Depravity, A Beauty and the Beast Novel(52)

“You know nothing of my anger.” A warning growl coated his words.

“I know that you resent this manor and would have gladly ripped it down if the magic here would have let you. And I know that you disregard most of the creatures here with you.”

“Ridiculous,” he roared. “I do not disregard those trapped here with me.”

Trapped? I held onto that bit of knowledge but made no comment on it.

“I saw you with the nymph,” I said, calmly taking a bite from the tender meat of the bird. “If that is how you treat those you care for, I want no part of it.” His growl covered most of his cursing. “She seemed to want no part of you, the second time. Her man stood woodenly nearby watching your use of her. Tell me, would you have raked her trunk like you do to the wood in here had she turned into a tree?” I motioned to the furrows dug deeply into the wood in the kitchen. The black cloud of mist containing him churned with his wrath.

Suddenly, the table and its bounty of food flew away from me as if pulled by a gigantic hand. Dishes clattered to the floor and shattered at my feet, splattering the gown with bits of food. Fork still in hand, I popped my last bite into my mouth.

He raged while I chewed, my heart hammering at my audacity. Still, I felt certain he wouldn’t touch me in anger despite my words. He’d had opportunity to do so many times before. No, tonight was meant to tempt me to say yes to his offer. If he touched me, he knew the answer would never change.

“Thank you for the meal. I enjoyed the food, but the company could use some manners,” I said lightly and stood, shaking what food I could from the dress.

I turned and carefully picked my way through the broken shards of dishware, navigating my bare feet to the safety of the bedroom. He growled, roared, and cursed the entire time.

Staying clothed, I lay back down in bed and stopped listening to his rant. The meal and his tantrum had exhausted me. I went to sleep.



After pulling on my socks and then lacing up my boots, I crept to the kitchen. Disaster still claimed the room. On the butcher block, I spotted the shredded remains of my dress and bag. A small sack, about the size of my fist, waited next to the pile. I loosened the tie and looked in at the fine granules of real sugar. The dull, light tan crystals were a rare treat this far north and worth their weight in gold. Two gold coins rested flat against the table near the piled remains of my belongings. I imagined his temper after I slept and his regret after he vented it on my things. Shaking my head, I scooped up everything and headed toward the door.

I still felt weak, but no longer sick. Unsure of the quarantine, I hoped my arrival back in the Water would not cause issue. The vial of medicine, which had been on the chair when I woke, now hid within my bodice. I’d sipped a small dose when I had wakened, as a precaution.

Walking out into the sunlight, I filled my lungs with the fresh air and let it out slowly. A crow watched from a nearby tree, and I bowed to it. It clacked its beak at me in return. Smiling, I ambled to the gate, enjoying the feeling of the sun on my face. It didn’t seem to happen too often inside the estate.

Ahead, near the gate, a figure hid under the shadows of the trees. I halted as soon as I spotted it, wondering if someone had crossed into the estate without the beast’s knowledge. I didn’t have many friends in Konrall, and those I had wouldn’t risk the beast’s punishment for trespass.

“Will you not consider my offer?” the beast called to me angrily. “I’ve sheltered you, fed you, cared for you. You have no cause to deny me.”

Hearing his voice eased some of my fears, and I started forward.

“Stay where you are,” he commanded angrily.

I stilled, wondering what madness gripped him now.

“Your answer. I will give you everything you desire if you but stay and do as I command.”

“Everything I desire?” I fought to keep from laughing as he swore to it. “That is a foolish promise when you have no idea what I desire. What if my desire was your death or to destroy the manor? Neither would be possible, would they?”

He snarled at my logic, and I moved forward. He called me a spiteful woman, ungrateful and cold to the plight of others, selfish and cruel in the face of giving and kindness. As I neared the gate, he moved back behind the underbrush, trying to stay in the shadows. When I stepped onto the dirt just before the gate, he began to beg.

“Please,” he said. “Anything that is within my power to give will be yours. Do not take another step. Turn back and stay with me.”

I shook my head and stepped forward again. The gate swung open as he struck the tree under which he stood. With a roar, he trampled through the brush, and I saw the beast with no obscurity a moment before I passed through the gate.