Page 95 of Heart of the Cursed
“Deal,” she grinned. “Now, let’s go tell everyone the good news.”
She tried to pull out of his arms, but he held on tight, stopping her from going anywhere. When she looked up at him questioningly, he leaned down and claimed her lips for a searing kiss. Selene was breathless by the time he broke the kiss and let her go.
“Now we can go,” he told her.
She smiled at him before walking out of the room. Neither of them spoke as they made their way through the maze of corridors to meet up with the others who were in the kitchen, which had turned into their unofficial meeting place.
Selene wasn’t complaining, she liked spending time in the kitchen. It was the largest room in the place, with plenty of cupboards and workspace, and enough seating to accommodate a small army. It was definitely the best place for them to gather to discuss their plans.
She stopped short when she walked into the kitchen to see everyone, including the females from Agnarr’s harem, sat around a large table. She had expected Natalia and Amberly to be there since they would be helping their mates, but she hadn’t expected the others to be there.
Natalia was the first to notice her. She excused herself and then headed over to Selene and Arun.
“Hi,” Natalia said when she reached them.
“What’s everyone doing here?” Selene asked her.
“Dain mentioned that you needed to be outside to perform the spell,” Natalia said as she looked over her shoulder at the table where everyone sat. “When they heard about what you were doing, and how dangerous it was going to be, they wanted to help.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Selene said. “It could be dangerous. There’s a high chance we could be attacked before we even begin.”
“Selene has already been attacked over this,” Arun pointed out.
“Several times,” Selene added. “Most of which, I barely made it out alive.”
“There are many people out there looking for Selene,” Arun told her. “Not to mention, my family will be out looking for both of us. It’s not going to be safe enough for them to come with us.”
“I really do appreciate the offer,” Selene said. “But the more people that are with us, the more likely we are to be seen. The six of us might be able to sneak under the radar, but fifteen? We’ll be lucky if we make it half an hour outside without being seen.”
Natalia sighed. “I know. We’ve explained all of that to them, but they’re insisting on helping. They said it’s their realm as much as ours, so it’s their fight, as well.”
Selene couldn’t refute their way of thinking, but it didn’t mean she had to agree to let them put their lives in danger just to help her. She was doing the spell to protect them. If she let them go with her and the others, she would be putting their lives at more risk.
If she was honest, she didn’t want Amberly and Natalia to go, either, but she knew she couldn’t stop them. They were going with their mates, whether she liked it or not.
“Fine,” Arun said, surprising her. “As long as they know the risks.”
“Trust me, we’ve all been trying to talk them out of it,” Natalia said. “In fact, Taredd and Dain have explained the risks to them… and me and Amberly… more times than I care to count.”
Selene couldn’t help but smile. Natalia and Amberly were very much like her. They knew what they wanted, and they wouldn’t let anyone stand in their way, or tell them they couldn’t do something. The more Selene was told she couldn’t do something, the more inclined she was to do it, anyway. She was just stubborn like that, and so were they.
“Good,” Arun said.
“Okay,” Selene relented. “But they can’t slow us down.”
She had already put off doing the spell for long enough, she wouldn’t… couldn’t… put it off any longer. The feeling of urgency hadn’t lessened its grip since she found the spell. If anything, it had intensified.
“We won’t slow you down,” said one of the females as she joined them. “Your friends have explained about the spell and how important it is to perform it as soon as possible. We promise, we won’t slow you down, or be a hindrance in any way. We just want to help you, in any way that we can.”
“Can any of you fight?” Arun asked.
“If we have something to fight with, yes,” she said. “I’m good with a bow and arrow. Matilda is excellent with a sword.”
Arun held his hand up to stop her from continuing. “Before we leave, I’ll make sure everyone has what they need. Until then, we have other things to discuss, like where we can find some standing stones.”
“That’s easy,” the female said. “I know where there are some.”
Selene exchanged a look with Arun before turning back to the female.
