Devastation: A Beauty and the Beast Novel (20 page)

“You are mine,” he breathed against my skin.
His fingers continued to dance along the v of my legs. His tongue
brushed against my nipple then disappeared, leaving me unsatisfied.
I whimpered and arched.

“Agree to marry me, and I will give you what
you desire.”

The words chilled me as if a pitcher had
doused me. Marriage. He needed to marry or be re-enchanted. I
balled up my fist and swung at him.

“Manipulator. Beast,” I cried as my fist
connected with his cheek. He grunted and grabbed both my hands. I
pulled back hard and tumbled from the bed.

Tired and frustrated, I couldn’t prevent the
tears that welled in my eyes.

“Why? Haven’t I been punished enough?”

“Punished?” He sat up and looked down at me.
“Do you really see my touch as punishment?”

“Do not twist my meaning. It’s not your
touch but your cruel manipulations to gain your own ends. Stop
this, Alec. I want sleep.”

“As do I,” he shouted at me.

“Then why are you awake touching me?”

“How else am I to get you to stay?”

The tears spilled over.

“That is the problem, Alec. You cannot force
me to stay. You can only ask and leave the choice to me.”

His shoulders slumped, and his hopeless
expression tugged at my heart.

“Please stay the night with me, Benella. I
cannot sleep without you by my side.”

I considered him a long while. Saying yes
would ease whatever madness gripped him now, but it would not ease
my conscience. He would marry soon. Sleeping with me like this was
wrong. Yet, his desperate expression and bloodshot eyes moved me to
compassion.

“I want my nightshirt back. And my
underclothes.”

“Yes,” he said quickly. He rose and
retrieved them from the bottom of his wardrobe.

Once I had the shirt about me, I sat on the
edge of the bed.

“Lie down,” I said.

He immediately obeyed but then pulled me
down with him. He tucked me close to his chest and rested his chin
on the top of my head.

I held still and waited for his breathing to
slow. Once each exhale came in an even rhythm, I eased from his
arms. He didn’t stir. I covered him with a spare blanket and
quietly left his room.

* * * *

The next day looked as if it would play out
no better than the prior day when I heard Alec pacing in the hall.
He whirled at the sound of my door opening. I hesitated near the
threshold, close to the pitcher of water Mr. Crow had considerately
placed within.

“You left me,” he said with an angry
scowl.

“It wasn’t my place to stay. I should not
have been there to begin with.”

He opened his mouth to argue, and I stepped
close to take his hands in mine. The action stopped the forthcoming
rant. He gripped my hands firmly and watched me with mixed
emotions.

“Alec, have patience. The feast is a mere
five days from today. You might meet someone then.” He made a sound
of disagreement. “Or perhaps officially announce your intent to
wed. If you can just hold yourself for a few more days, your life
might unexpectedly change for the better.”

“I don’t want my life to change
unexpectedly. I want you.”

He pulled his hands from mine and left me in
the hallway.

For a brief moment, I considered finding
Egrit to see if she would consider helping with the press. Then, I
slowly followed in Alec’s wake. Hiding from him did no good.
Avoiding him made things worse. Perhaps if I did the opposite,
things would then improve.

We worked together throughout the morning.
He watched me continually and used any opportunity to touch me.
When he invited me to join him in the library for the midday meal,
I accepted after he also invited Father.

The meal didn’t last long. As soon as Alec
finished his portion, he stood and began pacing just behind my
chair. I felt as if the beast was back, waiting to pounce. I took
my last bite and set my plate back upon the tray. Before I could
swallow, Father quickly excused himself to return the tray to the
kitchen.

The sound of Alec’s pacing stopped. I stood
and turned. With a determined glint in his eyes, he waited, poised
just behind my chair. Instead of finding an excuse to leave, I
stayed where I was. He seemed to calm when he saw I wasn’t about to
bolt.

“Thank you for a lovely meal,” I said
softly.

He exhaled slowly. If he still had fur, I
had no doubt I would have witnessed his hackles lowering.

“Will you read to me after dinner?” he
asked.

“Yes, if you will tell me how you entered my
room last night.”

