Cursed, p.19
Cursed, page 19
part #3 of Haven Realm Series
I did a double take in Raze’s direction. They had no problems with them all sharing me or was he referring to whole taming-the-curse thing?
Talin huffed and stuck out his chest. “Do you think I want to show you all my moves?” He whisked me outside into the hallway before shutting the kitchen door.
“I’m starved,” Raze said from inside, but Talin drew me deeper into the corridor.
“Why are you so shy?” I asked. “I would never have guessed a future king would be that way. Especially with the way your brothers are.”
“You mistook respect for shyness. I love my brothers. I won’t get into a deep passionate kiss with a girl I admire in front of them. Not my style.”
So he admired me, and here I thought he saw me as a means to the end. Though that hadn’t stopped me from fantasizing about him too. Butterflies swarmed in my gut as if I were going on a first date. I followed him into a room with a chestnut table running down the middle and six chairs. Nothing else, not even a chandelier and candles. Sunlight poured in from the uncovered window, and beyond that lay a snowy landscape with pine and mountains in the distance. “Wow. That’s beautiful.”
Talin stood behind me, pushing his chest against my back, and I inhaled his musky scent. His arms hooked around me. “Everything about the castle reminds me of my childhood. The festivals my parents would hold, the laughter booming throughout the halls. I’d hide in a different room when bedtime came to avoid going to sleep. My dad always found me and carried me to bed on his shoulders. That’s the type of future I dream of for my family.”
I leaned into his arms, loathing that Rek had dragged Talin into this mess. “I promise to do everything to make it a reality.”
His kiss on my neck incited tingles that ran through my chest. “I wouldn’t want anyone else helping us.”
“But I made things worse and couldn’t stop you before you killed Rek. We could have forced him to tell us where the magical object from the curse was so we could break the hex.”
“Sweetie, don’t blame yourself.” His fingers skimmed the fabric off my shoulder, his mouth finding the soft flesh, and I melted against him. “This whole situation is fucked. And I refuse to look at the past. We’ll get through this. If us kissing and getting personal keeps the curse at bay, then the answer may lay there.”
I nodded, unsure how to respond. But he was right. The solution lay in my magic drawing us together. Why else would tasting each other’s blood have snapped Raze and me back to normal in the woods?
And while the easier solution might have been for Talin to taste my blood on my lips, I enjoyed this side of him better—sexy and unafraid to speak his mind.
He clasped my breasts, and my libido sparked. As if I hadn’t had enough last night, a warm trickle of my desire coated my sex. Nope, this was definitely the best solution. And I wasn’t complaining one damn bit.
The moan on my throat propelled Talin to spin me around and face him. His mouth fell to mine, fast and desperate. Arousal shuddered through me, and I pawed at his bare chest. The overwhelming longing to have Talin take me clawed at my insides, rousing the inferno calming me.
“Talin,” I cried.
His hands skipped to my hips, and he yanked my skirt up, bunching it around my hips, the coldness of the room a reprieve on my bare ass because I hadn’t got dressed properly for the day yet. But the moment his fingers caressed my pussy, I moaned.
“One touch and I’m intoxicated.” His chest expanded. He lifted me to sit on the table’s edge. “If I’d known you weren’t wearing any underwear, I would have ravaged you the instant I got out of the cage.”
I fell back and arched in anticipation as he spread me. Before I replied, he crouched and took my sex into his mouth, devouring me, licking every inch. His tongue was silk, and my toes curled. Raw intensity rolled through me—breathing faster, plus speeding.
My head rocked from side to side, a mewl escaping my lips.
He pushed two digits into me, pumping so fast, I raised my pelvis, meeting each thrust.
“I’m going to explode.”
And with that, Talin pulled out, and I groaned. “What are you doing?”
He grinned, his handsome face taking on a different look from the usual solemn expression he’d worn for days. “I could stare at your pussy for eternity, the delicious folds and how they glisten.”
