Page 28 of The Stone Curse
“He took you away?”
“That very hour, and when I cried, he struck me. Told me to be a man. That males did not cry.”
Heat stung my eyes. “Curi…that’s…that’s just cruel.”
His mouth twisted in a bitter smile. “It’s normal. Our sires are tasked with ensuring we’re strong enough to do our duty. But no matter what I did, no matter how hard I trained, howfast I ran, how many competitions I won, I was never, ever good enough for him.”
I drew him to a halt at the edge of the woods and looked up into his moonlit face. “But you are, Curi. You know that, right? You know that you’re more than good enough. You’re the best.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You’re strong, but you know when to be gentle. You’re tough, but you know when to be kind. You’re strong-willed, but you know when to show compassion, and I…I adore you.”
He reached up to stroke my cheek. “I adore you too, Basque, and trust me, I have tried not to.” His gaze softened. “Being with you, Sharniza, Touron, and the twins is like finding home.” A moment stretched between us, a moment that could become something more if I took the step to make it so. I dropped my gaze, and the moment passed.
Curi dropped a kiss on my head. “Let’s get back. You can tell me what you saw in your mind walk along the way.”
SHARNIZA
I should have shared my experience with Cam. Why didn’t I? I stir the pasta sauce per Touron’s instructions. She’s my friend. What is wrong with me?
“You worried about things?” Derek says from over my shoulder.
I resist the urge to lean back against him. “I’m fine.”
“No. You are not. I can feel it. What is wrong?”
“Earlier, Cam asked me what I saw in the mind walk, but I didn’t tell her. But she told me what she saw in hers.”
“And you feel bad for not sharing?”
“Basically.”
“But you were not ready to share.”
“No, I wasn’t…I’m not.”
“Then why you worry? You know that Cam not think badly of you for not sharing. Cam loves you.”
He makes it so simple. “Thank you, Derek.”
“Um…Shar, is the sauce supposed to smell like that?”
I look down at the angrily simmering sauce that I’ve stopped stirring. “Shit!”
“What’s that smell?” Touron comes hurrying across the kitchen. “Is that my sauce?” I step aside for him to examine his creation. “Oh…oh shit. It’s burned.”
“I’m sorry. Can we save it?”
He takes it off the hob with a huff. “Nope. It’s done for. Dead.”
My cheeks burn. Such a simple task, and I messed it up. “I’m really so sorry.”
His shoulders sag. “It’s all right. I’ve burned this sauce recipe several times myself.”
“I’m starving,” Ginia whines. “What are we gonna doooo?”
Palia rolls her eyes. “You’re acting like there’s no more food left in the world.”
Levi sniffs the air as he joins us in the kitchen. “Is something burning?”
Touron groans.
