Chapter 7 CURSED
CHAPTER SEVEN | CURSED
LYRA
I clutched the bag containing the poison tightly as I made my way around the building, assessing the surroundings to find any escape route.
Everywhere was heavily guarded, and I doubted even the best spy could sneak in or out without getting spotted. I was grateful, at least, that I wasn't stuck in the confinement of the room.
The secret I was carrying kept me on edge; the slightest sound startled me. I was afraid they'd find out about it and try to harm me.
“I heard she's cursed.” My body froze when I overheard a maid whispering to her friend.
At first I thought she was talking about someone else, maybe a woman I had no idea about, but when they subtly glanced at me, I knew they were definitely gossiping about me.
She moved closer to her friend, stopping just a few inches away. “No. I heard her child is the cursed one. She's a forbidden mate, and her child is cursed. The child doesn't even have a father.”
I felt the ground beneath me collapse as I heard what they were saying about me.
I turned to confront them and get as much information as I could, but I couldn't. They continued speaking as if I wasn't there.
“She’s the same woman in the picture in the Lycan's sacred room. Maybe he thinks being mated to her would change his fate. In the end, she would still be the one to kill him.” They burst into fits of laughter, mocking and insulting.
My rage knew no bounds. I wanted to barge in and confront them both, but I knew there was no point in doing that.
What I needed to do now was find the sacred room they mentioned. Maybe then I would have an idea of what was going on and what my fate entailed.
Damien had been ignoring me since he lashed out yesterday after the fight. Even when he saw me this morning, he didn't look me in the eyes. I wasn't sure if it was guilt or shame that made him act that way. To be honest, I didn't care.
All I knew was that I was going to leave this place for good, and if I had to do the extreme and poison them, then I was going to do it.
It took a while for them to leave the house, and when they did, I was more than excited.
Damian touched my shoulder, throwing me off guard. “We have to go for a meeting now. We'll be back as soon as we can. Please, behave. Don't even think about running away. There are guards everywhere who would make sure you don't.”
I simply nodded in response. I had no intention of running away when the secret to my pregnancy might be in this house.
Besides, they had generally not given me any reason to fret. Even though they painted themselves as devils, they hadn't treated me badly or hurt me. Instead they protected me and made sure no one would put a hit on my head.
Whether I liked to admit it or not, I knew I was safer here than anywhere else. Adrian's people would be searching for ways to get revenge for his death, and since I'm the twins' mate, I'd definitely be the target to defeat them.
And let's not forget my ex-mate, Orion, who still wants my head on a stick.
Once I was sure the twins had left and wouldn't be returning anytime soon, I went in search of the sacred Lycan room.
Hours of tireless searching later, I began to wonder if the maids were only talking nonsense. I had searched everywhere in the mansion, but all I found were endless rooms. Even Damien's office had nothing, just paperwork and Lycan duties.
I was about to leave when I stumbled on something. In panic, I grabbed the closest thing I could find, which happened to be one of the books on the shelf. Instead of falling with me, it held me up, and a low creak sounded before a door at the side of the shelf opened.
“Oh my goodness.” My mouth hung open in shock. “A secret door. Wow!”
I knew I didn't have much time before the twins returned, so I didn't hesitate to rush in. The door closed behind me after I did, and when I looked back, I couldn't see any handle. I was plunged into darkness the moment the door closed fully, and it scared me.
My mind decided to play games on me and an image of Adrian's corpse flashed in my head, his cocky smile frozen on his face.
I screamed, forgetting my mission and just wanting to leave the room. “Heaven only knows where they keep their corpses. They might keep it here for all I know. I have to leave here,” I mumbled to myself, patting around the door for a handle.
Instead of a handle, I found the light switch and turned it on. Looking around the room, there was nothing there but a wall covered with a huge curtain.
I pulled the curtains apart and was stunned to see an image of me drawn on the wall, dagger in hand. Blood was everywhere on my hands, and dead bodies were scattered across the floor in the painting.
It was so strange that I was both terrified and impressed. There was a little writing at the bottom of the painting, and I traced it with my fingers to read it.
“The destroyer of the world,” it said.
I was still confused when the light suddenly went off. I hurried back to the door to turn it on when the doors to the hidden room opened.
I wanted to hide, but there was nowhere to hide. If I hid behind the curtain, I would be spotted instantly.
I expected to see one of the Valentino twins walk in, but only a hooded figure, too short to be any of the twins, entered.
“Who are you?” I asked, approaching slowly.
It might be one of the guards coming to look for me since they hadn't seen me in hours.
He gave no response, which set me on edge. I paused, only to see the gleam of a dagger in his hands.
“You weren't supposed to see it. You were never supposed to see it. Now I'll be forced to kill you,” he said gruffly.
The door closed behind us immediately, and I was left alone in darkness with a murderer.