Beast (The Submissively Ever After Series Book 1) (13 page)

He stopped for a split second, waiting for me to catch up before trying the handle of the door. The lock gave and the door swung inward. "It seems some memories can’t be forgotten so easy."

I nodded, confused by what he meant as we stepped through. I glimpsed the thick bolt from the door as we passed. The rod was extended all the way forward, as though it was still inside the hasp. The heavy padlock still hung from the housing, locked.

The man disappeared before my very eyes, sprouting the thick dark fur I longed to touch. A swish of his tail against my breasts comforted me as he turned, setting his lemon gaze on mine. I nodded, understanding what needed to be done.

We raced through the house, him bounding through the halls and me, trying my best to catch up. The wolf skidded as he leapt from the shadows to a stop at the base of the stairs.

The front part of the house was missing. Remnants of its glory were scattered on the ground. I gulped the crisp pine-scented air, shedding the filth of that cellar from my lungs.

A scream tore through the air above us
. Belle.
My legs felt like concrete, I stumbled, following the beast as he bounded up the stairs, taking four steps at a time. He raced along the balcony, disappearing from view through a doorway.

My hand slipped from the rails as I clawed my way up one stair at a time. Savage snarls cut through the air. I focused on that entrance, giving everything I had left. I bounced off the doorway, scanning the antique four-poster bed of the master suite.

My beast stood on the far side of the room, facing Mark, who had his back to me. A woman lay on the ground at his feet, naked, bloody. I blinked, trying to shift the gore.

She wasn’t Belle.

A whimper from the other side of the room dragged my gaze. Belle cowered in the far corner, her face was bloody, her eyes wide. Lord Bête stood over her, teeth bared at Mark.
Honorable to the very end.
The beast shifted his gaze—only for a second—to me, then back to monster in the room.

The bastard hadn’t heard me. I clamped my mouth shut, quietening my breaths. Blood dripped from the carving knife in Mark’s hand to splash against the floor. I stepped inside. A lunge from the wolf kept Mark’s gaze firmly fixed on him. Was he giving me a chance to end this?

My focused on Mark, and felt my lips curl back. I welcomed the beast inside myself. I had one chance.

I lunged for his back, not caring about the knife in his hand. My fingers wound through his hair. I gripped what I could and clamped my legs around his waist. My arms felt like jelly. I jerked with all the strength I had left, yanking his head to the side.

The wolf leapt. His fangs sank deep. Mark’s flesh peeled like an overripe peach as we fell to the ground. His blood shot like a fountain, splashing against my lover’s snout and onto me. I hit the ground, knocking the wind from my chest. Pain detonated inside my head as I met the wooden floor. Still, I gripped Mark’s hips, riding the fall, not giving the sonofabitch a chance to survive.

"Finish it," I screamed.

I was seized by his savagery, sickened, for it mirrored my own. A hard yank of Mark’s head and the sickening sound of breaking bones filled the air.

My fell to the ground, the soft brown curls still wound through my fingers as Mark’s head came away from the body. I stared at the wolf as my heart hammered, then kicked the body away. Free, we were finally free.

But how free were we? What would happen if we tried to leave, would the magic keep us here in this house, wrapped tightly by the forest around us?

One beast. One woman.

My legs shook as I climbed to my feet and reached out a bloody hand. My beast moved against me and I wrapped my arms around him tight. No matter what happened next, I‘d finally found my happy ever after.

Thank you for reading my dark fairytale, Beast. Keep reading for a taste of the next Submissively Ever After instalment, Gretel.

The death of my father left a hole in my family. Left bankrupt, my brother, Hansel is forced to sell our furniture and our jewels, but refuses to sell our home.

What will we trade when the money runs dry? When the cupboards are bare and there’s still mouths to feed?

Hansel looks at me now with the devil in his eyes. There’s only one who can save me from the fate Hansel has planned—my Ghost in the darkness, my wolf.

But Ghost is forced to leave without knowing Hansel’s bartering the only thing we have left. Me. And I don’t think he’ll be back to save me.

“W
hat are you smiling at?”

Mother’s icy tone chilled the air. I felt her gaze skim past me to Maybelle as the smirk died on my lips. I fingered the frayed edge of the doily in front of me, tracing the thread from top to bottom.

From of the corner of my eye, our servant curtsied. The smile we shared evaporated from her lips. “Nothing, ma’am. Enjoy chef’s special apricot pastries.”

Maybelle pushed the platter toward me, then turned away. I inhaled the delicious scent and my belly moaned in response. I grabbed the delicate silver tongs perched on the edge of the platter. Before I could pick up the pastry on top, the sound of a scraping chair tore through the room. The edge of the pastry crumbled as I clipped the edge, earning me a sharp glare from my mother. She whisked the dish away and offered it to my brother, Hansel.

“Here you go my darling. You like these don’t you?”

Her tone was sweeter than the pastries in her hands. I dropped into my chair and placed the tongs on my empty plate. Mother giggled, dragging the glazed morsels from the tray to my brother’s plate by the tips of her fingers, then sucked her fingers delicately.

Her behavior struck me as odd. Mother was acting like a child, laughing and giggling, running her hands over Hansel’s bony chest. She tickled the three small hairs that sprouted from his open neckline and bent to kiss his lips.

A dark secret lingered in the air, one that made my belly churn and my heart race.

