Mom and Josh were both in the kitchen, deep into the usual Sunday morning ritual of breakfast and cooking experiments. Josh would eat sugary cereals while Mom concocted some new recipe that she’d inevitably spring on us later for dinner, often with disastrous results. Like food poisoning. Mom was always quick to remind us, though, that only happened once, and it was the store-bought salsa’s fault, not her cooking.

  I dropped into the chair across from Josh and reached for the box of Lucky Charms.

  “You look like crap,” my brother informed me before stuffing a heaping spoonful of rainbow marshmallow bits into his gaping mouth.

  “Josh!” Mom swung around and swatted him with a potholder then went back to her bubbling pot on the stove.

  It was obvious from the way her shoulders practically vibrated she was trying not to laugh. Maybe I did look like crap. Hell, after the night I’d had, I figured I had a free pass.

  “Tell your sister you’re sorry.” Once she’d gotten her seizure under control, she gave him a stern glare.

  He opened his mouth again, and green-tinged milk dribbled down his chin. “I’m sorry you look like crap.”

  I giggled.

  Then the giggles turned into a full-on belly laugh. In the next moment, I’d doubled over with tears streaming down my face as I convulsed in hysterics.

  “It wasn’t that funny,” Josh muttered, and I laughed harder at the twisted look on his face.

  Mom put her hand on my shoulder. “Honey, are you okay?”

  As if a giant switch had flipped inside me, my laughter abruptly turned to sobs. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

  She rubbed soothing circles over my back the way she used to when I was six and had a skinned knee. “Did you have a fight with Maddox?”

  “Not a fight. Not really. But…” I sat up and pulled my heels onto the chair, wrapping my arms around my knees. “Why is life so complicated all of a sudden?”

  She nodded, and a faint smile crossed her lips. “You’re an adult now and in college. I hate to tell you this, but it doesn’t get a whole lot easier.”

  I choked out another laugh. “Great. Remind me again why I was so anxious to grow up.”

  “Aww, sweetie.” She pressed a kiss to my forehead. One of those “all healing” kisses that only a mother could administer. “It’ll get better. It really will. You’re just overwhelmed right now. It happens to all of us at one time or another.”

  I used the back of my hand to wipe tears from my eyes. “I wish Dad were here.”

  “Me too.” She swallowed hard, and I could tell she was fighting back tears of her own. “Your dad would be so proud of you.”

  “Uh, Mom?” Josh dropped his spoon, and it landed in his bowl with a splash.

  Whatever concoction Mom was cooking had boiled over, and white frothy foam had cascaded over the sides of the pot onto the burner.

  “Shit!” Mom hurried back to the stove, using the dishtowel to carry her pot to the sink.

  Josh shot me a grin and reached across the table to give me a high five on the sly.

  So much for Sunday surprise.

  After polishing off the last slice of Papa Mario’s Buy One, Get One Free pizza, I wandered out to the porch in a bit of a daze. The sun had almost gone down, and Maddox still hadn’t called me. I’d sent him at least a dozen messages without a single reply. That alone would have had me worried, but coupled with what I’d discovered last night… I was frantic.

  Where could he be? I’d spent my entire day imagining scenarios that would keep him from contacting me: his motorcycle mangled on the side of the road, a gas leak trapping him in his house, his crazy brother shoving him into a well. Every conclusion ended up being worse than the one before it, even if several of them were pulled straight out of the latest episode of The Vampire Diaries.

  Part of me hoped I’d hear the growl of his motorcycle as it came flying down the street, but other than a few kids on bikes and the guy with his lamppost-marking Pomeranian, the street was quiet.

  The chains groaned as I eased myself into the ancient porch swing. Mom said my grandmother used to come out here when she needed to think, and that was a good enough reason for me. I gave a gentle push with my toes to test it out before relaxing all the way into the seat. But staring at the leggy vines climbing up the rotting posts only made me more anxious. Grandma would have never forgiven Mom for letting the house go.

  In desperate need of a distraction to snap me out of my misery, I snatched up my phone and dialed Sam’s number. I hadn’t talked to her since she went to get me a drink at the party. It barely rang once before she picked up.

  “Oh, my God, Ava! I’ve been worried sick about you. You ditch me without saying goodbye, then you don’t call, you don’t text. I thought you were dead, washed out to sea or something. Is it because I never came back with your drink? I swear to God, I was bringing you one when someone told me Maddox showed up, and you were making out on the deck. And trust me, that was the last thing I wanted to see. But I looked for you a little later, and you were gone. Poof. I was beginning to think you’d teleported out of there.”

  She stopped long enough to take a breath, and I broke in. “Whoa, slow down. I’m fine. I just wasn’t feeling well. It came over me so quickly I-I needed to go home, so I caught a ride.”

  “Oh.” She giggled. “I thought maybe you were pissed at me for ignoring you at another party. I met the cutest guy. Ryan. He’s a sophomore. And a frat boy. And oh my God, so cute! Anyway… do you swear you didn’t leave because you were mad at me?”

  I rocked back in the swing. “Honest. Really. It was nothing you did.”