“So you can bar me from entering?” he asked
with a scowl.

“I won’t need to bar you if I have your word
that I will remain in my room all night tonight and have no cause
to lock my door.”

He considered me for a moment then reached
into his pocket. He withdrew a key and handed it to me.

“I asked Phillip for the master key. I had
to wait half the night for him to leave his post outside your
door.” The petulant way he said it almost made me smile.

“Mr. Crow is a good man. I’ll return it and
let him know he need not worry tonight?” I ended it as a question
because I wanted Alec’s agreement. When he nodded, I smiled. “Then,
I will read to you for as long as you like.”

* * * *

After dinner, Alec brought me a tome of
enormous proportions, and I read until my voice objected. The whole
while, he sat on the floor and ran his fingers through my hair.
When I closed the book, he stood and offered me his arm.

We walked together to our rooms, and he bade
me goodnight at my door. His civility eased my mind enough that I
kept my promise and did not turn the lock.

In the morning, the warm place in the
blankets beside me told a truth. He’d come to me, and slept beside
me, but had left me unmolested.

The next three days followed a similar
pattern. If I behaved in an accommodating manner, he adhered to the
boundaries I’d set, with the exception of sleeping in my room. He
continued to let himself in, though I had asked him to cease.

In those three days, the stacked barrels of
fresh cider lined one full wall of the cellar, and the men
completed the harvest of the red apples. Mr. Crow paid the smiths
their due and let them know there was no further work for them. If
they were smart, they would hold tight to their coin.

Bryn and Kara continued to cook and prepare
everything brought to them. Cloth-covered, wooden platters of
smoked fish crowded the cellar on every spare surface. Kara even
managed to turn a large amount of herbed soft cheese from the goat
milk that I’d neglected to take to the Water the week prior.

The day before the feast, we finished
pressing the remaining apples early in the morning while Bryn and
Kara started the meat pies.

Everything was progressing nicely, and I
felt a sense of calm until midday.

Alec, Father, and I were in the library,
eating and discussing last minute details when Mr. Crow interrupted
us.

“Lord Ruhall, a guest for the feast has
arrived early. Egrit is showing her to a guest room...near her
father’s.”

Blye. Mr. Crow and I shared a look before I
glanced at Alec.

“Perhaps you should lock
your
door
tonight,” I said.

Alec ignored me and turned to Phillip.

“Let Kara know we’ll eat in the dining room
tonight with our guest. Nothing formal, just a change in
scene.”

Mr. Crow nodded and left.

“I’ll take the tray to the kitchen,” I said,
standing. “Alec, will you help me in the ballroom? We should start
moving the tables and chairs in.”

He seemed pleased that I’d asked him and
nodded.

We met a few minutes later in the ballroom.
Alec had brought Swiftly with him to help. I directed them where to
place the food and drink tables, then helped bring in some of the
lighter chairs for the older guests like the candle maker.

Less than an hour had passed when Mr. Crow
found us again.

“Miss Hovtel, there is someone here to see
you. She gave the name Ila.”

I was elated she’d decided to come
early.

“Thank you, Mr. Crow.” I turned to glance at
the tables. “Can you bring Kara in here to see if this will be
enough room for the food? I’d like to set it all out right away
tomorrow so everyone can join in the feast.”

He nodded, and I left him in the ballroom so
quickly that he had to call after me.

“She is in the sitting room, Miss.”

I waved to show I’d heard and kept going. I
desperately needed a friendly face and an escape from my troubled
thoughts. I hoped Ila would provide both.

Ila didn’t sit on a chair as Blye had but
wandered around the room to study interesting objects here and
there. When she heard me enter, she turned with a hesitant
smile.

“Ila, I’m so happy you’re here. Will you be
staying the night?”

I hugged her warmly when I reached her, and
after a slight hesitation, she hugged me in return.

“I’m glad you’re happy to see me,” she said.
“I wasn’t certain.”

“Nonsense. I’m delighted. And I would like
you to stay. Blye is here early as well, and I would enjoy a
companion who doesn’t ignore me.”

Ila laughed, a husky sound and a bittersweet
reminder of our shared past, as she pulled back from our
embrace.

