Chapter 178 It’s Early

Chapter 178 It’s Early


Xavier’s POV

The second Arabella looked at me, I knew exactly what was wrong.
The curse.
The pain had started several days ago. What began as an occasional sting at the back of my neck had gradually become harder to ignore. The sensations came without warning, lingering longer each time before finally fading away. None of us had said much about it, but we all knew. Something was wrong. And judging by the look on Arabella’s face before she ran from the orientation hall, whatever was happening had just gotten worse.
I glanced toward my brothers. Neither needed an explanation. They’d been dealing with the same thing. The four of us had spent our entire lives knowing what waited for us on our eighteenth birthdays. We knew the curse existed. We knew what would eventually happen when it awakened. What none of us expected was for the symptoms to begin three months early.
"Hey. I’m going to check on her.” I pushed the words through our link.
Dominic nodded immediately. Kieran didn’t argue. That alone told me everything I needed to know. Neither wanted Arabella alone right now. Neither did I.
I pushed away from my chair and headed toward the aisle, only to have the instructor intercept me before I reached the door.
The next several minutes consisted of schedules, attendance policies, academy expectations, and enough information to put an entire kingdom to sleep. I nodded whenever there was a pause and hoped that looked convincing. Apparently it did.
Eventually he handed me my packet and reminded me not to be late tomorrow. I agreed instantly despite having no idea what he’d actually said.
After checking my room assignment, I headed toward the residential wing. The academy had placed all four of us together in one of the larger suites. Smart decision because separating us would’ve created far more problems than it solved.
I walked to the door and swiped my key card. I stepped inside and paused. The suite itself was impressive. Large windows overlooked the academy grounds while expensive furniture filled the common area. A massive stone fireplace stretched along one wall, and the entire place looked more like a luxury apartment than student housing.
It looked perfect. It also looked empty.
“Arabella?” I called out in hopes that she would answer. 
Silence answered me.
I checked one bedroom. Nothing. Then I checked the next. Still nothing. A third. Empty. By the time I reached the master suite, I already knew where she’d be. Because despite all her protests, Arabella was predictable.
I pushed open the bedroom door. “Arabella?”
“Go away,” she called out. 
There she was. I followed the sound of her voice through the room until I reached the walk-in closet. The sight waiting for me immediately tightened my chest.
Arabella stood in front of a full-length mirror, her fingers tracing faint black lines creeping up the side of her neck. The markings looked unnatural against her skin, almost like dark cracks spreading beneath the surface. Everything about them looked wrong.
She stared at her reflection as though she didn’t recognize the girl looking back.
“Hey.” My voice came out softer than intended.
She glanced over at me. The first thing I noticed was her eyes were red. Great. Now I wanted to punch the curse. Unfortunately, ancient magic wasn’t something I could hit. I’d thought about it though. More than once.
“I’m ugly.” Of all the things I expected her to say, that wasn’t one of them. She pointed toward the mirror. “Look at it.”
I stepped beside her. The markings had already faded slightly since she’d run from orientation, but they still traced the side of her neck like dark veins beneath her skin. Lighter than before, yet impossible to ignore.
Without saying a word, I pulled down the collar of my shirt.
Her eyes immediately went to my neck. The faint black lines on my neck hadn’t disappeared since we’d left home. They weren’t as dark as hers, but they were there. A reminder that none of us were escaping this.
“At least yours fades,” I pointed out as I tried to lighten the situation. 
A reluctant laugh escaped her. “I can’t believe you’re trying to make me feel better by showing me your curse.”
“I’m improvising.” I shrugged my shoulders. 
A genuine smile appeared. It was small and brief. But it was real. Unfortunately, it didn’t last.
“Xav.” The fear in her voice instantly wiped the amusement away. “The curse wasn’t supposed to start until we turned eighteen.”
I leaned against the counter and looked at the mirror. Neither of us liked what we saw staring back.
“I know.” I sighed as my shoulders slumped a bit. 
“Three months.” The words came out barely above a whisper.
Arabella finally turned away from the mirror and stepped toward me. When she buried her face against my chest, my arms wrapped around her automatically. The movement caught me off guard. Not because we weren’t close. Because Arabella hated letting people see when she was scared. Usually she buried fear beneath sarcasm. Or stubbornness. Most of the time both.
“Xav.” Her voice was muffled against my shirt. “What if we can’t stop it?”
Of all the questions she could’ve asked, that was the one I hated most.
My hand moved through her hair slowly. “We’re not giving up before we even know what we’re fighting.”
She pulled back enough to look at me. Worry still lingered in her eyes. So did fear. And I hated both.
Her gaze searched mine, looking for certainty I couldn’t honestly give her. I didn’t have answers. I didn’t have a cure. What I did have was determination, and right now that would have to be enough.
“We’ll find out why it’s happening,” I said quietly. “Then we’ll deal with it.”
She studied me for a moment before rolling her eyes. “There it is. The motivational speech.”
A groan escaped me. “That wasn’t a speech.”
“It absolutely was,” she teased. 
Before I could defend myself, the bedroom door opened. Dominic and Kieran walked inside.
Dominic looked annoyed. Actually, annoyed wasn’t strong enough. The guy looked personally offended. “That dragon is impossible.”
I sighed. Here we go.
Arabella immediately looked interested. “You mean Mr. Lizard Boy?”
Dominic pointed directly at her. “That one.”
A grin spread across her face. The kind that usually ended with somebody regretting their life choices.
Kieran took one look at her expression and immediately shook his head. That alone was enough to make me nervous.
Arabella straightened and folded her arms. “If he says one more arrogant thing, I’m floating him six feet off the ground.”
Dominic considered the threat for all of two seconds. A slow grin appeared on his face. “You know what? I support this.”
Arabella rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”
Kieran laughed while I dragged a hand down my face. Neither of them were helping.
For the first time since she’d run from orientation, Arabella looked completely like herself again. Unfortunately for the Dragon Prince, that probably wasn’t good news.