Depravity, A Beauty and the Beast Novel(8)

She sighed.

“Can you try to set traps yet today? Perhaps we could have something fresh for Father at breakfast, then.”

For Father, I nodded and headed back out toward the mist-filled woods. The sun hung low in the sky, sending the already dusky woods into further shadow. The dark didn’t bother me. I set a few traps and walked toward the break in the estate’s wall, hoping for some type of bounty. The ground sat barren, the same as it had for the last several days.

While staring dejectedly at the brown patch of dirt, I heard a faint scuffing sound behind me and turned in time to see Tennen step out from behind a tree. He held a thick segment of a broken branch. The determination in his gaze told me I wouldn’t go home without injury this time.

Pivoting, I thought to run away, but Splane stepped out from behind another tree, effectively blocking the route. The hole in the wall mocked me. It was the only open path, but I knew what waited if I dared take it. No matter what I chose, I’d return home with bruises and most likely something broken.

“What did I ever do to you?” I asked Tennen, who I viewed as the bigger threat.

Instead of answering, he rushed toward me with the branch raised. I waited on the balls of my feet until the last second, then ducked under his swing in an attempt to get behind him so I could run. The movement hadn’t been deep enough though because the branch raked my back. I hissed in pain, but kept moving. The gate loomed ahead, but I knew I dared not enter. I tried veering to the left toward the village, but Splane threw his rock and hit my left shoulder, effectively driving me toward the entrance. Defeated, I acknowledged they meant to corral me into the estate and darted toward the gaping black iron gate.

They chased after me, panting heavily in their exertion to catch up. As soon as I cleared the opening, the gate slammed shut of its own accord, the clang of the metal sounding my doom.

Skidding to a stop, I spun to stare at their disdainful faces a distance from the iron bars. They weren’t stupid. The bars didn’t guarantee their safety. The beast had been known to venture out on occasion.

Splane saluted me in farewell and took off running. Tennen waited, watching me. When his eyes widened and the color drained from his face, I knew the beast had arrived. I watched Tennen spin and sprint away then hung my head in defeat. My back burned and shoulder ached. Had I a choice, I wouldn’t have run through the gate. I had known it would only add to my hurts.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Behind me, the beast’s growl clicked with his anger. I kept my eyes on the overgrown gravel path at my feet. I didn’t try to beg or flee. It hadn’t ever ended well for those who’d attempted such methods before me. Better to just accept the punishment quietly.

His growl grew louder as he crept closer, and his breath skimmed my back. Tennen, the bastard, had ripped my shirt with his vicious swing.

Something warm and wet touched my abraded skin, eliciting an involuntary hiss from my lips and a quick step forward. The growl intensified, and I froze. Had the beast just licked me?

In all of the stories told of the estate, I’d never heard any where the beast devoured trespassers. Fear of just that locked me in place, and he stepped forward and repeated his stroke. The slow drag of his tongue hurt as much as it soothed.

Several times, he covered the area from mid-back to left shoulder. The fabric of my shirt ripped further as he forced it aside with his face. I didn’t move or make any further sound. With each stroke of his tongue, the pain of the scratch faded as did the throb in my shoulder where the stone had hit.

One moment he licked my skin and the next I sailed through the air, somersaulting only to land gently in a pile of hay. Coughing at the plume of dust my landing had stirred, I waved my hand in front of my face and looked at the empty place just inside the gate.

For whatever reason, the beast had spared me.



Bryn gasped when I walked through the door. I knew I looked a mess but thought the gasp a bit of an overreaction. She hadn’t even seen the back of me, yet. Blye, hearing our sister, stepped out from our room just as Bryn asked what had happened to me. Knowing Bryn wouldn’t want to hear of Tennen’s attack, I opened my mouth, ready to tell her that I had run into a branch. But, Father stepped out of his study. I snapped my mouth closed.

At that moment, I loved and hated my family because of the tangled web of lies that held my tongue. Bryn hoarded Father’s coin in hopes of attracting Tennen’s “wealthy” hand, Blye hoarded coin to run away to a town with more prospects, and I had no doubt our intelligent Father knew of both their activities but said nothing because he was content in this poor village. All of which put pressure on me to scrounge the countryside for food and trade with that pig of a baker.