The Beast's Bride (20 page)

"No, you weren't, sweetie," Muffin said in her most soothing voice. "You were bound by the restraints of the fairy tale, just like everyone else." Her voice was sad. "We can only work with what we're given, after all. As much as I'd like for things to be different, sometimes, it doesn't always happen that way."

"I just wanted his happiness," Pippa said between sniffles, stroking her hand over the still chest. "I gave him up so I could make sure he was happy. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"I know, sweetie. But these things don't always work out. Like I said, this one was pretty much doomed from the start. In every version of this tale, Belle and the Beast never get together.

Remember?"

"He's not a beast," Pippa wept. "He's Duncan, and I loved him." She turned wild eyes to Muffin. "You're the one in charge of these things. Can you fix it? Can you make me as Belle so I can make her marry him this next time?"

"No—"

"Please! I don't care about me! Just let me fix what happens to him! I want him to have his happy ever after. Mine doesn't matter!"

Muffin gave her another sad look, then shook her head. "Come, Pippa. Come away."

"No, I don't want to leave him," Pippa tried to pull her hand free of the fairy godmother's, but she had a grip of iron. "Please, let me stay with him. I need to at least bury him."

"You can't do anything else here," Muffin said gently. "Come."

Dully, she let Muffin pull her away from Duncan. She staggered to her feet, all the exhaustion of the last day catching up to her. She'd lost. She'd destroyed everything. Pippa hung her head and leaned heavily on the fairy godmother. Nothing mattered anymore.

They had just stepped away when a sharp crack echoed in the clearing.

12Alarmed, Pippa glanced around, jerking free from Muffin. If the rat was back, it would eat Duncan's body. She'd fucking
die
before she'd let that happen. Furious, she ran for her candlestick, still nearby in the grass, and clutched it, scanning the area with readiness. When the thing jumped out, she'd be ready for it.

Crack! Crack!

Pippa turned to the sounds, and saw Duncan's chest ripple…and then move. She swallowed, hard. "Um…Muffin?"

She looked back to the fairy godmother, who was studying her fingernails as if they were fascinating. A hint of a smile touched her mouth. "Hmm?"

Hope fluttered in Pippa's breast. She staggered forward, back to Duncan's fallen body, but before she could get to him, the entire thing heaved and jerked, and there was the sound of more snapping bones. Something pressed hard at his chest, and then, to Pippa's horror, a hand shoved through the furry chest.

A human hand.

"Muffin?" Pippa said in alarm. "What's going on?"

"It appears that a nice human man is emerging from the body of the beast," Muffin said cheerfully. "Perhaps you should help him."

"Oh," Pippa said, her knees suddenly weak. She collapsed next to him and studied his contorting body, unsure where to begin or what to do. So she grasped that reaching hand, and tugged.

A sound not unlike ripping fabric echoed in the clearing. Pippa squeezed her eyes shut and pulled harder, and the ripping sound got louder. She braced her feet into the ground, tugging with all her might. A moment later, there was a sound like a wet pop, and then she tumbled backward, losing her balance. She smacked her head on the ground, and her ears rang.

When she opened her eyes, a shadow fell over her, a man's figure. She squinted up at him, shielding her eyes. Where had all this bright sunlight come from all of a sudden?

To her surprise, he grasped her by the waist and hauled her to her feet.

"Pippa?"

She blinked rapidly, staring at the man before her. He was the same height as her beast—her Duncan—but his shoulders weren't quite so broad, and he wasn't covered in fur. The thick lion's mane had turned to loose, dark waves that fell at his shoulders. His features were broad and 12tanned. Not Hollywood handsome, but strong and fierce and brave. And the eyes that met hers were that same amber yellow from before.

"Duncan?"

"Aye," he told her, and grinned. He stared down at his glistening, wet body. Wet, naked body. "I seem to be…changed."

"Oh," Pippa said in a soft squeak of her voice. "I…I don't understand." She looked to the fairy godmother.

Muffin was still studying her fingernails, but she snuck a quick peek or two at Duncan, Pippa noticed. Or rather, Duncan's nakedness. She had a pleased little smile on her mouth. "I don't know what's so hard to understand, my dear. His curse would only be broken if he married his true love."

"But…" She ran a hand over his shoulders and his chest, feeling him, as if scarce daring to believe what she saw. "But…you told me he had to marry Belle!"

