All Chapters of Rejected by my cursed mate: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Three FrontsDaria's POVThe horn's echo hadn’t even faded when the camp sprang to life around us. Witches broke off their chants mid-ritual, warriors dropped their training and reached for blades still glistening with morning dew. I could almost feel the ground tense beneath us, as if the earth itself had caught wind of the alarm and didn’t like what it signified."Three borders," I said, my mind racing ahead of my feet. "He’s doing this to split our focus on purpose."Lucius was already striding toward the war tent, his steps more determined and forceful than before. "He wants us scattered. Weak everywhere instead of strong in one spot.""Then we don’t split evenly," I replied, catching up to him. "We find his weakest point and strike there first."He shot me a glance, something sharpening in his eyes. Not quite a surprise—more like recognition. "You’ve thought about this before.""I’ve been thinking about him for years," I said. "Long before you even knew to."We reached the tent,

What Wakes BeneathDaria's POVThe ground started shaking beneath us. It was not like something was moving around it was like something was moving from underneath. I felt it in my knees before I even heard the noise. It was a rumble like rocks were shifting far beneath the ridge. This was deeper than any hole Rylan's men could have dug in one night.Lucius got up even though he was hurt. He put one hand on the ground to help himself up. "That is not them, " he said."No, " I said. My heart was beating fast. "That is something older."The stone markers around the basin were broken. They were supposed to keep the quiet.. They did not break because of claws or magic. They broke from the inside like something underneath was finally free.I grabbed Lucius's arm and pulled him back. "We need to go " I said."Daria...""Now " I said.This time Lucius did not argue. We climbed up the hill together. His weight was on me with every step. He was still bleeding, even though I had bandaged him. Be

Smoke and SilenceDaria's POVThe rider did not wait for me to explain anything. He turned his horse around before I could even get on the horse that Maive had brought for me. We rode fast through the dark. The camp fires got smaller and smaller behind us. Soon there was nothing but trees, moonlight and the sound of horses running on the earth.Lucius rode beside me at the time. He was in pain with every bump of the horse. I told him to stay behind two times.. He did not listen to me. By the mile I stopped arguing with him. It is hard to argue with Lucius when he has made up his mind. It is like trying to argue with the ocean.The coven came into view just before the sun came up. It was a group of stone buildings surrounded by big trees. It was looking very much different. The whole place was really quiet. It felt like the coven was holding its breath on purpose. I had only been here a few times when I was a kid. Silas had brought me here on errands that I did not understand. This pla

What the Door RemembersDaria's POVThe door opened of its own accord, and the smoke rolled out as it had waited for leave. I coughed, staggered back a step, and pushed forward again. My grandfather’s voice was still coming from somewhere inside, low and strange, wrapping around words I didn’t understand but still somehow felt in my chest.“Silas!” I called out into the dark. The voice ceased. I walked through the doorway. Inside, the air was thick, almost solid, as if you were walking through water instead of smoke. The old stone hall was longer than I remembered. The walls were lined with candles, none of which was lit. The only light was a circle carved into the floor, glowing faint silver, the same silver I had seen crawling up Harriet's arms hours before. I felt sick to my stomach.“Grandfather? " I called again, more gentle this time."Daria." His voice was at the far end of the hall, rough, tired, but his. "You aren't supposed to be here."Inside the circle, I saw him kneeling

What the Blood Remembers.Daria’s POV Maive grabbed me under the arms before I hit the ground, and we tumbled through the doors of the coven out into the morning air. I was dimly aware that for the last few minutes my body had been running on something that it shouldn't have, and now that thing was gone.Once out of the coven, I felt pretty weak. Not tired from a long and hard day. More like weak, like the last little remaining flame before it goes out, the last little bit of flame bending to one side. My knees buckled. Maive stood there, watching me, her hands almost, but not quite, touching my shoulders. This almost complete lack of strength scared me more than yelling would have. I don't think I've ever been this weak in my life. Not even after the fever that took three days to walk off or the birth of Harriet have I felt this scraped of strength, as though someone had reached in my chest and taken a huge handful of the thing that had been keeping me standing.All of the years of