  “Okay, good. So did you hear about what happened after you left? Oh. Em. Gee. It’s going to be the talk of the school tomorrow…”

  I sat back and let the rocking motion lull me into a state of calm. I must have drifted off because the next thing I knew, the sky had turned pitch black, and my phone was silent in my hand.

  Before getting up to go in, I checked my messages again. The only text was from Sam, asking if I needed a ride to school in the morning.

  Thankfully, Sam didn’t ask me about my weekend when she picked me up the next morning. Instead, she blathered on about some couple who’d hooked up at the party. I nodded my head and pretended to listen when all I really cared about was what had happened to Maddox. I’d stayed awake half the night waiting for the damn pebbles to plink against my window, and I’d woken up stiff and restless. During the night, worry had morphed into dread. He’d promised to call me sometime Sunday, and Sunday had come and gone with nothing to show for it.

  Sam pulled into our usual spot a few minutes early, but all hope of seeing Maddox waiting for me faded faster than Hannah’s blue hair. I wanted to believe it wasn’t like him to ditch, but that had been his MO from the moment I’d met him.

  Part of me wondered if his disappearance had been planned, if maybe he’d never intended to call me on Sunday, if the whole thing had been an elaborate plan to break up with me. Was this what it felt like to be blown off? If so, I didn’t like it one bit. I wanted to be sick.

  As if the past few weeks had never even happened, Abercrombie came strutting his way across the quad, still wearing his stupid hoodie and heading in my direction. My skin bristled at the goofy grin plastered on his face. I really wasn’t in the mood to give him the brushoff yet again. But a girl has to do what a girl has to do. Then in an unexpected turn of events, he walked right past me and planted a big sloppy kiss on Hannah’s burgundy lips.

  What in the eff?

  “Did I miss something?”

  Sam shrugged and leaned in to whisper. “I’ve decided to just go with the flow.”

  “Will’s party,” Paige said, as if that explained everything.

  I did a double take, giving Paige a quick once-over. She didn’t look any different, but it wasn’t like her to speak to me without throwing in an insult or two.

  “What?” She glared at me followed by a discreet wink, and I choked back a laugh. I decided our secret detente must have still been in effect.

  “Nothing.” I pressed my lips into a thin line and diverted my attention to a group of guys arguing over who would win in an epic battle between Anakin Skywalker and Harry Potter.

  Harry Potter, of course.

  “You look beautiful.”

  I spun around at the sound of his voice and froze. His voice. His face.

  Laith was the exact image of Maddox—from his messy hair to his Doc Martens. All that was missing was the leather jacket… and the soul. But he was decidedly not Maddox. I saw that now.

  “Act natural,” he whispered, circling me like a shark, his bright white teeth glinting in the sun.

  He leaned in to brush his lips to my ear and growled deep in his throat like a predator about to attack. I sucked in a jagged breath and stepped back. The boy was like an angry god, and I felt unworthy standing in his presence.

  How had I failed to notice the subtle differences between the two of them the other night? Laith’s hair, while still artfully disheveled, seemed to follow a more formal style as if he’d somehow been transplanted from another era and only just decided to loosen up. And his scent—peppermint candies and lavender—was a far cry from Maddox’s fresh rain smell.

  I clenched my jaw and tried to speak through my teeth. “What are you doing here?”

  He shrugged. “I wanted to see you.” He easily disarmed me with his smile, and I had to shake off the urge to lean into him.

  “Laith, I—”

  “Maddox, remember?” His eyes sparkled as he glanced at my friends. No one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. They had no idea a stranger had invaded our little group. Laith had them completely fooled. His eyes landed on me. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your boyfriend so soon.” The smirk was identical too.

  I forced a smile of my own. “No, of course not.”

  “Good. Is this how you usually greet him, or rather me? Or do you…” He invaded my personal space, resting his large hands on my hips before surging in for a breath-stealing kiss.

  Damn him for being such a good kisser. And damn my body for reacting to him without my permission. And I did react. I melted into him, my heart banging out a tango as our lips moved together in a choreographed dance. I felt the loss immediately when he stepped away, looking quite happy with himself, if his face-splitting grin was any indication.

  He licked his lips. “Mmm, better than I remember.” Then he stole another quick kiss before turning, taking my hand in his, and towing me toward my retreating friends.

  I took one look at the greasy piece of pizza and dropped the uneaten slice onto my plate. Without missing a beat, Laith reached over and picked it up, finishing it in a few bites.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why are you here?”

  “It’s Monday. We have classes on Mondays.” With his ever-present smirk firmly in place, he kept up his side of the charade with impressive precision.

  “That’s not what I mean, and you know it.” I shot a nervous glance over at Sam, who sat directly across from us. She seemed too involved in her conversation with a dreamy-eyed Hannah to notice our bickering. I almost wished I were part of that conversation.

  He leaned in, bringing his face dangerously close to mine, and let his words feather out over my lips. “I’m here to get to know you better.”

  The memory of his rough fingers rasping against my softest parts played on a loop, and my face flamed. My traitorous hormones craved his proximity as vehemently as my logical side fought to repel him. “Why would you want to do that?”

