Deceit: A Beauty and the Beast Novel (7 page)

“Of course,” I said stiffly. “I wouldn’t
want you dragging my father from his bed tonight when I
didn’t.”

I marched past him in the direction of the
manor, but he caught my skirt and spun me around.

“I apologize for hurting you,” he said
gruffly. “Let me heal it.”

“No. I want to wear it as a reminder for
you. I’m a person, not an object that will withstand your fury and
repair itself. I am not part of this estate.”

“I will not forget again.”

“Pardon me if I don’t believe you.” I tugged
my skirt from his clawed grasp and heard a rip. Not caring, I
started on my way only to be snagged again.

“I’m not asking. Hold still so I can heal
it.”

Slowly turning, I glared at him and crossed
my arms. He approached me on all fours, a repentant look in his
eyes.

“Bring back the wispy gowns. I will not
stand before you without clothes again.”

“Close your eyes,” he ordered as if I hadn’t
spoken.

Exhaling angrily, I closed my eyes. The
first swipe of his tongue over my jaw hurt, but the pain faded with
each subsequent turn.

When he stopped, I opened my eyes and found
the black mist surrounding us, too thick to see through. Something
brushed over my collarbone. A knuckle perhaps? The gentle touch
conflicted with the tumultuous mist.

“Rose, the enchantress, has cast a spell on
me, and I’d hoped with your help to be free of it last night.”

He turned away, and I quickly jogged to
catch up, grabbing his tail. My curiosity outweighed my anger with
him.

“How can I help free you?”

“I would rather talk inside,” he said
quietly.

The walk seemed to take longer. When he
pushed inside the kitchen, I noticed that the table was still
splintered but a loaf of bread was set on the block with a chair
beside it.

“Sit and eat,” he ordered.

“Will you tell me?” I asked, moving to the
chair.

“She requires one night of pleasure,” he
growled, obviously agitated.

“And that is a problem?” After seeing him
with the wood nymph, I wasn’t sure how it posed a problem.

“Yes. If you recall, she’s haggard and old,”
he replied dryly.

“I’ve met her?”

“Twice. I brought you to her cottage when
you hit your head, and she brought the medicine when you were
ill.”

I vaguely recalled an older woman with
missing teeth.

“How can I help?”

“If I could close my eyes and picture
someone else, I thought I might have a chance. It worked until my
first—”

I waited for him to continue but he did
not.

“Your first what?”

“Never mind,” he growled. “I should have
known it wouldn’t be so easy.”

I ate quietly for several long minutes.

“You’re trapped here and the only way to
freedom is by giving this enchantress one night of pleasure,” I
said in summary, more for my benefit than his. “How long have you
been here?”

“Over fifty years.”

“You’ve been trying to pleasure her each
night for over fifty years?” I asked in disbelief.

“Not every night. Several years ago she
limited me to twice a week.”

I felt a little gaggy on his behalf and
understood why he would want to close his eyes and imagine someone
else. Why me, though?

“It seems to me that if you’ve been trying
the same thing for fifty years and getting the same disappointing
results, you would try something different.”

He sighed.

“That’s why you’re here. Now, I don’t wish
to talk about this anymore.”

I immediately understood my role too well,
but I doubted staring at me all day was enough to store up his
energies to ensure an entire night of the old woman’s attentions.
But thanks to the sisters, I had a few more ideas.

“One more question,” I said. He nodded
reluctantly. “Will you allow me to help you?”

“I already have.”

The humor in his tone was unmistakable, and
I knew he meant walking around naked the day before.

Chapter 4

“No. I can truly help you,” I said.

The first thing I needed to do was calm him.
His rages were dangerous to me, and undoubtedly disadvantageous to
his goal to free himself. However, I felt the sisters’ techniques
for muscle relief, given Gen’s response, might lead to another
chase through the woods. Perhaps a bath, then?

I glanced at the beast and found him watching
me closely. His fur stuck up in odd places and some burrs clung to
his tail. No doubt, he would need convincing to get into a tub.