Out of instinct, my knees come together, but he shook his head. “Keep them open. Show me all of your assets.” He pushed them wider and stood back, staring. “Touch yourself for me.”
I swallowed past the fire climbing me, but an inferno blazed through me. My palm traced down my chest, over my stomach, and grazed the curls between my thighs.
Talin dropped his pants and stepped out of them.
I couldn’t stop admiring his thickness. Not only were these princes the most handsome men I’d ever met, but they packed a punch in their trousers. Equally.
“Don’t stop,” he demanded. “Open yourself.”
As I lay on the table, I rubbed a finger down the middle of my slit, trembling from the sensitivity, and how much I craved to have Talin pound me. I pried open my inner lips. Just having a hunk like Talin watch my pussy while I stroked himself, turned me on beyond measure. I shook, and my gut clenched.
“Please, Talin.” How quick had he brought me to arousal?
Without a word, he edged his tip into me, while his hands collected my legs and placed them against his chest and over his shoulder.
When he plunged into me, I exploded with a scream. The forcefulness coupled with his size left me convulsing with excitement. He hammered fast and deep, grasping my waist.
Barely able to keep up with my racing heart, I gasped for air, drowning beneath his attention. Needing more, I moaned louder. And Talin didn’t back down or stop.
Something inside me gripped my libido. And in an instant, my orgasm unleashed. My skin tingled in a frenzy.
I screamed with the most satisfying euphoria rattling through me, my inner walls squeezing Talin as he slammed into me once more before grunting, pulsing. His eyes were on me, with a new look of admiration, as if he saw me for the first time.
After a long pause of us gasping for air, he said, “Is it wrong of me to dream of keeping you forever?”
I gasped for air, convinced he was high on sex. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Maybe not, but right now, I could marry you.”
And with those few words, he’d undone me. Not only had he said what I’d desired to hear, but a sharpness pierced my heart. Every moment I spent with the princes carried me closer to them. Made me crave them and fantasize a future that might never exist.
Chapter 25
By the time Talin and I returned to the kitchen, everyone had vacated the room. Scrambled eggs on bread remained on a plate, and Talin had already helped himself, and I joined him.
“Where are they?” Had they transformed? There wasn’t any roaring from deeper in the house and they would have busted in on us in the other room if they’d turned. Part of me worried that they listened in on Talin and me doing more than just kissing… Were they pissed or jealous? I struggled to keep my emotions in check or understand what the men thought about our relationships. Not that I’d call it that, yet the idea of losing them left me hollow. Which was stupid, yet in their company, they made me happier than I’d been in the longest time. They calmed me, had me laughing, aroused me to no end, and I adored our conversations. But none of that would matter if I didn’t find a solution. The full moon arrived tonight, and a shiver gripped me.
Talin smacked his lips with food and was at my side, embracing me. “You look pale.”
I nodded but said, “I’m fine; just need to eat.” Trepidation wormed through me, and I ate my meal, staring at the herb book still there from yesterday.
Talin’s strong hand rubbed my back, and he pulled up next to me and dragged my chair with me in it closer to him. “We’re all scared of tonight. But we’ve got each other.”
“What if we fail?” My throat tightened, and panic clawed up my spine. I fumbled with the cord on my dress. “You all die and I turn into Lilita forever, killing everyone in my path.” Hiccupping, I blinked fast to keep the tears at bay. This wasn’t the time to break down or lose myself to what-ifs. Yeah, my logical brain made easy sense of the obvious, yet my heart bled, and I gasped for air to fill my strangled lungs.
“Take slow breaths. You’re not alone. The four of us adore you so much, Bee. More than you could imagine and in the past few days, you’ve touched each of us in different ways. I can’t speak for the others, but I’m falling for you.” His voice deepened and took on a serious tone.
