The strange silence settled over them after the stranger had vanished. Scarle's heart pounded, her each heartbeat was a reminder of how she had come to being pulled into a danger. Daman's hands clenched and his jaw was tense. "They've made it clear now, they're not backing down."
Kier ran a hand through his hair, his usual composure replaced by a tension. "We need to make sure the estate is sealed off. No one gets in or out without us knowing." Maddon's gaze turned toward Scarle, his expression was darker. "You're coming with me. We can't risk leaving you alone."
Before Scarle could protest, Daman and Kier nodded in agreement, making it clear that she didn't have a choice. She gives Maddon a wary look but followed as he led her back through the passageway, away from the hidden exit and towards the main floor.
They moved in silence until they reached a parlor. Maddon gestured her to sit on one of the velvet chairs, positioning himself by the door as if guarding her from an enemy.
"What… what did that man mean?" Scarle asked. "He said I'd 'learn the true cost of your protection.' What was he talking about?" Maddon's eyes were soft but he looked away, as if was struggling to find the right words. "Our family… there are things we've done, things we've had to do to keep the curse stable. You're caught in this, Scarle. They think using you will break us."
She shook her head. "But why? Why me?"
Daman enters the room. "Because you're the one we can't afford to lose. They see you as leverage."
Scarle's heart twisted. "I'm leverage because of… some curse? I still don't understand how any of this makes sense."
Daman turned towards her. His blue eyes filled with something close to regret. "The curse isn't just about us. It connects us to you, and if they were to take you…" He stopped.
Kier entered then. "It's time you knew what we're up against." He set the book on the table, flipping it open to a page filled with faded ink and strange symbols. Scarle leaned forward, her eyes were scanning the old script.
Kier's voice was low as he explained, "Our family's bloodline was bound by a powerful curse for generations, with the fate of a single soul in each generation. When you appeared, we didn't know at first… but everything began stabilize. You're the key, Scarle. You're what they're after because you're one of us."
Scarle's pulse quickened. "One of you? How can I be bound to people I've only just met?" Maddon's said. "It's not a choice, it's fate. And that's why we can't let you go."
Scarle pulled back, shaking her head as she has doubts. "Now what am I supposed to do? Just… stay here forever? I have a life, a family…"
Daman's jaw tightens. "We'll do everything in our power to keep you safe, Scarle. But as long as they're after you, leaving isn't an option."
She glanced at each of them, her eyes lingered on Maddon's fierce protectiveness, Kier's quiet face, Daman's coldness. This strange, twisted family, they weren't her captors only they were also her protectors.
Just as the silence settled, a sudden loud crash echoed in the mansion, making Scarle jump. Kier's gaze sharpened, his eyes darting towards the door.
"What now?" Maddon muttered, moving towards the door with a look. Daman followed him, his hand resting on Scarle's shoulder as he leaned down, his voice was low and urgent. "Stay here. Don't move until we come back."
Before she could respond, the brothers slipped out of the room, leaving her alone. She opened her ears, listening for any sign of the brothers' return, but all she could hear was the faint sound of footsteps everywhere in the distance.
Minutes passed, what if they didn't come back? What if something had happened to them? She can't sit still any longer, and rose from the armchair, her heart was racing with worry. She hesitated, glancing at the door. But before she could make a decision, the door opened, and a man stepped inside.
Not one of the brothers.
The intruder's face was hidden under a dark hoody, and Scarle took a step back, her heart beating loud in her chest. She recognized the man instantly, the same stranger who had stopped them in the hidden passage.
His lips curve into a slow smile as he took a step closer. "I told you, didn't I? The curse has its cost, and you're at the center of it." Scarle's throat tightens, and she glanced towards the door. "What do you want from me?"
The stranger chuckled, with a dark amusement. "It's not what I want, it's what they fear. And you, little one, are the key of breaking them."
Before she could react, he moved forward, reaching out to grab her arm. Scarle jerk away, her pulse racing as she backed up against the wall.
"Stay away from me!" she shouted at him.
