She looks up and raises a brow at him, "Well? Aren't you going to answer?"
"Would you have preferred I starve to death? Or aren't you happy that you're eating?"
She scoffs at his words, tossing a piece of food around with cutlery, "I mean..... everyone makes a fuss about how this place is off limits and wouldn't even near the entrance in their right minds so pardon me if I'm a little curious." She sasses and Cedric stiffles a sigh.
"What exactly do you want, woman?"
"Nothing much." she shrugs and then there's a pause before she adds, "Thinking about it objectively, what I truly want is something you cannot offer, at least not until you're sane again, so I'll settle with answers to my question for now."
Cedric felt his ears perk and eyes slightly widen at that, picking her words apart. He wanted so badly to ask what it was that she wanted and believed he couldn't do and to go ahead and grant her exactly that, but he just couldn't bring himself to, so, he settled down too.
"Recently, I've been a bit more grounded, plus I revert to my human form these days unlike before, so I need to be catered to."
Marisol makes a noise of understanding at that, nodding in understanding. "We need to start working on figuring you out then. Going to need to try and know better, about, like, the root of your curse, how to break it, and my part in all of this."
Cedric raises a brow. She makes it sound like it was a walk in the park.
"What do you mean 'root'?"
"I have a little knowledge of magic." She sighs, pushing her plate away. "I know that every spell stems from somewhere. It's either granted by good or bad spirits, you know.... things like that."
And no, Cedric does not know.
"Is that why they sent you here? To cure me?" He says indignantly.
Something about the way she spoke, like he was an experiment to be poked and probed at was beginning to annoy Cedric. Was she another one of his brother's plots? Hadn't they realized that he was beyond their little games?
"Oh please," she laughs, the sound lacking any hint of amusement "Brought? More like fooled, kidnapped, and then imprisoned." She says and Cedric's brows furrow.
'Kidnapped? What did she mean by that?"
"Look." She says exasperatedly, "I'm tired of pretending that this isn't my new reality or that whatever is happening here isn't real. I take it that you know about the prophecy, the one I'm in?"
If Cedric was confused before, now he was baffled. What prophecy? There's a prophecy about Redwood involving her? But how? Weren't prophecies from witch covens?
"Yeah, you have no idea." She deadpans after a beat of his confused silence, "Somehow I'm tied to you and your curse and am supposed to do something to set you and your pack free. No one understands why, how, when, where, or what it is that I'm even expected to do, but it's been drawing out for way too long now. The sooner we figure it out, the sooner I get out of here and go home."
"Is it because you think we're mates?" Cedric spits out forcefully. He had been planning to ignore that truth for as long as possible, but it seemed there was still a lot more about the woman in front of him that he needed to know.
Marisol's reaction to his words leaves a sour taste in his mouth. "Your brother bewitched me into thinking he was my mate, then lured me to this place. I would be foolish to fall for that trick twice." She answers with a determined glare.
"What?" Cedric growls. The first thought in his head was the very well-known behavioral pattern of werewolves discovering their destined mates. The thought of her being like that with Caleb, him getting in such close proximity to her or even touching her had him seeing red.
He was still fuming when he heard her speak again, "This could be another of his tricks. We are not mates. I'm only here to help you and get out."
Despite being very aware that she was lying through her teeth, her declaration hurt. It was surprising, the pain he felt at her words. He hadn't felt any emotion, especially not pain, in a long time now. He'd thought he was finally beyond all that. Yet, he could feel his heart squeeze in his chest, the organ feeling like it could as well be shriveling up and draining of blood.
"Anyway, no one thinks we're mates. The possibility of it hasn't crossed their minds. Either that, or they're doing a good job at hiding it, and I'd prefer that it remains that way."
Cedric hears his wolf howl gratingly in his head, the sound a mix of hurt and anger. It wanted him to prove her wrong. It would only require a single touch to have eaten her words, but Cedric forces himself to remain still. This would make things easier for him.
"You're right," he agreed with a stiff nod of his head, his fingers balling into fists where they sat on his lap, "We're not mates. You help me, and I'll help you too, see to it that you're set free. Deal."
"Perfect. Deal." She accepts with an ease that almost sends Cedric spiraling. He was struggling to keep his composure, yet she seemed to be in perfect condition, sounding relieved even.
"I'll be going now. Maybe later we can discuss more on how to break your curse." She didn't wait for a reply as she was out of his sight in just a matter of seconds. Cedric is stupefied.