"Belle?" Duncan gave her a disgusted look, and he looked so much like the beast in that moment that her heart did a little flip. It was him all right. "That empty headed twit? Not in a hundred years."

"That's how it's supposed to go," Pippa told him. "You marry Belle and have your happy ever after."

"Well, that's how it's supposed to go in theory," Muffin said. "But when things kept getting botched on this one, I had a little girl chit-chat with my friend the fairy godmother. You know, the one that made him a beast to teach him humility?" She gave Duncan a prim look. "Turned out the wording of the curse was a little more ambiguous and allowed me a bit of wiggle room to make things happen. So, congratulations, my dear. You've fixed the fairy tale and won yourself a second chance."

"Oh," Pippa breathed in delight, flinging her arms around Duncan's neck in happiness. Then, she stiffened even as his arms went around her in a tight hug. Oh no. She turned to look at the fairy godmother, not willing to leave Duncan's arms. "Second chance?"

"Yes! One witness protection scenario coming right up!" She wiggled her fingers with excitement. "Unless you changed your mind and wanted to be a fairy godmother?"

12Oh Jesus. She didn't want to be either. She wanted to stay right here with Duncan. She clung to his slippery skin, eyes wide with horror. "I don't want to leave! Not now, when we just fixed things!"

"Leave?" Duncan's hands tightened on her, his voice a low growl. "No. You're never leaving my side again, sweet Pippa."

"I might not have a choice," Pippa told him in an aching whisper. She turned sad, pleading eyes to Muffin. "Please. Can't I stay here? With Duncan?"

"That's not part of the fairy tale," Muffin said, tapping her chin. She looked troubled. "Then again, neither is the beast marrying the wicked stepsister."

"He won't have a happy ever after if I leave," Pippa told her. "Isn't that a crucial part of the story?"

The fairy godmother gave her a shrewd look. "Let me consult my superiors." She pulled out a bright pink Barbie flip phone and began to dial. Shoving a finger in her other ear, Muffin turned away. "Hello, yes. Let me speak to Jim. I have a FTE—fairy tale emergency. Yes, I'll hold." She glanced back at Pippa and Duncan and waved a hand. "Just give me a minute."

"What is she doing?" Duncan asked, his lips murmuring against her hair.

"Making a call," Pippa said breathlessly, and crossed her fingers. Please, God, let this work out.

Duncan pressed a kiss to her brow, and Pippa leaned in to his embrace. He was slick with the remains of his…rebirth…and smelled sweaty. She didn't care in the slightest. Her hands stroked down his wet back, feeling the cords of his muscles as he moved against her. He felt so good, so perfect.

Nothing would be better than staying here. Ever. She tilted her head back when he kissed her brow again, leaning in for a real kiss. His mouth brushed over hers, and then they were kissing, tongues melding. Her hand slid to his nape, holding him against her.

She thought he'd feel a bit different now that he was human, but to her vast pleasure, he felt exactly the same as before. He was the same Duncan she'd always kissed. And she moaned with pleasure as his tongue slicked into her mouth.

"Yes, I know," Muffin's sharp little voice rose as she spoke into the phone. "But they're making out right in front of me and it seems a bit unfair, don't you think?" Her voice lowered a bit. "Yes. Tongues and everything. And he's very, very naked."

13Pippa chuckled against Duncan's mouth. She slid the knitted shawl off of her shoulders and handed it to him. "Perhaps you should put this on."

"I know," Muffin was saying into the phone. "Yes. She was the stepsister. Yes, I'll hold."

Muffin rolled her eyes at them and shook her head. "Bureaucrats."

Duncan knotted the shawl at his waist, and put his hands on his hips. "You realize I've no idea what's going on? Who is she talking to?"

Pippa shook her head and moved back into his arms. "Long story. I'll tell you later, if we get a later."

He ran his fingers along her jaw, exploring her with his touch. "Does this long story involve the reason why you wouldn't marry me?"

"Couldn't," she corrected gently. "And yes. But it seems we're married now, aren't we?"

"Aye. And I'll be damned if they'll take you from me now," he said, linking his arms around her waist. "I meant it when I said I'd travel across hell and back to find you once more. If they separate us again, there will be no stopping me." His face was grim, his amber eyes intense.

