“I need to figure out how to break the curse. The books we have inside here are limited, and I can’t find the information I need.” Even if Brynn couldn’t come in the house, maybe having a link to the outside would be helpful in gathering the information we seemed to be lacking.

She sighed. “Okay. I can only imagine the crazy looks I’ll get at the library, but I’ll do it. Can you tell me anything about the curse? Who did it, why they did it, what they said…”

I looked towards Felix. “Well?”

I didn’t want to tell his story for him, not when he was right here.

Felix nodded and turned to Brynn. Bit by bit he explained exactly how he had gotten trapped in the house, leaving out big chunks about how he was chasing love. I knew it was easier for him to put the blame on himself than to admit why he did what he did. He could atone for his own actions, but he couldn’t do anything about someone else’s. While Felix talked, Luther made his way down the stairs, coming to rest with his arm wrapped around my shoulders. I watched Brynn’s face as her lips pressed together, and her forehead creased in a frown. By the time Felix was done, her face was a mixture of resolve and disbelief.

“I don’t know what to say,” she murmured, rubbing the back of her neck. “I shouldn’t believe a word of what you’re saying, but...”

I heaved out a sigh of relief, except something wasn’t quite right. She stared past me, chewing on the inside of her cheek. I was about to ask her what was wrong when her face paled, and her eyes widened.

“What? Brynn, what is it?”

She met my eyes. “Don’t you remember those stories Granny would tell us growing up? There was that one her Great-Granny told her, when she was young. About how our family had powers people couldn’t understand, but we had lost our privileges. Great-great Granny had cursed a man, a powerful, influential man who had run her and her family off land they had lived on for years. No remorse, so she cursed him and the house he built on the land. Since she had used her powers for evil, instead of for good, the magic had slowly disappeared, generation by generation. I thought it was just a fucking story Granny made up to go along with the haunted rumors.”

Felix’s eyes snapped to hers, an expression I had never seen before flashing across his face. “You’re telling me…your family did this to me?” His body flushed hot with anger, and I wanted to touch him, calm him down. But before I could reach out, he spun around to face me. “Did you know?”