Page 39 of Cursed
She smiles and says, “But your shower is amazing, so yeah, I’ll hop in the shower. And I’m starving; breakfast would be great.”
Bade, clearly still pissed about last night, shouts in Ryland’s mind. “Dammit, Ryland! She missed dinner because of you, losing your shit last night. Get our Mate some food!”
Ryland frowns momentarily but recovers quickly. “And after breakfast, we can get out of here. I’ll give you a tour of the grounds.”
Nori gives him a smile so brilliant that it takes his breath away. “OK, Ryland.” Without another word, she climbs out of bed and heads toward the bathroom.
“Wait!” He shouts, stopping her. “There are more clean clothes for you in the second drawer of the dresser over there.”
He didn’t think he could handle seeing her in nothing but a towel again. He was already struggling with hismorning erection from having her ass pushed up against it all night long, not to mention that searing kiss. Seeing her in the towel would surely send him over the edge.
Nori slowly walks over to the dresser and looks at the clothes he’s gotten for her. No one has given her anything, much less new clothes, in years. Any time she needed something at Starfall, she was forced to either beg for it or steal it.
She clears her throat, trying to hold back her tears, and grabs new leggings, socks, underwear, and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Nori heads straight to the bathroom and mutters, “Thanks.”
Ryland frowns, thinking he’s somehow messed up with the clothes. “I’m sorry, Nori. I just thought you might need—”
Nori turns to him and holds up a hand to stop him. “The clothes are great, thank you. This,” she circles her face, “has nothing to do with you.” She stands there for a moment, watching his face frown in confusion, trying to decide whether to explain her reaction or escape into the bathroom.
She groans and sits on the corner of his bed. “I...hmmm...” Nori shifts a leg on the bed, turning to look at him. “I’ve literally had nothing for a very long time. The room I lived in was smaller than that shower in there.” She points to the bathroom and then drops her hand. “When you casually said you had more clothes for me in thedrawer…” She frowns. “Tearing up over a drawer full of clothes is ridiculous, I know. It just took me by surprise, is all.”
Ryland moves to sit behind her on the bed and wraps an arm around her waist. “Your feelings are not ridiculous, Nori, and thank you for telling me. I always want to know what you are thinking. OK?”
She tilts her head to look up at him. “OK, Ryland.”
He looks into her eyes and says, “I love hearing you say my name, Nori.” He kisses her forehead and releases her. “Go take a shower, and I’ll order breakfast.”
After she closes the bathroom doors, Ryland orders a large breakfast and mostly fixes the hinges on the doors to his rooms. At least they completely close now.
He reaches out to Garek and tells him to start an investigation into how the Starfall Beta knew Nori was here. She crossed the boundary only a few days ago. Someone in the castle must be providing Malrik with information.
chapter twenty-five
Nori quickly undresses and steps into the shower. “Gods! Why do I have to get emotional over some leggings? I am an idiot!” Nori practically shouts at Aylin.
“It’s fine, Nori; it’s good that you told him.”
Washing her hair thoroughly to remove any trace of blood, Nori sighs. “Sleeping in his bed with his whole body draped all over me was amazing!”
“Yeah. And that bed was absolutely the most comfortable we’ve ever been in.” Aylin pauses. “What the hell are you waiting for, Nori? Accept the Mate Bond and Claimhim as ours!”
Nori rinses her hair and frowns. “Give me a minute, will you? We are starting over now that he knows mostly everything. Let’s not forget, he almost killed us last night!”
“Yeah, that was kind of awful. I have a theory about that, though. I don’t think it had anything at all to do with us being from Starfall. I think the only reason he turned into a rage monster was because that asshole Beta called you his Mate. He wants you so badly that he was devastated to learn you were someone else’s Mate!”
Nori blows out a breath in frustration. “This is making my head hurt. Not to mention, I’m having a helluva time restraining my desire for him. Hearing that man laugh, I thought I was going to swoon!”
After laughing at herself, Nori cautiously asks, “Do you think this is real? I mean, we both need something from one another. He needs a Mate to break the curse, and I need protection from the Starfall Alpha and Beta.”
“I absolutely think it’s real. You can see his need to touch you all the time, even before we almost died.”
“Hmm. Maybe,” Nori says, stepping out of the shower. “And apparently, I have total control, since he can’t accept or reject the Bond. When’s the last time I had control over anything in our lives?”
Aylin huffs, trying not to lose her patience with her human. “In any case, he’s a much better Mate than the asshole Beta at Starfall.”
Nori frowns at the memories of Malrik’s constant abuse. “Totally agree.”
“And he smells a hundred million times better than the asshole Beta.”