Nearby, the cellphone snapped shut. "Calm down there," Muffin said. "There's no need to go all Doctor Who on us. No traveling space and time required. You," she said, and pointed at Pippa. "Your case is officially on hiatus."

"It is? What does that mean?"

"It means…you go into the waiting queue," Muffin said bluntly. "That's for supervisory review. I'm just a middleman, you see. I can't make these big decisions on my own. Someone else will get back in touch with you shortly."

"Shortly?" Pippa echoed, clinging to Duncan. "And then what?"

"Once your case is processed, you'll be moved on to the correct pending resolution."

Pippa's heart sank. She wouldn't get to stay after all? "How long do I have?"

"These sorts of things take about two hundred years to resolve," Muffin said cheerfully. "I'm afraid you'll just have to wait."

"Two…two hundred years?" Hope bloomed in her chest, and she felt Duncan give her an excited squeeze. "I get to stay here for two hundred years?"

"No, actually. You get to stay here until death-by-natural-causes or two hundred years, whichever comes first. If your case comes up and you're no longer here because you've expired,"

13Muffin shrugged. "Case dismissed. It seems to happen a lot with supervisory cases, but what can you do?" She fluttered her eyelashes innocently.

"Muffin, thank you so much!" Pippa flung herself at the fairy godmother and enveloped her in a hug. "You're the best!"

"Don't thank me, honey," Muffin said with a grandmotherly pat on her back. "I'm just doing my job. Though if you do get a survey card in the mail, give me good results, will you? My quarterly review is coming up and my scores are in the toilet." She winked.

"Uh, okay."

"Now," Muffin said, patting her on the cheek. "I've got to run off. It seems I'm getting an intern, so I need to show her the ropes before my next case. I take it you'll be all right if I leave you here for the next two hundred years?"

"Just fine," Pippa breathed.

"Good." Muffin winked at her, gave a small wave, and then disappeared in a cloud of rainbow glitter that stuck to Pippa's skin.

She closed her eyes and coughed, fanning the air around her, and when she could open her eyes again, the fairy godmother was gone.

She'd done it. And she was still here. Pippa turned to look at Duncan, scarcely believing her eyes.

He gave a loud whoop, grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. "My Pippa!"

"Duncan, Duncan, Duncan," she chanted, hugging him with excitement as he spun her. "I have to pinch myself because it feels like I'm dreaming. If I am, I never want to wake up."

"This cannot be a dream," he told her. He stopped spinning and cupped her chin. "In my dreams, I do scandalous things to your body."

"Says the man that's naked," laughed Pippa. There was so much joy in her heart she wanted to burst from the sheer happiness of it.

"You are my wife. My beloved. My Pippa," he said in a husky voice and kissed her.

And she would be his for the rest of their lives. She smiled and leaned into his embrace. "I love you so much, Duncan." Her hand brushed through the loose, damp curls of his hair. "I would have loved you just as much if you had remained the beast, though."

"I know you would have. That is why I fell in love with you—because it did not matter what I was, only who I was. You are the first woman that has ever made me feel thus." A half smile 13quirked his mouth. "I suppose you shall have to content yourself with a prince instead of a beast, though."

Pippa chuckled. "Oh, Belle is going to be
so
jealous. I'm so glad you're mine."

He grabbed her and hefted her into his arms. "I think it's time we consummated this marriage, wife."

13

As Duncan carried her into the castle, she stared in wonder at her surroundings. The sun was out, brilliant in the skies. The roses that crawled through the gardens didn't seem quite so forbidding, the thorns a normal size instead of finger-length. The black fountain simply looked cloudy now.

The biggest change was in the castle itself. The last time she'd looked at it, the flagstones were flat gray and dark, cold, and wet. Now, the castle seemed to be made of pale stone that seemed warm in the sunlight, and the windows glittered with stained glass.

And as he carried her forward, people rushed out of the doors. Smiling, laughing, weeping, normal people. No animal heads. No weird silence. "Prince Duncan," they cried. "Princess Pippa!" And they chattered their thanks to the happy couple, surrounding them and hugging each other over and over again.

Duncan smiled and laughed with them, even as his steps carried him directly to his chambers.

He would not be deterred in his path, and it made Pippa blush. Everyone would know where they were going. Strangely enough, though, she didn't really mind. She was going to bed with Duncan, her husband, and life was wonderful.