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. And I don”t love her.” His cold gaze fixed on me as he said the words as if hoping to hurt me with the statement.

”Not yet,” Alastair added. ”But there is something there you can”t deny.” Lore remained quiet, and I wished I could see his expression. It was the revelation that he had someone meant for him, and I was not it.

He had a destined true love like some fairytale. The thought clawed its way up my throat, threatening to choke me. I had no claim over him, yet the idea of Lore belonging to another woman sent jealousy spiking through me like thorns. What if she was out there somewhere, fated to break this curse? Where did that leave me—the inconvenient complication?

I let out a muffled yelp, but the blade stopped mere centimeters from his skin.

All my thoughts were forgotten, all the fears and the questions that arose as the panic lanced through me and my gaze locked with his.

Clearly, neither knew I heard them, again discounting my vampire heritage.

When he turned fully toward me, giving me his chest completely on display, I felt my mind utterly empty as my gaze traveled over every hard plane of his chest. My lips parted. His dark auburn hair fell over his eyebrows, begging to be brushed back. When my eyes finally met Lore”s again, he was smirking.

Heat flooded my cheeks as a warmth spread through my body. Goddess, he was glorious. I realized belatedly I was staring. Embarrassment spread through me. ”I—I, uh.” Words failed me, and my discomfort grew heavier in my chest as I turned to flee.

”Wait!” he called after me. ”Do you know how to use a sword?”

I turned slowly, confused by his question. ”What?”

”A sword. Do you know how to use it?”

”I know the basics, but I”m sorely out of practice.”

Fencing had been important to learn at a young age. My training had not been extensive, and what little I had had only been a few years with the clumsy movements of a child. But my father, when I amused him, insisted I learn in case one of his people decided to make me a snack.

”What are you good at?” Lore stepped forward, his brow lifting as if he doubted my skill.

”I”m fairly good.”

Daggers were easy; just stick them with the pointy side. Worked every time. The bow—I”d used that on the rare occasion I could sneak off to hunt on days when I couldn”t stomach the pain of hunger any longer. The first moment I”d taken a life, it had broken something inside of me. It had just been a squirrel, but it still pained me to this day to think I”d taken the poor, helpless creature”s life to feed myself.

Animals were a gift—even squirrels. I was thankful for its sacrifice that kept me alive. They did taste rather good, even if I ate guiltily.

”I suspect you are also good at using your mouth in a fight as well,” Lore commented with a twitch of his lips.

”I beg your pardon?”

Alastair snorted, clearly holding back a laugh. I glared at him.

”You talk your opponent to death until they give up.” Lore shrugged, turning to once again grab a sword. He chucked one to me as well. ”Alastair was on his way out and I”m in need of more training. Join me?”

”Pass,” I deadpanned, crossing my arms over my chest.

”Oh, come on. I know you are itching to use that mouth on me. This is your chance to…” He trailed off as if searching for the correct term. ”Torture and interrogate me.”

It was my turn to snort. ”Suit yourself. It”s your funeral.”

”I”ll be on my way then,” Alastair commented, his lips pressed together as he suppressed his smile. He turned and walked off while shaking his head.

”I thought you hated me and wanted me to stay away from you.” I paused, testing the sword”s weight in my hand as we walked out to the courtyard where they trained. ”That I smelled of death… blah blah blah, you”re my enemy and all that fun stuff. You worry I”ll do something.”

”All that fun stuff?” He raised a thick eyebrow in question. ”And no, I worry for you. There is a difference.”

”You hate vampires. I”m half-vampire.” And more your enemy than you realize, I thought, remembering my grandmother was the reason for his sister”s death.

”I may have acted out of turn back then. I wasn”t expecting….” He paused, eyeing me. ”You.”

”What do you mean you weren”t expecting me?” I demanded, getting into position as I faced him from a safe distance. ”You brought me here.”

”No, my dragon brought you here.”

”One and the same, buddy.” I dipped into the stance needed, already feeling the heaviness of the sword. This would be over quickly and not end in my victory.

