Beauty's Cursed Beast Page 24

  Remus held up his hand to stop her with a kind smile. “This was entirely you.” He extended his hand to Adam, knowing the man wouldn’t want to be parted from Belle even a few inches. The two shook hands as men who understood how cruel the twists of Malaura’s magic could be. “Adam, always a pleasure to see your face. Can I expect you’ll come to Miss Belle’s lessons?”

  “You can expect that wherever she goes, I’ll be right beside her.”

  Remus nodded, as if needing to hear the confirmation that Adam truly did understand how to love, and that he wasn’t holding back anymore. “Excellent. I look forward to pushing you both to your limits.”

  Before Adam could do more than raise his eyebrow, Remus turned and exited, leaving Adam with questions, and Belle with concerns. She’d been top of her class in the West Village, but that was largely because of the low value put on any sort of education. She hoped she would be able to keep up.

  The hustle and bustle of the household fell into a comfortable rhythm, but Adam and Belle remained locked in their embrace while the world continued to spin around them. They breathed in unison, unwilling to let the smallest of changes pry them away from each other for the rest of their lives.

  38

  Anywhere and Everywhere

  Three months wasn’t enough to undo the social stigma Adam had built up over the years by holing himself up inside his castle, but slowly people began to accept his presence in public. The white linens on the tables were set with the finest crystal as a pianist played light and feathery songs to the enjoyment of Avondale’s upper crust. The finest restaurant nearest the palace served salmon that people from miles around made reservations for, but Adam, Rory and Henry’s fame was such that they weren’t subjected to the formalities of waiting.

  Belle still felt strange being included in the tight-knit group of the elite, but Adam’s thumb slowly teasing her side put her at ease. Still, she stiffened whenever someone took their picture and asked Adam for an interview.

  “You want an interview with the beast? Fine. You can write in your papers that I survived for years by feasting on the blood of unicorns and journalists. The reporters I ate turned out to be pure poison.” Adam frowned at the pushy woman. “You can clearly see I’m with my girlfriend. Get lost.”

  Henry’s camera-ready smile was always locked and loaded, and Rory’s posture was perfect as ever. Cordray had a naturally commanding presence, so he looked the part well enough. But Adam felt no such need to perform for the public’s approval. He wanted Belle to be pleased with him, and the list of opinions he concerned himself with ended there.

  Henry forced out a laugh to cover over Adam’s surly nature, which no amount of healing magic could cure completely. “You’ll have to forgive Adam; he’s had to cut back on devouring reporters. He gets a bit crabby when he’s hungry.”

  “The people deserve to know the truth about your curse!” the red-headed journalist insisted, leaning over Belle to smile at Adam with a flirty look that left nothing to the imagination. “I was hoping to get an exclusive.” Now that he was handsome, it seemed everyone was quick to overlook his days of being the beast.

  Belle stiffened, and carefully moved the woman’s breasts out of her face, Pulsing Discernment into her. “Leave him alone. You didn’t want his story when he was desperate for anyone to believe him that he hadn’t killed his household. Where was your exclusive then?”

  The journalist’s focus shifted to Belle as she pulled back, a cat’s evil gleam in her eyes as she shook off Belle’s Pulse. “You’re the one who broke his curse, yes? Tell me, Adam. Have you always been attracted to the plain sort, or has she bewitched you somehow?” Though the reporter muscled through her sass, the Discernment twisted her confident expression to a grimace of distaste as her conscience flared.

  Rory gasped and scolded the reporter, while Cordray motioned for the waiter to bring over the manager.

  Belle’s mouth dropped open, but Henry was the one who intervened as Adam stood and threw his napkin down on the table, his chair scraping against the polished floor and drawing every diner’s eye. Henry understood that just because Adam had been cured didn’t mean that he was completely devoid of the beast who could snap on a dime.

  Henry placed his hand on the woman’s elbow after pressing a text to his guard. “Now, now. Is that any way to treat my fiancée?” he asked, making the reporter gasp with a greedy gleam of a good story in her eye.

