Encircled

by Laurie Lucking

  “A woman.” He gave a wry grin. “Isn’t it always?” He eyed the figurine couple. “Maybe it’s fate that positioned you here, to rebind pieces once shattered by another.”

  “I’m flattered, but I don’t feel I’m the remedy you’ve made me out to be.”

  Finn nodded. “A beautiful flower isn’t usually aware of its power.”

  Heat touched my cheeks. I turned my head quickly, catching a glimpse of something shiny. I pointed at a slender golden telescope sitting on top of a pile of books on his desk. “May I?”

  “Be my guest.”

  The cold telescope filled my hand. I extended it and peeked into the lens. Through the window, I could see the entire lake. Every frozen crack visible.

  “Stunning,” I muttered.

  Something beneath the frozen lake caught my attention. I brought the lens closer to the glass window. I couldn’t make it out, but something, as if stuck at the bottom of the lake, was spread upward against the surface.

  Finn coughed, startling me and almost making me drop his telescope. “Goodness. Sorry.” I quickly gave him his telescope back, thanked him for his time, and excused myself.

  I had a lake to explore.

  My shoes clicked on the frozen surface. My suspicions had proven true. There was without a doubt something unnatural under the lake. I bent down and smoothed my hand over the ice. My eyes widened.

  Roses.

  A vinery of roses growing and spreading under the frozen lake. Not lake water, but roses. Impossible. Why and how was this here? It was difficult to believe the flowers were real. Only one way to find out.

  I found a rock in the snow and began chipping a hole in the ice until I could see the roses. Tall stems displayed the most resplendent clusters of blossoms I’d ever seen, but a fair amount under the ice to the far left were black and ashy, as if dead. I bent down and plucked one of the live beauties up. Frost covered the edges along the blood-red rose. I twirled it. Beautiful.

  When I glanced down, a large patch of roses turned black and slumped over dead on their stems. But the one in my hand retained its blood-red color.

  I’d just sent that nagging Isa away when, without knocking, Finn came into the music room. “Master?”

  I pulled away from the piano. “What is it, Finn?”

  “I should have known it was going to pique her curiosity. It’s my fault—”

  “What is it?”

  “I suspect she’s gone to the lake.”

  “What?” A glance out the window confirmed Finn’s speculations. Desiree was walking across the lake.

  On all fours, I bounded out the balcony and leaped onto the roof, skidding down using my claws. I slowed down, crossed to a pillar and then climbed down and dropped onto the snow.

  She could ruin everything.

  My paws slipped across the frozen surface as I sprinted toward her. No! She’d plucked a rose and held it to her chest.

  I growled, making her drop the rose. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Eyes frantic, she backed away. “W-what’s wrong with this lake? Why the roses?”

  I snarled and inched toward her. “The witch placed them here. To taunt me. A countdown to my demise. Each day that passes, a hundred roses die, and I’m that much closer to remaining a beast forever. Even plucking one will result in a hundred dying, and you just plucked one! Now only a few hundred remain!”

  “I’m sorry…I didn’t know.” She took another step back and then another toward the far side of the lake.

  Of course she didn’t understand. I barely understood the madness beneath my paws. But she was getting too close to stepping out of the lake, and past that point I would not be able to reach her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—just…just come back inside with me.”

  Another step away. “I don’t need to remain here anymore, Beast. If I’m not a prisoner, then you’ll let me go.” Another step back twisted my chest. No, she wasn’t a prisoner, but I, somehow, was a prisoner to her. She’d connected me to a person I thought once dead, a man I never knew even when I was human. If the invisible chain between us snapped now, I feared I’d drown.

  “Desiree, please—”

  “Take care, Beast,” she said over her shoulder.

  My selfishness called for her. “Please, don’t go.” I sprinted after her. She’d left the lake and was crunching on the snow. I would never reach her now. A glance at the castle told me they would come for me, but I couldn’t let her go.

  As I neared the far end of the lake, stone on stone gnashed behind me, as if the castle were moaning. The gargoyle statues sprang to life and flew away from the castle toward me. Desiree screamed as they dove and plucked me up like a fish out of water. Solid talons gripped my shoulders and legs.

