Midnight for a Curse (Curse Keeper, Curse Breaker Book 1) by E.J. Kitchens

Author:E.J. Kitchens [Kitchens, E.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brier Road Press
Published: 2020-06-24T16:00:00+00:00

Belinda was up and outside the castle gates even before Beast. Even before the sun.

Her breath fogged, a lighter tone of silver than the misty woods around her, as she puffed her way up the stream bank into the forest beyond. She had a moment’s panic as her breath disappeared into the darkness. What if the castle didn’t move until Beast stepped out the gate or beyond the stream? What if she were still at yesterday’s village?

Calm down. Spells are midnight things. The castle’s moved already.

Taking refuge behind a wide beech hugged by rhododendrons, she bounced up and down on her toes and rubbed her arms to stay warm and awake. She needed one, maybe two to three days at most, depending on the postal service, then Beast would be free of proposals and that lady. Until then … A pistol-shaped lump in her bag banged against her leg. Some good old-fashioned scare techniques might work. Maybe.

Crunch.

Belinda crouched. The sound of leaves crushed underfoot in a familiar tread grew louder, slowed, then picked up again in a slightly different pattern before fading. Had he been sniffing the air when he slowed? Well, if he had, his nose failed him.

Crowing silently that she had escaped the dreaming by being out of the castle, she rose and backed out of the rhododendrons.

The dark green leaves suddenly blurred, and her heavy limbs dragged her to the forest floor. Curses, curses, curses. The dreams always were delayed, weren’t they?

Beast slunk through the pre-dawn forest like an overgrown rabbit. Ripe for the picking by Huntress Lucrezia.

Something thumped. Like a body crashing onto something feeling closer to bedrock than a leafy mattress. Dropping to all fours, Beast spun around and raced to where Belinda lay sprawled out, half in the shrubbery.

“I thought I smelled something familiar.” A heavy sigh from Beast ruffled her hair. “Meddling females,” he groused as he carefully disentangled her from the rhododendron and picked her up. His limp as he carried her out of the shrubbery caused her head to jostle against his chest. Why was he limping so? He claimed his ankles had healed.

He propped her sitting up against the beech trunk. “Serves you right. And, yes, I know you can hear me!”

Belinda slid down in a heap to the scaly beech roots as Beast began to limp away, quickly bringing him back again. “Remind me to start locking you in your room at night.” Shaking his head, he straightened her out flat on her back, then took off his fur overcoat and stuffed it under her head.

“And don’t drool on my coat. You’ll mat the fur!” he called over his shoulder as he jogged off, his limp quickly disappearing into his normal easy, athletic gait.

But even that left him as the village neared and his caution grew.

Mat his fur indeed. Belinda’s dream self crossed her arms. If he wanted to cower where he used to walk with such pride and ease, what was it to her?

Let the lady catch him. He deserved it.

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