Born of Blood and Thorns: A Beauty and the Beast Fairy Tale Romance by Riley Hunt

Author:Riley Hunt [Hunt, Riley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-05-22T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

Bella

It was late in the afternoon when I found him. He stood with his back to me in an armory just inside the courtyard. Alastair was with him, and they had both peeled off their shirts. The cool air hinted at the coming warmth of spring, a stark difference from the winter chill outside this castle. In the shifter village, it was the beginning of winter. Here, it was spring.

Despite the cool air, Lore was glistening with sweat. He lowered an axe and picked up a sword. Alastair turned toward me, a smile on his face. Yet I darted behind the wall and peeked out to avoid being seen.

I watched from around the castle wall like I was ashamed to be seen. His body, too, was a work of art. It was Lore's that held me mesmerized. His back was toned with lean muscle. The curve of his back disappeared into a well-formed muscular behind. Scars from battles littered his exposed skin, with a particularly gruesome one across his back that marred the perfect golden tone of his skin.

I tore my gaze away, conflicting feelings bubbling to the surface as I reminded myself that he saw me as his enemy, and I was contemplating killing him. It was complicated.

"So this new development must be a shock," Alastair said. "You seem out of sorts about it—more tense than usual. Are you thinking about her?" Alastair pivoted at the last moment, nearly missing the sword's swing.

"It's…" Lore trailed off breathlessly as he swung again, connecting once with Alastair's sword before he continued, "It's disturbing."

"I don't see how a beautiful woman is disturbing," Alastair said, his brow furrowing in concentration as he anticipated Lore's next strike. They were like two dancers synchronized to each other's moves, something developed from their time together.

"I worry," Lore admitted but said nothing until Alastair lifted a thick dark brow, waiting. "I worry about her safety," Lore said with a huff.

"Why is that?" Alastair asked, knowing full well I was there and saying nothing.

"You know why." Lore turned, his body twisting and lunging in a move that dropped my mouth open. It was like watching perfection—the flawlessly honed warrior in his element fighting as if it were second nature. "I worry she will get hurt."

"By what?" Alastair asked, quieter than before, as if he hadn't expected the conversation to go in that direction and now wanted to shield me from it.

"By me," he said, and though I couldn't see his face, I heard the warble in his voice, the strain of it that held fear in it. "By the curse."

"You think it could be her?" Alastair asked slowly and carefully, his gaze trained on Lore. I knew he watched me in his peripheral vision.

"Anything is possible, but I doubt it." He swung his sword again, and Alastair moved so that Lore could turn his body my way. His eyes landed on me, and he froze momentarily so Alastair could bring his sword dangerously close to Lore's skin. "The curse is to be broken by the one I love.

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