I lifted my chin, his face blurring behind tears. “Goddess. Why would you say that when I’m already struggling with losing you?” Whatever happens, I wasn’t an idiot to think the princes of White Peak would take a mere human as their partner and share me. I almost laughed out loud at how ridiculous it sounded. I’d be the luckiest woman in the world if I had one of these men in my life, yet I cried for all four.
Talin wrapped me in a warm embrace of his chest and arms. “You’ve got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. That’s one reason I’m drawn to you.”
I softened against his hard muscles, adoring his way he ran his hand over my head.
He was right… time wasn’t on our side, and as much I wanted to hide and pretend we weren’t up against the odds, I had to pull myself together. With a deep breath, I looked up at Talin. He studied me with a smile that reached his eyes.
“Remember,” he said. “No matter what happens, you’ve already won over our hearts. There’s nothing you can do that will disappoint us.”
I nodded and wiped my eyes. “Thank you.” Dozens of ideas fluttered across my mind, but they blended into a fog. This wasn’t an ordinary transformation. The hex came with an expiration date—they were all going to die when the full moon reached its highest point in the night sky unless I stopped it. Would my efforts be enough?
Talin kissed my wet cheeks and climbed to his feet, taking my hand in his. He consoled me, yet he was about to lose everything, his family line wiped out, and his brothers gone.
The time for feeling sorry for myself ended now. “I’m going herb hunting in the greenhouse. Hoping to find sage and rue.” I hugged him. “Thank you.”
“I’ll find the others and we’ll meet you in the library. We have books on every topic in the world. There has to be an answer we haven’t thought of yet.”
By the time I trekked outdoors and entered the glass house, the snowy iciness on my skin melted. Vegetables, fruit trees, ripe vines, and other greenery surrounded me, some covered by a white cloth to help the plants avoid frostbite.
Once I reached the two bronze benches where I’d first met Ash, I searched the rows of plants around me, surprised by the lack of herbs. I eyed the wooden stem of the roses Ash had planted in a dozen pots. They huddled close near the glass wall. His belief was that one day they’d grow again—it was a way for him to connect with his lost family members on an emotional level, I assumed. And I understood, as I still kept Mom’s button collection. For no reason other than she collected them and every time I stuck my hands in the jar, I’d hear her in my ear telling me not to drop them.
I crouched down next to a stem and prodded the soil. Dark and moist. Looked healthy. The outer layer of the stem remained green, as if it were fresh. If Ash was right, and these were ten years old, then there had to be magic still in the flowers from when they’d first been created.
The stem was bumpy under my touch.
“A complete waste of time,” Ash grumbled from behind me.
I flinched, and my finger pricked a thorn. “Ouch.” With my cut finger in my mouth, I tasted the coppery flavor and lifted myself to face Ash.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Damn thing stabbed me.” I showed him my injury and it must have been deep, as a fresh droplet rolled down my skin. Ash was there, and he kissed the tip of my cut and licked it clean.
He brushed past me and crouched near the flower. “Got to be careful. Some still have thorns.”
I joined him, gawking at my blood snaking down the stem in slow motion. The soil hungrily absorbed it.
Ash nodded, inspecting his plant with such dedication. He loved those roses, and his passion made me adore him even more.
When he looked my way, I stole a kiss. “You’re so cute,” I said. “But your glasshouse is missing something.”
“And what’s that?” He tilted his head to the side, studying my lips. Was he considering kissing me?
“You have no herbs in your garden.”
He tapped his nose. “You’re looking in the wrong place. They’re all the way at the back on shelves after the berry bushes.”
“Of course they are.” At the rear, I found an array of herbs from hyssop to myrtle to thyme.
“I’ll leave you here,” Ash said, hugging me from behind and kissing my head. Then, he vanished, and I turned to the herbs, figuring I’d make as many spells as I could remember, taking into account everything I’d learned. We were dealing with a bitch of a curse crafted with death magic. Nothing like tackling the impossible.
