Page 27 of Cursed
Nori and Aylin giggle like young girls and start inspecting the Prince’s rooms. Nori spends about twenty minutes wandering around each room of the suite to see what she can learn about him.
A tall, dark wooden bookcase stands in the corner of the sitting room. The shelves hold a variety of books on battle strategy, the history of wolf shifters, a couple of books about the Drakemoor lineage, and several brown, leather notebooks. Nori makes a mental note to return to the books later.
Papers, half-written notes and letters, a few photos, and a laptop cover the top of the Prince’s desk. Nori opens the drawers, which mainly contain supplies: extra pens, official seals, tape, a stapler—nothing of interest.
Aylin warns Nori. “Maybe don’t open the laptop.”
“I wasn’t going to; it probably needs a password anyway.”
Nori picks up one of the three photos on his desk. It’s a formal photo of the entire Royal Family. She recognizes younger versions of the Prince and his sister; he already has the scar in this photo. Of course, she recognizes the King and Queen, but there is one more male. He must be the Prince’s brother.
The other two photos are more casual, one of Adele and the brother laughing; the other is Beta Garek and the brother, arms slung around each other’s shoulders. Nori looks around, but these are the only three photos in his rooms.
She moves into his enormous closet, gaping at the array of weapons that hang on the wall to the left—long swords, knives of various sizes, crossbows, and a whole lot of guns.Nori walks around the rest of the closet, browsing through the shirts, pants, suits, jackets, boots, and shoes. She leans back and chuckles, noticing his clothes are mostly black.
In the bedroom, Nori opens a few dresser drawers, which are filled with neatly folded clothes.
Once she’s had her fill of snooping, she tells Aylin, “He’s neat, orderly to the extreme, except for the top of his desk. He only has those three photos. It’s like a room in an inn, rather than his home.”
“If you are done snooping, we could try out that shower again.”
Nori smiles and walks to the enormous bathroom. “Excellent idea!”
After the shower, Nori grabs a couple of books about the history of wolf shifters and wraps up in the blanket on the sofa to read. She’s on her second book when there’s a knock at the door.
“Maybe it’s lunch,” Aylin says happily.
Nori laughs at how quickly they are getting used to regular mealtimes. She opens the doors, and her smile fades when she sees the Prince’s sister waiting outside.
“Oh, don’t look so disappointed, Nori. I brought lunch.” Adele swoops into the room, followed by three kitchen staff with trays of bread, meats, cheeses, fruits, desserts, and pitchers of water and sodas. They remove the breakfast plates and drinks and replace them with the lunch items.
Aylin snarls to Nori, “Oh, great. The mean one has returned. At least she brought food.”
“Ryland told me he wouldn’t be back in time for lunch and asked that I visit with you for a while.” Adele continues, snarkily, “He also told me your name; thank you for sharing that tiny bit of information.”
Nori stands a little taller and replies, “I’ve shared more information than my name with him. Thank you for bringing lunch.”
The two women fill their plates in silence and sit down at the table across from one another. As soon as they are seated, Adele starts her inquisition. “Why don’t you tell me where you are from?”
Nori glares at her briefly, then replies, “No.”
Adele sighs, rolling her eyes. She mutters, “Well, this lunch is going to be so much fun.”
chapter nineteen
After a few more minutes of silence, Nori asks, “Do you and your brother not get along?”
Adele laughs out loud. “No, we do not always get along. It’s my job as the only female to annoy both of my brothers. Why do you ask?”
Recalling Adele’s behavior last night, Nori tries not to clench her jaw. “I would say you were more rude than annoying last night. Do you regularly make fun of his scars?”
Adele sits up, straightening her shoulders. “No, never. I was testing your reactions last night, and, in my opinion, you passed. Your Mate Bond must be intense for you to stillbe angry over my rude comments last night. So, again, I ask. Why don’t you tell me where you are from?”
“I can’t. I can’t tell you because I haven’t told him. I haven’t told him yet, because I need him to understand my situation first.”
Adele leans back, and a confused frown appears on her face. “What is the big deal? It’s not like he’s going to hurt you. The Mate Bond won’t allow it.”
Nori sighs, trying to explain, without actually explaining anything. “There are more ways to hurt a person than physical pain, Adele. Besides, you can’t know that the Mate Bond will protect me from him. If I tell him before he fully appreciates my circumstances, there’s really no telling what he’ll do.”