Standing, I marched toward him and leaned in
to sniff.

“You need a bath,” I said. “Come. I think
you’ll fit in one of the washtubs in the laundry.”

“I’m not bathing.”

“I’ll help,” I said.

The world spun, and I found myself clinging
to his back. As soon as he lurched forward, I fisted my hands in
his fur and wrapped my legs around his waist. He raced around a few
corners and suddenly we stood in the laundry.

Sliding off his back, I grinned at the
beast.

“That was fun. I’d expected there to be a
fire and hot water when we arrived, though.”

“I believe I mentioned she blocked my ability
to use the magic.”

“No matter,” I said as I bent to start the
fire.

Behind me, I heard him lifting the large pots
to fill with water. We worked together for a long while before we
had one of the tubs half filled with steaming water.

“In you go,” I said.

He turned away from me and stepped into the
water with a hiss. I quickly poured in another bucket of cooler
water so he could sit. He sighed when he submerged up to his chest,
his knees spread wide.

Using a dipper, I wet all of his fur and
began lathering him. Once his fur was plastered against his skin, I
could easily feel the hard ridges of his muscles. They distracted
me from my purpose, and I found my hands idly wandering over their
expanse. Recalling Ila’s instruction, I began to wash him, rubbing
the tension from the muscles in his shoulders and torso.

After I rinsed his back, I moved to the side
of the tub and encouraged him to lift first one leg then the other
out of the water. He watched me closely as I worked. I likewise
paid close attention to him, ready to bolt if he showed any sign of
pent energies.

Under the guise of scrubbing, I rubbed his
calf muscles and as much of each thigh as I could reach under the
water. Several times, I bumped into something under the murky
depths, but didn’t know if it was his penis or ball sack. Either
way, the flesh did not feel firm, so I continued my efforts to ease
his tension.

I didn’t speak as I worked, preferring to
adopt the sisters’ silence. It gave me an opportunity to
contemplate how to broach the subject of his failed attempts with
Rose and what he might try differently. I hoped, after the bath,
he’d be more open to suggestions.

When I moved to his head, he groaned and laid
it back against the edge of the tub. He kept his eyes closed and
his arms relaxed on the edge of the tub as I worked, and I felt
certain I’d succeeded in calming him.

After rinsing him a second time, he rose from
the tub and shook himself, sending water spraying everywhere. I
gasped in surprise and felt doubly shocked when he laughed at me. A
real laugh.

“Let’s finish drying in the library,” I
suggested, wondering how long he’d stay relaxed and, hopefully,
receptive to conversation.

He followed me closely and used the mist to
cloak himself. In the library, I waited until he once again settled
in the corner before speaking.

“I have a proposal. I know when aroused, you
have certain pent energies...”

He made a choking noise.

“...that need to be released or you become
tense and angry. However, have you considered that releasing these
pent energies might be counterproductive toward your goal of a full
night with the enchantress?”

“It crossed my mind as I sat in this very
corner yesterday,” he said sardonically.

“I’m speaking of a larger sacrifice,” I said,
excited that he understood and seemed willing to discuss the topic.
“You’ve been doing the same thing for fifty years. What if you did
not visit the enchantress for a week or two while letting your
energies build? It might give you an advantage.”

“A week,” he scoffed.

“I’ll help you. You just need to stay focused
on the goal—your freedom.”

He remained quiet in the corner for so long I
began to pace. Perhaps, I’d assumed too much by speaking openly of
his physical needs. It seemed that no one actually spoke of that in
polite conversation, discounting the sisters of course.

“Perhaps, you’re right,” he said slowly.
“This could work.”

I stopped pacing and smiled at him.

“And, I suppose you want something in return
for your help?” he said mulishly.

I fought not to roll my eyes.

“Not everything needs to be a trade or part
of some deal. I’m helping to be helpful. That’s all.” And, maybe,
by being so, I would win my own freedom.

He grunted, but said nothing more.

