Granted by the Beast: A Steamy Paranormal Romance Spin on Beauty and the Beast (Conduit Series Book 4)

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “I’m almost for certain mixed tapes aren’t a thing anymore,” I said, ignoring the rest of the sense he was making. “At least, not to the point that you could make a living selling them out of your car.”

  “Really?” Huntsman mused. “I thought those were here to stay. It doesn’t matter,” he said with a shrug. “The point is, you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for the world at large, filled to the brim with people you’ll never know. You’re giving your whole life away for it.”

  “The Brothers are after me anyway,” I said, spreading my hands. “What am I supposed to do? Lay down and take whatever they’re throwing at me? Not only that, but the people out there don’t deserve the chaos and destruction that rains down on them on a daily basis. I have the power to stop it.”

  “You don’t think The Brothers would stop if you allowed them to bind your powers and signed a blood oath swearing to never interfere in their business?” Huntsman asked with a pointed look. “You’re a smart girl, Charisse. You know what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it. You chose to help because it’s your nature. How is that any different than what I’m talking about?”

  I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself but failing epically. “It’s different because, with me, the whole damn world is at stake!” I seethed at him. “Not one little life.”

  “The whole world is more important to you than a singular life?” Huntsman asked. “To this genie, her life is the whole world. Who am I to take that away from her if given the chance?”

  “Are you serious with this garbage right now?” I sighed, shaking my head in disbelief. “I just went through hell for this, Huntsman. I just broke the brain of the only man I’ve ever loved to find a way to get you out of this, and now you’re telling me you don’t even want to try.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying,” he backtracked quickly. “I’m just saying that maybe this is my destiny. Maybe I was brought here, to her, to pick up the mantle where she laid it to rest. Maybe it’s for me to bring her peace.”

  “And what about your own peace?” I asked. “Because if you do this, you don’t get it. Ever. You won’t ever pick that axe up again, but you don’t get to lay it down, either. You don’t get to rest. You get endless torment while a world that could really use a guy like you has to suffer through the worst part of its history without you.”

  I grabbed his hand and pleaded with him. “I know this is hard, and it goes against your nature, but you deserve to be happy, too. You deserve to rest at some point. I know this girl is a victim here, along with you. I get that, and it sucks. I can only put out the fires in front of me, and right now, the most important fire I see is the one blazing around you.”

  Huntsman shook his head at me like I was a pitiful child that needed to be reminded of something important. “If I had the power of a djinn, I could bring him back to you,” he said quickly, glancing toward the door and cutting me to the core. “I could bring him back and hide you from the Brothers. I would never grant your third wish. So, you wouldn’t have to worry about being discarded to the bottle, but I could bring you peace. I could allow the fight to move on to the next generation. I could give you everything you wanted, and maybe that would be enough. Maybe that would be a fitting enough end to make all of it worth it.”

  With every ounce of my being, I wanted to accept his offer. I blinked hard, allowing the picture Huntsman had just painted for me to flash before my eyes before I batted it away with a blink of the eye.

  “Stop it,” I hissed firmly. “Just stop it. This isn’t the end. You told me that yourself. This is just a speed bump, remember? On the way to you finding your own happily ever after.”

  I stared down the door, anger boiling up from somewhere deep in my gut. I used every bit of that anger to propel me forward. I twisted the handle on the apartment door and pushed it open. Then, before I could chicken out like I wanted to, I stepped over the threshold to face Abram...and whatever the future held.

  Chapter 13

  As I walked through the door that led to my past and future all rolled into one, my mind was racing. Leave it to future generations? Didn’t Huntsman understand? They were who I was fighting for. I fought today so that the children of tomorrow wouldn’t have to. At least, that was my hope going into all of this craziness.

  Abram was tucked away in a guest room of sorts. Since I never had any guests, I hadn’t seen the need in fancying it up at all. I’d used it for storage in the past, tossing whatever I didn’t want to throw away into it and organizing only as necessary. Somewhere in there was a bed, too. As I entered the room, an eerie sense of calm washed over me.

  I was dreading this moment, but now, riding high on the wave of my indignation directed at Huntsman, the hesitation pretty much melted away. That, and the fact that I literally couldn’t back out now.

  I had seen what feeling guilty would get me. Huntsman was willing to toss his entire future away on some misguided notion of helping a woman who very likely didn’t deserve it. I wouldn’t allow that to happen to myself. I had a job to do.

  I had so many jobs to do, actually. Plus, if I wanted to start complaining about things, I could go on and on. My life had changed so much, and none of what was happening was anything that I could handle on a regular basis. Now, adding in everything else, I wanted to scream into a pillow. I couldn’t, though. Not when I had all of these things that I had to do.

  Huntsman was right when he told me the fate of the world rested singularly with me. He did an amazing job and laid the idea of a peaceful and happy existence with the man I loved at my feet. All I had to do was sacrifice Huntsman, as he was so willing for me to do, along with any hope of saving the world.

  I didn’t even have to think twice before eliminating it completely. Once I had myself composed as well as I could possibly be at that moment, I knocked lightly on the door that led me to Abram, and then I opened it.

