“Let them go,” I begged him. “I have what you want.”
His eyes traveled to my chest, where my tunic had come unbuttoned. “Indeed you do.”
I gritted my teeth and took the ring out of my pocket. I’d stashed the box by the mare in the hopes that Thomas wouldn’t find it. It was the only tie to Bastian that I had left, and I’d be damned if he was going to take that away from me too. Thomas’s eyes went from my chest to the ring in my gloved hand, and they widened greedily as he snatched it from me. His own hands were gloved, which was a pity.
“Put your guns down,” he told his soldiers with a lazy flick of his hand, and a weight felt like it had been lifted off my shoulders as they followed his orders.
Emily and Lila looked relieved, but then they turned to me and their eyes were questioning.
“Go to my room,” I told them as I stripped my hands of the soaking gloves. “I’ll meet you there.”
Lila smiled and bounded down the hallway, but Emily gave me a knowing, frightened look as she backed away. She knew that I wouldn’t be coming to my room to get them. In all likelihood, I would never see them again.
Thomas pocketed the ring and was now staring at me hungrily. “I’m sure you remember the other part of our agreement?”
I swallowed but said nothing. He reached up and touched his finger to my cheek, dragging it down roughly to my neck. Even though it hadn’t been the cheek with the scars, I cringed away from him and he laughed.
“All in good time, sweet Belle. Your mother never wanted me, but by tomorrow, you’ll be mine. Guards.” He motioned to his men and two of them came up to me, each taking an arm. I didn’t struggle—I knew that if I did anything against Thomas, he’d take it out on my sisters.
But then, Thomas went into the back of the house, and I heard my sisters scream as he pulled them from my room and hauled them back into the living room.
“What are you doing?” I demanded. “Leave them alone, I’ve done as you asked!”
He grinned awfully. “I’m taking them to the Brothel, of course.”
I shook with anger and betrayal. “That was not part of our deal, Thomas.” But he ignored me. He tore one of Emily’s sleeves to expose part of her shoulder as she struggled against his hold. She was near tears; Lila was already bawling.
“They’re only children! Please, let them go—I’ll do anything.”
“I like anything,” he replied. He let Lila go and she slumped to the ground, but he kept Emily in his grasp. “I haven’t followed our deal very closely up to now, so why would you think I’d show you any mercy by suddenly being a man of my word? Besides, getting the ring was only part of my agreement with the Emperor.” He came closer to me. “The other, more delicious, part is that if I find the Beast and kill it, I’ll become his second in command.”
I gasped, and my nails bit hard into my palms. No, not Bastian.
“So, you see,” he continued, “it’s really quite convenient that you did come back, so that, now, you can lead the way.”
“Never.” I struggled against the guards. “I’ll never show you where he is.”
Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Not even for your sisters?”
I hesitated, torn between my sisters—my family—and the man that I’d come to care for so deeply I missed him even now. It shouldn’t have even been a choice, but I wasn’t sure I could stand being the reason that Bastian died.
Thomas laughed cruelly. “Well, well, this is quite a turn of events. Are you telling me that you feel something for the Beast?”
I didn’t answer, knowing I was damned no matter what I said.
Thomas’ eye twitched and heat spread up his neck. “I can’t believe you actually care for that monstrous creature. Listen, Belle Fairfax, you belong to me,” he said, infuriated but resolute. “Now I have all the more reason to kill the Beast.”
I remained defiant. “You’ll never be able to find the castle.”
“Oh, I have a way. I was just hoping you’d be more cooperative, but I can see you’re a lost cause.” One of the guards stepped forward as Thomas motioned to him.
“This is Jean-Luc,” Thomas explained. “Among his many other talents, he’s an excellent tracker. So good, in fact, that he had no trouble keeping up with you that night I sent you out into the Black Forest. He told me all about your encounter with the wolves—how the Beast saved your life. How the creature was so distraught from the state of you that he didn’t even notice Jean-Luc nearby.”
