Page 15 of Cursed
Without that thick blanket wrapped around her, he can see how terribly thin and frail she is. She’s seriously undernourished.
He can practically see his wolf smirking at him. Ryland adjusts his throbbing cock before standing to head into the bathroom.
Nori glances at the Prince. “All done. Your turn, I...” She trails off, breathing in the assortment of smells from the warm food on the table, completely ignoring him.
“Look at all of that food, Aylin!”
Aylin whispers, “Is that all for us?”
Ryland watches the she-wolf stand motionless, her eyes glazing over, breathing deeply. He’s grateful she doesn’t notice his raging hard-on.
As casually as he can, Ryland says, “Food is on the table, and clothes are on the bed. I’ll hit the shower, and then we’ll talk.”
He gathers his clothes and starts toward the bathroom. Nori mumbles a reply and makes a mad dash to the food table, bypassing her new clothes. She grabs two rolls and shoves the first one in her mouth whole, chewing loudly. Ryland stares at her enthusiastic eating.
When she moans from the taste of the warm bread, Ryland sighs. “Good gods, I am in so much trouble.”
Without warning, Bade turns feral, yelling in Ryland’s head, “Scar!”
Ryland looks at the she-wolf, and instantly, he sees it. The ugly, red, raised skin peeking out from the top of the towel on her left shoulder. His breathing becomes ragged. Only repeated injury with silver would cause a wolf shifter not to heal.
His anger flares through the room. Nori stops chewing and whips her head around to watch the Prince stride across the room toward her, fuming. His eyes have turned completely black.
Fear grips her whole body; she struggles to breathe. Nori throws down the roll and lets out a scream as he grabs her bare shoulder.
She tries to fall to her knees in submission, but Ryland wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her to his chest. In the throes of a total panic attack, Nori keeps repeating “Sorry” over and over again. She’s too terrified to even notice the sparks from the Mate Bond rolling through her body from the close contact with the Prince.
Upon seeing that scar on Nori’s shoulder, Bade has completely taken over Ryland's body. He intends to find out who has harmed his Mate.
In his deep, gravelly Wolf Voice, Bade speaks next to Nori’s ear. “Relax, little one. I will not harm you.”
As soon as Nori hears his Alpha Wolf Voice, her fearmelts away, instantly replaced with desire. Moaning softly, she leans into him, and her head falls back onto his chest, exposing her neck. She floods the room with the scent of her arousal.
Bade gives a gravelly laugh and runs his nose along her neck, inhaling deeply. “So, you like my Wolf Voice?” he growls.
Nori is practically panting with need. She reaches up to hold the powerful arm that is keeping her from collapsing to the floor, grasping his hand. All she can manage is a moan. “Mmmm.”
Bade exerts a little of his Alpha Influence and growls softly. “Now tell me, little one. How did you get that scar?”
Nori sucks in a breath at the push of his Influence and tightens her grip on his hand.
When she doesn’t reply, Bade throws more Influence into his voice. “Who did this to you? Answer me!”
Nori practically orgasms right then and there. His voice vibrates through every cell of her body. Being pressed against his hard chest is almost too much for her to bear. She squeezes her wet thighs together and moans loudly. Aylin is in her mind, urging her to take him now and Claim him as hers.
Fighting her way through the haze of lust, Nori finds her voice. “It’s...not...a simple answer. Please. You said. Shower. Food. Clothes,” still panting, “then we talk.”
Ryland finally gains control of Bade and pushes him to the background. He breathes in the scent of Nori’s arousal all around him. He takes a single moment to bask in the feel of her body pressing into him and her soft hand clutching his. Only a flimsy towel separates him from this breathtaking creature. His desire to throw her onto his bed is so powerful, it takes all of his strength to resist the urge.
He releases her and walks away yelling, “FUCK!” He stops at the doors to the bathroom, glances back, and in a low voice says, “Sorry.”
Ryland sees her on her knees, clutching her towel tightly. She’s hanging her head and taking shallow breaths. He frowns deeply at all the bones clearly defined on the top of her back and several more scars along her shoulders and neck. He pushes into the bathroom as Nori whispers, “It’s all right. We’re OK.”
chapter twelve
Nori watches the Prince slam the bathroom doors. “What the fuck was that, Aylin? We are in so much trouble. And why was he so angry over a few marks on my shoulder?”
“Oh my gods, his Wolf Voice!” Aylin exclaims. “I don’t know what came over me. Sorry for pushing you to Claim him. I can’t understand his reaction at all.”
