Page 28 of Born of Blood and Thorns

I chewed on that. That explained why Billy and Lore held a family resemblance. "Why would she do that?"

"She had just lost her daughter and she thought she was about to lose her crown." Alysha shrugged as if that explained it.

"But she wasn't?"

She shook her head. "I had no intention of becoming Queen. As I had no intention of remaining his mistress."

"When a king wants something, you aren't allowed to say no," a deep voice said from behind her. Alastair walked into the room and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. He looked down at her with eyes full of love. Alysha grasped his hand and met his loving gaze with her own.

"So you're stuck here now," I added. "Together."

"It's not as bad as all of that. Lore is a good man and has never held it against me. Plus, for many years, we only had each other. We're…" Alysha drifted off as if thinking deeply about it before finally answering, "A family."

"The curse, tell me about it." As soon as curse left my mouth, the room became tense, and my lips pressed together.

"That is not our tale to tell," Alastair said, his eyes turned guarded, and Alysha nodded in agreement.

Which meant it was Lore's.

"The dragon—it is Lore, isn't it?" I asked. I had assumed all this time, but no one had confirmed it.

"It is," Alysha said sadly, wringing her hands together. "Though you won't see the dragon during the day. We all find it best to stay indoors once the sun goes down. We know his dragon would never harm us. It's just a precaution."

I opened my mouth to ask why they would need to be cautious, but Billy burst into the room excitedly—something I noticed was his habit. His gaze took in the room.

"There's a new groundhog!" he exclaimed. His shining face turned to me as if I was the bringer of the groundhog. "We haven't seen one in so long. I spotted it in the garden."

"Are animals and birds not common here?" I asked, reflecting on our conversation about where the meat came from. They had chickens that appeared magically every day as if the day reset itself. I'd read a similar story. Once upon a time, a witch had cursed a man to relive the same day repeatedly—until he went mad. I shivered at the thought, realizing it was much like the curse here, only there were some changes.

I believed the original curse was meant to leave him forever alone. How did she expect him to break a curse if his true love wasn't even here? I stared at Alysha. Unless she was his true love and her being here was orchestrated on purpose. In that case, the curse had indeed backfired if, all these years later, they had yet to break it.

Billy's excited announcement cut straight to my core. His sapphire eyes shone bright with hope, pleading for me to join him. An infectious grin split his cherubic face, revealing his missing tooth. His childlike joy and optimism were irresistible. I found myself helpless against the power of his enthusiasm. After a lifetime starved of friendship, how could I deny this sweet boy?

"I'd be delighted," I heard myself say, even as my mind spun with unanswered questions.

Billy needed a playmate more than I needed solutions to this confounding puzzle. His loneliness resonated within me like a sorrowful refrain. How many endless days and nights had I longed for a companion to ease my isolation?

Billy eagerly yanked my hand, pulling me into the midday sun's searing golden rays. I blinked against the sudden brightness as he led me to the garden, a patchwork of herbs and vegetables nestled against the castle walls.

"Oh shoot, he's gone!" Billy's crestfallen face crumpled in disappointment as he searched in vain for the elusive groundhog. His chin dipped, and he fought back tears, still valiantly trying to force his smile back into place.

My heart ached at his dejection. What fresh tragedy to be severed entirely from nature's living, breathing cycle. It had to feel like an island cut off from the tides of life, trapped in stagnation. I wanted to gather him into my arms, to shelter him from the unfathomable isolation.

Instead, I murmured reassurances and pointed out the telltale holes pockmarking the otherwise pristine soil. Proof that we were not entirely forsaken. Billy latched onto this lifeline hungrily, explaining how the animals had vanished when the curse fell. His wisdom belied his tender years, honed from endless empty days with only himself for company. The thought sank like a stone in my belly.

He was sure my arrival had changed things, ushering in new life to disrupt the status quo. Perhaps he was right; I was the catalyst for this curse's end. At what cost? Lore's blood on my hands? Billy's trusting eyes turning cold with betrayal? Impossible choices loomed before me, but at that moment, I brushed aside the shadows and clung to the light in Billy's smile.

For now, it was enough.

CHAPTER 14

Bella

It was late in the afternoon when I found him. He stood with his back to me in an armory just inside the courtyard. Alastair was with him, and they had both peeled off their shirts. The cool air hinted at the coming warmth of spring, a stark difference from the winter chill outside this castle. In the shifter village, it was the beginning of winter. Here, it was spring.

Despite the cool air, Lore was glistening with sweat. He lowered an axe and picked up a sword. Alastair turned toward me, a smile on his face. Yet I darted behind the wall and peeked out to avoid being seen.

I watched from around the castle wall like I was ashamed to be seen. His body, too, was a work of art. It was Lore's that held me mesmerized. His back was toned with lean muscle. The curve of his back disappeared into a well-formed muscular behind. Scars from battles littered his exposed skin, with a particularly gruesome one across his back that marred the perfect golden tone of his skin.

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