Page 40 of Born of Blood and Thorns

"It means..." Lore began, moving swiftly until he was towering over me. Pain and threat rolled off him in waves as he glared down at me, his expression too confusing. "It means you need to be careful around me," he growled, his eyes flashing red.

So much anger and so swiftly. It made me think - and not for the first time - that Lore was affected by not having a complete connection to his shifter side, his dragon.

Like a piece of him had been missing for far too long, it had slowly driven him to these intense mood swings and moments where he was grumpy and wretched. I couldn't let him get away with it. He needed to know it was not okay to talk to me this way or try to intimidate me. I was tired of men in my life thinking they could just push me into a corner and take what they wanted.

I was tired of them thinking because I was a little weak girl, it was okay to use intimidation against me. My anger flared white hot as I stepped forward, ready to take him on if needed. I bared my teeth, uncowed. "Yet you seemed happy enough to fuck me this morning. What changed?"

His nostrils flared, but his eyes remained pale blue with no hint of bleeding red. The dragon did not appear—only the man. Honestly, it was the man who scared me and the dragon who excited me. I swallowed hard but refused to retreat.

"Tell me about the curse," I demanded.

Lore grabbed me, slamming me against the wall. His muscled frame caged me as I struggled. He leaned in, breath hot on my throat, and said, "The curse cannot be broken. I am damned, as are you."

I froze, shock coursing through me. Was our fate sealed just like that? Lore abruptly released me, sorrow flickering across his face before the mask slammed into place again. Dazed, I slid to the floor, grappling with this cruel revelation. We were prisoners here, and our destinies interlocked whether we willed it or not. The cursed dragon and vampire's granddaughter, enemies and lovers, what future could we possibly have?

"There is an ancient curse upon this kingdom," Lore said, his eyes haunted. He rubbed the back of his neck and took a long, deep breath, the skin creating tiny creases at the corners of his eyes before going smooth again. "Many centuries ago, after I inadvertently caused the death of the moon goddess's daughter, she struck back with her twisted magic. She froze our entire kingdom in time, condemning all who lived here to endless stagnation, never aging or changing. We are powerless prisoners."

My ancestor had been the instrument in his sister's demise, and I felt his pain as acutely as if I were the one to place the curse on him. The way he felt trapped, helpless for so long. I could understand that. I'd thought about it for every day of my life. Though my pain could not even scratch the surface of his.

I sat on the cold floor for a long moment before finally sighing, muttering a soft apology as I turned and left.

Because now fear wriggled inside me. Lore was going to destroy me. I feared if I let myself care about him, there would be nothing of my heart left. Even though we had this magnificent moment and a connection like nothing I'd ever felt or that his dragon had claimed me, it meant nothing.

We were enemies. We always would be. So, I walked outside and focused on finding a way out of this wretched place.

I walked the entire wall, all the way around the perimeter. The same poisonous thorns surrounded the entirety of the castle grounds. Only this time, as I studied them, throughout the thorns were the biggest and most beautiful roses I'd ever seen. I wondered if they were also poisonous. I had started to reach for one only to snatch my hand back, the reddened scar on my hand still throbbing.

"There has to be a fix for this," I muttered. I hadn't eaten anything today, too preoccupied by my conflicted thoughts.

"You see them, don't you?" Billy asked, making me jump.

I hadn't heard him approach; I was so intent on my thoughts. I turned to look into his young yet wise gaze, thinking not for the first time how frustrated he must be to be stuck at this age, frozen in time as a child.

I nodded. The thorns were as impenetrable as Lore's heart.

"What's it like, Billy?" I asked him softly.

He nodded, knowing what I meant. "At first, it was fun." He paused, taking a seat as our legs dangled over the stone wall that faced the castle. The poisonous thorns weren't far from our backs. "You know, you don't realize the difference until it's all you realize." He sighed.

"I thought being hungry, cold, and unloved was the worst fate imaginable, but I think the idea of being stuck here for centuries while the world outside moves on is probably much worse."

"Now add in being stuck as a ten-year-old," he muttered bitterly, the first hint of his displeasure at his predicament showing. "I put on a brave face and smile for my mom, but I hate it so much. I just want to grow up, but I can't."

I placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I hope you get to grow up soon." I paused, watching the sun slowly dip lower into the horizon as it set in the distance. "I'm not sure I'm going to be any help if I can't find us a way out of here first."

"There is only one way out," Billy said. His eyes were distant momentarily before he turned and began to climb down. Once on the ground, he said, "Tonight's a full moon, so you'll need to come inside. I think Mama has something special planned for dinner."

"What does a full moon matter?" I called after his retreating form, but he didn't answer me.

"You need to go get dressed!" Alysha practically yelled at me as I stood before her in a dirty tunic and ripped leggings, covered in dust and dirt from my activities of the day.

"Why?" I looked down at myself, dusting the dirt from my legs. "I look fine."

Alysha snorted. "You look like a stable boy, but we can fix that." She grabbed my arms and pulled me to my room, talking about the one night a year when things were different. I pretended to understand, smiling and nodding like a loon while letting her drag me across the castle. I carefully scooted around the odd furniture and knickknacks in various areas and places. Usually, I just pushed them out of the way.

I'd even stumbled over what appeared to be a tea tray the other day, denting the delicate, dainty metal as it skittered to the ground.

The way Alysha passed them, reverently touching each object and bit of furniture as if saying hi to an old friend, struck me as odd. I had noticed Lore giving a wide berth to the furniture as well. Had they gone just a little mad in the centuries of being stuck here? Was this my future if I didn't get out? The questions echoed in my mind, twisting my stomach and making my heart beat to a point that almost hurt. My breaths became shorter as I felt, not for the first time, like a bird stuck in a cage with a predator. One that wanted to eat me bit by bit.

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