  “You’ve moved in on your best mate’s girl?”

  “Are you truly that surprised?” Henry grinned at Adam’s scowl. “I’ll fight you for her, I will!” he challenged Adam, drawing a make-believe sword and swishing it through the air. “Belle is mine! We’ve had a secret affair for months, but we didn’t know how to tell you. I was waiting for the right moment, which just so happened to be when a reporter stopped by in front of all these witnesses.”

  Adam rolled his eyes. “Maybe Cordray will let you hump his wife, but you can keep your hands off Belle.”

  Cordray scoffed, and Rory held up her hands. “Ho, no. Don’t you bring me into this again. I swear to you, Henry. If you propose, I’ll make sure to hide Cord’s pill, so he can really teach you a lesson.”

  Cordray stood and clapped his hand on Henry’s shoulder. “I don’t think I need to use magic for that. You want us to give them a real show? Hit on my wife again, and we’ll earn front page headlines after I break your nose for sniffing around Rory.”

  Henry threw his hands in the air. “Finally! Someone who understands good production value. Pop me one right here for slipping it to your girl while you’re out. Do it quick before… Oh, for crying out loud. My guard’s here. The fun is over, I guess.” Henry handed the reporter over to his guard with a nod. “I so wanted you to get a good story. I was just about to announce that I’m pregnant, but it’s a tossup over which of these two lovelies knocked me up.” He made a show of arching his back to stick out his stomach, and smoothed his hand over the bump lovingly.

  Belle was crimson from head to toe at the attention. She buried her face in Adam’s chest when he resumed his seat after giving the manager a firm talking to. He made it very clear about the kind of dining experience he would tolerate, and the interruptions he would not. His arm wound around Belle, his other hand weaving through her hair that Audra had done in a knot of braids for their weekly friend brunch. “I’m sorry, Belle. Maybe we should go home.”

  “No.” Belle was firm that they wouldn’t be hermits. “It’s good for us to get out. The more they see us, the sooner the story will get old.”

  “You’re not plain,” Adam growled with a protective irritation, holding her tight as if to shield her from mild insults.

  The restaurant was the nicest in Avondale, and due to its close proximity to the palace, it attracted notable officials and prominent public figures. Every diner watched the young royals surreptitiously.

  Rory giggled and shook her head. “Of course she’s not. If she was, women wouldn’t have to try so hard to run her down. Belle’s made of tough stuff, Adam. Man, you apologize so easily now. It’s strange to see.”

  Henry flopped back in his chair. “I hate this, being the fifth wheel. Cord and Rory have always been adorably annoying, but you two,” Henry motioned between Belle and Adam with a look of feigned disgust. “You rarely have an inch of space between you two. Come on, Adam. How am I to make improper advances on your woman with you hovering all the time?”

  Adam narrowed an eye at Henry as he speared his salad with his free hand. The other remained securely wrapped around Belle, with her hand resting on his thigh. “You’re not, that’s how. Find your own girl. Or a scratching post or a chew toy or something.”

  “What ever happened to Ella?” Belle asked. “I liked her.”

  Henry shot Rory a cagey look as he shifted in his seat. “She’s got a busy schedule. Can’t sneak away all that often. Her stepmum’s something else.”

  Rory reached over and patted Henry’s hand. “I think she’
s worth pursuing. She’s the only woman who’s ever twisted you up this much.”

  “That’s the thing. It’s complicated, and she made it clear that won’t change. I wish she would give us more of a chance.” The melancholy didn’t suit Henry, so he shook it off and donned a charming smile, his eyes fixing on Belle. “Plus, I’m still hung up on this one. When can we run away and get married?” He spoke loudly, so his proposition would carry to the nearest tables.

  Belle chuckled at his theatrics, grateful that Henry had never given up on Adam through the years, though their personalities were polar opposites. “Just as soon as I finish my meal. Where you are whisking me off to today?”

  “Anywhere and everywhere.” Henry’s eyes stayed on his salad as he spoke. “Ella wants to go hiking in the mountains someday. She thinks the flowers up there will be prettier, because they’re closer to the sun, and there aren’t as many people around them to muck nature up too much.”

