Beauty's Cursed Beast Read online

  “Ella was stuck in a rough situation, and she’s in the tricky process of trying to get unstuck. But I think Henry’s going to make it his business in life to ensure Ella never has to worry ever again. If anyone deserves a shot at that, it’s her.” Rory slapped her palms together and glanced around the kitchen. “What can I help with?”

  “Honestly? I don’t need help with dinner. I need to ask you for a favor.” Belle didn’t wait for a response beyond Rory’s eyebrows lifting in surprise. “I was one of your scholarship students, you know. There’s one granted to the West Village every year. Most people say it’s a waste because nothing good comes from the West Village.”

  Rory straightened. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Every time we award that scholarship, it’s the best decision the Johnstone Foundation makes. If you’re born into rough circumstances, the people who rise to the top work that much harder. I didn’t realize you were one of our scholarship recipients, but it makes sense. That you can get Adam to…” She shook her head, her eyes far away as if picturing a life long ago. “I’m amazed by you on a personal level. I can’t imagine the giant you must be on an educational aspect.”

  Belle held Rory’s gaze, a lump rising in her throat. “Thank you. You’re kind of one of my heroes. All you’ve done for Avondale by the age of twenty-five? Most people don’t make that much of an impact in their lifetime.” Belle caught herself and waved her hand to get herself back on track, mildly flustered at the sincere compliment from the woman she revered. “But that’s not what I meant to talk about. In my education, there was a gap that I was hoping to ask you about.”

  Rory quirked her eyebrow. “You want to ask me a question about magic? But I was a Deadpulse until this year.”

  Belle’s eyebrows furrowed. “Just because your magic took longer to deliver doesn’t mean you weren’t a judicious student.” She took in Rory’s rolled back shoulders and the slightly mollified look in her eyes and wondered just how much condemnation the Chancellor’s daughter threw at herself in self-loathing.

  “Thank you. Not many people understand that. What’s your question?”

  “Your curse was countered by your uncle Remus. Remus Johnstone, correct?” Belle gripped the marble counter with tension enough to attempt to punish it.

  Rory paused, blinking in confusion at the sudden shift in topic. “Yes.”

  “Adam seems to think that it only worked because Remus twisted the curse within the hour of Malaura doing her thing. Is that true?”

  Rory frowned. “Well, there is a certain advantage to the curse being fresh, yes. It’s more pliable when it’s new. If it’s had time to set in, it’s far more difficult to bend, I would imagine, if not impossible. Why?”

  Belle rolled her shoulders back, not caring if she sounded foolish. Though she knew Chef Bouche and Audra could hear her hairbrained scheme, Belle didn’t back down. “Because I want to try my hand at breaking Adam’s curse. He’s getting close to the transition, and I don’t want him to turn. He’s too important for the world to lose him. It’s too harsh a punishment just because he was a brat after his parents died.”

  Rory gaped at Belle, the air going still around them. “Are you serious? You would give up half a decade of your life to save him?”

  Belle nodded, unconcerned at the sacrifice. “I just need your uncle to show me how. I’ve been reading some of Adam’s more obscure textbooks while he’s been working, and I think I understand it well enough in theory, at least. It’s just how they all come together that I’m having trouble understanding.”

  Rory’s next words came out slowly. “And how does Adam feel about this?”

  “He vetoed it, but he’s wrong. Simple as that. If it’s possible, it’s happening. It’s my life to do what I want with, and this is what I’ve decided.”

  Rory shook her head, her eyes wide with admiration. “I can see why you were chosen for the Foundation’s scholarship. You’re… I love seeing empowerment and determination in action. There’s absolutely no more beautiful sight in the world.” She crossed her arms as she thought through the secret plan. “How do you expect to get Adam’s blood without raising suspicion? You realize taking his blood is part of the spell,” she whispered, stepping closer to Belle. She frowned as she thought it through. “You’ll need Adam’s consent to get a sample of his blood. There’s no way he’ll let you do this. Had I been old enough to voice an opinion, I wouldn’t have let Uncle Remus sacrifice himself for me like that.”

