Academia of the Beast: A Dark Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

by K.N. Lee

  Not again.

  Never again, she growled through clenched teeth.

  Allyn had one goal: find her father, and no one was going to stop her.

  The wind was against her, blowing into her face and pushing her back. This day seemed to mark the eve of when she’d gotten away from Lennox the first time. With her power on her side, he couldn’t touch her.

  She raced through the trees, lines and rows of birch trees making a path far from the castle. Her only fear was that she had no idea where she was going and that the snow betrayed her path. Her only hope was that she was faster than the Wolf.

  A howl resounded through the woods, sending chills up her spine. Her lead was ruined. Lennox was close behind.

  Allyn pumped her arms, and quickened her speed, but the sound of Lennox’s feet pounding on the ground frightened her. He was much faster than last time.

  His growl seemed to come from right behind her.

  This might have been a mistake.

  The space between them was too small to use her power. If she risked a split second to face him, she was dead.

  She fought to catch her breath as the wind increased ten-fold, pushing her back. She screamed and tried to jump through a tunnel of wind and snow.

  Instead of going airborne, her body was pulled back as strong arms wrapped around her from behind and brought her down. Allyn’s scream filled the woods as Lennox slammed her into the ground and pinned her.

  She gasped for air as her head and body sunk into the cold snow. Instead of facing the Wolf, Allyn found herself pinned by Prince Lennox’s human form, his naked body on top of hers, warming her and shielding her from the cold.

  How it was possible, she had no clue. As the storm raged around them, he protected her, cradling her face in his arms, holding her hands down by lacing his fingers through hers.

  “Let me go,” she pleaded, tears streaming from her eyes.

  When he looked down at her, Allyn sucked in a breath. Fear filled her eyes and she couldn’t make sense of what she saw.

  “Conall?” she whispered, her eyes widening as he looked into her eyes.

  Icy blue eyes, clouded by tears, met hers. She ripped her hand free from his and touched his hair. Black as a raven.

  He squeezed his eyes closed and cried out as if in pain.

  Confused, but moved by his pain, she touched his face. “What is it? How did you get here?” She turned her head to look for Lennox, who was nowhere to be found, all the while the funnel encircled them like a snowy tornado.

  When his eyes opened again, he growled at her. She screamed, terrified by what she saw in his eyes. Was it the evil within her that she saw reflected in him?

  Or something else?

  It seemed to physically hurt him to lean down to her and press his cheek to hers.

  “If you hurt her, I will end us both,” Conall said into the wind.

  Allyn froze, every muscle in her body tensing beneath him.

  Her chest heaved as realization slammed into her, making her feel ill. What kind of dark magic was this? She’d never seen or heard of anything like it.

  “Conall?” she called, her voice small like a little girl’s.

  He didn’t reply.

  Instead, when he pulled up, Lennox faced her, white hair, and wild eyes.

  “No, love,” Lennox said, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling her to her feet. “Conall’s been sent back to time out.”

  Allyn was wrong. Her power was no match for this sorcery.

  As Lennox pulled her through the snow by her hair, she went limp.

  Her suspicions were confirmed, and it broke her heart into a million tiny pieces that she feared would never be put together.

  Conall and Lennox were the same person.

  And she was seriously screwed.

  CHAPTER 19

  “LET ME TELL you a secret,” the voice at the bottom of the well whispered into the dark when Allyn was just a little girl.

  On the fifth night of Allyn’s solitude at the convent, something presented itself to her, a voice. She couldn’t tell if it was a male or female, but it sounded to her more like a child.

  She never thought she’d actually want to return to the inside of those convent walls. But this...having to sleep at on the ground, with stone walls surrounding her and stretching at least sixty feet above.

  She had tried to ignore the voice in the dark, having heard various voices throughout her life. This one wouldn’t shut up, and grated on her nerves as she curled into a ball and looked up at the moon above.

  Bored, and lonely, Allyn finally replied to the curious entity that shared her space.

  “Go on. Tell me the secret.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready?”

  Allyn stared at the moon, wishing she could fly far far away.

  “I am.”

  “Once upon a time, there was a girl.”

  “I know this story already,” Allyn said. If there was ever a once upon a time tale, Allyn had read it. Back at home, she had rows of shelves that her father made with books from all over the world.

