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

I could do this. I wanted to help Nicolai. I needed to help him. He was paying a steep price for his brother’s mistake, and he didn’t deserve that. The fork lifted slowly in the air. I guided it with my mind. It flipped and turned, dancing like I wanted it to and then it flew at the wall, eventually crashing to the ground.

“That’s it, Willow.” Maria’s eyes shone bright with pride. “Tell me what you did differently that time.”

“I … I was thinking about Nicolai.”

She raised her brows. “The two of you seem quite taken with each other.”

“It’s not like that,” I said. “You already know I have a boyfriend. Nicolai is just a friend. I care about him. It’s not fair that he’s being punished for something Frederic did.”

“Fairness has very little to do with these things. Just think of La Belle au Bois Dormant, or Sleeping Beauty as you Americans call it. The princess was cursed for the crime of her parents.”

“But that’s just a fairy tale.”

“It is, but every story is born from events that have happened in real life.”

“Frederic laughed at me when I suggested love’s true kiss would break Nicolai’s curse.”

Maria smiled, but thankfully, did not laugh. “I’m assuming you don’t know the actual fairy tale that inspired the movie. If you did, you’d realize that happily ever afters are a bit harder to come by. I don’t know what is required to break Nicolai’s curse, but a kiss will most certainly not suffice.”

“Why is everyone so certain that I’m the one meant to save Nicolai?”

“You have a connection with him that no one else does. There has to be a reason why you are the only one who can touch Nicolai without hurting him.”

“It could just be coincidence,” I said, echoing what Nicolai had said a few nights ago.

Maria shook her head. “No. It’s not. There’s no such thing as a coincidence. Things always happen for a reason.” She walked back over to the spell book. “Enough about Nicolai. It’s time to get back to work.”

I practiced the telekinesis spell a few more times. Then Maria had me try a spell that stopped an object already in motion. She threw a fork up in the air and had me practice making it freeze in midair. It was a harder spell, or maybe I was just getting tired. At first, I seemed to get the hang of it, but eventually I couldn’t do it at all. Every time Maria threw that fork in the air, it fell to the floor with a loud clang.

“That’s enough for tonight,” Maria finally said. “There’s no point in going any further until you’re rested.”

“I want to try again.”

Maria shook her head. “It’s pointless. Even the most powerful magicians need time to recuperate. Return tomorrow, and we’ll resume your lessons then.”

“But tomorrow’s Saturday.”

“And?”

“I’ll probably be spending most of the day with Peter,” I said, even though we hadn’t officially made any plans.

“I’m sure you can make it over here for at least a few hours.”

I grabbed my purse and turned to leave.

“Don’t forget your books.”

I looked over my shoulder at the stack resting on the table. “I can’t bring those home. If my father sees them, he’ll want to know what I’m doing with a bunch of books on witchcraft.”

“So do your best to make sure he doesn’t.”

I frowned but loaded my arms with the books anyway, figuring I’d put them in an empty shopping bag I had stashed in my car and sneak them inside the house that way. I was too curious to read them to find another excuse for why I couldn’t bring them with me.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Maria called out after me.

“Maybe,” I replied, resenting that she was right.

Chapter 12

I slept in the next morning and made myself pancakes and eggs for breakfast. My dad had gone somewhere, so I had the house to myself. I took advantage of the solitude and practiced the spells Maria had taught me, using magic for mundane tasks like opening the refrigerator and turning on the water. Every time a spell worked, I felt like doing a little victory dance. Magic was fun. Why had my mother not wanted me to have powers?

It was almost noon by the time I finished eating. Right after washing the dishes, Peter texted.

Wanna grab lunch?

I texted back – I just had breakfast.

Then how about a walk in the park. Maybe you’ll be hungry after?

That sounded nice. It was a gorgeously sunny day, one meant for enjoying the outdoors.

Sounds good. I’ll meet you in half an hour.

I got dressed and then drove to the only park in Beaver Falls. It was large, complete with a children’s playground, grills for barbecuing, picnic tables, and a giant pond with ducks that people enjoyed coming to the park to feed.

Peter was already waiting. He greeted me with a smile and a kiss, then took my hand. We walked around the pond. “Have I told you how excited I am about next weekend?”

His voice was like silk. It turned me on and made goosebumps rise in my flesh.

“A few times,” I said. “In case you’re wondering, I’m excited, too.”

Peter stopped walking and turned to face me. “Have I also told you how gorgeous you look today?”

I bit my lip, trying to keep from smiling. “You always tell me that.”

“There’s something different about you today, though. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

Different? Could he somehow tell that Maria had unbound my powers? Nicolai felt it. But Nicolai was a werewolf, which meant he knew about those sorts of things. There was nothing supernatural about Peter. I reached up to brush my hand over my hair, which was in a ponytail instead of loose, the way I usually wore it.

“My hair’s up,” I said.

Peter leaned in for a kiss. “That’s not it, but whatever it is, I like it.”

We walked in silence for a few minutes, circling the pond one more time and watching the