The 21st Curse

By Steven Sterup, Jr

Simon Gant is the victim of a curse. One that will turn him into a savage beast twenty-one days after his twenty-first birthday unless he can find a witch to protect. Finding her isn’t the problem. Convincing her that someone could actually care for her might prove to be more difficult than anything this curse throws at him.

Despite her reluctance to accept his feelings for her, Simon knows that no one could be more perfect for him than Nicole. He has twenty-one days to convince Nicole to accept him before it’s too late. And if he can outplay Nicole’s overbearing sister as well as his best friend, he just might have a chance to stop the bloodthirsty killer growing inside him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven Sterup, Jr
• Release date: Mar 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463471968

Steven Sterup, Jr

I enjoy reading and writing fantasy themed books, including romance novels. Most of my work is about fantastical worlds with magic and monsters.Since I was young I've had a strange desire to create 'something' and as soon as I started writing my first book I knew I had finally found what I was looking for.I hope you enjoy the worlds I have created and I appreciate your feedback. Feel free to contact me on my website at www.StevenSterupJr.com or email me at [e-mail].

Book preview

Prologue

To most people, their twenty-first birthday is a time of celebration. The day a child becomes an adult. To others…

At the twenty-first hour on the twenty-first day of the twenty-first year, a child will become a beast. Such is the legend that is handed down, mother to son and father to daughter. On that fateful day, a choice must be made. One of consequence and importance. For on that day, a child who has transformed must choose between the evil of the curse and the responsibility of protecting their chosen. For no creature is as feared as the werewolf. A creature without conscience nor fear. It will feed on whoever is unlucky enough to cross its path or protect its charge until it ceases to draw breath.

At least that is the first passage of a book my mother used to read to me as a child. Why this book? I had no idea. Not a clue why my mother read me this book instead of a nursery rhyme. Not one hint of why this passage would become so important. And no idea of what was in store for me. Not until I was much older. Not until I met Nicole.

Chapter 1

I walked up to the counter in Sam's Fresh Burger restaurant, where I was the assistant manager. Apparently, some college girl had asked to speak to the person in charge. One of my employees had messed up the girl’s order, and she was not happy about it.

Sam's Fresh Burger was as you would expect it to be. Greasy but not dirty. A mess but not unclean. We passed all the health inspections with flying colors, but during rush, there was little we could do to keep the place from nearly falling apart. And today was no different.

I pushed by two of my pimple-faced employees as they rushed to the walk-in-fridge to start unwrapping more meat. We don’t use frozen patties, but that in itself presents even more obstacles. How to keep the meat fresh when over twenty burgers at a time were cooking. The place was like a furnace. On one side of the counter, a cool seventy, on our side? More like ninety-plus, depending on how many burgers were currently cooking. And right now, we were at capacity.

I walked up to the counter with more annoyance than I should have had. This girl…woman. One look at her and I could tell she wasn’t a girl. She had gotten the wrong bag, and it was our fault. Despite this, I had at least five other people pulling me in different directions

I leaned on the counter and looked down at the attractive brunette with her hair in a ponytail. She was dressed like someone who had just finished running or lifting weights. She was sweaty. Though her light pink tank top didn’t look drenched, it was a little damp. The skin-tight black workout pants also added to my theory that she had just gotten done exercising in some fashion.

What seems to be the problem, miss? I asked a little too briskly for her taste. Even I knew it had come out with more annoyance than she deserved.

The problem is…I ordered a chicken sandwich, no mayo. Just lettuce and tomato. What I got was…, she said, matching my annoyance level and going beyond it. She slapped down an unwrapped sandwich then flipped the top bun off with disgust.

Even with the disgusted look on her face, I could tell she was pretty. I had vaguely noticed that she wasn’t a girl but didn’t pay enough attention to realize exactly how much of a woman she was. Until now.

Her brown eyes had a hint of gold. She had the sharp features of a woman from the Middle East but had no accent. She was American of Israeli descent, I assumed. Though I could have been way off. Most Mediterranean cultures blended together to me. She very well might have been Iranian or Syrian. A mistake that would probably have gotten me more contention than giving her the wrong food.

She had on flattering makeup, so I assumed she was at a gym somewhere. Women don’t usually wear makeup to work out alone. At least not makeup as meticulous as hers. The care she had taken was something women only did when they were trying to look good for someone else.

I’m very sorry, ma’am. I’ll fix this right away. I took the burger and replaced it with a coupon that we kept for these exact moments. Next time you can have a free meal on us. Anything you like. Again, I apologize.

I had lost my tone and look, but hers seemed to grow. Then she looked behind her at a tall man with dark, styled hair and light blue eyes.

Can you believe this place? she asked the man.

Hey, Simon, Mike said to me with a silly smile. It was almost a cringe.

You know this… I got the impression she was about to say something rather nasty until she saw the look of recognition on Mike’s face.

