"Yes," Elena confirmed. "Divine curses have a kind of consciousness. Not sentience exactly. But purpose. This curse's purpose is to kill you. To extract payment for sins your mates' ancestor committed. It won't negotiate. It won't compromise. It will only do what it was designed to do."
"So how do I transform something that's designed to kill me?" Lilith asked.
"By making it serve you instead," Elena said. "Lilith, I need you to listen very carefully. What I'm about to ask you to do will feel wrong. Every instinct you have will scream at you to stop. But you have to trust me. Can you do that?"
"Yes," Lilith said.
"Good," Elena said. "Now....I need you to stop defending against the curse."
Lilith's eyes flew open. "What?"
Elena's face was calm above her. "For weeks you've been using your magic to hold the curse back. To keep it contained. To prevent it from spreading too fast. I need you to stop doing that. Lower your defenses. Let the curse in."
