Page 28 of Cursed
After another round of silence, Nori asks, “What do you do for the Pack?”
“I am the Medical Director and head physician, which, admittedly, there’s not much for me to do, given how quickly we heal. However, I am one of three obstetricians, and we deliver a lot of babies. I’m also the lead research scientist, which currently takes up most of my time.”
Nori leans on the table with interest. “What are you researching?”
“A cure for the Rogue Wolf bite. We’ve collected several samples of the poison. We have thoroughly analyzed it, breaking it down into the lowest-level components. Ourultimate goal is to reverse engineer an antidote. We are currently in the test phase.”
“Wow, have there been many deaths here from a Rogue bite?” Nori asks.
“Sadly, yes, we’ve had about ten deaths here at the castle, but closer to fifty deaths throughout our Packlands. It’s awful losing pack members to this scourge. We are working around the clock to produce an antidote.”
Nori looks at Adele in a new light. She pretends to be the capricious sister of the Prince, but actually, she’s a serious asset to the Pack. The work that she is doing is admirable.
Nori recalls the Prince’s reaction to the blood in her hair and asks, “Have you done any research for the Prince, related to his scars?”
Adele narrows her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Well, it seems to me that it bothers him that the scars are constantly seeping blood. Have you considered some kind of salve to prevent the leaking?”
“Yes, Nori. I have considered many things to try to help him.” Adele frowns and sighs loudly. “There is nothing that can be done to subvert the curse in any way, other than, of course, a Mate to break the curse.”
It’s Nori’s turn to frown. “That witch went a bit overboard with the curse.”
“Ya think? I mean, show me a Prince who isn’t arrogant! This curse is savage and cruel.”
Adele glances up at the ceiling and takes a deep breath. “Before the curse, Ryland was a lot more fun and carefree. We used to spend every year at the annual fair, riding the roller coasters and eating all the awful fair food.”
She looks down at the table, playing with her napkin. “After the curse, he turned into a completely different person. He’s so serious and withdrawn now. Never hanging out or having any fun. He hardly ever has an actual conversation with me or Zayne.”
Adele shifts her gaze to Nori, who is staring intently at her. “After eighty years of living with the scars, he’s mostly just angry and irritable all the time, a shadow of himself. I miss the brother who would laugh with me.” She shakes her head and sighs. “He didn’t deserve this.”
Nori blows out a long breath. “Definitely overkill.” Then a small smile spreads across her face. “Dessert?”
Adele laughs, “Absolutely!”
Aylin says to Nori, “OK. Maybe she’s not so bad after all, but I’m still pissed about the ‘little mouse’ comment.”
Nori tries not to pile her plate with too many of the tiny desserts that the kitchen staff set out, so she only takes four. The first one she picks up looks kind of like a cookie sandwich with some cream filling inside. She smells it first, and Adele says, “It’s probably pistachio, given the green color.”
“What is it exactly?”
Adele frowns. “You’ve never had a macaron? Well, they are pretty good. It’s a French cookie.”
Nori takes a bite. She immediately smiles, and her eyes widen in surprise. “Oh my! It practically melts in your mouth.” She holds up another. “And this one with the nuts?”
Adele shakes her head, wondering if this woman has been living in a cave. “That’s a praline; it’s basically pecans, sugar, and butter. Generally, they are popular in the Southern United States.”
Nori breaks off a piece and pops it into her mouth. “Oh, wow! I like this one better. It’s not as good as the cinnamon roll I had this morning, but it’s a close second.”
“Nori, where the hell have you been that you have never had a cinnamon roll?”
chapter twenty
Ryland is annoyed and tired of trying to get the prisoner to tell him anything useful about where the Rogues are coming from. Beating answers out of him was fun for a while; now he’s just irritated.
The skunk scent did not help at all. The beast shrank down into the corner and shrieked from the smell.
It’s difficult to understand Rogues. Their throats cannot properly form sounds. Their words are raspy and guttural. They’ve figured out that he was ordered to attack, but they can’t decipher much else. Zayne is in the cell now, trying to get more information out of him.
