Whispers from the Belladonna

Prequel to Cursed Connection, an explanation of the cursed belladonna

Ghostly lovers and a haunting romance,

I like my routines: thank the mint, don’t take more than you need, and never, ever trust a book that seems to be breathing. So when the forest tugs me into a hidden glade and I find belladonna that looks like spilled night, I do the only sensible thing—I promise I won’t forget it.

Then I do something less sensible: a moon ritual that summons two impossible people made of silver light who want me to carry their last night. Eldara tells me not to—of course she does; she keeps a vial of belladonna behind a locked door and a scar on her wrist to prove it. But curiosity and a grimoire with roses on the cover have never respected good advice.

So here I am, juggling herbs, visions, and the faint possibility of losing who I am. If you like grief that smells like lavender, magic that tastes like iron, and a heroine who refuses the easy answers, tuck in. I’ve promised the glade I’ll remember—now I just have to figure out what that costs.

How the Belladonna became Cursed is the prequel to Cursed Connections, a virtual dating app story.