The Cursed by Harper L Woods

Here is a summary with spoilers of The Cursed

The book picks up exactly where the first left off—Willow’s entire world has been a lie. She was nothing more than a puppet, unaware of the strings controlling her. The man she thought was her protector had been the one pulling them all along, and now, nothing will ever be the same. She has become the enemy of the only family she had recently found, and just when she believed she had control, she realizes she was the fool all along. The man she loved was the devil in disguise.

As she struggles to process this betrayal, one of Lucifer’s minions snaps her neck. Gray makes the choice to bring her back, knowing that to restore balance, someone else must die.

Willow awakens, furious that she is once again a pawn—this time for Gray. She attempts to escape, but he finds her and offers her a deal: if she can truly get away, he’ll let her go. But if he catches her, they must consummate their marriage now that he is in his true form. She runs. He catches her.

Determined to regain control, Willow seeks allies. Her first is her familiar, Jonathan—a cat who can shift into human form and whom Gray despises. She also tries to reconnect with her former roommates and other witches, hoping to help the Coven. But she doesn’t realize the Coven now sees her as the enemy. Gray keeps her sheltered, and when she does go out, he ensures her protection. Still, he wants her to stand in her own power and present a united front. At council meetings, she holds her own, making them appear as a formidable couple.

Gray wants to help her but doesn’t know how. A friend advises him that if he wants Willow to open up, he must do the same.

One day, while using her magic, Willow accidentally resurrects a group of witches. Gray is stunned but warns her that magic demands balance—if they are to live, others must die in their place. Unable to make that sacrifice, she chooses to let them go and gives them a proper burial. The loss breaks her, and Gray comforts her.

Realizing how much she has come to rely on him, Willow resolves to kill Gray. She and the remaining witches begin researching ways to send Lucifer back to Hell and discover a way to kill him. But when the moment comes, she can’t do it—her feelings, whether real or the result of compulsion, hold her back. Her friends see this as weakness.

Her friend Iban tries to offer comfort and clarity, kissing her. She rejects him, insisting she doesn’t want it. But Gray has seen everything. When he confronts Iban, Iban tells him to let Willow go and warns that someone will eventually use her against him. Enraged, Gray pushes Iban over a ledge, intending to kill him. Willow saves Iban and then confronts Gray. He claims there is no longer any compulsion between them—what remains is real, bound by their shared blood and marriage. That night, they give in to their passion once more, but instead of strengthening her resolve, it only convinces Willow further that she must rid herself of Gray. She meets with Iban and commits to carrying out the plan.

The witches come together, channeling their power into a blade meant to kill Gray. But when Willow finally stabs him, it doesn’t work. Gray returns in vengeance, revealing that the blade was never meant to kill him—it was created to kill her. He confesses that he bound their lives together; if she truly wants him dead, she must be willing to die as well.

They go to the throne room, where Gray demands that the Coven be summoned. He wants to know which witch orchestrated the plan, suspecting that whoever did must know about the bond between him and Willow. The truth emerges—it was Iban, along with a few others. In retribution, Gray kills them all.

That night, Willow is alone when she receives a visitor—Michael, Lucifer’s brother. He tells her there is no place in Heaven for her.

Determined to grow stronger, Willow seeks out her magic’s source and encounters Charlotte and the Triple Goddess. She learns that she and Lucifer play crucial roles in the events to come. Three women—the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone—will change the world. Though Willow momentarily believes she may be pregnant, she is not. However, she is told that one day, her daughter will be born and alter the balance of everything. Now that Lucifer has left Hell, it is time for God to leave Heaven.

Willow goes in search of Gray but instead finds Iban and Michael. Iban stabs her with a blade meant to suppress her powers. At the same time, her friend Margo is being held prisoner. Gray senses Willow’s pain and rushes to her, but she realizes their true intent—they want to prevent her from ever having a daughter. Gray forces them to retreat, but they take Margo and Jonathan with them.

As Willow recovers, she and Gray finally have a frank discussion about children. Though she is on a potion to prevent pregnancy, Gray expresses his deep desire for a family—while still assuring her that the choice is ultimately hers. Willow appreciates his words but understands that the prophecy may take that choice away from her.

Gray then brings up marriage—while they are already wed by his people’s customs, he wants to marry her in the way of her own people as well. The ceremony takes place, and as a wedding gift, Gray returns her brother, Ash, who had been hidden away. With Ash now living with them, Willow and Gray prepare for the inevitable war to come.