Three potential concoctions done and yet bile bubbled in my gut, and with each passing moment I spent in the greenhouse trying to create a solution, my chest constricted. I’d never read about such a complicated enchantment involving various individuals. Add to that mix, my magic and Lilita’s. As much as it terrified me, my thoughts keep pointing in one direction. Could tapping into Lilita’s dark powers offer a possibility of counteracting the curse? Except I had zero idea how to do that without releasing her. And she would not save the men, only herself. Then she’d go on a rampage.
I stared down at my palms, wishing I’d learned to better manipulate magic, not only to control what lay inside me. Most spells I worked came from books, and they usually worked amazingly. But Mom used to put things together from thought alone while I memorized them to look like I knew what I was doing. Half the time, I was terrified of trying something different in case I opened the portal to my darkness. Sticking to safe spells had kept everyone around me protected.
Mom would say my fear blocked me from spreading my wings. Maybe she was right, but for too long I’d lived with dread, and now I didn’t know how to free myself.
I collected the small bowls of paste I’d created and crossed the greenhouse when something red caught my attention, and I turned my head.
My sights caught on a tiny red rose that grew in the snow, blossoming on a new branch where the stem had jabbed me.
I stood frozen, trying to make sense of what I was looking at. That wasn’t there before.
Ash had said his ancestor used blood and enchantment to create these snow roses, and how everything he’d tried to regrow them had failed. But did they normally grow this fast?
In the herb book, there was a section on the power of rose petals. A shudder rocked me. These flowers had the most positive vibration of any living thing. And coupled with these specific ones being borne through magic… What else did it say about them?
Hope burst across my chest. I dumped the bowls in my hands on the ground, grabbed the smaller pot with the flower, and sprinted back into the house.
I took a detour to the kitchen, snatched the book I’d left there, and made a dash toward the library. Juggling the plant and the book, I shoved open the door with a shoulder.
Ash and Talin were upstairs, while Leven sat a table, his nose in a book. There was no sign of Raze.
“I found something,” I yelled, plonking the stuff in front of Leven. “This might help us.” My voice squeaked, and I bounced on my toes, the earlier dread dissected by the joy.
“What is it?” Ash and Talin said in unison, huffing as they rushed closer.
Raze appeared from behind the stairs, but Ash had already gasped and pointed to the plant. “Fuck! It grew a flower.”
“Yes,” I said. “But remember how I cut my finger on a thorn?”
“Your blood awakened the plant?” Raze blurted out. “How does that help us?”
I pulled up a chair and flipped through the fat book until I landed on the page about roses. “Here, it says to use crushed petals to reverse a spell.” I glanced across at the men, who clearly weren’t believers with their arched brows and pinched lips. “I saw this before but thought nothing of it since we had no roses and half the stuff in here talks about curing an ailment. But now we have a plant we know grows with magic and reacted to my blood, like Raze did in the woods. What if this helps? It could purify us of the curse and energize me to control Lilita.”
Leven’s brow creased. “It says that in there?” He leaned over my shoulder.
“It doesn’t talk about an enchanted rose,” I said. “But combined with my ability, this spell might work. Mom often grew normal roses around the house, insisting they kept the property purified and clear of evil.”
“We all need to take baths with the rose petals,” Leven explained.
“Together or each of us with Bee?” Raze asked, smirking.
I pulled the book back and read the passage about the cure needing petals from twelve red roses.
“Sounds easy enough,” Talin said.
I swallowed the boulder in my throat and stared at the men. My knees bounced under the table.
They all nodded without a word exchanged. Getting my hopes too high was out of the question, but this was the closest thing to a potential cure I’d found.
“Okay, so I guess I need to now donate blood. Who’s coming with me to the greenhouse?”
Chapter 26
Leven gasped and nudged me in the arm as another rose blossomed before our eyes. Red petals unraveled outward, springing from the bud’s green casing and spreading its wings.
“I could never tire of watching them grow. Beautiful. I remember Dad used to spend hours in the greenhouse pruning the roses,” Leven said.
