All Chapters of The Blood Curse: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Over the course of a week, Layla had spent the entire time studying for finals. Mia had come over a few times to join her and Layla had grounded her from bringing any alcohol of any kind. Mia only argued once before giving in to the pressure of her own studies. Throughout that entire week, Layla had not seen or heard from Atreus. Periodically, she would stop in the midst of her work and think about him and the last time she'd seen him. He must have taken what Layla said to heart and moved on. While this was disappointing, it was probably for the best. She needed to get back to her regular life and let go of all the conflicting thoughts that seemed to be attached to Atreus. Layla was currently at her desk finishing an essay for her history class. As soon as she typed the last paragraph, she stretched and let out a loud sigh. If she did one more minute of studying she was going to explode. Standing from her desk, she made her way into the kitchen to grab a snack and a soda. Makin

Throughout the day Layla was following Mia through the cruise ship like a zombie, still trying to process what had just been confirmed by Atreus' presence here. She felt like she was in some kind of movie with all that had been happening; this kind of stuff didn't happen to people like her. The question that kept repeating in her mind was why? Why her? "So I was thinking that we should check out the shows tonight," Emma suggested, before taking a bite of her meal. The sun had already sunk behind the horizon as night fell across the ocean while the four girls were eating. "Sure," Mia said happily, "that sounds fun!" Layla was only half listening to the conversation as she stared down at her plate that she'd hardly touched. Her thoughts were on Atreus. She was imagining Atreus' pearly skin, his full lips curled up in a smirk. The way he looked at her as if she were the only girl in the room. The cool touch of his skin. And those amber eyes that glowed with desire and hunger.

Layla was finally home from the cruise. She had just finished unpacking her suitcase of its contents and was settling back into her apartment. It had been almost two days since Layla and Atreus shared their kiss on the observation deck of the ship. Every time she thought about it, it brought a giddy smile to her face. Whenever her phone dinged, her heart would flutter at the thought of receiving a text from Atreus. She imagined him learning how to use a phone all so that he could contact her and that made her smile even more. The night they had shared a kiss on the observation deck they spent hours talking to one another. It felt like Layla was truly starting to get to know him. While he didn't talk much about himself, through his dominating presence, a kind soul was starting to surface. He had made it very clear that he wanted to pursue something more than just kissing and talking that night, but Layla wasn't ready for that yet. After he walked her back to her room, she told him

Atreus was still inside her when he leaned down and planted a sweet kiss on her forehead. He then looked into her eyes which were heavy with pleasure. "Mmh, decedent," he whispered. Then slowly he slipped out from in between her legs and walked naked to the bathroom. Layla's mind spun over what had just happened. She lay there panting softly, still coming down from the high of her powerful climax. No man had ever made her feel so… much. Being with Atreus was like standing in the center of a thunderstorm. Howling winds, thunderous claps of lightning, and rain falling across her face. All she could do was stand there and take in the electric power of it all. After another moment, her heartbeat started to go back to normal. Layla sat up when she heard the bath running from the bathroom beside the foyer doorway. Atreus walked back out in all his manly glory and Layla's eyes roved over him greedily. He had that smirk on his face as he watched her unabashed. "You're staring," he

Layla had just returned to her apartment after her talk with Mia. But her mind had strayed from the Ryan fiasco and was now on the black-haired man who was watching her on the street. Something was telling her that it wasn't a coincidence. She considered what she should do about it, but there wasn't really anything she could do at that moment except be more cautious. So, she decided to get the dreaded phone call with Ryan over with. Layla walked over to her bed and sat down before pulling out her phone and calling Ryan. It rang repeatedly and she wasn't sure he was going to pick up until she heard his voice on the other line. He didn't sound happy."Hey," he said simply, his tone quiet. "Hey Ryan," Layla started, her nerves in her throat. "How are you?" She heard him sigh on the other side of the phone. "What do you want, Layla?" he asked firmly. Layla cringed at his tone. She'd never heard him sound so cold. "Listen, I know last night sucked. I feel terrible about it. I