe smiled at her luck. Viktor’s footfall echoed as if they were in a darkened chamber with an inch of water at the feet. She could see nothing of the beyond. Just him and his approach. He was lit as if on a stage; the light bringing him forward to her. She drank in every detail of the man molded to life from a Grecian statue.

  He towered over her when he was in his minotaur form, the beastly side of him was intense and intrigued her when in the safety her dreams. What was it like for him to live his life as a monster with their limited time the only escape from his curse? Kali wished she knew, but didn’t dare ask and waste precious seconds. Should they ever meet in truth, she convinced herself that she’d be petrified of the creature with its’ half-bull, half-man transfiguration. Afraid of the gigantic horns jutting from his head that could gouge her should he drop them and charge her. Viktor promised that couldn’t happen. He swore his fiend would obey her command. How he knew that was another mystery to her.

  His olive eyes, no matter man or creature, belied an intelligence and maturity beyond Viktor’s twenty-five years with a savage madness lurking beneath, as if the minotaur were close to emerging. His gaze caught upon hers and softened, the crinkling revealed premature crow’s feet etched into the corners. His chestnut hair was tousled and unkempt as though he’d recently woke from a deep sleep. A boyish grin stretched across his chiseled superhero-like visage. The playful smiles he gifted her appeared to come easy to him as if he were the happiest of men full of hope and joy—not cursed with darkness beyond her or anyone’s imagination. Kali wished that happiness came easily for her as it did him. The darkness in her refused to retract its’ tendrils except when here with him. It would slacken its grip enough for her to feel something other than broken inside. How lucky she was for these few snatched minutes in life. She could pretend during these magical episodes that he was hers and she was his. In these daydreams, or the between, whichever this was, at least...

  Viktor’s hand covered hers and sent tingles to her toes. Kali’s eyes drifted closed. Finally. She lived for these moments. Even when his hand wasn’t as solid as it was now. Their encounters made her feel less alone in the world beyond. Viktor was her savior and she wanted to remain here in this world with him, always, but that wasn’t possible. Either she faded and woke, or he faded leaving her in the between alone and afraid. She often wondered if the Doctors were right and she had dissociative disorder. Deep down she knew. She knew nothing was wrong with her. The idea of all this might seem crazy, but it was real. It had to be.

  When she was with Viktor, his presence pushed the horrid memories of the day away. Recollections of the places she lived at, the terrible people she met over the years, and then the institution that had become her final home until her release a month prior. Memories of the families who wouldn’t adopt her because of her oddities of speaking in tongues, as they called it, a language no one else but her and Viktor knew. She sketched and painted the labyrinth and minotaur, obsessive with every detail her nightmares revealed. She spoke as if Viktor were real because for her he was. Viktor and she were the same age and grew up from children into adulthood together, always. Kali couldn’t recall a single time Viktor wasn’t in her life. Not even when the doctors pumped her full of various drugs to help her get better...

  “You’re home now, Kali.” His other hand stroked up her jawline over her cheek and into her hair. His smile appeared to be bigger and brighter this time.

  Yes, yes, I am home. “I’m always home when I’m with you, Viktor.” She felt her caramel coils wind around his fist. More, she wanted to beg. Her nipples hardened and her panties moistened. She pressed her legs together. Please don’t stop. This is the best we’ve ever felt together.

  “You’ve returned home, Kali. Don’t you feel it?” His lips retreated from hers, and both hands cupped her face. “Can’t you feel how real we are? No more a breeze or a whisper... Our hands do not pass through each other’s. I told you. I am real. You’ll discover how solid I am.” His mouth descended taking hers once more, teasing it open.

  Their tongues intertwined, mating with each other. He was right. This was where she belonged. In his arms. She was home. Where else could she be?

  “Yes, Viktor. I can feel you. Oh, my goddess, don’t stop.”

  If she could touch him, was she as ill as her last foster mother had Lucy declared her to be? If she could feel him, was this a dream, or a disassociation, that the psychiatrist, at Lucy’s behest, claimed it to be? The tragic incident only solidified his diagnosis and lead to her involuntary stay in a psychiatric hospital. Her release just hours prior to the predicament her awake life found itself in.

  Kali believed with all her heart he was real, not just dreamed up from her imagination. That this was the between like Viktor claimed. But the possibility she was indeed ill and using this as an escape did lurk below the surface of her happiness when she was with him.