  Abram was sitting on the twin bed, his legs over the side and feet planted firmly on the ground. Because Abram was such a big man, his knees bent up a little higher than the edge of the mattress as he looked up at the ceiling with his fingers laced together. Beside him, sitting on a pitiful nightstand, was one of those little succulent plants that didn’t require a lot of sun or water, and that was pretty much it.

  “You know, this place is practically falling apart,” he remarked before turning his attention to me and placing me under a microscope.

  I could tell from the look on his face, as well as the way he eyed me, that my Abram wasn’t in control right now. His eyes were dull, sliced through with a cold, calculating gleam. Gone was the heat. The spark. The genuinity. No, this wasn’t the real Abram. I was dealing with the other one—the one who would just as soon see me dead. As an afterthought, I realized his accent was back.

  I steeled myself, ready for the experience.

  “You should really get someone to look at the structural integrity of the roof,” he continued. “I’m not comfortable with it.”

  “Well, if you’re not comfortable, then I’ll be sure to make it my highest priority,” I snapped.

  Fake Abram wasn’t getting the jump on me this time. This wouldn’t be like back in the abandoned building. I wasn’t going to let my heart cloud my judgement. At least, no more than I could help. I knew this man was an imposter, and I was going to treat him like one.

  For his part, the faux Abram seemed delighted that I was finally sparring with him a little. His face lit up, revealing the smile that had taken my breath away more times than I could have counted. I slapped that sensation down and glared at him with a what I hoped was a look icy enough to freeze him in his twisted mental tracks.

  “Maybe you could just loosen the magical bindings holding me here,” he suggested lightly, standing to meet me. “Then I could do the work myself. Or, you know, other things.”

  I didn’t miss the way his tongue flicked out across his lip.

  “I’m afraid you’ll have to take that up with the landlord,�
� I shot back with a nonchalant shrug. “In the meantime, how about we have a little chat?” Just for good measure, I batted my eyelashes to make him think I was stupid enough to think he really was attracted to me and not just trying to get out of the spell’s hold.

  “Talking really isn’t my strong suit,” he countered. “But, judging by the way you seemed to miss me the first time we met, I’m betting there are a few other things I could do with my mouth that would fall squarely into my skill set.”

  Then he had the audacity to wink at me.

  My face reddened, a mixture of anger and embarrassment that he’d seen through me. “Shut up before I shut you up,” I said. “This isn’t playtime. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t have to, if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. We have a situation, and like it or not, you are going to help us with it. Do you understand?”

  “I understand that you’re making a lot of demands for someone who doesn’t have many cards to play. Or really any cards at all for that matter,” he quipped almost jokingly as he walked toward me and flexed his power against the spell that was keeping him from killing me where I stood.

  “Is that right?” I narrowed my eyes and fought the urge to stick my tongue out at him. “Seeing as how you’re our prisoner, I’d say I have more cards than you think I do.”

  “Doubtful,” he sneered. “I saw the way you looked at me. I see the way you’re looking at me now, even if you’re trying to hide it. You won’t do anything to hurt me. You don’t have it in you. So, how about you do us both a favor, stop wasting my time, and just let me out of here. We both know that’s how this is going to end anyway.”

  Upon hearing Abram’s words, a hundred thoughts flooded through my mind at once. I was angry, of course. I was sad, and upset. I felt guilty and nostalgic. What I wanted more than anything, though, was to make it right. To find a way to take all of this away and put it back to normal.

  But I couldn’t.

  The problem staring me right in the face, at least for the moment, was too big for me. I didn’t know how to approach it, even if I wanted to. Which I didn’t. Not with a ten foot pole that could protect me. Besides, I had other issues that were drawing my focus. Huntsman’s life was on the line, leaving the world with one less person to protect it. I needed to keep my directive clear so I could execute my plan. Abram had taught me that.

  Closing my hand into a fist, I mustered up some magic and flung it at Abram. It knocked him off his feet and slammed him hard on his back against the floor. It was something I would never have been able to do if he had all his power. I did it just so he knew I wasn’t screwing around. My magic snapped his left arm, a clean break that would hurt like hell, but would heal in time.

  “Jesus!” he snarled, looking up at me with an enraged face and a half beast-turned mouth. Fangs jutted out from his lips, reminding me of the beast that always lived under the surface.

  For one second, less than that actually, I thought I might have my Abram back. But then I saw the blank expression in his eyes, and I knew it hadn’t happened. This Abram was injured, yes, but the physical pain hadn’t been enough to buy him time. Rage flooded through me, and I couldn’t help letting it pour out of me and into him.

  “I think you’ll be surprised at what I have in me, imposter.” I stepped toward him and secured my spell while twitching my fingers. He wouldn’t be able to get off the floor now, no matter how hard he tried. Not until I allowed it. At least, that’s the way the magic was supposed to work. I had no doubt that the training Ramsey had put me through was about to come in handy. After all, I’d spent hours stuck while trying to figure out how to break the spell.

  “You’re a crazy bitch!” he howled, writhing in pain. “You want my help, right? How the hell am I supposed to give it to you with a broken arm?” He clenched his jaw and tried to bite back another howl, but I could tell he was struggling. I almost giggled.