My heart stopped. “No.”
“Oh, yes,” he sneered.
I struggled against the guard’s grasps, but their hold was like iron. I couldn’t breathe. How could I stop them from killing Bastian? I thought to stall, but what good would that do?
“Why didn’t you just come find me when I’d first made it to the castle and kill him then?” I asked anyway.
Thomas looked at me like I was an idiot. “Because if I’d killed the Beast before you’d gotten the ring from him, we likely would’ve never found it. No, it was easier this way.”
My heart ached. I’d known Thomas was using me, but not like this.
“So, what is the Beast worth to you?” Thomas continued, grasping the hilt of a dagger that sat in the scabbard around his belt.
My sisters were now huddled in a corner together, but he paid them no attention. I hoped he’d forget them, and with any luck, they’d still have father when all this was over. But I couldn’t let him kill Bastian.
“My life,” I answered in a near-whisper, and his hand froze on the dagger.
“No!” Emily cried out, and one of the soldiers moved in to silence her, putting a hand over her mouth and muffling her outcry. I heard Lila start to whimper as I stared Thomas down.
“You would die for that thing—that monster?” Thomas asked incredulously.
I shook my head. “He’s not a monster, Thomas. You are.”
Thomas stormed up to me, and the guards held me up so that we were eye to eye, their tight grip on my arms making them numb. Thomas now held the blade of his dagger close to my face, his eyes aflame. Then he dragged it hard down the side of my face with the silver scars and I couldn’t help the cry of pain that escaped me.
When he was finished carving into my skin, ending at my jawline, Thomas looked at the blade in morbid curiosity as he spoke, “A monster is all he’ll be once I put this through his heart.”
Tears streamed down my face, unbidden. “Please, don’t.”
Thomas laughed humorlessly and straightened. “Don’t you realize that the more you try to protect the Beast, the less chance either of you has of making it through the night? Your affection for him is turning what would’ve been a mercy killing into a slow and painful death.”
I clenched my jaw to keep from saying anything else.
“I’m glad you finally understand the situation you’re in,” he said to my silence. “I’ve already sent some of my men to the castle. They should be breaking down the door any moment.”
He motioned towards the front of the cottage, and the soldiers tightened their grip on my arms and forced me outside. The wind had grown colder and the sleet was coming down harder. I was soaked in minutes, but I barely felt it. I had to figure out a way to keep them from killing Bastian. This was all my fault; I had to fix it.
Even if it killed me.
One of the Guards pressed my wrists together in front of me and clamped them down with handcuffs; they were too tight on my skin, but the pain of it was numb in the cold. The same Guard lifted me up onto the back of his horse, and then saddled up behind me.
“Where are you taking me?” I yelled to Thomas.
“The castle, of course,” he explained.
“Why?”
Thomas’s eyes darkened. “So that you can watch the life leave your precious Beast.”
I was about to protest when the Guard behind me tied a cloth around my mouth as a gag. I screamed against it until my voice was hoarse, but it was pointless. Thomas watched me s
truggle in vain with an odd glint in his eye. My gaze pleaded with the lawman, searching for the part of him that was still human.
He ignored me, turning his horse to face the way of the castle.
~
The sleet was relentless as we started towards the Black Forest. The gag had already grown soggy in my mouth and my head bobbed forward with exhaustion. The protective clothing that the Regime soldier behind me had on was unyielding and every one of my muscles was sore. But that didn’t stop me from trying to find a way to get to Bastian before Thomas. We weren’t trotting, but we certainly weren’t galloping either, and, as Thomas had said, some of his men were already there. He must’ve had the confidence that they were somehow keeping Bastian detained. But they hadn’t seen him take down a wolf like I had. At least it wouldn’t be easy, and that would buy me some time.
