Page 24 of The Wolf's Prince
His voice was so quiet he wasn't sure if his brother could have heard it, but a moment later, the door creaked open.
Before Andrey entered, Nikolai remembered his state and dragged the blanket up around himself.
Andrey shut the door behind him and stood for a long moment looking into Nik's dimly lit room.
His face was stricken with worry as he approached the bed.
“Nik,” he whispered. “Are you ill?”
Nikolai felt incredibly weak. That was perhaps why he immediately burst into tears, quiet sobs wreaking his body.
Andrey came forward at once, sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking his hair back.
“Nikolai, what happened?”
“It was S—Soren,” he gasped. “He did something to me.”
Andrey stared.
“The shifter?” he asked. “What do you mean? How could he have?”
“Sleeping with him did something,” Nikolai choked, feeling ridiculous even as he said it. “I feel like I'm dying. I need him.”
Andrey's grey eyes were wide, watching in horror.
“I'm telling our parents!” he said, jumping to his feet.
Nik nearly did die, right there and then.
“No! Andrey! This is already embarrassing enough. Don't tell anyone.”
Andrey shook his head regretfully.
“This is beyond my level Nikolai,” he said sympathetically. “I don't know what is wrong with you. I don't know anything about shifters. I don’t know how to fix this.”
“I can tell you what's wrong with me,” Nikolai insisted, “and how to fix it.”
Andrey waited and dammit that meant Nikolai had to open his mouth and force the embarrassing facts out.
“It's like I've been drugged by... an aphrodisiac.”
Andrey's lips parted in surprise.
“Oh... then, perhaps I should call one of your friends—”
“No!” Nikolai interrupted. “I wantSoren. He's the only one.”
“But youwantedto leave him behind. You woke me up before dawn to run—”
“I know!”
Nikolai shuddered.
“Please,” he finally whispered. “The thought of anyone else touching me makes me feel ill.”
Indeed, this conversation alone was turning his stomach.
Andrey leaned over him, squeezing his arm warmly.