  “Well, Adam’s not getting a choice, because he’ll choose wrong. I want to save him. I just need your uncle’s help. Please, Rory. You’re his friend. I have to try!”

  Rory touched her forehead, her eyes flicking from side to side as she processed the new information. “I suppose I can give you Uncle Remus’ number. He can decide if Adam’s worth saving, and if a counter-curse could even work this late in the game.”

  “Thank you,” Belle breathed out in a gust.

  Rory held up her hands. “Ho, no. Don’t thank me. And if Adam asks, I didn’t give you Uncle Remus’ number, and we never had this conversation. My phone’s in my purse. I’ll text it to you later.”

  Though the woman looked on the frail side, and was far above Belle’s station, Belle threw her arms around Rory, squeezing her tight. She made sure not to use her Pulse on Rory, so the Chancellor’s daughter wouldn’t get an extra shot of Discernment. If this was a bad idea, Belle didn’t want to hear it.

  Rory returned the hug the moment she overcame her surprise. “How is he holding up?”

  “I don’t know,” Belle admitted. “He howled in his sleep last night. It’s close. Too close, and this is the only way I can think of to stop it.”

  Rory chose her words carefully. “I’ve known Adam since I was born. He’s always been… difficult. I love him, of course, but how is it he’s convinced someone like you to sacrifice so much for someone like him?”

  Belle ran her tongue over her teeth, her hand resting on Chef Bouche. She pretended he was squeezing her fingers in support, and leaned on him as if he was more than an appliance. He was a person, and in that moment, she needed her friend to back her up. “Adam would do the same for me.”

  “Adam? Adam Fontaine? I admit, he seems different, but I can’t picture him putting someone else’s needs ahead of his own.” Rory turned to leave, but paused on her way out. “If I hadn’t seen the careful way he touches you, and the way he watches you when you’re not looking, I’d say you were crazy to throw away so much for him. But seeing him smile at you? Maybe you’re right. Maybe he’s worth that kind of sacrifice.” She placed her hand on the door. “But I don’t think you’d advise anyone to risk their life on a ‘maybe’. If done improperly, counter-curses can go very wrong.”

  When Rory exited the kitchen, Belle leaned against Chef Bouche, feeling a heaviness she couldn’t shake. The stove came to life, the fixtures and knobs turning into eyes, nose and a mouth. “Do you think you can actually break the spell?”

  Belle ran her fingers over the backsplash as if she was stroking his cheek. “I think I have to try.”

  28

  Agent McNally

  When Adam came into the kitchen, Belle had forgotten how dashing he looked in his tux and was taken aback all over again. “Is it wrong that I want you to wear that every day?”

  Adam glanced down at himself, and then his eyes climbed back to her with a self-satisfied grin. “I’ll wear it to bed tonight if I can just get a peek at your dress.” He shook his head, remembering his reason for coming to find her in the first place. “It’s the Department of Criminal Investigation agent I tipped off about Sheriff Gabe’s illegal levies. I’ve given him the letters Gabe’s sent you, but he wants a word with you before he goes in and unleashes government wrath. He’s waiting for you in the receiving room. Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get your statement.”

  Belle froze, but then came to herself, trying to hold her head up. “Sure.” Her hands felt suddenly clammy, so she
took off her gloves and rested them atop the stool. She didn’t want to talk to any authority figures, having lost her trust in the whole institution years ago. The last one she’d been too near had made unwelcome advances, and now stalked her.

  She expected to face the agent alone, but leaned into Adam when his arm coiled around her hips. “You don’t have to come. You have guests.”

  “They can wait. I’m not leaving you alone to drudge up all your painful memories. Besides, I know you don’t trust law enforcement.”

  Belle balked at him. “I never said that.”

  “You didn’t have to. I know you.”

  It was a simple statement, almost off the cuff, but the two stopped and stared at each other, mulling over the shift in their relationship. It had started out contentious, but now their bond so important to them both that they didn’t like to be away from each other. Belle reached up and touched his lips. “You can’t say things like that and not let me kiss you.”