Yep. He’s my roommate and best friend, Mike said with a laugh. Nicole meet Simon. Simon. This is Nicole.

I decided to go for the higher ground. Not only was she a customer. She was my best friend’s new girl and drop-dead gorgeous. Talk about awkward.

I’m very sorry, Nicole. We’re swamped. In about five minutes I’m sure I’ll be getting an angry phone call from the guy who got your chicken sandwich. I smiled and even cringed a little. Probably looking a lot like Mike.

Ok, was all she could say then tossed her ponytail as she turned on her heels and found a chair.

I noticed how her hair curled a little, even while in the ponytail. What would it look like when it was down? The color was quite striking on her, almost the same as her eyes, yet still a shade darker than her skin. And it was long enough to hit the middle of her back. The more I let myself notice about Nicole, the more I realized just how beautiful she was.

We’ll be right over here, Simon, Mike said then mouthed the word ‘Sorry’ as he pointed to a booth where Nicole was sitting.

As I spun to make Mike’s new girl the perfect chicken sandwich, I started to get a little jealous of Mike. He was built like an athlete. I wasn’t a toothpick. You could see my muscles, and I was in decent shape, but I was nothing compared to Mike.

His dark hair was styled. My lighter brown hair, was a mess, even when it wasn’t up under a Sam's Fresh Burger cap. My hair went to below my ears, even the bangs. I’m not one for style. It was straight and not greasy, but I’m not a slob. I’m just lazy.

He was also about an inch taller than me. And even without his more abundant muscles, his features would still make girls swoon. I think they call that ‘Tall dark and handsome’. Yep, that’s Mike. Always just a little better looking than me in every respect.

And his new girl…damn. Not that a girl that pretty would ever be interested in me. I worked as an assistant manager at a burger joint. I barely made over minimum wage. Mostly I played Xbox and sat around the house when I wasn’t at work. My mother calls this ‘time to figure myself out’. I call it being lazy.

I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, and that was depressing. So, what did I do about it? I killed make-believe enemies in a make-believe world with make-believe weapons and magic.

It took me about five minutes to fix Nicole’s fancy chicken sandwich. The one with nothing but vegetables on it. Then I brought it out to her and even tossed in another coupon. That’s what we were supposed to do. The loss of two meals is nothing compared to the amount the average customer spends here in their lifetime. Making a repeat customer out of a disgruntled one is worth it.

Sorry about that, Nicole, I said as I handed her the bag.

With it, I handed Mike his standard order. A double cheeseburger with everything and fries to go with it. It confused me how a man like that could eat like he did. He ate fast food more than I did. Probably the exercise, I assumed.

Mike was a fitness instructor slash personal trainer at the local gym down the street from here. So, him showing up with Nicole was not a stretch. In fact, I should have been expecting Mike. I just hadn’t realized what time it was. It was almost time for me to clock out for the day.

Since it was so close to my manager showing up, and the fact that Mike was there, I decided to sit down with my water and talk for a few minutes. I hadn’t gotten the chance to have a break, and the rush was dying down to a dull roar.

So, what do you do, Nicole? I asked.

I wasn’t asking what Mike’s new girl did for a living for my own benefit. Mike was my best friend. Had been since kindergarten. I had to play nice each time he found a new girl, and there had been many. This time was just a little more difficult and incredibly awkward.

Nicole was Mike’s girl, which meant that I had to keep my own interests in the back of my mind. She wasn’t my girl and never would be. The fact that this girl was nearly the epitome of my dream girl wasn’t helping me keep my own curiosities in check though. I just hoped Mike and Nicole wouldn’t notice the fact that my eyes had a hard time staying still.

College…still not sure what I want to do though, she replied without the previous amount of animosity. She bit into the chicken sandwich then smiled at me. This is good, she said while covering her mouth.

It sounded a little silly, her mouth half full of food. I chuckled a little and Mike gave me the weirdest look. Almost like he was happy that I was attracted to his new girl. How could I not be? Still, I’d keep my distance.

Hey, buddy. We’re going out to a club tonight. Want to go? he asked.

Nah, I replied. I’m beat. I need a shower, and it’s Thursday. Tournament night.

Mike rolled his eyes, but Nicole seemed strangely interested.

What kind of tournament? she asked.

It’s stupid, I replied. Video game stuff.

I felt a little embarrassed. I was twenty, in two days I’d be twenty-one, and all that was in my life was a job and video games. Maybe in two days I’d finally grow up and figure out what I was going to do. But not tonight. Tonight we were storming the castle of our bitter rivals, and I wanted to enjoy every minute of still being a kid.

Which game? she asked between bites.

It was strange. I was the one who was supposed to be finding out about Mike’s new girl for him. This was what we always did. I’d ask the questions while he listened to everything. It felt a little dishonest, but the girl usually had a good time. Many nights I had to wear headphones to bed to keep from hearing the enthusiastic pleas for ‘more’ coming from the room across the hall. I was guessing that it would be one of those nights. Nicole was absolutely stunning. And I was more than a little envious.

