Page 197 of Cursed Evermore
“No.”
Warmth spread through me, hot and unexpected, and something long frozen inside me began to thaw, melting the fight from me.
Those simple words were the clearest he'd ever been with me. They carried the weight of a thousand things left unspoken, a balm on my desperation for what I yearned to know.
“So… am I correct in understanding that you care about somethingotherthan the ring?” My voice caught. “Something like… me?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation in his answer. No games. No riddles. Nothing to misunderstand. Just truth laid bare between us.
I was almost afraid to breathe in case I shattered this fragile, monumental moment.
“That's—” I swallowed hard. “That's good to know.”
His unwavering stare rooted me to the spot. I wondered what he was thinking—what his confession might change between us.
Before I could dwell on it further, he snapped his fingers, breaking the spell. In his hands appeared a light blue dress.
It was a delicate-looking everyday thing, made of homespun linen with a fitted bodice and a row of silver lacing that crisscrossed down the front. The skirt alternated in pretty tones of pale blue, giving it a quiet, earthy elegance.
There was nothing grand about it like the others Arielle had given me, but what made it special was that it came from Wolfe.
He handed it to me. “Put this on.”
I took the dress and clutched it to my chest, unsure of what to say.
He watched me for a few heartbeats, his gaze soft but unreadable. “I won't look.”
He turned around. No demand. No teasing. Just... space.
I gazed at his back, a wall of dark ink and muscle guarding me from the rest of the world, including himself.
Stepping back, I turned away, too, and let the sheet slip away from my body. While it floated down to the floor, I took off his shirt and quickly slipped on the dress.
I picked up his shirt and held it for a moment, remembering the solace it gave me. The scent of him had soothed me like his strong arms were wrapped around me, like safety made tangible.
Allowing myself to entertain such thoughts pushed me down that dangerous path again. One that had become even more treacherous now that he'd told me he cared about me.
I straightened and turned back to him, still clutching his shirt. “I'm dressed.”
Slowly, he faced me and looked me over. He wriggled his fingers, and soft slippers appeared on my feet.
“Thank you. Thanks for the dress, too.”
“You're welcome.”
I handed him back his shirt. He took it and held it at his side, then we stared at each other wordlessly. The door was still locked, so I couldn't leave. I took that to mean he wasn't finished with me yet.
“We're still brainstorming ideas for the spell,” he said, his voice returning to its normal sternness.
Gods, he was actually giving me the long-awaited update. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No more than what you're already doing. I think dragon magic may be the key to helping us, but I'm not sure what exactly we're supposed to do. The plan now is to try everything. We may be able to start testing later next week or the week after.”
“That's… dangerously close to my reset.”
“I know. But there's not a lot we can do about that. Our only other option is talking to the Seer.”
“A Seer?” I'd read about seers in Grandmother's books. I knew they were fascinating beings who were hard to come by.