* * * *

Several days later, I struggled to maintain
my temper as I faced the beast over breakfast. He paced back and
forth in front of the door, his familiar mist cloaking him.

The day before he’d tried excusing himself
often. However, each time I had quickly followed him, certain that
he would try to find the wood nymph or some other substitute.

Now, he was surly and seemed to no longer
care if I stayed at the estate or chose to flee. He had ordered me
to take my day to visit my family.

“You can’t order me to do that,” I said. “I
choose the day I visit.”

For a moment, he paused his pacing to face
me. An angry spark lit his eyes. When he resumed his pace, I set my
fork down and quickly rose from my chair, ready to run if there
seemed a need.

“You bore me, and I want time alone,” he said
with impatience and anger.

“Sir,” I said, trying for a calm, soft voice.
“It has only been a few days. Think of your freedom.”

“I’m tired of thinking of it,” he roared at
me with such passion that his breath fluttered my hair.

“Let’s go for a walk outside,” I said, trying
a different approach.

He spun toward me and took a step with each
word he spoke.

“I do not want to walk outside. I want to
fuck.” He stood nose to nose with me, his breath fanning my
face.

“Precisely why we need to calm you,” I said,
sensing my dangerous position.

He studied me for a long moment, then his
tongue darted out to lap at my neck. I squeaked in surprise. He
growled in response and stood on two legs, pulling me close. I only
reached the bottom of his sternum when he stood, and his fur
pressed into my face. I felt the length of his penis between my
breasts.

He arched into me. I would have fallen
backward if not for his arms holding me steady.

“Stop,” I ordered him, trying to pull away.
My movement only seemed to excite his thrusting. “You’re hurting
me.” His root was bruising my ribs, and I felt a stab of pity for
the wood nymph who had endured him. He was too large.

When he didn’t listen, I stomped on first one
paw, then the other. He roared but pulled away from me, dropping to
all fours.

“There will be no fornicating,” I yelled at
him.

We glared at each other for a moment, then
his temper erupted. He lashed out and flipped the table over,
sending the dishes flying. This time, I covered my face to prevent
injury. When he finished his fit and stood there panting, I
retreated.

“I think I will visit my family,” I said as I
darted past him and out the door.

“Men aren’t the only ones to suffer pent
energies,” he yelled at me as I ran.

I didn’t know what he meant by that, but
didn’t slow to ponder it.

By the time I reached the gate, which swung
open for me, I was out of breath and had a stitch in my side. The
beast roared in the distance again. He still hadn’t regained
control of the estate, and it seemed to frustrate him as much as
his pent energies.

I sprinted through the trees until I came to
the gravel road and slowed to a hitched walk. Perhaps we were going
about this wrong. He didn’t respond well to self-denial. Perhaps I
should have started with something smaller, like using the word
“no” more often.

As I walked, I became aware of the sound of a
wagon approaching from behind and turned to see Henick again.

I waved as he pulled up beside me.

“Going to the Water?” I asked.

Henick greeted me with a smile.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon.”
He jumped from the seat. “Your face is healed,” he said in surprise
and reached out to run a finger along my jaw.

“Yes, I’m very fortunate it didn’t scar.”

His touch left a slight tingle, and I
blushed. Yet, the beast’s parting comment rang in my ears. Why
didn’t I suffer from pent energies? Aryana had also hinted that I
should feel my heart flutter or some such nonsense. Was I
defective?

“Henick, why did you think I didn’t notice
you?”

He smiled again and lowered his hand, holding
it out to me instead. I wrapped my sweat-dampened fingers around
his warm, dry ones as I accepted his assistance and climbed up to
the seat.

“Because you never lingered,” he said easily,
moving around the team to get to his side of the bench. “You never
stopped to watch us like we stopped to watch you.”

“Watch me?” I echoed, thinking of Tennen’s
words the night he’d waited for me in the dark. Was this what he’d
meant? He’d been angry because I’d never noticed him?

Henick laughed and shook his head at me.

“Everyone stops to watch you when you walk
through the village, Benella.”

That made me feel a bit uncomfortable.