Page 21 of Cursed
“Nori,” she says sleepily.
His head whips around to look at her, stunned at hearing her name for the first time. “Goodnight, Nori.”
He changes out of his jeans into a pair of loose-fitting pajama pants. He climbs into bed fully clothed to avoid getting blood from the scars all over the sheets. As soon as his head hits the pillow, Ryland says to Bade, “I am never going to get to sleep with her smell all over these rooms.”
“I’m a bit unsettled after spending several hours with her. The Mate Bond has never lasted this long. It was a good call to start fresh in the morning.” Bade sighs. “You know her name means 'light,’ don’t you?”
Ryland buries his face in the pillow. “You are acting like a lovesick pup. Pull yourself together!”
Sighing heavily, he takes a moment before he says, “Seriously, though. A few weeks in the woods wouldn’t cause such severe malnutrition. What do you think happened to her?”
A rumbling growl comes from Bade. “Something bad. You heard her story about killing the Rogues. She studies body movement, and she’s able to anticipate a strike. You think that’s why she’s on the run?”
“I don’t know, but clearly that’s the reason she hasn’t rejected the Bond. She’s desperate for someone to help her. We’ll get her story tomorrow.”
chapter sixteen
Ryland’s eyes pop open to light streaming in through his windows and the sounds of panicky breathing coming from the next room. The Mate Bond kicks into high gear. With a powerful need to protect her, he jumps out of bed and runs to the sitting room.
Ryland finds Nori sitting straight up on the couch, looking around confused, knees pulled into her chest. She’s sucking in deep, ragged breaths, clearly frightened. Trying not to scare her, he gently says, “Nori, you are in the Blood Moon Castle in my chambers.”
Nori’s eyes land on the Prince, standing at the entranceto his bedroom in an attack stance, his chest rising and falling rapidly. A pale blush creeps over her face, and she throws herself back down on the couch, covering her head with the pillow.
Ryland hears a muffled chuckle and then, “Shit. Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”
He breathes out loudly, and his shoulders sag with relief. “It’s OK. Are you all right?”
Nori moves the pillow back behind her head and blows some stray hairs from her face. “Yeah. I’m fine. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve slept indoors. Still getting used to it, I guess.”
“How long were you in the forest?”
Nori raises her eyes to the ceiling, calculating. “I guess it was about a month. It was my fault we were lost for that long. I neglected to grab a map before we…” Suddenly realizing she’s giving him too much information, her mouth snaps shut.
“A month? You were wandering aimlessly in the woods for a month?” Ryland’s heart beats faster, amazed that she’s still alive.
Hoping the Prince doesn’t notice that she didn’t finish her sentence, Nori tries to cover her mistake. “Yes, well, my wolf is an excellent hunter. We survived pretty well, except for the recent heavy snow. We went a few days without food after that.”
His head tilts to the side, and he asks, “Before you, what? You neglected to grab a map before you, what, Nori?”
Frowning, she decides to tell him the truth. “Before we left. Took off. Ran. Escaped. Take your pick.”
“And what were you running from?”
Luckily for Nori, her stomach picks that moment to growl loudly.
Ryland suddenly has a powerful urge to feed her, to take care of her. Frowning at the Mate Bond sensations, he walks over to the phone on his desk. “I’ll have breakfast sent up. We can pick up this conversation after we eat.”
“Breakfast sounds great. Would it be alright if I use your gigantic bathroom to freshen up?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Nori smiles at him and gets up off the couch, folding the blanket. “Thank you!”
Ryland groans inwardly to his wolf, “That smile of hers is going to be the death of me!”
As soon as she closes the doors to the bathroom, Nori puts her face in her hands. “Damn. Why am I such a freak, waking up utterly terrified? I had the stupid dream again about Beta Mal…I mean, our former Beta coming after me.”
“I’m so sorry. You haven’t had that one in a while.”Aylin’s tone is full of sympathy.
