Elena's POV
"You're Isabeau's nephew?" I stared at Théo, my brain struggling to process this. "But that was 847 years ago. You'd have to be—"
"Half-immortal," Théo finished, weaving the van through Paris traffic. "My father was immortal, my mother was Isabeau's younger sister. I age slowly—about one year for every ten that pass. I'll live maybe 300 years total. Long enough to watch everyone I love die, but not long enough to forget what mortality feels like."
Adrian leaned forward from the back seat. "Why didn't you tell me? In eighty years of working together—"
"Because I needed you to trust me as your lawyer, not hate me as your curse's bloodline." Théo glanced at him in the mirror. "Would you have let me help you if you knew I was related to the woman who destroyed your life?"
Silence. We all knew the answer.
"Where are you taking us?" I asked.
"My safe house. It's warded against magical tracking—the Society won't find you there." Théo took a sharp turn. "We have twenty-three hours until the full moon ritual. That's not much time to plan a rescue, break an 847-year-old curse, and stop five ancient immortals."
"When you say it like that, it sounds impossible," I muttered.
"It is impossible," Théo said cheerfully. "Which is why it might actually work. The Society expects you to run or hide. They don't expect you to attack first."
Adrian's hand found mine in the back seat—we both winced but held on. "What are you suggesting?"
"I'm suggesting we rescue Margot before the ritual, then use the real curse-breaking spell during the full moon. The Society will be gathered, waiting for the transfer. We hit them with the truth instead." Théo's eyes met mine in the mirror. "But it requires you both to mean it, Elena. Absolute willingness to sacrifice everything. No doubts. No hesitation."
My stomach twisted. "The journal said the curse will test us. That it'll try to make us betray each other."
"It will show you the worst possible visions," Théo confirmed. "Things designed to make you doubt. To make you choose survival over love."
"What kind of visions?" Adrian asked quietly.
"I don't know exactly. The curse is different for everyone." Théo pulled into an underground garage. "But based on the original spell's structure, it'll target your deepest fears. For you, Adrian—probably losing Elena the way you lost Isabeau. For Elena—probably being betrayed again, like your family betrayed you."
Great. My worst nightmare made manifest.
We got out of the van. Théo led us to an elevator hidden behind a false wall. "My apartment is on the top floor. Completely off the grid. The Society has no idea it exists."
"How long have you been helping Adrian?" I asked as we rode up.
"Since 1945. I found him in the ruins of Berlin, half-mad from losing another person he'd cared about in the war. I told him who I was, that I'd been searching for him for decades. That I wanted to help break the curse my family created." Théo's expression softened. "He didn't believe me at first. Took years to earn his trust."
The elevator opened into a stunning loft apartment. Books lined every wall. Antique furniture mixed with modern technology. And covering one entire wall—a massive timeline of Adrian's life.
"You've been tracking me?" Adrian stared at the wall.
"Researching," Théo corrected. "Every person you loved and lost. Every time you moved. Every close call with the Society. I've been trying to find patterns, weaknesses in the curse." He walked to the timeline, pointing. "And three weeks ago, something changed."
He tapped a spot marked with a red pin. "This is when you found Elena's letter at the château. Your behavior shifted immediately. You started taking risks you never took before. You hired her for restoration work through shell companies. You sent her invitations to auctions. You reduced her rent through her landlord."
My breath caught. "That was you? All those good things happening—"
"Was Adrian," Théo said, looking at him. "You were helping her before you even met her. Supporting her secretly. Why?"
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Because she was alone. Betrayed. Broken. And her letter made me feel—" He stopped.
"Human," I finished softly. "You said that in your letter. That my words made you feel human again."
"They did." Adrian met my eyes. "Reading about your pain, your determination to find beauty in broken things—it reminded me why I survived this long. Not because I wanted immortality. But because somewhere in me, I still believed life was worth living."
Théo watched us, something sad and knowing in his expression. "The curse is already activating. You're falling faster than any of your previous attachments. The clock is ticking louder."
"How do we rescue Margot?" I asked, pushing away the fear. "If the Society is watching her—"
"They're not watching her," Théo interrupted. "They're watching for you. They expect you to try a rescue. That's the trap."
"So we don't rescue her?" My voice rose. "We just let them—"
"We rescue her by letting them think they've won." Théo turned to his computer, pulling up building schematics. "The Moreau estate has a ritual chamber underground. Built by your ancestors for magical workings. The Society will bring Margot there for leverage. But the chamber has a secret entrance—one only family members know about."
He looked at me. "You know about it, don't you? Your grandfather showed you when you were young. The hidden door behind the wine cellar."
My heart skipped. "How do you know about that?"
"Because I've been researching your family as thoroughly as I've researched Adrian." Théo's expression was gentle. "I'm sorry, Elena. I know it feels invasive. But I needed to understand every piece of this curse to break it."
"The entrance," Adrian said urgently. "Could we use it to get Margot out?"
"Better." Théo smiled grimly. "We use it to get all of us in. We interrupt the ritual before it starts, speak the mutual sacrifice spell, and break the curse before the Society realizes what's happening."