  “Beast!” Desiree dashed back on the lake after me, but I was too high in the air.

  I belted an explosion of roars. Thrashing and kicking did no good. It never did. Like a lion herded off by a swarm of monkeys, the statues carried me back to the nearest castle tower. It killed me to have Desiree see me like this, but by some miracle, she kept chasing me.

  Near the castle towers, I managed to get one swift kick at a gargoyle’s face. The stone creatures released their grip on me. I flailed in midair, reaching out for something to break my fall, but nothing filled my paws. I crashed into the snow. A crack reverberated on impact.

  A scream caught in my throat as I watched the beast fall. I sprinted to the castle’s nearest wall, where Beast lay. The gargoyles returned to their positions on the castle as if they had never moved.

  Beast moaned. His arm was bent back in an unnatural way.

  My chest pumped. “Hold on, Beast.”

  Finn ran up. He helped me get Beast on a wagon and inside.

  Finn cursed. “I told you to stop fighting those demons. Now be still. This will hurt.”

  A loud pop sounded as he jerked Beast’s arm back in place. The beast’s throaty roar rocked the chandeliers. Finn glanced at me as I wiped the sweat off my forehead.

  Twilight fell as Beast rested on the lounge chair. The fire crackled nearby. A fur blanket covered him. His broken arm snuggled in a sling. I shook my head. Could such a cruel curse come from my dear friend, Reyna? How much harm had she intended to inflict during his ordeal before sentencing him to a life as a monster? This madness had to end. I needed to find her and have her lift the curse.

  “Desiree…” Beast opened his eyes. “You’re still here?”

  “I’m here.” I smiled and patted his uninjured arm.

  The side of his face caught shadows as he turned to face me. “I thought you’d gone for sure after such a display.”

  “Finn told me about the gargoyles. How they’re part of the curse and keep you prisoner here.” I wanted to chuckle at the irony. “So, you mean to tell me I could have left, and you couldn’t have stopped me?”

  He winced as he sat up. “You’re correct, but I’d hoped that you wouldn’t.”

  “What else don’t I know? Are there any magical unicorns running about around here?”

  He grinned. “Not that I know of.” The grin vanished, and a heaviness fell over his furry face. “I’m sorry. For everything. You are right to leave, and I won’t beg you to stay another minute here. My consequences were never yours to bear. Finn will take you home. Wherever you want to go, just say the word.”

  Now he was pushing me away? Returning to Father seemed sensible, but now a sense of responsibility lingered. The curse wasn’t my doing, but it was hurting Beast and the people around him, including me. I shouldn’t care, but I did, and I couldn’t stand to see him this way. What if those ugly stone creatures had killed Beast? This had to stop.

  “I’m not going anywhere. Not until I find Reyna and demand she lift the curse.”

  His brows raised. “You would…do that for me?”

  “Yes. Under one condition. You tell me why she cursed you this way. I want every detail.”

  His jaw set firm. “If I do, I fear you may c
hange your mind about me.”

  “Allow me to draw my own conclusion.”

  He sucked in air and exhaled. “Very well.”

  Chapter 5

  THE BALL TURNED out larger than expected. To think I had planned to make my engagement announcement. I should’ve canceled the party, but Finn had insisted it would do me good. Guests in dresses and suits danced all around. I failed to join in their joy. Watching the castle smothered in flames would’ve been more satisfying.

  The book I read depicted characters who would obviously end up in each other’s arms, yet it failed to transport me away from this party, or fill the gap in my chest with hope. Instead, it lit my insides on fire. I slammed the book closed and shoved it on a passing tray a servant carried. In exchange, I took a wine bottle.

  The more I drank, the easier it was to flash a fake smile and forget Vanessa. How had I let her get so close to my heart? To violate it. Peel it raw and flaunt her damage to everyone I’d ever known. Women were truly all the same. Deceitful adulterers. Just like Mother.

  The moon-shaped clock overlooking the crowd struck one hour till midnight. One hour left till the doors closed. I might as well try and enjoy myself.

