Page 127 of Lightning Angel
“I told you she told meeverything,” Jude countered, sounding a little irritated. “She told me she was in love with your dad, her ex-best friend, but he rejected her and chose her cousin over her. She was grief-stricken and fled town, when she met a witch and practiced dark magic with her. She realized she could exact revenge on your parents after she gained powers; she was blinded by thehurt of betrayal at that time. So she cooked up this curse and experimented on animals. When she realized it works, she returned to Harmony Hills, tricked your parents into believing she wanted to start over with them, and cursed you.
“I know all about your curse too, and that you’re… you’re to die in the twenty-fourth year of your life.”
“What?” Alexa burst out, looking from him to Tristan with wide, incredulous eyes.
Tristan stood like a statue, gaping at Jude, shock-stricken.
“You… you don’t know?” Jude looked bewildered by their reactions, his eyes bouncing between the two of them.
“What are you talking about, Jude?”Alexa’s heart hammered in fear, her voice choking up.
Jude glanced at Tristan’s stoic face. “The last and crucial part of the curse is that, at the first lightning after your twenty-fourth birthday, you’d die. I thought—I thought you knew.”
Alexa turned to Tristan, her heart breaking and her vision blurring. “Is this true?” Her eyes pleaded with him to deny it.
Tristan met her gaze, and his stoic expression softened. He turned to Jude fiercely. “I don’t believe you.”
Jude blinked, before realization crossed his face. “So your dad never told you aboutthatpart of the curse.”
“Save it, Jude. My dad would never hide something like that from me.”
“Are you sure about that?” Jude challenged him. “Perhaps you should ask him yourself. Merissa designedyour curse sospecifically, you know? Your dad met your mom at Merissa’s twenty-fourth birthday party and he rejected her in the same year. Since this curse has been all about revenge, she wanted you to die in your twenty-fourth year too.”
“That’s impossible,” Alexa whispered, shaking her head. A tear slipped and she wiped it away furiously. “No, no, no.” She hugged Tristan’s arm and looked up at him in time he looked down at her. His eyes were sad and tormented, but fierce.
He clasped a hand over hers and glared at Jude. “And what does Merissa want now, sending you to me?”
“Like I said, she regrets her actions.” Jude gave a shrug.
“Tell me something that’s possible.”
“She’s willing to undo the curse.”
Alexa’s head snapped to him, her eyes wide. “Really?” Unexplainable relief flooded her soul that she nearly sobbed—but choked it back.
“It’s a trap, angel.” Tristan was still glaring at him. “She told my parents that there is no undoing the curse, all those years ago.”
Jude glared back. “Do you really think she would’ve told them that when she wanted to watch them suffer? She was heartless then, evensheadmits it now. In truth, she regretted her actions when she heard about your mother’s tragic passing. While she had thought it would only bring her victory to hear such news, she was guilty.”
“Oh, yeah? Then why did she have to wait all these years to lift my curse? She knew where I lived. If shereallywanted to undo her actions, she could’ve found me years ago. She didn’t. Don’t think I’ll buy your sob story.”
Jude gave him a frustrated look and dug a hand into his pocket. He fished out a thin silver band and held it out to Tristan.
Tristan eyed it warily.
“She told me you and your dad won’t believe her, so she wants to earn your trust first, to prove that she has only good intentions this time, that she truly regrets the actions of her past.”
“And this is?”
“A shield bracelet—she sent it over from South Africa. Wear this on your wrist and it will shield you from the lightning. You won’t feel a thing, not even a tingle of pain—even if you’re in the path of the direct strike,” Jude explained. “But…”
“But what?” Alexa prompted anxiously.
“The spell binding this bracelet has a limit—around mid summer, it will wear off. You have time until then, to make your decision; whether or not you trust her to lift the curse. She’s expecting you before the spell wears off. Oh, and she has a condition.”
“What? She wants to marry my dad?”
“Jeez, no!” Jude made a face, crinkling his nose. “All she says is that she doesn’t want anyone else joining you and me on our trip.”