  “I’ve always loved you, Kalissandra.” His mout
h moved downward to kiss and nibble. First, her jawline, then to her neck and collarbone.

  He told her every time as she did him.

  “I’ve always loved you, Viktor. Always and forever.” The scent of him, verbena lime, compelled her to moan and move to capture his lips for more. Kali never smelled anything so good before and she didn’t want to let it go. Desire racked her body, making her shiver from a desperate need of him, instead of the fear her real life held for her. She pressed her body against his greedily needing to feel his body heavy upon hers.

  Viktor obliged wrapping her completely within his embrace. Kali couldn’t remember the last time, if there had ever been one, that she had been embraced feeling such devotion and affection. Was this what love felt like? She closed her eyes and savored the feeling. She memorized every detail and tucked it deep inside. She knew there would be a time she would need it.

  “You’re mine for now and eternity,” he rumbled against her.

  She ignored the voice telling her this wasn’t real. The niggle of doubt reminding her she was sick still and released not because she was no longer a foster child that had happened at eighteen, but because she had served her time in the hospital rather than go to jail for the accident.

  “Tell me you’re mine,” he demanded, ceasing his exploration of her.

  His lust-glazed eyes captured hers in their gaze. She could see the outline of the minotaur against his body. The beast simmered at the surface, a layering over Viktor’s form.

  “I’m yours. All yours.” Kali’s words, a panted whisper against his ear. That couldn’t be me. Her voice husky.

  Viktor’s mouth reclaimed hers, beginning his feast with the flesh of her breast. His tongue darted out, licking her hardened nipple and teasing her other bud with the pad of his thumb. He tore off her clothing, pausing only to consume her with his olive eyes. There was no one else in the world who looked at her the way he did, as if she were the only woman he needed or wanted.

  Kali moaned, leaning into him. Her core became molten as they tasted each other. Her hips moved against his groin of their own accord. Tension wound with every draw of his mouth and flick of his thumb. Her fingertips traveled down the sinewy planes of his back, tracing the Egyptian tattoos she’d seen covering his torso. Kali clutched Viktor to her as they tumbled to the inky ground of the between. Her hands entangled in the wild mop of waves atop his head. His body felt airy rather than solid as he removed the rest of their clothing. She fought to remain submerged in the between, unwilling to leave, as Viktor didn’t escape his beastly curse often.

  “Don’t go,” she cried, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Please.” She panted, pleading as much to him to take her as she was to forces unseen to not awaken her. A tear slid down her cheek. She was happy, and she refused to give in to the tingle at the back of her mind. A bell, no... An alarm of a sort rang in the distance. No, not yet. Damn it. I will not wake up now. She shouted against the familiar numbness in her limbs. Their time was about to end. She could scream, fight, yell at the injustice, but none of that would help.

  “I’ll never leave you, Kali, love.” He thrust into her; his green eyes locked onto hers. A groan ripped the silence and Viktor stilled, holding her hips, eyes slid closed, and waited. A shiver slid through his body, and an animalistic growl escaped as he fought for control.

  Kali winced and gasped at the pain of his cock entering her. How could she feel that if it were a dream? She’d never had sex; she wouldn’t know what it felt like. Their joining in this way impossible until then. Feeling full and achy, she wiggled against him. Viktor didn’t move. Instead, he captured her mouth with his. The heat she felt before coiling again. Her hips bucked against his, and he began to move. Their thrusts mimicked each other’s, matched with heat and intensity. Their mouths and bodies as one. This was it. She was destined to be his, but there was more, wasn’t there? After all, he was a monster. Or, at least, part of him was. There had to be more to this destiny...

  Mud. She shook. Dirt. Kali grimaced. It was happening. She was fading, and life began to intrude.

  “Don’t go...” Viktor whispered against her ear. “I’m not done with you yet.” His hands grabbed her hips, and he thrust deeper within her.

  Their bodies glowed. Heat spread throughout her limbs. It licked at her, growing with intensity and warmth. Beads of sweat broke out over their flesh. Their bodies lit. The temperature rose. They were burning. Kali was on fire. But she couldn’t stop. She wouldn’t stop. She felt so close. Right there. Something was coming. The fire engulfed her. They would become incinerated into a pile of ash. Shivers ran up along her spine. She should be afraid. She wasn’t. She was loved. She was safe. She was going to explode. Burst like a supernova or a new star burgeoning to life.

