Page 12 of Desire

Determined to unravel the mystery, I read and ignored all else.

However, the men of the glade weren’t of the mind to be ignored for long. I knew they’d run out of patience when Liam shuffled to the door and said he couldn’t see anymore, and Eadric refused to feed him his meal.

Liam truly looked terrible with his swollen eye. So, I closed the book and rose to kiss both his cheeks.

“Poor thing,” I said, struggling not to laugh.

While I did feel terrible about the injuries he’d gained defending me, I knew he wasn’t so hurt that he needed comfort. He’d been sent to gain my attention because he looked the worst among them.

He took my hand and led me out to the others. Brandle and Edmund were missing, but the sound of chopping behind the cottage told me where they were. Garron walked near the tree line. Eadric lounged in his strung bed. Daemon poked at the fire. Darian sat on a bench by the table, watching his twin. Likely he was unable to lie down due to his nose. The swelling looked equally as terrible as Liam’s.

Liam led me to the bowl beside Darian.

The casting books had provided a glimpse into a world of which I knew very little. Yet, it was that world I needed to grasp in order to help these men break whatever curse had been cast upon them. And I realized that, although they weren’t allowed to give me hints, they could still guide me to the answer. And perhaps they had been doing so already with their playful bids for attention.

So, rather than sitting on the bench, I nudged Darian to straighten his posture, then perched on his lap to face Liam.

They all stared at me as I grabbed the bowl and lifted a spoonful of soup. Liam didn’t make any move to eat it.

“Is this not what you wanted?” I asked.

Darian’s arms snaked around my waist, and he pulled me more firmly onto his lap.

“I most certainly wanted this,” he said.

“Liam?” I asked, watching him. “Can you not see the spoon? Do you need me to bring it to your mouth?”

Though his eyelids were quite swollen, he proved he could see by darting forward and eating the bite.

“I could eat better if you were on my lap,” he said after swallowing.

“Then perhaps you would like to wait until Darian is done petting me.”

Daemon laughed, and Darian groaned.

“Princess, I can’t tell if you’re provoking me or have no idea what you say.”

I turned to look at him. “Is your hand not petting my side?”

He set his forehead on my shoulder and mumbled something about pleasure and pain.

“If I’m making you uncomfortable, I’ll sit on?—”

“No,” Darian said, tightening his hold. “Stay. Please.”

I agreed and finished feeding Liam while Darian held me and rested his cheek on my shoulder.

“Does anyone need more pain tea?” I asked.

“Not yet, Lamb,” Daemon said. “But Eadric wouldn’t mind a bit of a snuggle next. His leg pains him.”

I glanced at Eadric in his swinging bed, and he lifted his arms and wiggled his fingers to beckon me. Could allowing them these liberties truly free them of their spell, or were they simply starved for female companionship?

“If I lie with Eadric, who will start the evening meal?”

“Garron and I will cook tonight,” Daemon said a moment before he called Garron over.

I went to Eadric and puzzled over how to join him on his swinging bed without injuring him. Hands clasped around my waist and lifted me. In short order, I found myself lying on top of Eadric. His arms wrapped around me to keep me in place.

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