The Beast Prince (The Fairy Tale Series Book 1) (4 page)

The light filtered through the curtains and streamed through the window, waking Lisa several hours later. She blinked sleepily, her hand reaching out to search for Sharden. Her head turned and she frowned when she saw the empty space beside her. Sitting up in the bed, she pulled the sheets up around her and tucked them in as she searched the moonlit room.

Sliding her legs over the side of the bed, she rose, pulling the sheet with her and wrapping it around her toga-style. A frown creased her brow when she saw that the hut was empty. There were only three rooms in it; one bedroom, a small bathroom, and the living/kitchen area. Stepping into the living room, she saw that the fire Sharden had started earlier was now just a pile of embers. Shivering, she walked over to the narrow door and opened it.

The light from the full moon shone down on the lake, making the surface glitter as if a million diamonds had been scattered like bird seed over it. Fireflies danced in the breeze. It was breathtaking except for one thing – Sharden wasn’t there. Holding on to the sheet, Lisa stepped outside and looked desperately for Sharden. She could feel a sense of growing panic build inside her when all she heard was the wind in the trees and the distant sound of water from the waterfall.

Turning, she hurried back to the bedroom. Dropping the sheet back on the bed, she quickly dressed. Pulling her dress over her head, she tugged it down over her hips before pulling on her stockings and the low boots. Wiping at the tears running silently down her cheeks, she pushed her hair away from her face.

They had come down to the hut. He had shown her the outside before they stepped inside. By the time they had made it to the bedroom, she had known what would happen next. They had spent the rest of the afternoon exploring more than the house, they had explored each other. The soft caresses turned more desperate, more heated, until they had exploded in a passionate lovemaking that had stunned both of them.

Lisa had stared up at Sharden as he came deep inside her, knowing that they were meant to be together. Locked together, she had held him as he shuddered and collapsed on top of her, mumbling that he would love her forever.

“Remember that,” he had urgently told her. “Never forget that you are my heart, my life, my love.”

“I love you,” she remembered whispering in return. “I love you, Sharden, who you are in here.” She slid her hand up between them and pressed it against his heart. “I want you to never forget that.”

He had kissed her again as if he would never get enough of her. Over and over again, they had come together as if trying to make the afternoon last for a lifetime. She had eventually fallen into an exhausted sleep in his arms. It was the fear at the thought of never feeling them around her again that drove her forward. She opened the door to the hut, only to fall back with a gasp when she saw a dark figure standing in front of it.

“Oh!” Lisa exclaimed, raising a hand to cover her racing heart. “Who are you? I have to go. Sharden….”

“The young prince has returned to the palace,” the old woman said, stepping in when Lisa fell back another step at her words.

“How do you know? Who are you?” Lisa demanded, pushing at her hair in irritation when it fell forward again.

“Do you love him?” The woman asked, stepping closer.

Lisa scowled at the woman. “What business is that of yours?” She asked suspiciously. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but I really have to go. If you need a place to stay for the night, make yourself at home, but I must go. I have to get to the palace.”

“Do you love him, Lisa?” The woman asked again, this time in a softer voice.

Lisa paused, about to tell the woman to just get the heck out of her way, but something held her back. Swallowing, she nodded. Perhaps, Sharden had told the woman something.

“Yes,” she replied. “Yes, I love him.”

The woman stepped forward again until she was standing eye to eye with Lisa. “Even if he is a beast?” The woman asked in a barely audible voice.

Lisa’s eyes softened as she thought of Sharden. “He will never be a beast to me,” she whispered. “It doesn’t matter what the witch did to him, we’ll work it out. It is only for a few nights each month. It isn’t like I don’t have a few bad days either.”

“Did he tell you that on his twenty-fifth year, the curse would become permanent?” The woman asked.

Lisa frowned. “What are you talking about? He said he only changes during the full moon,” she said, confused.

“Until his twenty-fifth year,” the woman said. “Then, he would remain a beast.”

“But… Why?” Lisa asked, shaking her head in denial.