  “You do not. This story has never been told.”

  Rolling her eyes, she sighed and pressed her cheek to the cool dirt. “Go on then. Tell me this new story.”

  “The girl looked just like you. And she had her bones eaten by a wolf.”

  Allyn sat up, her eyes darting around her. The pounding of her heart within her chest filled her ears as she strained to catch a glimpse of what spoke to her. “Who are you?”

  Laughter came from all around her and Allyn covered her ears.

  “No more stories,” Allyn shouted. “Go away!”

  The laughter only got louder, and louder.

  Allyn shot to her feet, her cheeks reddened, her eyes narrowed. She held her hands out in the shape of a triangle. Red bands escaping her palms like blood.

  “LEAVE!” Her voice boomed throughout the well. The ground and walls shook, and she gritted her teeth as the bands of power swirled around her like a tornado of blood.

  The laughter ceased, and Allyn was left in peace.

  Exhausted, she crumbled into a ball on the floor and cried into the night. When the sun rose that next morning, she woke up to red writing all over the stone walls.

  She’d never forget the three phrases that she read and traced with her fingers.

  I’m sorry.

  I’m sorry.

  I just had to warn you.

  Tame the wolf.

  Tame the wolf.

  TAME THE WOLF.

  TAME THE WOLF.

  Those three words kept replaying inside Allyn’s head as she waited in silence for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of Baran Castle’s dungeon. She couldn’t remember what was real and what was a dream anymore. So, she was left numb, the sting of Lennox’s fingers on her flesh all she could feel.

  Prince Lennox had shoved her in there and locked her in. Though Calinda had brought her a blanket and warm tea, she was still in a state of shock.

  Conall.

  Wrapped in the blanket, Allyn curled in the corner of the ancient cell, her eyes fixed on the large iron door just outside her bars.

  Trying to escape was the best thing she could have done. If she hadn’t, she might not have discovered the real curse of the Baran clan. It all made sense as she pieced together the puzzle. Even when she stayed at the palace as a child that fateful weekend, she’d been curious to see Lennox, who was always away.

  Lennox and Conall had never been spotted in the same place at the same time. Ever.

  She sighed.

  Was it worth dealing with Lennox to get to Conall? One weekend as children and a few nights as an adult was a stretch for building a real connection. But, what she felt had been real—more real than anything she’d felt with another man.

  She pounded her fist into the stone floor. Just when she thought she was finally getting some luck, this craziness had to enter her life and make it that much more difficult and confusing. />
  But, that brief moment seeing Conall had rocked her to her core. Conall had emerged to save her. Wasn’t that proof enough?

  She could only imagine the suffering he must have gone through to share a body with Lennox, his darker side. She shook her head. How did she even know which of them was the real prince?

  She covered her mouth. Dear Lord. It was her mission to find out.

  So many questions filled her mind as she pulled her blanket closer and laid her head down. Exhaustion didn’t begin to describe her level of fatigue. Her head lolled to the side as a ghost of a guard walked past her cell.

  Dressed in ancient armor, he carried a pike that kept dragging along the stone floor.

  Allyn groaned and turned the other way. Any other girl would have cowered in fear at the hollow look in the ghosts eyes. All Allyn could think of was how she was ever going to get some sleep with that annoying sound?

  The dungeon door opened, a creaking sound alerting Allyn. She sat up and looked over her shoulder.

  Lennox stepped through the door, dressed in a plain gray long-sleeved shirt and black jeans. His hair was wet and slicked back. He carried a candle with him, shedding soft light on the space. He paced before her cell in silence as her eyes followed him.

  “So,” he said, pausing before the bars. He knelt down and folded his hands while nodding his head. “You’re the first person to learn the truth of my curse. I admit, I never thought you’d figure it out. I’d hoped to learn your secrets first.”

  “What do you want to know, Lennox?”

  The softness of her voice must have caught him off guard. Her willingness to open up to him caused him to pause. He rubbed his chin as if in thought.

  “What are you?”

  Allyn shook her head. “I wish I knew.”

  He continued pacing the room. “You’re not just any witch, are you?”

  “I don’t think so. The nuns say that I’m cursed.”

