Page 23 of Cursed
Nori closes her eyes and yells out loud, “Calm the fuck down!”
Aylin immediately releases control. Nori bends over, hands on her knees. She puffs out a relieved breath, looking down at the floor. When she has the panicky feeling under control, she stands, rakes both hands through her hair, and glances at Ryland. He’s as still as a statue, staring at her with a deep frown etched into his face.
A nervous laugh slips out, and she covers her face briefly, shaking her head. “Sorry. Sorry. Minor freak out. We promise to get through breakfast without any further drama.”
Nori sighs to Aylin, “I’m not gonna yell at you for that because I remember the last time someone offered us coffee. But damn! You broke a rule by looking at him. Not to mention, he’s gonna think we are totally nuts.”
“Sorry,” Aylin replies, still slightly unnerved.
Nori’s breathing returns to normal as she slowly walks to the overturned chair, sets it right, and sits back down. Ryland, in turn, takes his seat across the table from her. Blushing from embarrassment, Nori forces herself to look at the Prince to gauge his reaction.
Bade asks Ryland, “Any thoughts on how to proceed? Clearly, no touching the coffee pot. Ever!”
Ryland ignores Bade and gently asks, “Can you explain what just happened, Nori?”
She shakes her head. “How about we don’t discuss the horror show that my life has been over breakfast? Let’s simply sit here and eat like normal people, OK?”
Nori smirks. “That last bit was for you, Aylin!”
“I am not a person, and we are definitely not normal.”
Nori frowns at her attitude. “Well, pretend for the next twenty minutes, so we can eat!”
“Fine. I said sorry,” Aylin whines.
Ryland nods, his eyes still boring into her. “OK, Nori.”He’s concerned about her use of the words ‘horror show’ to describe her life.
Trying to act as normal as possible, Nori smiles slightly and picks up her fork. “The food looks amazing.”
Ryland gives her a moment to calm down. When she resumes eating and he hears her heart rate return to normal, he asks, “So, your wolf’s eyes are golden? What’s her name?”
Nori has the briefest moment of panic before looking up at the Prince. “Her name is Aylin, and yes, her eyes are golden. Your wolf’s eyes are black.”
“Yes. His name is Bade.”
Nori frowns and murmurs, “Bade.” She sits back and drinks her juice. “It means ‘battle,’ right?”
Bade whispers to Ryland, “And Aylin means ‘moonlight.’”
Ryland nods, wondering how she knows the origins of his wolf’s name. He’d assumed she was uneducated. “I’ve never seen a wolf with golden eyes.”
Nori’s eyes widen briefly. Knowing her mom told her to keep Aylin a secret from everyone, she keeps a tight grip on her emotions. “My eyes are amber. I always just assumed it was the reason hers were golden. They're complementary, like yours and your wolf’s, right?”
“Yes, you are correct; most wolves have complementary coloring.”
Bade sighs in Ryland’s mind, “So, her wolf must be white. I told you she was lovely.”
Ryland frowns briefly. “You are losing it, wolf.”
chapter seventeen
They sit in comfortable silence for the rest of breakfast until Nori picks up an item on the table that looks kind of like a roll, but it’s rolled up like a pinwheel with some sort of frosting on top. She sniffs it; then holds it up to the Prince with a confused look and asks, “What is this?”
“That is a cinnamon roll. I think of them as dessert for breakfast because it’s sweet.”
Bade asks Ryland, “She’s never seen a cinnamon roll? Where has she been?”
Nori studies the cinnamon roll, thinking about the best way to eat it. Deciding it’s way too messy to bite into, sheuses her fork to cut a piece off. She looks at the Prince one more time. When he nods, she places the piece in her mouth.
