Page 27 of This Wicked Curse

“Unfortunately, it’s the reality of being the princess,” I say bitterly.

“Well, it won’t be your reality anymore.” His stool is seated behind the tub, allowing him to rest his chin against my shoulder.

“I hope not. Forgive me for not getting my hopes up just yet.”

We fall silent as he rinses the soap from my hair. Once I’m clean, I step out of the tub, gripping his hand for support. His fingers brush against my skin as he wraps a plush towel around my body, making my heart skip a beat.

“Careful now,” he teases, his breath warm against my ear as he pulls me close. “Wouldn’t want you to slip.”

I roll my eyes playfully while trying to ignore the tingle that runs down my spine.

“You should know I’ve climbed out of that tub on my own hundreds of times.”

“Yes, but that was before someone made your knees weak,” he says, grinning devilishly. “You’re forgetting that you made me take the blood oath.”

“I didn’t make you do anything.”

“Still, I can sense everything. It’s how I knew you were nervous. I don’t typically feel much, so it wasn’t hard to put together that it was coming from you.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing, then? Learning what makes me tick.”

“Maybe.” Sebastian allows me to turn to face him. “I think I’ve learned a lot.”

“Like what?” I’m not entirely sure how the blood oath works, but I know it doesn’t just spell things out. The feelings are vague, and their emotions act as your own. So, if I’m sad, he’ll feel sad himself and have to figure out if it’s him or me having that feeling.

“For starters, you don’t like talking about your father or whoever the man you slept with is. You’re nervous about sleeping with me or doing anything remotely intimate. At first, I thought it might be that you weren’t interested, but then I touched you and I discovered that it’s clearly not the case. That leads me to believe you’re inexperienced—maybe a one-off fling? How close did I get?”

“He wasn’t a fling.” Maybe I was wrong… Somehow, he’s able to differentiate between my feelings and his like they’re black and white. I’ll need to be more careful going forward.

“Don’t do that,” he says, kissing my shoulder and making butterflies spin in my stomach.

“I’m not doing anything.”

“You’re shutting down. It’s not a bad thing to feel… I think some people take it for granted.”

“I think we have some vows to say.” Changing the subject, I step away, pulling the towel tight around my middle. I exit the bathroom and the cool air hits me like a wall, making me shiver as I open my wardrobe. Pulling out a nightgown, I slip it over my head and let the satin slide down my body. Then it hits me… There’s nothing for him to wear.

“I don’t need anything,” he says, beating me to it.

“What will you wear tomorrow, then?”

“The clothes I wore here. I have clothes on my ship. I’ll change when we get there.”

“Your shirt is in shreds.”

“Then I won’t wear a shirt. I’ll be alright. I don’t usually sleep in clothes, anyway.”

It’s so vulgar. Everyone sleeps in clothes… right? Maybe it’s just the people in the castle.

Sebastian, still with the towel around his waist, crosses the room. The sachet my father gave him is in his hand. My heart races as I watch Sebastian’s expression shift from playful to something more serious and introspective. He seems to be studying me, taking in every detail of my face with an intensity that makes me feel both vulnerable and exhilarated.

“Vows,” he says softly, reminding me as he reaches out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

“From the air,” I begin, raising my hand to reveal the sigil the priestess gave us. “I vow, a union of souls.”

“From the air,” Sebastian echoes, his voice steady and strong, as he displays his own matching sigil. We continue with the other elements—earth, water, and fire—each time pledging our union of souls to one another.

With the final vows spoken, I can feel the weight of our commitment settling upon us. We stand before each other, strangers bound together by fate and circumstance. There’s only one thing left to do…

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