  Longing that tangled with pain flared in Adam’s green eyes as he took hold of her hand and pressed her palm to his cheek. “You shouldn’t kiss me. I might cut you with my fangs. You know that. Did I tell you what happened when I tried to wake Rory? I sliced her lip.”

  Belle’s heart yearned to share a kiss with Adam, but she lowered her hand and continued walking with him through the hallways.

  He escorted Belle into the receiving room, where the agent was already standing to greet her with a firm handshake. “Belle,” he greeted her with a bob of his head. “I’m Agent McNally.” He had a military haircut paired with a no-nonsense charcoal suit. His jerky movements communicated that he wasn’t one for wasting time on rudimentary chit-chat, which Belle appreciated. “I just have a few questions for you.”

  The next twenty minutes passed with Belle seated on the settee next to Adam, his arm around her while she forced out the details of crimes she’d rather forget. She’d never told Adam all the ways Gabe had tormented her over the years. His hand never moved from hers as she confessed all the sordid elements that slowly chipped away at her smile.

  The visit ended with another firm handshake, and a promise from Agent McNally that they had all the information they needed to move quickly and arrest Sheriff Aston.

  “I thought you’d be relieved,” Adam admitted after he escorted the agent out and locked the door. “He believed you, and he’s moving on the information. An arrest is a great outcome, Belle.”

  “I know. I am relieved, I think. I’m too wary to get my hopes up. I’ve gone through this song and dance before, you know. The sheriff in the East Village didn’t believe me, and even told Gabe that I was spreading rumors about him.” Nervousness multiplied in her eyes as she looked at Adam, who was leaning against the heavy front door. “If all of that happens again, I can still stay here? If it turns out Agent McNally doesn’t believe me, I can still stay with you?”

  Adam softened, disappointed that the agent wasn’t ringing him a minute after his departure to confirm that he had the foul sheriff in custody. “Don’t you know? You can stay with me forever.” He opened his arms to her, exhaling with his eyes closed when her body folded into his invitation. “Stay right here. Exactly here. In my home, and in my arms. My rescuer in red.”

  Belle’s lashes fluttered as his claws teased the small curls at the base of her head. Her hand moved to his chest, stroking over the heart that only she knew was still there. “I couldn’t rescue myself,” she admitted, giving small voice to the defeat that gnawed at her insides. “I tried so hard to get anyone to help, but no one would go up against Gabe. You’re the one who rescued me.”

  “Oh, Belle. You rescued me long ago. I’m still trying to catch up.” His other hand moved up and down slowly over her spine, while his chin rested atop her head. His facial hair was already growing back in, but he hoped he still looked more man than beast. “The first day you came here was the first time I’d breathed in years.”

  It was Henry who interrupted their moment of vulnerability, causing them to pull apart with matching frowns at the distance between them. “Hello, children. Anything I can assist with out here? I couldn’t help but overhear, mostly because I was snooping and eavesdropping. Why’s a Department of Criminal Investigation Agent stopping by?”

  Adam straightened and brushed a few errant pieces of fur from his sleeves. “I’m trying to put an end to the levies Sheriff Aston is burdening the people with in the West Village.”

  “Are you, now? The West Village, eh? Isn’t that where you’re from, Belle?” Henry’s knowing smile caused Adam to look away and move toward the dining room, but he didn’t get farther than a foot from Belle, needing to feel her close to him.

  “It is. I’m sorry we kept you waiting. I’ll go grab the next course.”

  “I’ll help,” Adam offered.

  Henry’s grin stood no chance at fading in the presence of the gentleness Adam exuded. It could only emanate from a man in love. “Take your time, kids.”

  29

  Politics Over Cocktails

  The dinner was seven courses, and by the end everyone was too full to dance. Cocktails were served in the parlor on the second floor, where there were high glass walls for them to view the castle grounds. There was still that heavy peppering of snow falling, but from inside the castle, everything seemed peaceful, if not whimsical.

