And I have doomed her.
I kissed her. I can’t even blame it on this fucking potion because I’ve been dying to kiss her for longer than I’m comfortable admitting. Even before we got married and grew closer, she’s always been intriguing. I’ve been drawn to her since the very first moment we met. Now, with one kiss, I’ve fucked up everything. It’s the story of my life. One little touch and I’ve ruined another life.
“Why are you so upset?” Piper tugs the blanket closer.
“The kiss,” I state simply, despair washing over me. Piper said she loved me, but it’s a lie.
No one in my life has ever loved me that way. My parents saw me as a way to get rid of their curses. My friends enjoymy company, but would they be heartbroken if I disappeared tomorrow? Probably not. This thing between me and Piper felt more real than anything I’ve ever experienced. And now it’s tainted.
“I didn’t mean to command you to kiss me. I’m sorry,” Piper sobs. I screw my eyes shut, my heart breaking a little more with each of her tears that fall. I sink down to the table in front of the couch and lower my head into my hands.
“I was too reckless. I thought we could just play a game.”
“Why is it so bad, Ambrose?”
“You said you loved me.” The words come out sharper than I intend, and Piper rears back.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s too fast.”
“It’s not that,” I interrupt. “It’s not real.”
Piper sniffs and wipes the tears under her eyes. “I know what I feel, Ambrose. I’m not asking you to say it back. I just… It felt right in the moment.”
“Because of my curse,” I snap. Is she not seeing what happened? Of course not. They never realize how unnatural their feelings are for me. All they know is that they want me, need me, love me.
The sun is starting to rise. Light pours in through the huge floor to ceiling windows and illuminates the misery that is taking place here. We should be celebrating. We just broke Piper’s curse.
“Is this about our marriage?” Piper’s voice wobbles. “I know you never asked for this, and you were doing me a favor. That once this hex was gone, I promised we’d get divorced.” Piper’s voice breaks and so does my heart.
My heart sinks. A divorce. I know that’s what Piper and I talked about when she asked me to marry her, but it honestly hasn’t crossed my mind since. Which is insane if I stop and think about it. I’ve been enjoying our time together too much.
There’s a knock on the door and I snap my head toward the front of the house. Who the hell is knocking on the door at six in the morning?
“Just…” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “We’ll figure this out,” I say, pulling on my pants and dragging a shirt over my head. I have no idea how to make any of this better. I stomp out of the room toward the front door, wondering what new horrors lay on the other side. When I open the door, there’s a letter from the coven laying on the front mat.
There’s going to be another challenge tomorrow. Great. Just fucking great.
Tonight’s challengebegins at sunset. We’ve been instructed to meet at the Orpheum, which happens to be a Roth-owned entertainment venue. The theater was built in 1891 and when the original structure was destroyed in a fire, it was rebuilt in 1910. The building was constructed in Renaissance revival style heavily influenced by French architecture. The exterior of the building is defined by lots of arches and ornate features in the molding.
The inside of the theater is decorated with deep red carpets, pale gold wallpaper, and a chandelier the Phantom would enjoy. There’s a ring of box seats, and a balcony up above that. The floor gently slopes down toward the stage, which has been set with eight chairs.
Piper and I haven’t spoken much in the past day. I’ve been avoiding her, and she has kept herself locked in her bedroom. Despite what I know are her best attempts to hide it, her eyes are puffy and red, as though she’s been crying. Guilt stabs me like a knife wound.
Odie and Roman are the first to arrive after us. Odie looks at Piper, a frown creasing her brow before she turns to me.
“Did everything go okay the other night? Was the hex broken?”
Piper nods and forces a smile. “I’m officially hex free. Well, one of my hexes.” Her voice sounds rough.
Roman frowns at me and cocks his head. I know he wants to ask what’s going on, but I give him a little shake of my head, and he nods.
Lucida comes on stage from the wings and a genuine smile lights up her face when she sees us. Her skirt floats behind her as she walks across the stage, her bracelets jingling. “Please come on up here. The rest of the coven will start filling in the seats soon, I’m sure.”
Odie goes first, and Roman follows behind her. I lay a hand on Piper’s back to guide her down the aisle and she flinches. I curse and pull my hand away. Things are so fucked up between us right now.
It doesn’t take long before Tucker, Francesca, my mother, and Hannah join us on the stage. Lucida is mingling with the coven members as they begin filling the seats of the audience.
As soon as the clock strikes six, Lucida heads back up on stage. She disappears into the wings before returning with a tray full of shot glasses. They’re full to the top with a clear liquid and she passes them out to each of us on stage.
