Page 68 of A Curse So Cruel
Galen smirks. “No one is disputing that, but I’m not sure giving her a food coma is the best idea.”
Thane scowls like he’s annoyed they’re ruining his plans, and I smile, because it’s not just my belly that’s feeling full. For the first time in a long while, my heart warms… I try to remind myself not to get too excited. I may be their destruction, after all, but it feels so good to be taken care of and not in survival mode for once.
“So, where do we go from here?” I ask as I finish my drink.
Thane takes the mug, and it disappears in a cloud of shadows. “Why don’t you explain to the others what you told me about your memories?”
Oh yeah, that’s the other thing. Not only has Thane been helping me stuff my face, but he’s been peppering me with questions the entire time. Galen and Raith stare at me expectantly, and I clear my throat awkwardly. I go on to tell them all about how I only have my memories from the last few years, and that before that, it’s all blank. I explain how I’d been in the library hoping it would help to bring back my memories. I don’t mention being cursed as a crow or talk about Blake. Explaining all that is too much for me to handle right now, and I haven’t forgotten that these men still think I’m their doom, or whatever. No matter how sweet they are at the moment. No, that information can wait for another day. At one point, I think Galen is going to interrupt me and tell the others about my portal ring that he stole. He knows I’m holding back, but he presses his lips again shortly after, not drawing attention to it.
Galen drapes an arm behind my neck. “So let us get this straight,” he drawls, “You read romance books to try and jostle your memories?”
There’s judgement in his amused gaze, and I get defensive. “They weren’t all smutty books,” I retort. “I’ve read a few encyclopedias as well.”
His brows lift. “You read them?”
“Okay, I flipped through them,” I admit. “But it still counts.”
Raith gives me a lopsided grin. “As far as I’m concerned, she can read all the porn she wants.”
I’m about to protest at him calling my books porn, but he slides his hands higher up my thigh, and I’m too distracted to bother.
“And?” Galen asks. “Did it work?”
I blink, still staring at Raith’s hand. The man is grinning like an idiot now. “What?” I mumble belatedly.
“Did your time in the library help you to remember anything?” Galen prods.
“I, uh— not really,” I say, dragging my eyes away from Raith’s hand. “There was one book that made me…think of something, but aside from that, there’s been familiar vibes but not much else.”
Galen strokes his chin with his free hand. “What was the book?”
“It’s a fantasy romance with high fae,” I say dismissively. “A word keeps appearing in my head when I read it.”
“Ah,” Galen says, “it wouldn’t by chance be this book, would it?” He holds out his hand, and shadows pool on his palm. When the shadows clear, he’s holding the same novel I had back in the library in the human realm, complete with the library barcode.
My eyes shoot wide, and I snatch it from him. “Youstoleit?”
“Iborrowedit,” he points out. “Well, you did, to be fair.”
I groan at the idea that I’ll have this missing book permanently on my library record.
“However, if you’d prefer that I return it…” Galen drawls.
“No,” I say, holding the book away from him so he can’t grab it.
He smirks.
“I mean, uh, thank you,” I say, running my hand over the cover.
“It was one of the books on the top of your pile,” Galen explains. “Seeing as we’re already breaking the rules, I thought you might enjoy having it. And if you want more books, you can start with these.” Shadows explode from him and swirl around the little coffee table in front of us. When the shadows clear, there’s a whole stack of books there.”
“Please tell me these aren’t also from the library,” I say, even as my heart pounds with excitement.
“They are from my personal collection,” he assures me, his turquoise eyes glittering with amusement.
I notice on the top of the pile is the book about the beast, the one I had seen in his office, and I smile. “Thank you.”
“You can read them while you stay here and recover,” Galen says, sliding his hand along the base of my neck.