  They talked about the silly and the serious, even venturing into polite debates that Henry never shied away from. “Then the budget for that isn’t large enough,” Cordray challenged Henry, who sat in his light gray suit with his legs crossed, and his hands clasped over his knee.

  Henry wore a calm smile of veiled delight at the challenge. “The government already allots a sizeable sum towards further development of the pill. How do you think it came about in the first place? Progress will evolve as time, and funds, come.”

  Cordray leaned forward on his chair next to his wife’s. “You can’t honestly tell me you believe the pill is fine as is. It mutes our Lethal abilities, yes, but it also leaves us without any magic. I should be able to perform charms first graders can.” At this, he froze, his shoulders tightening as if he’d said something offensive.

  It was widely known that the Chancellor’s daughter had been a DeadPulse for most of her life, and had never been able to perform the simplest of spells.

  Belle had never seen anyone with such composure. Rory’s posture was straight, but not rigid – like a ballerina’s. The social scale of praise or bane was largely linked to one’s ability to perform spells. Everyone knew that Rory had been given a seat on the council only because of her birthright, and not because the magical community saw her as being of any use to the world at large. When she was awakened by Cordray’s kiss, her Pulse finally surfaced, bringing Peace to everyone she chose to dole out her gift upon.

  Cordray lowered his chin and leaned his head toward hers. “I’m sorry, Rory. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Rory reached over and rested her hand atop his ebony wrist. “Go on.”

  Henry reached over to mimic the familiar gesture with Ella, but as soon as his hand touched down on hers, she retracted it, looking away as if she was trying to remain invisible. Henry’s jaw tightened, but he focused on Cordray. “I agree with you. The pill has a long way to go. However, I fail to see how the nuances are the government’s responsibility. There are privately-funded labs that are well-equipped to handle such things.”

  “Yes, and they’ll do what they like with it when they make their alterations. They could force us to register, collect all sorts of data on us that can be used against us if the wrong person is at the helm. They could enact all kinds of rules and make hoops for us to jump through. Then the government will have to intervene during a much bigger crisis than a simple discussion of budgetary allocations.”

  Henry gave Cordray his best bedroom eyes. “I love when you say things like ‘budgetary allocations’ to me. Rory, is that the kind of saucy bedroom talk he uses on you? Because I must say, it�
�s working its charm on me right now.”

  Cordray shot Henry an eye-roll to show that their friendship was good-natured enough to weather a little political tension. “It sounds like you’re saying you feel you’re owed a vote in how it’s distributed, and that matters like this shouldn’t be left to the council.”

  “I think that’s a right everyone should have, since Lethals affect the entire community.”

  Henry nodded. “That’s exactly why anything beyond the standard pill can’t be government-funded, and why the vote can’t be public. The nuances to a new pill will have qualities that not everyone will agree on. The throne will take the heat, and the fall, if anything should go wrong in the experimentation phase. When everything surrounding the welfare of Lethals is a fight the whole way, the government can only involve itself in the most basic of ways. That’s why we’re considering allowing privately-funded companies permission to attempt improvements to the pill.”

  Cordray shifted next to his wife. “They’ll make a mess of things. It’s too important a tool to be played with by just anybody. So much could go wrong.”

  “Agreed, which is why the basic pill that’s available now will still be available to anyone who wants it. If they want the variant, though, which might come with perks and unknown cons, we’re leaning toward outsourcing that social responsibility to private companies. We simple don’t have the funds for such things.”

  “Listen to what you’re saying. You’re expecting private companies to behave responsibly. What obligation do they have to us?”

  Henry let out a sigh and ran his hand over his face. “You’re thinking of you, which is good. My father and I have to think of the entire country, and the faith in the throne that needs to stay steady. The risks far outweigh the benefits right now.” Henry glanced up at the ceiling. “Is there never a camera around when I have a valid point? What’s in this whiskey, Adam? It’s making me brilliant.”