Page 14 of Cursed
After he orders food and clothing for his temporary Mate, he takes off his boots and grabs a change of clothes from the closet. He pours himself a tall whiskey and sits at the table, facing the closed bathroom doors.
Pictures of the she-wolf naked in his shower keep running through his mind, and his cock twitches awake. It’s been eighty years since he’s had a woman in his chambers.Sure, on rare occasions, he’s gone to whores, but those were not the greatest experiences. There’s been no female in his bed since the curse. Now, not only is there a naked woman in his shower, but there is a possible Mate...naked in his shower.
He groans and shifts his now fully erect cock to a more comfortable position. He hopes she hurries, so he can get in the shower and relieve himself before making a mess sitting here at the table. Thoughts of what her mouth would feel like on his suddenly float through his mind. Ryland hangs his head in his hand. “Fuck!”
Bade pipes up again, his baritone voice full of concern. “She’s too thin. Something’s not right. Where did she come from?”
Ryland leans back in the chair and nurses his drink. “We’ll get her story after she eats.”
“Fine, but do not scare her or her lovely wolf,” Bade orders.
Raising an eyebrow at that comment, Ryland asks, “How do you know her wolf is lovely?”
“I don’t. I can just smell that sunshine smell of hers. She can’t not be lovely.”
A smirk slides across his face, and Ryland chuckles lightly. “You are such an idiot.”
Bade’s voice drops to a whisper. “What if...what if she’s the one?”
Frustrated by his wolf’s reactions, Ryland rakes a hand through his hair. “Do not even go there! It’s only the Mate Bond fucking with your head.”
“You can’t know that. It has to happen eventually, right?”
“Bade, it’s been eighty years. This curse will never be broken.” Ryland sighs and takes a big swig of his drink.
Nori practically squeals in the shower. “Oh my gods, Aylin. This is the most amazing shower ever! I’m turning on all the jets!”
“All of the soap smells like him!”
Nori, scrubbing hard to get the mud from her hair, thinks her wolf is unhappy about the soap. “Who cares? Soap is soap, and he has shampoo! When was the last time we actually had shampoo? Hell, when was the last time we had a proper shower?”
“No, I mean all the soap smells delicious, like him,” Aylin replies seriously.
Nori pauses, concerned about Aylin’s feelings for the Prince. “Now, don’t get all excited over those kissable lips of his. Shit! Stupid Mate Bond feelings!”
Washing her hair for the second time, she continues, “I mean, he’s not going to want us once I tell him who we are and where we’re from. He’ll reject the Mate Bond and send us back to Starfall. I’m not sure why he hasn’t already rejectedus, but we need a plan because we are never going back to that hellscape!”
Aylin doesn’t understand why Nori is trying so hard to ignore this Bond. “You don’t know he won’t want us. Go out there and tell him about our life at Starfall. Tell him how they mistreated us.”
Nori snorts through her nose, rinsing the grimy soap from her skin. “That’s not going to work; he’s going to press me for our Pack name right away. If I tell him I’m from Starfall right away, he won’t hear me out.”
Soaping up her entire body for a second time, she says, “I need to get him to promise not to send us back. Only then will I tell him about our crappy life. Hopefully, he’ll understand why we can’t go back, and then I’ll tell him we’re from Starfall.”
“Wow. That is the worst plan ever,” Aylin grumbles.
“I know,” Nori sighs, exasperated. She has no idea how to handle this situation. She has no experience dealing with an actual Prince. “Maybe I can think of something better after we get something to eat.”
“I think you are making this way too complicated. In the meantime, let’s just enjoy the shower,” Aylin replies.
“Agreed. Let’s enjoy being safe for this brief moment and hopefully eating an actual meal. The food they prepare for the Prince must be amazing.”
chapter eleven
After what seems like an eternity, Ryland looks up when his temporary Mate opens the doors. Wrapped in a giant fluffy towel, she steps out of the bathroom completely clean from head to toe, and naked under that towel.
Ryland lets out a low groan as he stares at her. His erection is about to bust out of his pants. He snarls to Bade, “She is fucking stunning! Gods Dammit!”
Her skin, pink from the hot shower, has an unusual glow, and her long hair, wavy and damp, is a light, pearly blond. Thick lashes frame her warm, amber eyes, and her nose is just the right amount of perky. But it’s her lips thatcommand Ryland’s attention. He would like nothing more than to taste those full, pink lips.
