Page 88 of Curse of the Wicked Scoundrel (The Shadows 3)

Chapter 18

Eloise lay on top of Keyon’s chest, playing with his chest hair, drawing circles on his skin. He hissed slightly and covered her hand with his. “It tickles,” he said in a rough, grave voice.

Eloise giggled. “I like touching you. Thank you for allowing me this privilege.”

Keyon took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He kissed each finger with reverence. “Your touch heals that which was broken.”

“You were never broken. Just a little lost.”

Keyon scoffed. “You do not know how broken I was.”

“Then tell me,” she pleaded. Keyon grunted, and Eloise shifted to look at him. “No, truly. Tell me. What has your life been like before this? Before you became all-powerful.”

Keyon smirked and looked at the ceiling. “Well, you know that I spent years in a brothel. Then when I cut myself and got thrown out, a kind, old gypsy woman found me. She took care of me for a few months.”

“Hm, truly? You’ve spent months with a gypsy clan.”

Keyon grinned, lost in the memory. “Yes. And they were all lovely people as far as I knew.”

“As far as you knew?”

“The old woman who took care of me was a revered member of their society. People listened to her, admired her, but also feared her. And she told everyone that I was not to engage with anybody.”

“Why did she do it?” Eloise frowned at him.

One corner of Keyon’s lips curled in a smile. “The curse. Did you not hear?”

“Oh, so she took it very seriously.”

“She did. And so did I for a while.” Keyon shrugged.

Eloise lay back down, her head in the crook of his arm. “You don’t anymore?”

Keyon cuddled her closer to him. “Well, at first I was very superstitious. But soon I found out that a person can do whatever he wants as long as he puts his mind to it. So I decided to concentrate only on the good things she predicted and follow her teachings when I saw the benefit in it.”

“Did she predict a lot?”

Keyon dipped his head, his lips playing with her hair. “She wrote an entire journal.”

“She did? Can I see it?” Eloise raised her eyes to his.

Keyon shifted uncomfortably. “Some things are not very flattering about me there.”

“I want to know the truth about you. All of you.”

He grimaced. “You might change your mind on that.”

Eloise shook her head. She would never change her mind. She wanted to know this man like she had never known anyone before. She wanted to know his scent, to explore every inch of his body.

She didn’t say that out loud. She couldn’t. Because as much as she wanted to stay here, in this bed with him forever, there was a world outside that needed dealing with. She had a brother who was worried about her, looking for her right at this moment. And she had a fiance…

“What happened next?” she asked, to take her mind off her gloomy thoughts.

“When the woman died, I left the tribe to live on my own. I met a group of highwaymen and was living with them for a while.”

“You were a highwayman?” Her face split in a smile.

“Yes, I robbed people on the roads.”

---