  Rory and Belle exchanged knowing smiles, but said nothing. Every now and then, Henry would bring Ella up in conversation for no reason, other than that his head and heart were constantly filled with glimpses of her.

  Adam had slightly less tact. “What is it about this girl that’s got your head in the clouds? She didn’t strike me as anyone to lose your mind over.”

  Henry’s eyes sharpened at Adam, his spine stiffening. “Ella is the kindest, gentlest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. There’s nothing she can’t learn, nothing she can’t do. The woman is pure magic. If you knew the first thing about her, you’d know that she is lightyears above every other female in the kingdom.” Then his eyes cast to the women at the table. “Present company excluded.”

  Adam’s jaw dropped, while Cordray chuckled. “I don’t think you understand how deep you’re in it, man.” Cord’s arm draped lazily around his wife’s chair.

  Henry seemed to come back to himself, his neck shrinking with chagrin. He waved his fork as if to clear the room of a bad smell. “Don’t pay attention to me. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

  Cordray cleared his throat to steer the conversation away from the lull. “We’re supposed to be talking about how we’re going to vote on Proposition 7.”

  “Right,” Adam commented, placing a kiss to Belle’s cheek. It seemed he couldn’t go two minutes without stroking her arm or lavishing affection on her, and she never tired of it. He was always overly gentle with her, speaking softly and anticipating any need that might occur. It was a struggle to turn his attention to the world around him, but he made the attempt for his few friends. “I think we should let you take the lead on this one, Cordray, since it affects you the most.”

  Henry shook his head. “It affects me just as much, as Father and I are to come up with room in the budget if it’s approved, as well as take any heat if experiments on the pill that our scientists make have any negative effects.”

  Adam inclined his head to Henry. “Fair enough.”

  Rory pulled out a piece of paper from her purse and began reading. “If passed, Proposition 7 promises to make production of the pill public, and turn the recipe over to privately-funded companies to explore different mutations of the drug as they wish for the good of the people, and sell for profit. The original pill will still be given to those who need it free of charge by the government.”

  Cordray nodded, lightly bopping his fist atop the table to seal his vote. “I say yes. I don’t see the harm in it. I want full use of my magic back without fear of harming my wife.”

  Adam nodded, but didn’t speak. Belle lightly dragged her fingernails across his toned stomach, which was one of his favorite things she did while cuddled up in his nook. He leaned back in his chair and kept his eyes on his salad as he spoke. “It’s the ‘all who need it’ part. I mean, I admit that you need it, Cordray. I’ve no doubt it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you, aside from Rory here giving you a second look. Still, you decided you needed it. If the government had come along and forced the pill on you, you’d be singing a different song.”

  Cordray’s nose crinkled. “From what I’ve seen, the throne is stable and wouldn’t do that to us.”

  Adam tilted his chin to the side. “Ah, but Malaura was in power before King Hubert, and she would’ve taken all sorts of liberties with a bill like that. You have to think long-term.”

  Henry nodded. “Plus, we’re just assuming the mutations the other companies might come up with are all good. We assume they’ll try to get the Lethal abilities to go away while bringing back your other magic. I’ve seen too much to put that kind of faith in people. This isn’t the kind of thing we should leave to trial and error. I’m voting we leave well enough alone, and keep the pill as is.”

  Adam’s arm tightened around Belle. “Fine with me.”

  Belle spoke up, her voice brushed with contentment. “Henry, you might want to have your father look at that last line. It’s a broad use of the word ‘need’. The government shouldn’t decide who needs the pill. That’s a recipe for dictatorial control and fuel for a possible registering of all Lethals. That’s a whole other set of arguments.”

  “Change it,” Cordray cut in without apology. “I didn’t think of it like that, but she’s right.”

  Henry ran his hand over his face. “I’ll talk to my father and see what he can do. But this isn’t his bill; it’s the Baron who wrote it up. I’m not sure how much my father can do this late in the game. I mean, the bill is set to go to vote before the end of the year.”