Hansel’s chin jutted high as he yanked his gaze toward me. Those eyes glinted, burning like fire. A power that had never been there before flickered in his gaze. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

My brother’s lips curled at the edges, the smile far from brotherly. In that instant, I registered the difference. His skin shone just as it had the day before and there was no hint of depth in his voice, but the change was unmistakable. Gone was the boy I’d shared my life with, and in his place was now a man.

I shifted attention to my mother, who pouted in front of him. I caught the sweep of her hand along his small shoulders. She was acting strange, touching more than normal. The air of possessiveness blunted my hunger.

A deep sound sliced the tension as my father cleared his throat. I turned my gaze toward the doorway. Father strode into the dining room. He slowed long enough to give me a wink, then ruffled Hansel’s hair as he passed.

He glanced across the table and dipped his head. “Good morning, my love.”

Mother dropped like a weight into the chair, her cold gaze firmly fixed on the plate in front of her. “Morning.”

I watched the exchange, hovering on the outside like a stranger. Her love had always been hot and cold. I had yet to feel the warmth.

“Hansel, did you sleep well, my son?”

My brother’s cheeks flushed red as he glanced across the table, meeting mother’s eyes before nodding. I felt the burn from my side of the wide dining table.

“Ah, pastries. I see our cook has been whipping up a treat for you, Gretel.” He eased into the seat at the head of the table, then craned his neck to see around the flowers in the center, eyeing my empty plate. “Are you not hungry? Too many strawberries from the garden I expect.”

I scowled and shook my head, finding a stray seed between my teeth. He glanced to the plates piled high in front of my mother and brother and slowly nodded. His brown eyes weren’t quite as bright as he glanced to me. No words were needed. “Well, maybe we can grab a few to go. You’re still set for our walk today?”

Something inside my chest leapt to life. “I have my new boots on, Daddy. I thought we’d head past the big boulder.”

One eyebrow rose, but I caught the laughter in his voice. “You’re going to wear me out. I’m exhausted just thinking about walking so far. We might need cook to pack us a lunch along with the rest of those apricot pastries.”

“I’ll be coming, too,” my brother growled, before glancing to our father. “If that’s okay with you, sir?”

I couldn’t deny the swell of pride in my father’s chest, still the words slipped free of my lips. “You’ve never wanted to come before. You don’t like the forest.”

Her gaze cut deep as my mother snapped. “If he wants to go, then he can go. You don’t get to decide who does what in this house.”

She can’t hurt me. She can’t hurt me.

I kept repeating the mantra in my head as I fiddled with my napkin.

“Sophie. The child meant nothing by her remark.” Father’s soothing tone didn’t dampen the fire.

She turned her hostile eyes on him. “Why are you always defending her?”

He tried to reach for her hand. She jerked away from his touch, leaving him to grasp her napkin instead. “Because you seem to be always attacking her. She’s only thirteen, my love, and needing time with her father. Regardless, we’d love to have you accompany us, Hansel. Good, sturdy boots are what you’ll need, son. Your sister seems to be intent on providing exhaustion.”

The conversation stilled with the scrape of a chair. Mother’s heavy steps rebounded, moving like thunder behind my seat. I glanced up at the last moment, catching the hatred in her eyes, before she was gone. The skirt of her yellow dress swept around the doorframe, then disappeared. She should’ve worn black, to match her scowl.

I rose from the table, setting the butterflies in my belly in a flutter. “Please excuse me. I’ll go and help cook gather food and water for our trip.”

I didn’t need to see the sadness in his eyes. Inside I was already amongst the pines, following the woodpeckers from tree to tree.

***

I
raced ahead, cutting through the long grass on the edge of the forest to dip into the dark underbrush. Father’s laughter chased me as I gathered my skirt to keep it from catching on broken twigs and branches. I waited for them to catch up, dancing around the butt of a fallen pine.

Their heavy steps sent the birds racing for the sky as they approached. I fell in place beside my father, then lagged behind as his long strides swallowed the forest floor.

“I’d like to learn more about your work.” Hansel’s steps quickened, knocking into the back of my leg.

I flung out my hands as my leg buckled. I hit the ground. Thorns pierced the heel of my hand.

“You okay, sweetheart?” My father’s first grasp pulled me from the sticks and leaves.

I nodded and swiped my skirt as I stood, shooting my brother a glare. “I’m fine.”

“I thought you were used to this forest?” Hansel taunted. “You should be a little more careful, Gretel.”

I wanted to slap that smirk from his face. Why was he here? He’d never wanted to come before. My knee burned. I didn’t have to lift my skirt to know the graze was there. For just a second I wanted to be a kid again, finding hidden pockets of butterflies in the occasional shafts of sunlight that broke through the trees.

I hobbled until the snap of a branch wrenched my gaze to a flash of white against the darkness. I fell farther behind, scanning the blackberry bushes for the movement. I gritted my teeth at the sound of my brother’s voice and kicked a rock at the edge of the stream.

The water chilled my palm, turning my skin numb, but I scooped the refreshing treat into my mouth and raced to catch up. I was out of breath by the time I caught sight of my father’s leather boot. He leaned against the boulder, his foot propped up on a jutting edge. “Well, we’re here princess, what now?”

I scanned the small clearing, searching the tangle of thorny brush for the dark berries. “You can rest for a while, Daddy.”

“I’m not a kid anymore. I’m the man of the house. I want my own jobs. I want my own money.” Hansel kicked the rocks against the boulder.