Chapter 16 Secrets in the Library
ARIA'S POV
The First Curse smiled at our silence like a teacher waiting for students to answer a question.
"No response?" she said pleasantly. "I'll give you three days to decide. Three days before I start the transformation. I do hope you'll choose wisely."
She snapped her fingers, and suddenly we could all move again. Vampires stumbled. Humans gasped for air. Sebastian's hand tightened on mine so hard it hurt.
"Oh, and one more thing," the First Curse added, turning back. "Don't bother trying to fight me. Your little soul-bond is adorable, truly, but it's barely a spark compared to my power. I could snuff you both out before you even—"
She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Sebastian and me. Really looked, like she was seeing something beneath our skin.
"Wait," she breathed. "That's not possible. Your bond... it shouldn't be that strong. Not this quickly." She moved closer, and I felt her power wash over us like ice water. "What did you sacrifice?"
"Everything," Sebastian said quietly.
The First Curse's pleasant expression cracked, showing something older and sadder beneath. "You gave up immortality? And you..." She turned to me. "You gave up your gift? For each other?"
I lifted my chin. "Yes."
For a long moment, she just stared at us. Then she did something I never expected.
She laughed—but it wasn't cruel. It was shocked, almost delighted.
"Three thousand years," she said, shaking her head. "Three thousand years locked behind that gate, and the first thing I see is a vampire who chose mortality and a healer who chose love over power." She touched her chest. "I'd forgotten that kind of choice was even possible."
"Does that mean you won't transform everyone?" Elena called hopefully from the crowd.
"Oh no, I'm definitely still doing that," the First Curse said cheerfully. "But I'll give you more than three days. Let's say... a week. Seven days to either convince me your two races deserve to stay separate, or to prepare for the switch." She looked at Sebastian and me. "And you two—you're coming with me."
"No!" Kieran stepped forward, but the First Curse waved her hand and he froze mid-step.
"They're not prisoners," she said. "They're... guests. I want to understand how a bond this pure still exists in a world that's become so twisted." She smiled at us. "Plus, they're the only ones who might actually stand a chance of changing my mind."
Before we could protest, the world tilted sideways.
When it stopped spinning, Sebastian and I were somewhere else entirely—a place that existed outside normal space. Stars surrounded us on all sides, above and below. In the center floated a house made entirely of crystallized memories.
"Welcome to my prison," the First Curse said, materializing beside us. "Where I've lived alone for three millennia, watching your worlds tear themselves apart through the cracks in my cage."
She gestured, and chairs appeared. "Sit. We have much to discuss."
"You can't just kidnap us!" I protested.
"I literally can. I'm the oldest being in existence." She sat gracefully. "But I'm not going to hurt you. I'm genuinely curious. You see, the last time I was free, Sanguine bonds were common. Vampires and humans lived in balance. Then something changed—some war, some betrayal I couldn't quite see from inside the gate. When I finally got a clear view, the bonds were outlawed and the Winter Feast had become a death sentence."
She leaned forward. "What happened? What broke your world so badly?"
Sebastian and I exchanged glances. Through our bond, I felt his uncertainty matching mine.
"We don't know," Sebastian admitted. "The history was erased. All records of Sanguine healers end three centuries ago."
"Convenient," the First Curse murmured. "Someone wanted the truth buried." She stood and paced, her power crackling. "Here's what I think happened: someone powerful discovered that Sanguine bonds made vampires harder to control. Made them more human. More unpredictable. So they outlawed the practice and murdered anyone who knew the truth."
"Morgana," I whispered. "She was 632 years old. She could have been alive when—"
"When the last Sanguine healers were executed?" The First Curse nodded. "Quite possibly. And if she helped orchestrate that genocide, then opening my gate was probably her backup plan—release me to finish what she started."
Sebastian stood abruptly. "You're saying Morgana wanted you to transform everyone? Why?"
"Chaos." The First Curse shrugged. "When I switch vampires and humans, neither race knows how to survive as the other. Vampires become fragile. Humans become bloodthirsty. Society collapses. And in that chaos, the strongest seize power." She smiled grimly. "I've done it twice before in other realms. It's very effective."
My stomach churned. "But you said we might change your mind."
"Might," she agreed. "If you can prove that your bond isn't just a fluke. That love and sacrifice still exist in your world beyond you two." She waved her hand, and images appeared—showing the palace, the courtyard, the human army and vampire nobles all arguing and fighting. "Because from what I can see, they're already at each other's throats. Give me one reason not to reset everything."
Sebastian and I looked at the chaos below. He was right—without us there to unite them, both sides had reverted to suspicion and fear.
"We need to go back," I said urgently. "We need to—"
"You have six days," the First Curse interrupted. "I'll return you in the morning. Until then, you're my guests. And perhaps..." Her expression softened. "Perhaps you can tell me what it feels like to not be alone. I've forgotten."
She snapped her fingers, and suddenly Sebastian and I were in a bedroom made of starlight. The door sealed behind us.
"She's lonely," Sebastian said quietly. "The most powerful being in existence, and she's lonely."
"Like you were," I said, taking his hand. "For eight hundred years."
Through our bond, I felt his agreement. And beneath it, a terrible realization.
"Aria," he whispered. "If we can't convince her... if she transforms everyone..."
"Then you'll become human and I'll become a vampire," I finished. "And our bond might not survive the change."
We stared at each other in horror. We'd just sacrificed everything to be together—and in six days, we might lose each other anyway.
A knock sounded on the crystallized door.
"One more thing," the First Curse's voice called through. "I should mention—there's someone else here. Another prisoner from the old times. I thought you might want to meet them, since they knew the truth about what happened three centuries ago."
The door opened.
Standing there was a vampire I recognized from ancient portraits in the palace—a woman with Sebastian's eyes.
Sebastian's breath caught. "Celeste?"
"Hello, little brother," his long-dead twin sister said. "We need to talk about the real reason Sanguine bonds were outlawed. And why I'm not actually dead."