Selenthal Siege, I said and waited for the laughs I usually got.

That one’s fun but a little dated. Have you tried Ruins of Lothen? she asked and seemed sincerely interested.

If I’d been drinking, I would have spit it out all over her. Thankfully, I hadn’t taken a drink of my water yet, and all I did was let my mouth hang open. How in the world was a woman this hot interested in online sword and sorcery siege games?

Yes, I replied, after finally shutting my gaping mouth. I find the gameplay to be a little…umm…., I said, trying to find the right word. I didn’t want to insult her choice in games, but I really didn’t care for Ruins of Lothen.

Yeah. It’s a little clunky at first, she said, interrupting my search for that exact word. If you can get used to it, the forty versus forty castle sieges are worth the effort. Then she paused and gave me another smile that made my heart race. Oh, and update twenty-five is out. A lot of the clunkiness was fixed.

Some of my friends have been pushing me to give it another shot. Maybe I’ll take them up on it, I replied. I was still trying to picture this woman playing with a controller. She was not quite how I imagined a gamer-girl.

Oh, wait. Are you a pro or something? Is that why you stick with Selenthal? Lothen has plans to whittle the teams down to a four-man. Said they were really interested in the eSports stuff, she said between bites.

Again I was stunned. Who was this girl? And was someone playing a joke on me? That had to be it.

No, I’m not a pro, I said with a laugh. How exactly does a four versus four castle siege work?

She looked at me strangely. Was that disbelief? I’m not a professional gamer. I don’t stream for the world to see, nor do I play in paid tournaments. I’m lucky if I can get our team together once a week. Plus, I doubt anyone would watch us play. We’re really not that good.

Ok, so you get one mage, one tank, and two dps. The goal is to…, she looked at Mike guiltily. You’re really not interested in this stuff, are you?

Not really, Mike said with detachment.

I decided to give them their space. I was getting a little too close to flirting with Mike’s new girl. So, I gave her a way out. It was the least I could do. She had given my ego a well-needed boost. I could at least help her salvage her date with Mike.

Another time, Nicole. I’d better get back to work anyway. My employees might take my absence as a sign that they can goof off, I said with a chuckle as I stood and started heading back to the kitchen to finish all my shift work. Mike and Nicole stood as well. I took another long look at Nicole to solidify my revelation that you can’t judge a book by its cover before I left.

Nicole was short, five four, maybe less. She had curves like a woman who worked out to achieve them, but a smile that told me she was sweet. I got the distinct impression that, although she was proud of how she looked, she was not vain about it. This told me that she hadn’t always looked like this. It was recent.

Some men would have considered her too heavy, but I like curves on a woman. A stick with breasts is not my idea of what a woman should look like. They should have hips. And breasts like Nicole’s would usually cost the ‘stick girls’ their college savings. I was guessing double Ds, though I only glanced at her chest in passing. I was pretty certain that both of them had caught me staring at Nicole’s other stunning features. I wasn’t about to let them catch me staring at those.

This is the part that made no sense to me. An hourglass figure is just fine with me, maybe even a little heavier. What was Mike doing with a woman like her? Mike and I had very different opinions on what a beautiful woman looked like. He went for tall, leggy, skinny blondes. Most times, a B cup at most. He disliked larger breasts. He was a fitness nut and liked his women trim and fit. I had heard him rant about it many times. His perfect woman was almost the exact opposite of this Mediterranean beauty.

He was probably helping her work off some extra pounds, though I didn’t think she needed to. She might have been an overweight child or just overtaken with society’s idea that sugary sodas went with every meal. Either way, I got the distinct impression that she was very happy with the way she looked now. This made her all the more attractive.

Vanity can be a real turn off. At least for me. What Nicole had shown was very different. There was pride in the way she held herself but no hint of the self-absorbed notion that she was better than anyone else.

Then I noticed her writing on a napkin. She shoved it at me before grabbing her wrapper.

If you try Ruins, give me a shout, she said.

I grabbed the napkin and read the gamertag she had written down. Shy_egirl2990. It seemed very appropriate with what I had surmised so far.

But not tonight, I said with a laugh. You guys are going to a club, and I have a tournament to win.

Good luck, she said with a cute wave then headed out, and Mike was strangely silent.

It wasn’t like Mike to just clam up. Even though I had sort of monopolized the conversation with Nicole, Mike always had a way of directing attention toward himself. This exact situation had never happened before, the girl talking to me about me, but it was still weird for him to be so quiet.

I continued to go over it in my head for the next forty-five minutes, up until my manager came to take over for the night shift.

Chapter 2

After work, I plopped on the couch, trail mix, and water on my left-side end table. I had my controller in hand, headset on, and was just waiting for the Xbox to log me