The Cursed Prince by Teresa Roman (reading e books txt) 📕

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll lead, and you follow. You’ll be waltzing in no time.”

Before I could protest, he walked up to me and took my hand, leading me away from the table. I felt Nicolai’s eyes on me as I started dancing with his brother, and my cheeks flushed. I focused on Alexander’s feet and mine, trying not to trip. After a few minutes, I grasped the basic steps.

“Come, Nicolai. Take over. You’re the best dancer out of all of us.”

Nicolai seemed reluctant.

“Go on,” Frederic urged. “We know how much you enjoy dancing.”

He took Alexander’s place. One hand held mine while the other rested on my hip. I felt self-conscious, worried that he’d noticed the sweat on my palm or my lack of dancing skills. He clearly knew what he was doing. Yet somehow, despite my nerves, as we continued to dance everything seemed to fade away. I even managed to ignore the pounding of my heart. It felt like it was just the two of us in that room, even though his brothers hadn’t gone anywhere. A hundred different questions perched themselves on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t bring myself to actually ask any of them.

When the song was over, Nicolai dropped his hands to his sides and turned to look at his brothers. “There, are the three of you satisfied now?”

“You seem angry, Nic,” Alexander said. “We are only trying to help you.”

“Well, you can’t, so stop trying.”

“She’s the one,” Frederic said. “I can feel it.”

Nicolai let out a frustrated breath. “She’s not a witch. She doesn’t even believe in magic.”

It was obvious they were arguing about me. What wasn’t obvious was why. Did they think I was a witch? Their interest in them was rather bizarre, and not something I wanted to be drawn into. Did they want to invite me here to ask if I’d join their coven or help them with some sort of Wiccan ritual? I should’ve told Maxim and Frederic “no” when they’d shown up at my door earlier, but curiosity had drowned out my better sense. At least now I had an inkling of what had prompted my second invitation. What I didn’t know was why they thought I was a witch. It must’ve been because of what my father had said about my mother and her ancestors.

“Could you all do me a favor and stop talking about me like I’m not in the room?” I said, raising my voice an octave. “And if it’s not too much to ask for, maybe one of you can tell me what it is you really want from me.”

“This was your idea,” Alexander told his eldest brother. “You tell her.”

“This is a mistake,” Nicolai warned.

“Very well,” Frederic said, ignoring Nicolai. “Let us all have a seat. There is quite a bit we need to discuss.”

Chapter 6

Nicolai and I sat back down.

“We think you can help our little brother,” Frederic said.

“Help him how?”

“She can’t. No one can,” Nicolai snapped. He seemed annoyed with his brothers and even more uncomfortable than I felt. “I’ve come to accept my fate, and so should the rest of you.”

“She has to be the one,” Maxim pleaded with his brother. “You heard her yourself. She is the fourth child, with three older brothers, just like you. Her mother died the same way ours did.”

“A coincidence, nothing more,” Nicolai replied.

I gritted my teeth. “You’re doing it again. Would you just tell me what the hell is going on instead of arguing with each other?”

“Very well.” Alexander let out a deep breath. “Nicolai has been cursed, and we believe you are the one who can break it.”

How had they come to that crazy conclusion? I stared at Alexander for a moment, fully expecting him to tell me he was just pulling my leg. When he didn’t, I decided to play along. “Cursed? By who, and for what reason?”

“That is a story for another day perhaps,” Frederic said. “For now, we are interested in knowing whether or not you are willing to help my brother.”

I glanced at Nicolai who sat there stone-faced. These men were not joking. They truly believed what they were telling me. I didn’t believe in curses, though. Perhaps if I could get these brothers to realize that witches, magic, and curses simply did not exist, that would be enough to lift whatever imaginary curse they supposed Nicolai to be under. “Of course I’ll help him—if I can. But I don’t know anything about lifting curses. Like I told you before, I’m not a witch, and I don’t believe in magic.”

“You may dismiss the stories you’ve heard about Beaver Falls as mere legend, but my brothers and I know better,” Frederic said. “If your mother’s ancestors truly were among the people who founded this town, then you most certainly have witch’s blood running through those veins of yours.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t.”

“You think we are lying?” Maxim asked.

“No, she thinks we’re crazy,” Nicolai muttered.

His three older brothers stared at me, waiting to see if I would confirm Nicolai’s assertion. “Not really crazy. A lot of people believe in magic and that witches really exist, especially here in Beaver Falls. I’m just not one of them, that’s all.”

“Then perhaps we should have Nic show you,” Alexander suggested.

“Show me what?”

“That we’re not lying,” Alexander replied.

Nicolai glanced at me then looked across the table at his brother. He got up from his chair. “Fine. Since none of you seem willing to let this go, then I might as well just get this over with. Not that it will do any good.” He looked down at me. “I’ll need you to follow me, Willow.”

I hesitated for a moment, not sure I wanted to get involved with whatever madness these brothers were into, but curiosity pulled me to my feet. Nicolai headed out of the room and down the hallway. I followed him upstairs and back into the room where I’d found