  Rory’s chin lowered, her expression grave. “The world is going to change, then. And soon.”

  The silence that fell over the table was laced with tension that slowly began to dissipate as they sipped their tea.

  “Would a fart joke help break us out of this funk?” Henry offered.

  Rory rolled her eyes. “Pass.”

  Belle reached across the table and placed her hand atop Cordray’s ungloved knuckles. Adam stiffened at her touching a Lethal, but didn’t intervene. There was nothing but compassion in her eyes as she spoke to Cordray. “I love that you love Rory, and that you take the pill to keep her safe. I think you’re a good man. We just have to keep thinking of a better way to go about it all. Not everyone is as upstanding as you.”

  Cordray thumbed Belle’s fingernails, his lips drawing to the side in appreciation. “I really wanted this bill to be the ticket.”

  “And maybe it will be, but not in its current state. A better world is possible. Last year, I never would’ve dreamed my life could be like this, but now here I am, living with the most wonderful man I’ve ever known. A lot can change in a year. Give it time, otherwise you’ll jump at the wrong chance. Then it won’t be just you who falls, but Rory, as well. We can’t have that.”

  Rory inclined her head to Belle, but it was Adam who couldn’t stop staring at her. “You really think that about me?”

  Belle shifted next to him as she placed her hands in her lap. “Of course. You’re incredible. Every day I get to spend working by your side at your companies is exactly where I want to be. All day, all night, it’s you I want to be with.”

  “Our companies,” Adam reminded her. “They belong to both of us now.”

  Henry motioned to Belle, who was contentedly snuggled into Adam’s side. “See? That’s what I want. Only I can’t have what I want because of… complications.” He frowned at his crystal goblet. “Best lock this one down, Adam. When the woman of your dreams can actually be with you, you jump on it. I’m telling you, if you don’t ask this one to marry you soon, I will.”

  Belle balked at Henry. “It’s only been a few months since the curse was broken! You’re being ridiculous.”

  Henry tucked away his melancholy for the moment and donned a playful expression. “It’s been far too long since I’ve proposed to anyone. I’m starting to miss the thrill of it.” He glanced around. “Where is that dreadful reporter? There’s no point in proposing to you again if the whole world can’t see your embarrassment.”

>   Belle held up her finger while Rory sniggered. “You need a hobby, Henry. Proposing to me last week in the middle of the parade? I was mortified!”

  Henry waved off her complaint. “You were the talk of the festival. After that little media boost, I bet you had no trouble securing investors for the education for mental health you started building into your Foundation.”

  Belle’s mouth fell open. “That’s why you did that?”

  Henry shrugged. “That, and I was bored.”

  Rory shook her head at her friend. “Two of the best reasons to propose to someone, I’m sure.”

  Adam had been quiet through the levity, but then nodded, seeming to have decided something important. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a velvet box. “Henry, when you’re right, you’re right.” He stood up, only to walk around to Belle’s other side and sink down on one knee.

  Every eye in the restaurant zoned in on Adam on bended knee before the woman who’d stolen his heart.

  “Adam, what are you…” Belle’s throat went dry as she gaped at him.

  “I’ve had this ring for months, but didn’t want to spook you by asking too soon. But if Henry can propose to you and you don’t get scared off, then I think I’ve got a shot. If not, I’ll be asking you again in a month, and every month after that until you say yes. If Henry can survive you turning him down, then I suppose I can muscle through your possible rejection as well, if there’s a chance you might say yes.” Then he closed his eyes. “Don’t say no.”

  Rory squealed, her hand over her mouth. Cordray clapped and hooted his approval. Henry swore in astonishment at his friend’s humble body language.

  Belle was utterly taken by the insecure look burning in Adam’s eyes, not to mention the sparkle of the largest diamond she’d ever seen when the box flipped open. “Adam?” was all she could croak out.

  The clanking of silverware around them and dull conversations went silent as everyone leaned in to witness the proposal in action.