  He sat up again, reaching for the apple on my tray. He brought it to his lips then seemed to change his mind. “I would think you’d want that, too.”

  I scoffed at his arrogance. “Why would you think that?”

  “Because that’s what soul mates do.” He took a huge bite of the apple, crunching loudly as I choked on his words.

  “Soul mates? We’re not soul mates.” I wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of that statement. A stab of something that tasted like regret twisted in my gut, and I lowered my voice. “I love Maddox. Your brother. Why can’t you see that?”

  He wiped the juice from his lips with the back of his hand then laughed, studying me with eyes that looked too much like Maddox’s for my comfort. “But we’re twins.”

  “So?” As if being twins explained anything. My hands trembled with anger, and I had to sit on them to keep from throttling the guy.

  The more time Laith and I spent together, the more differences I discovered. For one, Laith seemed to have a chip on his shoulder the size of Virginia. Yet something about the way he gazed at me with that antagonistic grin set my skin on fire. I didn’t want to be attracted to him. I fought it with every fiber of my being, but it continued to fester like an open wound.

  His hazel eyes sparkled as they locked on mine. “So… twins share everything.”

  The casual way he’d tossed out that statement horrified me. The legs of my chair scraped across the concrete floor as I scooted back, snapping the invisible tether connecting us.

  Being that close to him was too much. I had to get out of there. I couldn’t sit in the dining hall with him, discussing some sort of perverse arrangement I’d neither signed on for nor condoned.

  Unfortunately, I didn’t move fast enough, and Laith was out of his chair before I could blink. His hand wrapped around my upper arm, stopping me in my tracks. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “I’m not having this conversation in front of people.” I snatched my arm back and proceeded to the exit with Laith close on my heels. His hot breath fanned across my neck, sending goose bumps down my spine.

  “You want privacy? Fine.” He dragged me into the men’s restroom and pushed me into the closest stall. “Is this private enough for you?”

  I snapped my mouth shut and avoided looking down at the rust stains in the toilet. At least I hoped they were rust stains.

  “Well?” Laith glared at me as if he were reading my thoughts through my eyes. “I’m assuming you have something to say.”

  I cleared my throat and hoped my voice didn’t crack. “I won’t be shared. And believe me, if Maddox feels the same way you do, he can find a new girlfriend. I’m not going to be passed around between a pair of asshole brothers who get their jollies competing for affection like it’s a game.”

  “Is that what you think this is?” His teeth gnashed together, and his brows furrowed until the skin between them puckered. “A game?”

  I gave him a weak nod, remembering Maddox’s promise to the contrary. But Laith made me feel like a rabbit trapped between the paws of a feral cat. I’d do almost anything to break free of his hold. I could almost feel his teeth sinking into my neck.

  “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, Ava, but it’s much more involved than that. I’m surprised my brother hasn’t explained anything to you yet.” He sighed as he muttered to himself. “I suppose I have to do everything.”

  I took half a step back and bumped into the cold metal stall divider. “Explain what?”

  “The curse.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  1655

  “It’s a boy!” The midwife wrapped the screaming baby in a fine linen blanket and handed him to Lady Catherine.

  “A son.” The new mother smiled down at her baby as her handmaiden mopped the sweat from her brow.

  “He’s a fine, strong boy with a good set of lungs.” Mary laughed and dipped the cloth into the cool water again before cleaning her lady’s face. “Do you know what you’ll call him?”

  Lady Catherine gazed at the child at her breast. Dark tufts of hair swirled over his delicate crown. “I’ll call him Maddox.”

  Mary nodded her head and smiled. “A good name.”

  “Oh my, I didn’t expect this.” The midwife frowned as she attended to Lady Catherine’s nether regions.

  “Why does it still hurt?” Lady Catherine questioned as a new wave of pain gripped her. “Do tell me what’s wrong.”

  The midwife took her position again. “Not so much wrong as unexpected. It’s another baby.”

  “What?” Lady Catherine’s shoulders tensed, and she leaned forward in the birthing chair as the shock ripped through her.

  “Sit back. He’ll be coming soon. Be patient, and you’ll see.”

  “But… it can’t be. There can’t be two.”

  The woman chuckled. “Oh, but there can. And there is. Twins, I dare say.”

  Fear twisted Lady Catherine’s insides as she panted through another jolt of pain. “I need to speak with Mary, alone.”

  Shock registered on the midwife’s face. “What? Now? But… the second baby is coming.”

  “I only need a moment. Please.” Catherine grimaced as another wave of pain consumed her.

  “As you wish. I’ll wait in the other room.” She turned to Mary. “Come get me if her pain worsens.”

  “Yes, of course.” Mary stepped back to allow the woman to pass then hurried to her lady’s side. “What is it, Lady Catherine. What do you need?”

  “I need to see the old woman you bid me go see for the blessing, Bess Floyd. You must send for her immediately.”

  Mary’s eyes stretched wide. “And if she won’t come?”

  “Force her. Do whatever must be done.” Catherine gripped the bedding in her hands. “I don’t care what the cost.”