“I will stay, then, and protect you as I am
able.” She turned and gestured to a small trunk just inside the
door. “I brought your dress.”

It was hard to keep the joy on my face. The
extravagance of having a formal dress still annoyed me. Even my
serviceable dresses annoyed me at times. What would I do with a
lace-ridden dress? Owning something that could only be worn once,
maybe twice, made little sense.

“Don’t look so cornered,” Ila said. “Through
your visits, I’ve grown to know you. I think you’ll be happy with
what I’ve brought. Would you like to see it?”

“I apologize if I looked unappreciative, I’m
nothing but grateful. Yes, please do show me.”

Ila moved to the trunk and opened it. With
her back to me, she lifted something from within, shook it out,
then turned. The cream dress adorned with golden and burgundy
threads stunned me. No lace trimmed the square neckline; the
parallel patterns of the threads were enough of an adornment. The
pattern continued down the length of the skirt as well. From a
distance, it would appear a solid cream color. Only on closer
inspection would someone realize the beauty of the material. The
only lace on the creation hung from the sleeves that stopped at the
elbow.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, reaching out to
touch it. The fine, thin material reminded me of the dress I’d worn
to my sister’s wedding.

“There is an underskirt if you want more
volume, or you can wear it without.”

“I cannot wait to try it on,” I said with
honesty.

“Not until tomorrow.” She smiled at me, then
turned to tuck it into the trunk once more.

“You’re sure it will fit?”

“Yes. I have no doubt.”

After asking Mr. Crow for a tray, Ila and I
enjoyed a quiet afternoon talking. Before dinner, I showed her to
her room then walked with her to the dining room where we found
Alec, Father, and Blye already seated.

“I apologize,” I said. “I didn’t think us
late.”

Alec stood as we approached the table and
pulled out the chair to his right.

“You’re not. We were early, Miss
Hovtel.”

Blye, who sat beside Father, narrowed her
eyes at my placement next to Lord Ruhall. I sat and let him push me
in. He gave the same courtesy to Ila, who sat beside me and across
from Blye.

“Hello, Mr. Hovtel,” Ila said softly.

Father smiled at her.

“It is good to see you again, Ila. How are
your sisters?”

“Well, thank you. A few have found husbands
since we last saw you.”

Blye’s gaze bounced between the pair before
understanding dawned. Her lips thinned in disapproval. I ignored
her.

“You should see the dress Ila made me,
Father. It is truly stunning.”

“I look forward to seeing it tomorrow,” Alec
said, his eyes on me.

Mr. Crow’s arrival saved me from needing to
respond. He entered the room slowly, carrying a heavily laden tray.
I stood quickly and went to help him.

“Thank you, Miss,” he said. “It wasn’t heavy
when I left the kitchen.”

“I had the same problem with the press. The
handle turned with ease the first few times.”

I set it on the table and moved aside so Mr.
Crow could serve us.

Alec again helped me sit. This time his arm
brushed against mine. No one seemed to notice as Mr. Crow began to
set our soup bowls before us.

“This looks delicious. Thank you,” I said
when my bowl waited before me. Orange and thick, the aroma hinted
at squash and onion.

The table grew quiet as we ate. I was
surprised when Mr. Crow returned a short while later and held the
door open for Kara. She carried in a large platter with a roast
surrounded by peeled potatoes.

She set the dish on the table as Mr. Crow
took our bowls and replaced them with plates. The first slice of
roast she set to the side. The second slice she set on Alec’s
plate. The smell made my mouth water.

“Thank you, Kara,” Alec said after she added
potatoes. He waited until we each had our portions before picking
up his fork. I beat him to the first bite. The last time I’d eaten
roast escaped me. While enchanted, the estate or the beast usually
fed me finger food.

I chewed slowly, savoring the flavor and
remembered. It had been at the Kinlyn’s. Mrs. Kinlyn had served us
roast, and I’d met Henick for the first time. I smiled and took
another bite.

“The roast pleases you,” Alec said. I
noticed he no longer ate but only studied me.

“Very much. It’s been a long while since I
last tasted roast.” I took another bite.