The woman sighed and started to reach out one gnarled hand before pulling it back, letting it drop to her side. “A curse that is as powerful as the one the witch cast does not come without consequences. The witch realized this after she uttered the spell. She would lose her own child because of her anger. She did not learn her lesson, though. The pain of losing her child was too great a burden and she cast yet another spell, this time sealing the fate of the queen and king’s son.”

“But… Why?” Lisa asked in frustration. “The Queen and King looked for the young witch to beg her forgiveness.”

“Yes, I know,” the old woman replied, turning away from Lisa and stepping toward the door. “As I said, all dark spells come with a consequence. Unfortunately, the young witch did not learn her lesson as quickly as the King and Queen.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Lisa asked, following the woman as she opened the door. “How can I break the spell?”

The woman glanced over her shoulder at Lisa with a sad smile. “It depends on if the goodness in your heart can overcome the darkness that once filled the young witch’s, Lisa,” the woman replied in a quiet voice. “Can you love a beast?”

Lisa watched as the woman stepped outside. Could she love a beast? How could she not if that ‘beast’ was Sharden? No matter what he became on the outside, he was still the man she loved on the inside. He needed her. That was all that mattered now.

“Yes,” she said, stepping through the door. She paused when she realized the old woman was gone. “Yes, I can love him.” A smile curved her lips as she felt the power of that love, sweep through her. Her face lit with her determination. Turning, she shut the door behind her. “YES! I CAN LOVE HIM!” She yelled up at the moon. “He’s mine! Do you hear me! I LOVE HIM!”

Taking off at a run, she raced to the entrance to the cave. Using her right hand to help guide her, she hurried through the dark tunnel, bursting out through the other side, startling Sharden’s mount who was grazing on a patch of grass. Rushing toward the animal, she grabbed the reins and climbed onto the saddle. She turned the mount and kicked her heels, racing down the shadowy path back toward the palace. The wind tugged at her hair and she felt stronger and more confident the closer she got to the palace. She let the animal under her have its head as they traveled down the wide lane through the village. She kept one hand on the reins and the other wrapped in the coarse mane as her knees pressed tightly to keep from falling.

“Go,” she breathed. “As fast as you can.”

The village flashed by her in a blur as the mount heard her desperate cry. The sounds of its massive feet against the drawbridge and the call of the guard to open the gates were whisked away as she flew by them. Pulling on the reins, she half-jumped, half-fell from the saddle as the heaving animal skidded to a stop at the bottom of the steps leading into the palace. Lifting the hem of her dress, she ran up the steps only slowing when the huge double doors opened and the King and Queen stepped out.

“Sharden?” Lisa whispered in a breathless voice. “Is he…?”

Tears glimmered in both of their eyes. The King nodded his head, wrapping his arm around his wife. Lisa slowed as she stepped up to stand in front of them.

“It is too late,” the King replied in a voice laden with sadness.

Lisa shook her head. “It’s never too late,” she said, pressing her lips tightly together. “Where is he?”

“In the dungeon,” the king replied. “Where he will remain for the rest of his life.”

“Not if I have anything to do with it,” Lisa vowed, stepping past them.

“Lisa, can you…?” The queen asked in a desperate whisper.

Lisa shook her head. “I don’t know,” she admitted before straightening her shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. I love him. Whatever happens, we’ll work it out.”

The queen’s shoulders drooped and she leaned back against the king. “Be careful,” she whispered. “He is hurting.”

Lisa nodded. “I won’t leave him,” she promised, looking at the king. “Can you take me to him, please?”

The king nodded and turned. “Follow me,” he instructed.

Lisa swallowed and followed the king as he led her down a series of corridors before pausing at a door that had two guards standing in front of it. Turning, he pulled a set a keys from a loop at his waist. He unlocked the door and stood back. Lisa took a step forward, surprised when he didn’t go first, but held out the key ring to her.

“You must go on your own from here,” the king advised. “Be careful, if he should attack… There is nothing I can do.”

