Page 12 of Cursed
As they move through the castle, Ryland questions her. “How many Rogues did you see?”
“Five,” Nori replies, getting out of breath.
He gasps at that number. “How did you evade five Rogues?”
“We didn’t evade the first one. We were forced to fight him. While he was very strong, he wasn’t terribly fast, and we managed to kill him.”
Nori knits her eyebrows together, remembering all the blood. “We were already trying to mask our scent and decided to play around with stronger, more foul-smelling scents. The next one still smelled us, but we were able to kill that one too.”
She’s walking as fast as she can to keep up with giant Alpha, so she takes several breaths before she continues. “After that, we had the bright idea to catch a skunk and use the scent gland to further mask our smell. To be safe, we also used a dead coyote and the bear shit. I personally think the skunk did the trick, though.”
Nori pauses briefly to adjust the blanket and then runs to catch up. “The next two Rogues we saw walked right by our hiding place. The last one, well, we got sidetracked and practically stumbled right into him. There was no hiding after that. We ran, and he chased us into your Packlands, where your Enforcers killed him with an arrow to the heart. Silver, I’m guessing. Where are we going?”
Ryland stops unexpectedly, and Nori smacks right into his back with an oomph. She jumps back quickly and apologizes. Even with that brief contact, the sparks of the Mate Bond roll through her body, and she gasps. Judging by his sharp intake of breath, the Prince felt it too.
Nori stammers, backing away from him, “Whoa! S-sorry. I’m back here running to keep up, and you stopped so suddenly.”
Ryland turns to look at her with the good side of his face. “You are telling me that you killed two Rogues by yourself? Bullshit!”
Nori’s heart hammers as her thoughts quickly fly to her third rule:
Rule #3: Never look the powerful wolves in the eyes.
But with that scar covering most of his face, she doesn’t know where to look at him. Nori takes another step back, watching for signs that he is about to hit her—tensing of the shoulder muscle, balling of a fist. She shifts her eyes to his right cheek, the one without the scar. She’s certain it’s the wrong move to look directly at the scar.
After her inner dilemma of how to look at him is over, Nori says, “Yes, well, not in my current form, of course. My wolf killed them.”
Ryland turns to face her straight on, and again, Nori steps away from him. She quickly glances at his shoulder muscles, then focuses her gaze back on the cheek withoutthe scar. She assumes a more submissive pose, bending her knees and dipping her shoulders.
Ryland snarls and says, “I’m well aware the scar is fascinating and disgusting all at the same time. Get a good look!” He looms over her. “However, I am the Alpha of this Pack, and I find it supremely disrespectful for you not to look me in the eyes when you speak to me. I will not tolerate disrespect simply because you can’t take your eyes off the scar.”
Her mouth falls open, and Nori snaps her eyes to his, complying with the order. Abruptly, he turns around and continues moving down the hall.
Shocked by the Prince’s demand, Nori yells at Aylin, “Well, shit, shit, shit! Rule #3 no longer applies.”
“Right, new rule: Always look this Alpha in the eyes!”
Gritting her teeth in frustration, Nori rages. “Twelve years of NOT looking them directly in the eyes! I’m going to have a hard time with this new rule.”
Running to catch up with the Prince, Nori sputters an apology. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t...” She can’t think of the right words to say. She panics and shouts, “You’re wrong!”
Alarmed, Aylin yells at her, “Are you nuts? Pretty sure that was not the right thing to say!”
The Prince stops again, growling, but doesn’t turn to look at her.
Nori sucks in a breath and quickly continues, “You see, Ihave these rules. For a person of my station, they have served me well over the past twel...several years.”
She sees him cocking his head, listening now. “Rule #1: Never look an angry wolf in the eyes. Rule #2: Always answer an angry wolf when questioned directly. Rule #3: Never look the powerful wolves in the eyes.”
She takes a steadying breath. “I have more rules, but you get the idea. I was actually looking just under your right eye, not at your scar. Now that I know better, I will try to follow your rule and look you directly in the eyes.” She exhales hard, trying to calm her nerves. “Where are you taking me?”
Bade growls at Ryland. “You did exactly what I told you not to do. Don’t be such a dick!”
Ignoring his wolf, Ryland answers her in a more normal tone. “To my suite of rooms.”
Startled, Aylin exclaims, “Holy shit!”
Nori’s eyes widen. “Agreed.”