The stranger's eyes glowed with a twisted amusement, his grip was tightening as he leaned in close, his breath was cold against her cheek. "You'll come to see the truth soon enough. And when you do… you'll wish you'd never met them."
But just as he began to pull her towards the door, a loud crash sounded, and a familiar voice shouted, "Let her go!"
The stranger released her, turned around as Daman and Maddon burst into the room, their faces were dark with furious. Without a moment of hesitation, Daman get at the intruder, his movements were swift and deadly.
Scarle stepped back, watching as the brothers clashed with the stranger. They caught that stranger. Daman's eyes burned with fire and his voice was a dangerous whisper. "If you ever come near her again, I'll make sure you regret it."
The stranger sneered at them and disappears into the shadows with a mocking laugh.
Daman approached her, his gaze softening as he reached out, his hand resting on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked. Scarle nodded. "I… I think so."
Kier entered with concern. "They're getting bolder. We can't let her out of our sight anymore."
Scarle knew that her life has changed. There was no escaping the curse, no running from the dangers that surrounded them. But for the first time, she felt a flicker of something other than fear, a strange, hesitant trust in his brothers who stood by her side.
The minutes that followed felt like hours. Scarle leaned against the wall, her breathing uneven and her mind racing to catch up with the chaos that had just happens around her. Daman's hand was calm on her shoulder, his grip was firm but gentle to comfort her.
Kier was the first to speak. "Whoever he was, he's made his intentions clear, his target is Scarle." Daman glanced at Maddon, a look passing between them that seemed to carry a history. "Agreed," Daman said, his voice was tight. "We're running out of time. She needs to know everything."
Scarle looked between them. "What do you mean 'everything'? What else haven't you told me?" Kier gave a heavy sigh, walking to a bookshelf on the far wall and pulling out a large, old book. The pages were faded and worn out, filled with symbols and strange letters she could barely understand. He placed it on the table in front of her, flipping the pages until he found what he was looking for.
"This," Kier began, tapping the page, "is our family's curse. It's the bond that ties us to you and you to us. It's what has kept us from living normal lives, and it's why we're all… connected." Scarle leaned closer to the book, touching at the faded ink and symbols which were written across the page. She tries to make sense of what she was seeing.
Daman crossed his arms as he watched her. "Our family has been bound to protect someone like you, Scarle, for generations. Every few decades, someone arrives, someone destined to be the key to either our success or our ruin. You're that person for us."
Her head spin with the weight of their words, and she took a step back, unable to look at the book any longer. "So… I'm just some kind of pawn in a game I never even knew?" Maddon expression softening as he took her hand in his. "It's not that simple. You didn't choose this, and neither did we. But the fact remains… you're the one we've been waiting for, whether you like it or not."
Scarle's heart raced as his fingers touched his, a surge of warmth and an odd comfort in his touch. "So, what happens now?" she asked.
Kier took a step closer. "Now, we make sure you're safe. Whoever that was tonight… they're just the beginning. There's a faction out there that would do anything to destroy this bond and tear down everything we have been fighting to protect."
Daman's gaze was hard. "This isn't just about keeping you here, Scarle. It's about keeping you alive." "But… what about my family? My friends?" she whispered. "I can't just disappear from life like this."
Maddon's expression softens but his grip on her hand tightening. "We know this is a lot to take in. And we're not asking you to stay forever here, just until the threat has passed." Kier nodded, "You're not a prisoner here, Scarle. But the reality is, leaving would put you and us in even more danger."
She looked into each of their eyes, seeing the fear and worry going through their faces, and something inside her shifted. They were as much victims of this curse as she was.
With a steady breath, she nodded. "Fine. I'll stay for now. But I want real answers." Kier gave almost relieved smile, closing the book with a soft thud. "We will tell you everything you want to know. But first, you need to rest. Tomorrow, we will start preparing."
Scarle feels a strange warmth as she looked at each of them, realizing that, despite everything, she felt… safe with them.
Tomorrow, she had to face whatever lay ahead, side by side with her brothers who had become her protectors, her family… and, perhaps, something more than that.
To be continued...