The Cursed Prince, Teresa Roman [the reader ebook TXT] 📗

already figured out,” he said, cutting me off. “That you really are a witch.”

“How did you know?”

“You practically ooze magic, Willow.”

I frowned. “I do?”

Nicolai nodded.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Because my aunt also told me that my powers are bound. I’m a witch who can’t do magic, which means I have no way to help you.”

“Even if your powers were unbound, they wouldn’t be enough to lift this curse. It’s like I told my brothers, you can’t break a curse with a spell or a potion.”

“Then why did you ask me to come back again tonight?”

“You remember what I told you yesterday, don’t you? I meant it when I said I’d like us to be friends.”

I was flattered that he still wanted my company despite his certainty that I couldn’t break his curse. But I wanted to be of use to him somehow. I racked my brain in search of a solution to his situation. “Why don’t your brothers try to convince the witch that cursed you that Frederic has learned his lesson, that you’ve paid enough for someone else’s mistakes?”

Nicolai shook his head. “That’s not going to work.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because she’s dead.” Nicolai paused before continuing. “My brothers killed her. Frederic’s lover, too.”

I just sat there for a moment, staring, and waiting for Nicolai to tell me he wasn’t serious. “They killed her? Why?”

“Revenge.”

The blood drained from my face. When Nicolai first told me he was a werewolf I hadn’t been scared, but now I was. I turned away from Nicolai, wondering what I’d gotten myself into. What if I couldn’t help him? Would his brothers kill me, too? A part of me wanted to run out of the castle and never turn back, but something kept my feet planted.

“Did you know they were going to do that?”

“I suspected.” When Nicolai noticed the stricken look on my face, he said, “I pleaded with them not to, but sometimes my brothers treat me more like a child than a younger brother. They think I’m naïve and tell me what they think I want to hear instead of the truth. Not that it would have mattered. Given my situation, there was nothing I could have done to stop them.”

“Right. Good to know.” Suddenly needing fresh air, I stood, crossed the room, and stepped out onto the balcony.

A minute later, I felt Nicolai’s hands on my shoulders. I turned around and without thinking wrapped my arms around him. He tensed for a moment before relaxing and pulling me closer. My heart thundered in my chest. What was I doing?

“I … I’m sorry,” I said, backing away from Nicolai. I grabbed my purse, which I’d left on the chair, and rushed out of the room. Nicolai called my name, but I didn’t turn back around.

Chapter 9

The next day, I left work early, changed into more comfortable clothes, and waited for Peter to pick me up. At precisely five, he rang the doorbell. Peter was never late. I liked that about him. He was dependable. When he said he’d do something, he always followed through. I opened the door, and my first thought was that I needed to change. Compared to Peter, I was rather underdressed.

He handed me a bouquet of tulips as he stepped inside. “You look beautiful, as always.”

“Thank you.” I took the flowers to the kitchen and put them in a vase. “So where are we going for dinner?”

“I thought we could try The Italian Kitchen,” he said. “I’ve heard good things about it.”

It was one of the newer, and fancier, restaurants in town. “Maybe I should change into something nicer before we go.”

Peter walked up to me and put his hands on my hips. “You’re beautiful just the way you are.” He lifted one of his hands and wrapped it around the nape of my neck, pulling me closer and pressing his lips on mine. After he broke the kiss, he stared into my eyes, and I stared right back. I loved Peter’s eyes. Nicolai’s were gorgeous, too, but in a different way. I shook my head. Why was I thinking about Nicolai when I was with Peter?

“Is everything all right?” Peter asked.

I smiled. “Yes.” I backed away from him, crossed the room, and grabbed my purse from the closet. “Are you ready to go?”

We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later and were quickly seated. Peter reached for my hand. “I’ve missed you, Willow. We don’t see each other nearly as much as I’d like.”

“It’s not my fault you’re always so busy with work.”

“You’re right, but I want that to change. You mean a lot to me. It’s time I made you a priority.”

My heart quickened at his compliment. “What do you have in mind?”

“I meant it when I said we should go away together.”

My face heated. A weekend away meant sharing a bed. It had been a while since I’d been intimate with anyone in that way. It was time, though. Time for my relationship with Peter to move forward. I had no reason to turn down his offer for a weekend together. “When were you thinking?”

“How about the weekend after next?”

I took another sip of water. “Um, okay.”

Peter smiled. “For a moment, I was afraid you’d turn me down like you did the last time I asked.” He leaned back in his chair. “Speaking of that, tell me, how was the dinner party at the Korzhas’?”

“It was good. Terry and Phil were there. So were Mary and Rachel.”

“And the brothers? What were they like?”

“Kind of standoffish.”

“Did any of them take an interest in you?”

There it was, the one thing about Peter I didn’t like. But given my strange attraction to Nicolai, maybe I had no right to be so sensitive about Peter’s possessiveness. Although there was a huge difference between being drawn to someone and actually acting on those feelings. “No,” I said, hopeful that would be the end of it.

His eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”

I sighed. “I’m not