  But she didn’t. And neither did he. Viktor’s skin emanated light as did hers. The luminosity pushed back the shadows lurking within the darkest recesses of her mind. Release overtook them both. Viktor threw his head back, shouting as an orgasm burst within her. Light shot out from her body into his. Viktor lay atop, his weight welcome, and reminded her she wasn’t alone anymore.

  “Goddess, your journey has been long.” His eyes aglow. “We will be together soon. You’ll see. Find me. Save me.”

  Kali moistened her parched lips. His gaze tracked her pert tongue as it flitted to the edge of her mouth. Viktor’s head dipped, claiming her.

  “Don’t stop,” she whispered against his pause. He was dissolving, “No. No. Please don’t go. Find you how? Save you from what? Viktor!” Don’t leave me here. I need you. She wanted to beg.

  Viktor’s calloused thumb stroked her jawline. “Open your eyes, my love.” His luminous gaze apologetic as he faded elsewhere to place away from her.

  She let out a smothered sob of anguish. Alone, in the dark, Kali had no choice but to follow instructions.

  1

  “Kallisandra.”

  The voice was a whisper, and so close it startled her awake. She had seen this face. Viktor? A surge of joy flowed through her causing her to bolt up and throw herself around the man before becoming fully aware. Confused from just waking from her latest installment of Beauty and the Minotaur, the name she had given to her time with Viktor and the beast lurking within him. No. No, not him. She could tell from how he felt that this couldn’t possibly be Viktor. Startled, Kali unwound herself from the man that was not her love. Viktor’s face was different. Not this exact face. But one just like it. Was he it? The beast that dwelled within Viktor? Not possible. Even the minotaur still felt like Viktor to her touch.

  Kali’s brows knit together. She frowned. Not Viktor, but a relative, maybe? Hope bloomed within her. If he were a relative, then maybe the hope burgeoning within her wasn’t a childish desire. Perhaps this man, whoever he was, could lead her to Viktor. Could the curse be real? Oh, oh, Viktor. Her face flushed despite her efforts to conceal it. The metal frame of the bed she had been laying in pressed against the back of her knees as she moved back from the man who resembled the man of her dreams. Her stare remained locked with his; she refused to cast her gaze elsewhere. Somehow, it seemed important that she didn’t look away.

  “That’s a better welcoming than I had thought I would have.” A smile spread across the man’s, Viktor’s, face. A twin. Identical almost. This man’s smile didn’t spread joy across his face, nor did it reach his eyes. He looked as tall and as broad, but his hair was shorter and much tamer. He wore a suit that appeared made just for him. It fit his frame with a perfection she had only seen once when a prince had visited the states. He had happened to sneak away from his entourage and duck into a shop she had been in during a day release testing her readiness for the world. He hid in the middle of a rack of vintage Oscar de la Renta with eyes that plead for her to keep his secret. Keep it, she did. The entourage came and went, without the prince who then snuck out the back door with a wink in her direction.

  A suit tailored for a prince though he wasn’t one that she recognized from telev
ision. A man with olive eyes a shade darker and lacked the savagery that lurked within Viktor’s eyes. His shoulders didn’t have the breath or muscularity of her love’s, either.

  “How do you know my name?” She had never seen this man before and despite being on the cargo ship for thirty-eight days she had learned nothing about who had taken her and where she was headed. She had only herself for company besides the one guard that she called blacksuit since he was garbed all in back with only his electric blue eyes exposed. He hadn’t spoken a word to her during the whole of the journey. No one had.

  A prisoner transport had pulled onto the sidewalk as she exited a Starbucks on Sixth Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. The two sheriffs threw her down onto the sidewalk, cuffed, and forced her into the back of the vehicle taking her a few blocks to the Red Hook Terminal. Her final destination—this boat. Not a word as to why. She knew there were others; she could hear the cries and sobs at night when it got quieter. She had seen them in queue getting onto the boat being checked in by men who must have been officers as they seemed to oversee the blacksuits. Kali had no idea why she wasn’t with them. Perhaps the man before her would give her answers.

  “I know lots of things.” He fiddled with a silver trinket between his thumb and forefinger. His green gaze bore into her, seemingly drinking in her visage.

  Not a trinket. Damn it. It was her screw. The one that had been clasped in her hands when she had fallen asleep. Not much of a weapon, but it had helped her track the days she was captive on the ship by make slash marks on the wall. And well, she supposed if she was close enough it could’ve poked an eye out. “And you know them... how?”