I slumped forward further, working out a plan quickly in my head. The Regime soldier slowed his horse, leaning slightly forward to check on me like I’d hoped he would, and I snapped my head back. There was a sharp crack and then a thump behind me. My head swam from the pain, but I grabbed onto the loose reigns carefully with my shackled hands and stopped the horse. He snorted his annoyance at me as I slid down his back.
I stumbled and fell to the wet ground awkwardly, starting to sink into the mud of the forest. But I righted myself quickly, hurrying toward where the Regime soldier had fallen to see that blood spattered his nose and lip; he was out cold.
Searching his pockets for the key, I felt the cold metal of it between my fingers in his jacket, and placed the key in my mouth as I turned it in the lock. The metal released and clanged to the wet ground, and I hissed at the stinging on my wrists. I’d moved around in them too much, and I saw where layers of skin had started to chafe off in red, angry marks. I held my hands to my chest for a moment, gritting my teeth, before pushing the discomfort out of my head. There was nothing I could do about it now.
Fighting against the cutting sensation of the freezing rain, I unhooked the soldier’s rifle from his belt, grabbed as many bullets as I could carry from his jacket pocket, and started towards the edge of the Black Forest.
I’d never shot a rifle before, but I knew the basics from reading about them. I checked the chamber to see if there was already a bullet there, placing the rest of them in my pocket. I swallowed hard at the idea of shooting anyone. It felt different than shooting someone with an arrow somehow, more personal. And I’d only ever killed animals with my bow, anyway. I shook my head to dispel the thought—I’d do whatever it took to save Bastian, even if that meant killing some of the people that were after him. They wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to me.
Unshed tears burned behind my eyes as I imagined the worst: that Bastian was already gone, dying with the thought that I’d led the soldiers there. The guilt tore at me and I moved faster.
Suddenly, I heard someone swear behind me. I turned to see Thomas pointing his gun at my head, sitting atop his horse.
“Crafty girl,” he said, though not as if he was impressed. Irritation and anger had disfigured his face. “I knew I should’ve watched you myself. Drop the gun, Belle. Let’s not make this any more difficult than it has to be.”
I was barely paying attention to him, though, as I caught the movement of a shadow flitting in the trees behind Thomas. I heard him cock his rifle. “I said—”
But he didn’t get to repeat himself as I watched Bastian come charging out of the darkness of the Black Forest.
Chapter 24
Fear Nothing
BASTIAN
M y only thoughts were of Belle. The way she’d smiled at me, the way she’d touched me without even realizing she was doing it. I imagined over and over in my head how she would’ve finally told me that she loved me. I wanted to live the rest of my life hearing her say those words, had seen it play out in my head like a fairytale. But all I’d had with her was a week.
I’d never imagined this could happen; that I’d find the girl to break the curse, and then she’d have to leave me. And that I’d let her go. But I’d brought this curse upon myself and now I had to live with the consequences—I could never blame Belle for taking back her freedom to save her family.
I found I couldn’t keep myself from wanting to see her, though, despite the pain I knew it would cause.
I knelt in front of the magic mirror, and told it, with stilted breath, “Show me Belle.”
The mirror swirled, and I expected to see Belle hugging her sisters, perhaps her father too, tucked safely away in their cottage now that the cursed ring was with the awful lawman and on its way to the Emperor. At least I would die knowing that she was happy.
But what I saw when the smoke cleared turned my blood cold.
Belle was being held against the wall of her cottage by two Regime soldiers, and another man not dressed in uniform was very close to her, trailing a dagger down her cheek. Red blood popped up where her skin was being torn open, and an unchecked anger rose up in me when she screamed. My claws slashed out, and the mirror shattered beneath them.
Then, there was a loud banging against the castle doors, echoing all the way back to my chambers, and I flinched. Sophie rushed in, appearing frazzled. “There’s an army of Regime soldiers trying to break into the castle!”
Leaving the shattered remains of my mirror, I told her, “Get somewhere safe. I don’t want them to find you.”
“What about you?” she practically yelled.