"And if they realize?" I asked.
"Then we fight." Théo opened a closet, revealing an arsenal of weapons. Not guns—weird weapons. Carved staffs. Silver daggers. Vials of liquid that glowed faintly. "I've been preparing for this confrontation for eighty years. I'm not letting them win now."
Adrian stared at the weapons. "Théo, if this goes wrong—if the curse backfires—"
"Then we all die together." Théo shrugged. "Better than watching you suffer alone for another eight centuries."
Something in his voice made me look closer. "You care about him. Really care."
"He's family," Théo said simply. "The only family I have left. Everyone else from my generation is long dead." He turned to Adrian. "You gave me purpose when I had none. You trusted me when you trusted no one. I'm not abandoning you now."
Adrian's eyes shone with unshed tears. "Thank you."
"Thank me when we survive this." Théo checked his watch. "Twenty-two hours until moonrise. I suggest we rest, eat, and prepare. The ritual starts at midnight. We need to be ready."
He showed us to separate bedrooms—safety, since Adrian and I couldn't risk touching more than necessary. The curse's pain was getting worse with every contact.
I collapsed on the bed, exhaustion crashing over me. My mind spun with everything that had happened. Céleste's fake death. Grandmother's betrayal. The Society's ultimatum. The impossible choice ahead.
I must have dozed off because I woke to my phone buzzing. A text from an unknown number. Not the mysterious friend this time—someone new:
Elena. It's Céleste. Grandmother told me everything. I'm in London but I'm coming back. You can't do this ritual. You can't sacrifice yourself for him. Please. I know I hurt you. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. But you're still my sister. Let me help. —C
I stared at the message, my heart twisting. Was it really Céleste? Or another Society trap?
Another text came through:
I know you won't believe me. Why would you? But I'm attaching a photo of something only you and I know about. Remember when we were kids and we hid our secret treasure box in the estate's garden? Under the angel statue? It's still there. I checked before I left. That's how you'll know this is really me.
A photo loaded. A rusty metal box, covered in dirt. Inside—two friendship bracelets we'd made when I was ten and she was seven.
My breath caught. No one else knew about that box.
It was really Céleste.
Before I could respond, Adrian burst into the room. "Elena, we have a problem."
"What?"
"Théo just got a message from his contacts. The Society moved up the ritual."
My stomach dropped. "When?"
"Tonight. Six hours from now." Adrian's face was pale. "They know we found the journal. They know we have Théo's help. They're accelerating the timeline before we can act."
"Six hours?" I stood up, my legs shaking. "That's not enough time to plan—"
"Which means we move now." Théo appeared in the doorway. "Forget strategy. Forget preparation. We go in, we rescue Margot, we perform the ritual, and we hope for the best."
"That's insane," I said.
"Yes," Théo agreed. "But it's all we've got."
My phone buzzed again. Céleste:
Elena, I just heard from Grandmother. They moved the ritual to tonight. I'm getting on a plane now but I won't make it in time. Please, PLEASE don't do this. Don't sacrifice yourself. Adrian has lived 847 years—he can live more. You only get one life. Don't waste it on a curse that isn't your fault.
I showed the message to Adrian and Théo.
Adrian's face twisted with pain. "She's right. You shouldn't—"
"Don't," I interrupted. "Don't you dare tell me to walk away. Not now."
"Elena—"
"I'm doing this. We're doing this. Together." I grabbed his hand, ignoring the burning pain. "I'd rather die trying to save you than live knowing I could have helped and didn't."
Théo's phone rang. He answered, listened, then his face went white.
"What?" Adrian demanded.
"That was my contact at the estate." Théo's voice shook. "The Society just brought in a second hostage."
"Who?" I asked, though part of me already knew.
"Céleste. They intercepted her at the airport." Théo met my eyes. "She never sent you those texts. The Society did. They used her phone to lure you into false security."
The room spun.
"It gets worse," Théo continued. "They're giving you a new choice. Come to the ritual and transfer the curse like they want. Or they'll kill both Margot and Céleste. Right now. Before the ritual even starts."
"That's not possible," Adrian said. "They need the full moon—"
"They need the full moon to transfer the curse properly," Théo corrected. "But they can kill hostages any time they want. And they just sent proof."
He turned his phone around.
A live video feed showed Margot and Céleste tied to chairs in the ritual chamber. A man held a knife to Margot's throat.
And Katerina's voice came through the speaker: "You have one hour, Elena. Show up and cooperate, or watch them die. Your choice. Tick tock."
The video cut out.
I stood frozen, my world crumbling for the hundredth time.
One hour. Two hostages. An impossible choice.
Save myself and let them die.
Or sacrifice myself and doom Adrian to eternal loneliness.
There was no way to win.
"Elena." Adrian's hand cupped my face gently—the pain from the curse was excruciating but I leaned into it anyway. "Listen to me. We can still—"
The lights went out.
All of them. The entire building plunged into darkness.
"They found us," Théo breathed.
And then the window exploded inward.