Lisa smiled reassuringly at the king, feeling more confident on the outside than she did on the inside. “He won’t,” she assured him before turning to look down the long winding staircase.

“The large key will let you into his cell. I hope for my son’s sake that this will help him,” the king added with a heavy sigh, stepping back from the doorway.

Lisa started down the steps, pausing when she heard the door behind her close and the loud sound of the lock echoed behind her. Straightening her shoulders, she continued down the softly lit spiral staircase. The low moan of an animal in pain echoed softly in the direction she was going, growing louder the lower she went.

“Sharden?” Lisa called out in a gentle voice.

“Lisa! What are you doing here? You must go!” Sharden’s anguished-filled voice resonated through the dimly lit area.

“No,” she responded, walking slowly to the heavy metal door with two small windows, one near the top and the other at the bottom. “I’m coming in.”

“No!” Sharden hissed. “You can’t!”

Lisa shook her head. “Yes… I can and I am,” she said with determination.

A loud howl filled the air, sending a shiver through her. The goose bumps that formed on her arms were not from fear, but the sound of pain in the mournful tone. She lifted the heavy key and slid it into the skeleton shaped lock and twisted it. The click of the lock disengaging sounded loud in the sudden silence that followed Sharden’s outraged cry.

She drew in a deep breath before pulling the door open and stepping inside. She turned just far enough to shut the door behind her. Determined, she dropped the key ring to the floor, wincing when the metal struck the stone. It sounded unusually loud in the large room. She kicked the keys through the narrow flap at the bottom of the door.

Lisa glanced around the area, noting that it had been enlarged to make it into an underground apartment containing several rooms. Her eyes flickered to the metal bars over the row of small windows. Moonlight streamed through them. The light from the moon and a fireplace that was built into the far wall were the only light. A movement in the corner near a bookcase pulled her attention to a small alcove cut into the wall next the fireplace.

“Sharden…,” Lisa breathed, taking a step forward before stopping at the low growl that rumble through the air.

“Stop, Lisa,” Sharden ordered in a hoarse voice. “You shouldn’t be here.”

A tender smile curved Lisa’s lips. “Yes, I should be. I belong here, next to you,” she whispered. “Especially after this afternoon.”

“Don’t,” Sharden’s pain filled voice tore at her. “I… We shouldn’t have… I just….”

Lisa took another step closer to the dark alcove, staring into the darkness, willing him to accept that she wasn’t going to leave him. Her heart pounded, unsure of what she would see, but also certain that it wouldn’t matter. She lifted her hand in a silent plea.

“I love you, Sharden,” she insisted. “I love the man inside the covering. Come to me… Please.”

A snarl ripped from him when she took another step closer. “NO!” He hissed. “Go! FATHER! Come release her!” He roared.

Lisa stiffened and raised her chin. Her hand dropped to her side and she clenched her fists in defiance. Shaking her head, she stared into the darkness.

“He won’t come,” she stated with a stubborn tilt to her chin. “He gave me the keys and told me that I was on my own. I’m not leaving, so suck it up and deal with it. I won’t leave you. You said that the witch told you that I could help you. Well, I’m here.”

Another savage snarl ripped the air before dying away. For several minutes, they stood in silence, neither talking. The only sound was Sharden’s heavy breathing before he released a vicious curse. Lisa’s eyes widened when first one clawed foot slid out into the faint light of the fire, before the rest of Sharden emerged from the darkness. Light gray eyes stared savagely back at her, daring her to not cringe at the sight of him.

Lisa stared back at the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. Sharden’s dark blonde hair had grown long and formed a thick mane. His face had lengthened and his nose was now a series of ridges. His lips were thinner and two long fangs peeked from beneath his upper lip. His face was covered with a light covering of fur that ran down his throat and was visible beneath the opening of the white shirt he wore. He still had the narrow hips, but his thighs looked bigger, more muscular under the thick, dark brown cloth pants he wore. Her eyes rose back to lock with his piercing light gray eyes.