His Cursed Mate

Chapter Ten

Ell's POV

I abruptly spun around, nearly knocking myself off balance as I steadied myself with my crutches. The only way I could truly test the effectiveness of my most recent discovery was to physically touch him. The lingering burning sensation still clung to my palms as I stuck my hand out to him, feigning an introduction in order to welcome his touch for my experiment. To further appeal to him, I offered up a small smile, hoping that he would take the bait.

A look of confusion crossed his features momentarily, before he carefully swept my hand into his own and raised it to his lips, placing a tender kiss atop the back of my hand. A shudder spread through my body at his touch, leaving me with a feeling of defeat as he offered me a charming smile.

I should have known better than to expect pain so insignificant as merely digging my nails into my palms to be enough to get the job done. If anything, his touch caused even more warring amongst my emotions than being in his presence had. If I was going to be able to keep my distance from him, I would have to do far more to myself; inflict more pain than my nails alone could.

My mind was torn from my thoughts as I heard him speak, causing my eyes to dart back to his handsome face as he looked down at me, seemingly excited by the fact that I had finally broken my vow of silence and was now speaking to him.

"I might already know your name, but it's still a pleasure to formally meet you,
regardless. My name is Renzo, but you can call me Ren," he said, his words dripping
with sweetness and longing as he eyed me curiously.

Had the crutches not been there to hold me steady, I could have easily melted into a puddle right there on the floor in front of him. My experiment had certainly failed, and at the moment, I wasn't even upset about it.

He began to run his thumb against the palm of my hand, eliciting pricks of warmth trailing from my hand all the way up my arm and into my chest.

An unsolicited sigh of enjoyment escaped my lips as I temporarily squeezed his hand back, wanting only to feel his warmth in the moment. I had been cold for so long that I'd almost forgotten what the physical touch of another person felt like. Gods, it felt like something out of a dream - something I'd been chasing ever since that fateful day all those years ago. All I wanted was for him to envelop me within the confines of his muscular body; to feel the heat of his body rippling beneath his skin.

The two of us stood there for what felt like an eternity, each of us longing for one another with everything within our souls. It was apparent that he wanted me, for his eyes held lust and yearning within them, beckoning me toward him. Even more apparent to me, was the immense feeling of desire burning within my chest - I wanted him.

My eyes widened at the thought of it, suddenly snapping me out of the spell he had cast upon me as I pulled my hand away from his, taking a few staggering steps back.

I managed to allow an anxious laugh to escape my throat as I turned away from him, silently urging the raging emotions within me to settle.

I momentarily turned to look at him over my shoulder, offering him a faint smile as I began to hobble toward the patio. I wanted to talk to him, but our encounter had caused me to grow shaky, and I feared that my words would only come out in a weak string of trembling breaths.

He clearly understood the message though, for he was soon following me out onto the patio. We were both greeted by the faint sound of Gen and Harland talking amongst themselves, with Mari and Luther vastly overshadowing their hushed conversation with one of argumentation.

"Well, I bet that her favorite color is blue! How could you look at her and think her
favorite color would be red? She definitely seems like the kind of person that would like
the color blue!" Mari exclaimed, pointing her finger at Luther as he sat across the table
from her, shaking his head at her.