  A girl in an emerald dress with streaks of gold running along her waist caught my attention. Dark complexion. A band of gold paint was across her eyes. Long hair as rich as soil was tied in a braid that stopped at her lower back. Exotic. I smirked. If I was going to have my fun, it would be with that one.

  I stepped up to her and held my hand out. “Care to dance?”

  Her eyes widened, and her cheeks went pink. “Um—with the prince? Why, certainly.”

  One hand on hers and one hand on the small of her back, I pulled her close, and we danced in time to the music. When it was time to spin our partners, I twirled her.

  She chuckled. I spun her again, harder this time. The smile on her full lips quickly flipped to a frown. Her feet struggled to keep up. I couldn’t help smirking. Another spin, and this time I stuck my foot out so she’d trip. She crashed on the floor. Everyone scattered as if she were an insect who’d infect others.

  All eyes pinned on her.

  I laughed. “Can’t keep up, dear?”

  The crowd exploded in laughter.

  Her shoulders trembled as her cheeks blossomed red.

  I addressed the crowd. “Two left feet. We don’t mock the crippled.”

  I held out a hand to her. “Care to try again?”

  Her nostrils flaring, she shoved my hand and pushed up. In the spot where’d she sat, I spotted a sheathed dagger.

  “What’s this?” I cried, as I picked up the sheath to reveal a dagger inside it. I gripped her wrist and pressed the blade to her neck.

  She shrieked. “Your Highness, please. The blade is merely for my protection. Nothing more.”

  I laughed in her face. “Protection. From whom? Who would touch you? I don’t want you. No man would want you.” I released her, and everyone snickered.

  Two young men tried to shove their way toward her, her family by the looks of them, but my guards kept them from reaching us.

  As I turned back to the girl, she was already in my face, leaning in to whisper something into my ear. “After the clock strikes midnight, you will be transformed, and all will see the sadistic beast that you are. Each day that passes a hundred beautiful roses will perish. If the nine thousand roses in the lake are completely gone before the curse has lifted, you will remain a beast.”

  I hissed and asked the guards to remove this wretch. In fact, I screamed at everyone to leave.

  The wine couldn’t possibly be blamed that day. I wasn’t that drunk, and I made sure to stress that to Desiree. To make her understand I took full responsibility for my actions.

  Desiree didn’t blink. “Tearing down another does not end your own suffering or make you righteous, Beast.” Nausea twisted my gut. She thought me a monster and had every right to. “I can understand Reyna’s quarrel fully. If I possessed the ability, I might have even done the same. But, I’m quite sure you’ve suffered enough. If I can forgive you, then maybe she can as well.”

  Had my ears heard correctly? “You forgive me?”

  She nodded. “And as soon as Finn can get a horse ready, I’ll set out to find her, before more roses die. We’ll work this out, and she’ll lift the curse.”

  I cupped her tiny hands in mine. I didn’t deserve her. Not her kindness. Not her forgiveness. How could a woman possess such qualities? “I-I don’t know what to say but thank you.”

  Finn coughed in the distance. “Um, Master?”

  I met his gaze. A cloaked figure stood behind him holding a knife to his throat. Two other intruders stood on each side.

  Ignoring my arm pain, I pushed up and shielded Desiree. “Let him go.”

  The figure behind Finn pulled off her hood. The witch. As much as I wanted her back here, I feared what other havoc she could bring.

  Desiree rushed out in front of me. “Reyna? Goodness, put that knife down!”

  The scowl on Reyna’s face softened. “Des, come with me quick. We’ll take you home.”

  The two young men I remembered from the ball stepped up with bows aimed at me.

  Desiree gestured at the men. “For heaven’s sakes, Sawyer and Jarrett, lower your weapons.”

  They didn’t listen.

  “Come with me, Des,” Reyna demanded.

  “No. Not until you lift his curse.”

  Reyna huffed. “What lies has he told you?”

  Desiree inched closer. “I know the truth. The ball. What he did to you. The humiliation.”

  This was my cue. My battle. Not Desiree’s. “Reyna, I’m so sorry I hurt you. What I did was horrible and cowardly.”

  Her expression remained stoic. “Look at yourself. Of course you would say anything.” She shoved Finn out of the way and marched in my direction, the two men still keeping their weapons on me. “I thought I was so lucky to share a dance with you. That I’d caught your eye, and that maybe you’d take me as queen.”