Lore moved closer to me, adjusting my hips to make my stance firm and unyielding before he leaned down and whispered, ”Not anymore.”

His words fell flat. He backed off quickly as if aware that he had lingered, touching me far too long, but I didn’t catch the intensity of his stare, even as his words were sad. I turned my face and studied him, waiting for him to begin. As I digested his words, a realization hit me.

“You are cut off from him,” I stated, and Lore nodded in confirmation, getting into his own defensive stance as he prepared to strike.

“So your dragon brought me here and you were against it when you found out.” Again, I said it as more of an observation. “Well, that’s precisely…” I paused, feeling the disappointment deeper than I should, “peachy.”

I shouldn’t feel disappointed, and I shouldn’t feel anything but irritation for him. Although I was very irritated by this whole ordeal, I had come to think that perhaps I was his one true love. I’d still have to kill him, but the thought of having true love—well, it felt nice—tragic but nice.

“Yes,” he said before thrusting forward, catching me off guard. As his sword connected with mine, I automatically dropped it.

“Fuck!” I yelled, fighting the desire to stomp my foot. “I didn’t expect that to happen so fast.”

“Your upper body strength is weak. To survive here, you”ll need to work on that,” he commented dryly. ”That mouth of yours too. It says such naughty words.”

I pressed my lips together, grinding my teeth as I imagined him impaled on the sword I”d dropped like a fool. Suddenly, the idea of killing him didn”t seem all that bad. I smirked at the thought.

”I thought you liked my mouth?”

”Liked is one hell of an exaggeration, don”t you think?” he said as I picked up the sword. ”I”m sure we could find a use for it.”

I turned to stare at him, but Lore suddenly sputtered, embarrassment coloring his face as red spread across his cheeks and ears. ”I meant—uhm, in battle to distract the enemy.”

He tilted his head back and grimaced before running his hand down his face with his free hand.

”What enemy?” I looked around pointedly to indicate the dissolution of the mostly deserted castle. At one time, I was sure hundreds had worked here. Now, there were only four people who now lived the same day over and over again.

“You’ll see.” Lore’s face still flushed, studying me intently.

“Is this another one of those things you can’t tell me, like the rest of you?” I demanded, thrusting forward with the sword, putting him on the defensive this time.

I gripped my sword tightly, praying it wouldn”t escape my grasp again. It held true as we met each other”s blades and pushed against one another, but again, Lore was right. My lack of strength from too few muscles and the years of starvation meant I was no match for the warrior in front of me, even with him obviously taking it easy on me.

He pushed me back fast, taking me off balance as I fell backward and onto my ass in the dirt. The sword was once again out of my grasp. I went to curse again but clamped my lips together and glared at Lore. He offered his hand, but I ignored it, instead choosing to stand on my own. I brushed off the dirt and faced him again.

”You”re a stubborn little thing, aren”t you?” he asked as a hint of respect lit his cerulean gaze. As quickly as it was there, it was gone until I thought I”d imagined it.

”There are worse things to be, but I prefer the term persistent.”

”Good. Then you need to listen. You”re weak, so you”ll need to rely on speed and agility. Fighting and sparring won”t help you.” He moved forward to take the sword from my hands, but I stepped back.

”One more time.” I smirked, false bravado in my tone.

Five minutes later, I was once again in the dirt. This time, I took his offered hand. I told myself his bare chest had been a clever distraction because as I once again studied him, I noted the tight muscles of his abs and the dips on either side of his hips that led into a V to that area between his thighs hidden by his low-hanging pants. A trail of dark hair began just below his navel. Goddess, dammit, I was staring again!

As we put the weapons up, I felt it was finally the perfect time to get answers. ”I was exploring the castle last night.”

”Hmm,” he said without opening his mouth, focusing on setting the weapons back up with almost obsessive tidiness as if their exact position mattered that much.

”And I stumbled into a room in the east wing of the castle.”

Lore remained deadly still as a coldness seemed to wash over him. His voice had a hard sharpness that I wasn”t expecting. It cut with each word. ”What, pray tell, did you find?”

