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

again. My skin tingled at his touch. Before long, my eyelids grew heavy. It had been an exhausting day, and I was losing my struggle to stay awake. I lay down, settling my head on Peter’s chest, and sighed. Peter was what I’d needed tonight. Lying beside him felt good. I should’ve never run to Nicolai. Spending so much time around him was seriously messing with my mind. My eyes fluttered shut, but instead of dreaming about Peter, I fell asleep with the image of Nicolai burned into my mind.

Chapter 14

The next morning, I had a hard time pulling myself away from Peter. No matter how many times I told myself that my father needed me, that I should be getting dressed and over to the hospital, my body told me I was too tired to get out of bed. Peter’s arms were comforting and warm, and I didn’t want to leave them.

Somehow, I managed to get dressed and even eat half a bowl of cereal.

“I need to check on my father,” I said, after putting my dish in the sink.

Peter walked over to me and draped an arm over my shoulder. “Just promise you’ll call me later.”

I kissed his cheek. “I will.”

After he left, I grabbed my purse, got in the car, and drove to the hospital. On the way to my father’s room one the nurses stopped me.

“I just wanted to let you know that your father is doing amazing,” she said. “It’s like he never even had a stroke. I’ve never seen anyone recover that quickly.”

My mood instantly brightened. “Are you serious?”

“Go see for yourself.”

I dashed into my father’s room and found him sitting up in bed, eating breakfast. “Dad, how do you feel?”

He lifted his head and smiled. “Good. I’m ready to get out of here.”

“Did your doctor say you could?”

“He hasn’t been by to see me yet.”

I sat in the empty chair beside his bed. A nurse poked her head into the room to tell us that Dad’s doctor would be by in a few minutes.

As soon as he showed up, the doctor began his exam.

“Is there any chance my dad might get released today?” I asked

“Possibly,” he said. “Mr. Duncan has made a very dramatic improvement overnight, but I’ll need to run a few more tests. If he does get discharged today, it won’t be for at least a few more hours. But the sooner we get started on his tests, the faster we can get him back home.”

“Okay.” I looked at my father and squeezed his hand. “I should go then. I’ll be back soon, though.”

I left the hospital and headed for the castle. Seeing that my father was back to his old self made it feel like a ten-ton load had been lifted from my shoulders.

Despite the early hour, Maria was not only awake but dressed and eager for me to get started on magic lessons. This time, she opened the spell book to a page titled Healing. Then she held out her hand, grabbed a knife from the table, and sliced her palm.

“Maria,” I gasped. She obviously had far more faith in me than I had in myself.

“This is nothing. Just a small cut. You can do this,” she said. “Just focus.”

I averted my gaze from the blood dripping down her hand and glanced down at the open book.

Broken flesh, body in pain, grant me the power to make Maria whole again

“Touch me,” Maria commanded. “Healing spells work better that way.”

I wrapped my hand around her wrist. Then I closed my eyes and pictured Maria’s wounded hand as I recited the words of the healing spell. Nothing happened. Literally nothing. I didn’t always get a spell right the first time I tried, but I’d reached a point where usually something happened. At the very least, I’d expected Maria’s wound to get smaller.

“I don’t understand why it’s not working.”

Maria glared at me. “You were with him. Weren’t you?”

“With who?”

“Peter.” Her voice dripped with obvious disapproval.

I frowned. “What does he have to do with anything?”

Maria ignored me and chanted under her breath. Pages in the spell book flipped on their own, stopping on one titled Reversal. Maria was so engrossed in what she was doing that she hadn’t noticed. A few seconds later the wound on her hand vanished.

“You didn’t answer me,” I said. “What does Peter have to do with anything?”

“Have you not noticed what happens to you after you spend time with him?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your powers are gone. I doubt you could perform even the simplest of spells.”

“It’s because I’m worried about my father. Not because of Peter.”

“Nonsense,” Maria snapped. “Your father is perfectly fine.”

A crazy thought crept into my mind. I glanced down at the spell book again and quickly read the words on the page. Maria pulled the book away, but it was too late.

“What is this type of spell used for?”

“Don’t ask me questions you already know the answer to,” she said.

Maria was right. I knew. A reversal spell was used to undo something. It all fit into place. Maria could be stern at times, but she was a caring person, yet she’d seemed oddly unconcerned when Nicolai and I had told her about my father’s condition. “Did you use that spell on my father last night?”

Maria crossed her arms. Her reluctance to reply answered my question.

My heart shattered at her betrayal. “Why would you do that to him? To me?”

Her arms dropped to her sides. “Because I needed to keep you away from that vile creature you call your boyfriend.”

“That stroke my father had was your fault,” I said, barely containing the rage I felt brewing inside me. “And you made it happen just to keep me and Peter apart!”

“Your father was never in any real danger.”

I glared at her. “How could you do that? I thought you cared about me. I thought you were my friend.”

Before Maria could respond, Nicolai and Frederic entered the room.

“What’s going on in here?” Nicolai glanced back