  All I could muster was, “I’m sorry.”

  The words were as powerless as I felt.

  She turned her back, saying over her shoulder, “Enjoy the rest of your life as a beast.” She gestured at Desiree. “Let’s go.”

  When Desiree didn’t move, Reyna nodded at the one Desiree called Sawyer. He grabbed Desiree and pulled her toward the door. Yelping, she jerked against his hold.

  “You’re hurting her. Release her now.” I inched forward, ready to charge Reyna, but a warning shot was fired from one of the men’s bows.

  “Get her out of here now!” Reyna ordered.

  “Reyna, stop this!” Desiree kicked at Sawyer and uttered something I never thought I’d hear from her. “Please, don’t hurt him.” Sawyer dragged her out the door, her shouts echoing down the hallway.

  Reyna and Jarrett remained, Finn off to the side. I blasted a roar at the witch.

  She pursed her lips. “So, his true colors return.”

  “I don’t care about you or your curse anymore. Just let Desiree go.”

  “What kind of fool are you? Desiree is my best friend, and I would never hurt her.”

  I kicked and squirmed, but Sawyer held a firm grip around my shoulders. “Let me go.”

  Sawyer reached for the castle doors. “Stop it, Des. You’re safe now. That monster won’t hurt you anymore.”

  My free hand found momentum and slapped him across the face. “He’s not a monster, and he wouldn’t hurt me.”

  Shock filled him, but quickly vanished as he dragged me over the threshold. Beast roared in the distance. No! What was she doing to him? I wriggled, and then stiffened as I remembered my weapon. The first sign Beast trusted me was when he gave me back my dagger.

  Isa squawked from above. The parrot was doing a nose dive, her beak aimed at Sawyer. In less than a second, the parrot was in his face, clawing and flapping her wings across his eyes and cheeks.

  He released me, and I reache
d for the dagger in my boot. Twisting, I shoved the blade at Sawyer’s neck until he backed away, out the door. Isa flew in circles, squawking and growling.

  “Are you crazy?” His eyes widened.

  “Don’t follow me!” I slammed the doors in his face and locked him outside.

  Isa perched on my shoulder. “Thank you, Isa.”

  “Okay, Snack.”

  Beast belted another roar. I ran down the hall and turned the corner into the room where Reyna had an arrow aimed at Beast. Her fingers released on the bow, and the arrow sped toward his chest.

  “Beast!” I shrieked.

  Finn leaped into the path of the arrow. A sickening thud of skin being penetrated followed. Finn dropped. The arrow stuck out from his chest.

  “Finn!” Beast knelt to cradle his friend. The gurgling sounds rushing out from Finn pierced my heart.

  I turned to Reyna, who dropped the bow on the carpet as if it’d scorched her. “I…I didn’t mean—”

  “Murderer,” I cried and shoved her aside.

  Jarrett lowered his weapon as I ran to Finn’s side. Beast sobbed over a dying Finn. He tore a cloth from his sling and pressed it to Finn’s chest, but it did no good. Blood spilled out and seeped into the carpet.

  Reyna stood like a statue, her gaze struggling to rest on her doing.

  “Cast a spell,” I shouted at her. “Heal him!”

  Her voice faltered. “I-I can’t cast another spell until his is finished.”

  Tears streaming, Beast looked up at her. He snarled, rage transforming his face into an animal I’d never met before.

  I wanted to dig my claws into her skin and tear her apart. “Heal him now,” I growled. “Or else you might not walk out of here alive.”

  Reyna shifted. “I said, I can’t! Not until your curse has ended.”

  The arrow sticking out from Finn’s bloody body sucked each breath from me. A vision of Father dying, an arrow in his chest from a hunting accident, blasted my mind. I couldn’t bear this again.

  I charged Reyna and picked her up by her neck. Her face reddened as her feet dangled. Jarrett ordered me to put her down. I could care less if he shot me. No arrow would resemble the pain of losing Finn. Finn deserved better. The man had sacrificed so much over the years for me, and had sacrificed everything today. I could do the same for him.