”A mosaic of paned glass telling a story. A young woman”s room.” And ghosts, I didn”t add.

”You were in my sister”s room?” His features darkened, and his gaze turned as cold as ice.

”Yes,” I began hesitantly, pulling myself up straight and lifting my chin. I refused to let him intimidate me. I”d faced worse than his wrath. ”Her name was Lara, right?”

He sighed as if just realizing his reaction. ”It was.”

”She died right before.” I paused, sweeping my arms around the castle around us. ”All of this.”

”She did,” he said through gritted teeth, the muscle in his jaw flexing from the tension.

”What is this curse on you all?” I asked, crossing my arms. I wasn”t going to let him deflect and brush me off. Not this time.

”It”s no concern of yours.”

”You”re wrong. It is my concern. I”m stuck here with you. I deserve to know.” I moved directly in his way as he turned to leave. To run away. I wasn”t going to let him. Not this time. ”What is the curse?

My thoughts went back to his early statement that he had someone he was meant to be with, someone who was meant to break this curse. That wasn”t me.

The narrowing of his eyes and the quick flash of his teeth was the only warning I had before he backed me up to the wall again. Slamming his hand next to my head with enough force that I felt the stone crack.

”It is none of your concern,” he repeated with a growl that was anything but human. His eyes flashed to the same red I saw in the dragon”s as he had stared at me in the cave.

As his warmth pressed into me and I stared up at him, my breath hitched, and I was panting for a whole other reason. Because as soon as his eyes changed, it was as if he had changed with it. There was heat in his gaze. A primal desire that burned and demanded to be released. The dragon staring back at me wanted nothing more than to release it on me.

”I thought you and your dragon were separate,” I said breathlessly, tilting my head.

Lore leaned in and ran his nose along my neck, breathing deeply. His voice, still deep and primal, spoke close to my ear, sending shivers down my back and wetness to pool between my thighs. ”We are separated but you—you have some kind of magic that pulls him—us to you.”

His lips trailed across my jaw, and his hands moved to my body, caressing my sides as they moved up my waist and then lower. He grabbed me beneath my knees and wrapped my legs around him, slamming my back into the stone wall and trapping me there.

”You”ve bewitched my dragon.”

With my legs around him, I felt the truth of that statement as something hard pressed into my center. And this primal urge was in me, too, as I stared down at him. I hated him. I planned to kill him. Still, I wanted him.

I wasn”t a virgin, nor was I innocent in any way, but my one experience with a man hadn”t done much for me. The act had left me wanting and feeling used. It was also the only time I”d been kissed. The man had lifted my skirt and plowed into me from behind without a care if it was pleasurable to me. I”d never tried again. Nor had I wanted to.

This moment, in my enemy”s arms—in Lore”s arms—I realized I wanted him. I wanted to feel his lips against mine, yet I knew that if I succumbed to it, it would leave me ruined for anyone else. As if some part of me knew I”d be branded. Goddess, if I didn”t want it.

Lore stared into my eyes with an intensity that matched my own. There was an unspoken passion in his gaze. We remained frozen here, both of us frozen and breathing heavily. My heart beat furiously in my chest.

At that moment, I wanted to give in to whatever was brewing between us. The desire was stronger than the voice of reason telling me I shouldn”t. Just as that thought crossed my mind, Lore pulled back, his eyes no longer red.

As he looked at me, wariness was written across his face. He went rigid as I felt his body heat recede with his distance. The loss of his heat sent a chill across my overly warm body. We stood there for a moment, both of us breathless.

”You don”t…” he panted as if he”d just returned from running. ”You don”t smell like death anymore. You smell like sunshine and lilacs.” His voice was rough.

He turned and walked away, leaving me more confused than ever.

His dismissal cut cruelly, reopening the wounds left by a lifetime of rejection. Though I tried to cling to hatred, already this captor of mine had awakened longings I could no longer deny. I saw glimmers of humanity behind his brooding exterior. Allowing fondness for one”s sworn enemy was the height of folly. No matter how my traitorous heart wavered, I could not forget Lore and I were destined to be apart.