  “Beasts heal fast,” I said by way of explanation. I stepped closer to him and crossed my arms as I glared down at the man that haunted my every waking moment. “Let me make one thing clear before we continue: you don’t have any power over me. The man I loved, he’s not you. You’re not even close. He’s gone and won’t be coming back. I get that.”

  I was lying, of course. I knew the true Abram was in there somewhere. I knew he could, very likely, see and hear me right now. At least, I hoped so. Of course, I also knew—thanks to Ramsey—that the Abram in control most of the time didn’t seem to know anything about the fractured nature of his brain. He had no memory of what happened when my Abram took over. I could use that knowledge to my advantage, and it would be one of my most powerful weapons against him.

  “It took me a long time to come to that conclusion,” I continued without missing a beat. “Letting myself accept that Abram was gone was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do, no doubt it is the hardest thing I ever will do. It was even harder after seeing you, walking around in his skin. But now, watching you lay on the floor, pathetic and completely unable to defend yourself, I know my Abram is never coming back. He would never, not in a thousand lifetimes, allow this to happen to himself. He was so much more of a man than that.”

  “You ridiculous cow!” Fake Abram snarled.

  “Quiet! I’m talking!” I yelled. With another twist of my hand, Abram’s mouth shut. Like his body, it wouldn’t move again until I allowed it. “Now, I understand this might be hard for you to grasp. In addition to being more pathetic, you seem stupider than my Abram, too. Still, you’re going to have to give it the old college try. It’ll be important moving forward that you understand me.” I clenched my jaw. “I’m in charge here. Not Ramsey, not the man with the axe you saw earlier, and certainly not you. This is my show. I’m the one who runs it, and I say what goes.”

  The imposter in Abram’s body glared at me.

  “Now, you’re going to do as I say, or I’m going to rip you into bloody pieces and scatter those pieces to the winds. Is that understood, or do I need to break your other arm to prove to you how serious I am?”

  I twisted my hand, allowing him control of his lips again.

  “What do you want from me?” he asked, then took a deep breath as he bit down on his lower lip to keep me from seeing how hurt he was.

  “A lot of things,” I said honestly. “Like I said, we have a problem. The first thing I want from you, though, is to tell me how you got like this and what you’ve been doing this past year.”

  “I don’t know,” he answered in a low, still threatening voice.

  I put magical pressure on his broken arm, eliciting another howl. “Don’t lie to me,” I said lowly. “You won’t know what pain is if you lie to me.”

  “I’m not lying.” His harsh gaze drove into my own. “And it hasn’t been a year. It’s been a couple of months, three tops. I woke up in a back alley in Tijuana, naked as a fucking jaybird. I don’t remember anything before that. All I knew was that I was stronger than most people, and that I needed to eat. So, I found the biggest, baddest son of a bitch in town, and I beat the hell out of him. Then, I offered my services to anyone who needed a little assistance. It wasn’t long before I was up to my eyeballs in jobs. Pretty soon, I could name my own price. I started selling my services to the highest bidder, and more often than not, that meant people looking for powerful items.”

  “And you didn't care?” I asked, disgusted. “It didn’t matter what kind of person you were giving those items to?”

  “As long as their money was right, I was all about it. A man’s gotta eat, you know,” he said. “You should be thanking me! Your lover’s body would have starved otherwise. Besides, what business is it of mine? I don’t care what they do. I’m going to be just fine, thanks to my little friend.”

  “Little friend?” I asked, my eyebrows dancing upward.

  “The marking on my chest,” he answered. “The source of my powers.”

  I narrowed my eyes. A flick of the wrist tore Abram’s shirt off. Along with an achingly
familiar physique, I saw an unfamiliar branding on him. It was an eye, and it had been burned right into his chest, right in the place above his heart.

  “That’s not the source of your powers,” I muttered in confusion. “In fact, I’m not sure what that is.”

  “What?” Abram asked, his eyes widening as he looked toward me and a dawning understanding took over his features.

  “Don’t move,” I said, then I laughed to myself, remembering the spell keeping him in place. “Not that you could if you wanted to.”

  My mind was racing with the possibilities of what was going to happen, and I couldn’t pinpoint the worst. None of this could be good for Abram, my Abram. What the imposter had said was ringing in my head. He’d only been conscious for the past few months. That left so much time unaccounted for, that I didn’t know what to do. I did, however, know what had to be done.

  As I turned toward the door, he called after me with alarm in his voice, “Where are you going?”

  “To get to the bottom of this,” I answered over my shoulder. “Right now.”

  Chapter 14

  Ramsey paced the length of the living room, his leather shoes pressing down the fibers of the carpet with each step before they sprang back up again. But it was the looks he kept shooting me—not his pacing habit—that sent my stomach to cartwheels.

  At this point, I knew the mage almost as well as I knew myself. I knew the way he looked when he had things under control...and I knew the way he looked when he had just discovered we were fucked six ways from Sunday.

  This was beyond the worst six-ways-from-Sunday look I had ever seen come from him. Which was saying something, because in the past year, I’d seen him almost kissed by a Banshee and get his soul sucked out. So, seeing him like this was frightening to say the least.