“I’ll take care of them.”
She grabbed my arm. “No, Bastian, I won’t let you do this alone.”
I looked down at her. “You’re the only mother I’ve ever had. You loved me even before I became the Beast, when I was the real monster. Don’t make me watch you get hurt because of me.”
Because I knew why they were here: they’d found my castle and they were going to kill me and take my throne. But I had to get to Belle as soon as possible, and that might mean fighting my way through the soldiers at my door, and any others that got in my way.
She set her jaw and I knew she wouldn’t budge from the issue, so I took her by the arm and gently pushed her into the nearest closet, closing it swiftly and locking her inside.
She pounded at the wood. “Bastian!”
“It’s for your own good, Soph,” I said through the door.
I heard a much louder bang than before and then the splintering of wood.
I realized I couldn’t take on however many soldiers they’d sent. Besides, killing a wolf was one thing, but killing a human made me a different kind of beast. I quickly cast a spell that would enchant every item in the castle to come to life and fight against the soldiers, but I knew that would only buy me a few minutes.
The spell I casted drained my magic, but my anger at the man who’d hurt Belle gave me the strength to stumble from my chambers, through the ballroom, and out the back way. Sophie was safe, and now the only thing that mattered was Belle.
Chapter 25
I Would Die to Save Him from Pain
BELLE
B astian! I called out to him in my head, but he only had eyes for Thomas.
Thomas followed my gaze, and I saw him start to swing his rifle around. But Bastian was too fast, and he pounced on Thomas, tearing him from his horse and tackling him to the ground. The horse reared up for a moment, its hooves pawing at the air, then it shot off towards town.
I turned back to see Bastian and Thomas struggle for a moment, the soldier’s rifle held loosely in my hands, knowing that I could hit Bastian if I tried to shoot Thomas. They were tumbling through the mud, and it was obvious that Bastian had the upper hand; Thomas was using his rifle lengthwise to keep away Bastian’s sharp fangs, but it wouldn’t be long until—
A bullet sliced through the air and flew into Bastian’s shoulder; he reared back. Swinging around, I looked out into the forest to see where it had come from, and saw half a dozen Regime soldiers heading towards us from town.
“No,” Thomas managed to yell. �
��The Beast is mine!”
The soldiers stopped their assault, looking thrown for a moment, their rifles still trained on Bastian. I wasn’t sure if they’d seen me yet or not, but I dropped to the ground, landing softly in the mud with my rifle pointed at the soldiers. As they cocked their weapons, I yelled, “Bastian, look out!”
Bastian turned towards my voice, his eyes full of the same relief and concern that I felt in my heart. But Thomas took advantage of our exchange, and I couldn’t get the words out before he hit Bastian in the jaw with the butt of his rifle.
I locked my jaw and took aim at the soldiers with the deadly machine in my hands, hoping my skills in archery would be of some help to me. I placed my finger near the trigger before taking a breath and opening fire.
I aimed the bullet at the trees first, giving them a warning shot and making them scatter behind the large trunks of the Black Forest—I really didn’t want to have to kill anyone, and the force behind the shot frightened me a little. I heard Bastian and Thomas still struggling a few yards away from me as I dug another bullet out of my pocket, and realized that death couldn’t be avoided. One of them was going to die tonight, but it wouldn’t be Bastian if I had anything to do with it.
The soldiers began shooting towards me, and I went to put my finger on the trigger to fire back, but then a knee dig into my back before I could. I cried out in surprise, and the person pinning me down grabbed my arms and cuffed them behind my back before turning me over. It was the soldier who I’d been riding with that I’d knocked out, the blood from his nose still splattered across his face. He slapped me across my split cheek hard before pulling me up to stand.
“Lawman Thomas,” he barked out, “I have the girl.”
I stopped breathing—where did I know that voice from?
I craned my neck to look back at the soldier, who hadn’t seemed any different from the others, and my heart stopped. No.
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