Read Online Withering Rose (Once Upon A Curse Book 2) by Kaitlyn Davis - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kaitlyn Davis
Tags: Romance, Fantasy, Magic, Werewolves, beauty and the beast, Dystopian, Fairy Tales, shapeshifters, Adaptation, once upon a time
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felt his magic, but I don't need to. His power
would be a tornado pulling me in, sweeping me up, overpowering me,
wild and untamed. But the magic calling out to me now is the
epitome of delicate control.
Hope swells.
I grin.
Without hesitating, I follow the path the
magic has laid out. Each step feels like it's in the right
direction. Maybe I was supposed to come here after all. Maybe the
fear was worth it.
I march through the halls, not pausing to
look at the rooms filtering by. Bedrooms and sitting rooms merge
together, until I'm led to a central staircase I never noticed the
last time I decided to explore. I take the steps two at a time,
crossing over into a wing of the giant castle that I haven't been
to before.
The halls are dark.
A forbidden aura permeates the air.
I continue following the tug on my magic,
trying not to notice how the eyes on the tapestries suddenly feel
as though they're following me. Heat tickles the back of my neck,
as though my own body is warning me not to walk any closer.
But the lure of that foreign magic grows
stronger each second, grows more enticing. I have to know what it
is. I have to know if it can help me. So against all my instincts,
I keep going. I don't stop until I see a faint golden glow seeping
through the crack beneath a door at the end of a hallway. And then
I'm sprinting as excitement punches through me.
When I reach it, I rip the door open,
searching for the source of the magic. I don't need to search for
very long. My eyes are immediately drawn to a glowing woman resting
peacefully on the bed.
"Hello?" I whisper, too amazed to really
speak.
She doesn’t respond. Doesn’t stir. Doesn’t
give any indication that she's heard me. But the aura surrounding
her brightens as though thrilled. The foreign magic that had been
tugging me closer grows warm and encouraging.
I take a step toward her.
And another, crossing the room until I am
standing over her motionless body, looking down upon the most
beautiful face I've ever seen. Despite the darkness of the room,
her skin holds a perfect summer tan. Honey-colored hair gleams
against the pillows, creating a path my eye follows to the long and
lean arms crossed over her chest. Her face holds a pixie shape,
narrow with high-defined cheekbones and pink lips that look shiny
with gloss. I couldn't guess how old she is even if I tried. A
translucent film encases her entire body, and for a moment I think
there are wrinkles around the corners of her closed eyes, but a
second later they disappear. The golden light filling the room
radiates from within her, as though she is a star that has fallen
down to Earth.
I'm mesmerized.
My fingers reach for her skin, to feel if
she's real. Surely someone so perfect can't truly exist.
What is her magic?
Who is she?
Why is she here?
And more importantly, why did she lead me to
her?
"Don't move another inch."
The snarl catches me off-guard. My heart
leaps into my throat as I snatch my hand away and turn around all
in one quick motion.
The beast is watching from the doorway,
wearing the same midnight cloak from the day before. But with the
golden glow filling the room, I can just see the bottom edge of his
lip and the strong curve of his masculine chin. For some reason,
the sight comforts more than scares me. He's a man, after all. His
face is a normal face. But in my mind, I still imagine his eyes are
red and glowing, feral. The gaze I cannot see shifts, and he turns
his head slightly to the side. But it's enough for me to notice the
edge of a faint scar marring the otherwise unblemished ivory skin
to the left of his lips.
He takes a step closer.
Too close.
He towers over me, at least a foot taller
and maybe twice as wide. I've never felt so small, so frail, in my
entire life.
"What are you doing in here?" he growls
deeply, simmering with anger.
I keep my shoulders straight, rigid. I'm
done cowering before him. "I was tired of sitting in my room. I
needed to get out for a little
would be a tornado pulling me in, sweeping me up, overpowering me,
wild and untamed. But the magic calling out to me now is the
epitome of delicate control.
Hope swells.
I grin.
Without hesitating, I follow the path the
magic has laid out. Each step feels like it's in the right
direction. Maybe I was supposed to come here after all. Maybe the
fear was worth it.
I march through the halls, not pausing to
look at the rooms filtering by. Bedrooms and sitting rooms merge
together, until I'm led to a central staircase I never noticed the
last time I decided to explore. I take the steps two at a time,
crossing over into a wing of the giant castle that I haven't been
to before.
The halls are dark.
A forbidden aura permeates the air.
I continue following the tug on my magic,
trying not to notice how the eyes on the tapestries suddenly feel
as though they're following me. Heat tickles the back of my neck,
as though my own body is warning me not to walk any closer.
But the lure of that foreign magic grows
stronger each second, grows more enticing. I have to know what it
is. I have to know if it can help me. So against all my instincts,
I keep going. I don't stop until I see a faint golden glow seeping
through the crack beneath a door at the end of a hallway. And then
I'm sprinting as excitement punches through me.
When I reach it, I rip the door open,
searching for the source of the magic. I don't need to search for
very long. My eyes are immediately drawn to a glowing woman resting
peacefully on the bed.
"Hello?" I whisper, too amazed to really
speak.
She doesn’t respond. Doesn’t stir. Doesn’t
give any indication that she's heard me. But the aura surrounding
her brightens as though thrilled. The foreign magic that had been
tugging me closer grows warm and encouraging.
I take a step toward her.
And another, crossing the room until I am
standing over her motionless body, looking down upon the most
beautiful face I've ever seen. Despite the darkness of the room,
her skin holds a perfect summer tan. Honey-colored hair gleams
against the pillows, creating a path my eye follows to the long and
lean arms crossed over her chest. Her face holds a pixie shape,
narrow with high-defined cheekbones and pink lips that look shiny
with gloss. I couldn't guess how old she is even if I tried. A
translucent film encases her entire body, and for a moment I think
there are wrinkles around the corners of her closed eyes, but a
second later they disappear. The golden light filling the room
radiates from within her, as though she is a star that has fallen
down to Earth.
I'm mesmerized.
My fingers reach for her skin, to feel if
she's real. Surely someone so perfect can't truly exist.
What is her magic?
Who is she?
Why is she here?
And more importantly, why did she lead me to
her?
"Don't move another inch."
The snarl catches me off-guard. My heart
leaps into my throat as I snatch my hand away and turn around all
in one quick motion.
The beast is watching from the doorway,
wearing the same midnight cloak from the day before. But with the
golden glow filling the room, I can just see the bottom edge of his
lip and the strong curve of his masculine chin. For some reason,
the sight comforts more than scares me. He's a man, after all. His
face is a normal face. But in my mind, I still imagine his eyes are
red and glowing, feral. The gaze I cannot see shifts, and he turns
his head slightly to the side. But it's enough for me to notice the
edge of a faint scar marring the otherwise unblemished ivory skin
to the left of his lips.
He takes a step closer.
Too close.
He towers over me, at least a foot taller
and maybe twice as wide. I've never felt so small, so frail, in my
entire life.
"What are you doing in here?" he growls
deeply, simmering with anger.
I keep my shoulders straight, rigid. I'm
done cowering before him. "I was tired of sitting in my room. I
needed to get out for a little
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