Page 24 of Cursed
Bade proudly says, “Look at that. She trusts us!”
Ryland is becoming increasingly annoyed with Bade’s comments in his head. “It’s only a pastry; calm down. It doesn’t mean anything.”
As soon as the flavors hit her tongue, Nori’s head falls back, and she moans, savoring the small bite. Looking back at the Prince, she smiles, her eyes wide with surprise. “Wow! This is fantastic! I should have started with the cinnamon roll because now I’m too full to finish it, but this is tasty!”
Ryland sighs to Bade. “I take it back. That moan of hers is going to be the death of me.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Ryland says to Nori, smiling slightly. He breathes out hard, steeling himself for what he knows he must do. “Now that we’ve finished eating, I believe you owe me some answers. I’ve agreed to your terms. Where are you from, and why are you requesting sanctuary?”
Nori sets her shoulders straight, trying to work up the nerve for what she plans to say next. With as much confidence as she can muster, she looks at the Prince and says, “I’d like to remind you that our agreement was that I would tell you my story, not that I would answer your questions.”
Growling loudly, Ryland’s calm face disintegrates, replaced by a menacing sneer. Nori winces, watching him closely, ready to jump from the table if he comes after her.
In a feeble attempt to break the tension, she stutters, “I’ve...I’ve n-never actually tasted coffee.”
That does the trick because the Prince sits back in his chair, crosses his arms, and frowns instead of sneers.
Nori hopes his less angry posture means she can continue. She swallows hard, her hands trembling slightly. She hates reliving the awful moments of her life, and most moments have been truly awful. But the Prince needs to know her story, and this is as good of a place to start as any.
Nori looks up and away, remembering the details of one of many horrible days. “It was a Wednesday, and I was cleaning one of the meeting rooms where the Pack Leaders would gather. That was the day I created Rule #4: Never ever accept anything from a Pack Leader. If offered anything, decline as politely as possible.”
Ryland quickly recalls her politely declining to sleep in his bed last night.
She stares into Ryland’s eyes. “I was almost finished when the Luna entered the room. I immediately knew this was not going to go well for me. The Luna was vicious, and she hated me like I had killed her firstborn child.”
“Why?”
Nori shakes her head, furrowing her brows. “I neverunderstood why. I had only ever done what I was told.” She shrugs. “Mostly.”
She sucks in a shaky breath and continues, “The Luna told me to hurry up because the others were on their way. She turned to pour herself a cup of coffee. Then she held up the coffee pot, much like you did earlier. The pot was one of those heavy silver urns. The Pack Leaders liked to prove their strength by keeping silver items all around. She asked me if I wanted a cup.”
Nori covers her face momentarily, her chest rising and falling quickly. Then she looks at Ryland, who is leaning forward now, hands clasped together, listening intently. “I froze as soon as she made the offer. I mean, I knew it had to be some sort of trick, but I just couldn’t figure out what it was. It couldn’t be poisoned because she was drinking it.”
Nori shakes her head, regretting her mistake that day. “Eventually, I thought saying ‘no’ would piss her off. So, I went with ‘yes.’”
Looking down, folding her hands together, Nori whispers, “She was so damn fast. I never saw any of her muscles tense. One moment she was at the table, and the next she was by my side, slamming the pot across my head. I fell to the ground, completely dazed. She continued hitting me with the pot, cracking at least one rib. I was so out of it that I didn’t even notice the scalding hot coffee splashing over me.”
Nori takes a shaky breath, pulling herself out of the dreadful memory. “After about the fourth or fifth blow, thankfully, I passed out. I woke up in my room hours later.”
Her shoulders sag, grateful to be done with the story. “And that is why Aylin practically lost her mind when you asked me if I wanted any coffee. She saw you holding that coffee pot up in the air and had a full-blown panic attack.”
Nori hears Ryland growling low and feels the rage suddenly pouring out of him. Her head snaps up. Every muscle in his body is trembling with the effort of trying to maintain control over his wolf or his rage; who knows? His eyes are jet black. Sharp claws extend from his hands. His breathing is deep and labored.
Aylin whispers to Nori, “Is he…? I mean, could he be angry with us? He’s shaking, he’s so angry.”
Whispering back, Nori says, “I don’t think so. But he looks like he’s going to break the damn table; he’s gripping it so hard!”
Nori looks around the room, trying to figure out how to handle the Prince in his current state. “Ryl...Prince Drakemoor? Are you?...I mean...What do you need?”
When he doesn’t move or respond, Nori slides out of her chair and does the only thing she can think of to calm him down. She walks slowly over to the practically feral hulk of a man.
Her heart pounds as she watches him, every muscle inhis body coiled like a spring. She knows she should stay back, but she moves to his side anyway.
Slowly, she places one hand on top of his clawed hand and takes his chin in her other hand, turning his head to face her.
Maintaining eye contact, Nori tries again. “Please.” She breathes, her voice trembling slightly. “Please calm down.”
Ryland desperately tries to control the explosion of rage that takes hold of him upon hearing how the Luna abused his Mate so severely. His claws are punching holes into the table when he feels Nori’s fingers slide over his hand.