  “Fuck off. You don’t know anything about curses.”

  Allyn shrugged off her blanket and showed him her hands. The candle flickered as she showed him what coursed through her veins. Red bands slowly seeped from her palms, dancing like the light of the candle. The power glowed, illuminating her face and the green of her eyes.

  “Tell me what this is then. Why do I hear voices in the dark?” She scratched her skin, tears pooling in her eyes and he seemed awestruck by what he saw before him. “Why can’t I scratch the incessant itch within? Tell me, Lennox. Are we that different?”

  She watched him swallow and lick his lips. A flicker of fear crossed his expression and she slumped to the ground, the blood-colored power soaking back into her skin.

  “What am I going to do with you now?”

  Allyn crawled to him, her face an inch from the bars as she peered at him from the darkness.

  “Tell me where my father is,” she whispered.

  Lennox moved closer, his face free of any emotion. “No.”

  She wiped her eyes. “I only asked as a courtesy. You can’t keep me here. And, I will find him.”

  He thumped the bars with his fingers. “You’re the one behind bars, love.”

  Allyn grabbed the bars and they turned red. The once cool iron heated until steam emitted from its surface. Her lips parted as all of her energy rushed forth from her palms until the bars melted and dissipated like ash.

  Lennox shot to his feet. “Clever girl.”

  “You can’t keep me here against my will,” she said.

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes, because you don’t have to. I will stay willingly, but you must tell me where my father is.”

  He blinked. “You’ll stay?”

  Allyn slowly came to her feet and nodded. “Just promise not to harm my father, and I promise to stay.”

  Her dress was still wet and clung to her body. As his eyes looked her over, she stepped over the boundary of her cell and the rest of the dungeon. She took Lennox’s face into her hands and he tensed at her touch. For the first time, it was him that was afraid to look at her in the eye. She wondered when was the last time he’d felt a tender touch.

  “You better not be putting a spell on me.”

  She shook her head. “No,” she said and leaned up to kiss him on the lips. The same electricity she’d felt with Conall was there, and she breathed him in, her tongue entering his mouth and gliding along his. “I’m simply showing you who really is in charge.”

  His eyes widened as she pushed him against the wall and wrapped her arms around his neck. Lennox held her by the waist, and she could tell he was conflicted by desire and the impulse to run from her. Instead of running, he kissed her back, greedily. With a firm hold of her hair, he tilted her head back and kissed her throat. His other hand lifted her damp dress up to her waist and he gripped her by her buttocks, pressing her pelvis to his.

  Allyn’s mind was clouded by images of his naked body on top of her. She’d exposed herself to this man in a way she’d never done before. But, it was too soon. Not like this—not in a dark and damp dungeon.

  There were still truths to be told, and she couldn’t let him win her body too easily.

  When she pulled away, he gave her a wary gaze. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked her, breathless, his icy-blue eyes lingering on her heaving bosom.

  Her brows furrowed as it came to her. Why she was there. She licked her lips. She put her hands on his cheeks. “I think I’m here to cure you.”

  His hands shot to hers and he wrapped his fingers around her wrists. “I don’t need to be cured.”

  Though he spoke those words, his eyes softened to her as she pressed her cheek to his chest and listened to how his heartbeat quickened.

  “You can’t hide the truth from me,” Allyn said. “I can read what’s written on your heart. And your heart wants me as much as I want you.”

  He shoved her away. “Enough. You know nothing about me.”

  “I know why you can’t bring yourself to kill me.”

  From the way his chest heaved, and his cheeks flushed, she knew she was right.

  She kept her distance as he glared at her. Despite his resistance, Allyn knew what she had to do.

  Tame the beast.

  She had to make both sides of the prince fall for her.

  Allyn was up for the challenge.

  CHAPTER 20

  TWO WEEKS PASSED without a word from Lennox, and Allyn explored the palace freely.

  All except for the top floor.

  Each day that passed, she wished she would catch a glimpse of the prince. And each day she was disappointed.

  All alone, with the ghosts of the castle watching her, Allyn felt that for the first time since she’d been in the castle, she walked through the halls as if she owned the place. She was there on her terms.

  Prince Lennox allowed her to leave the dungeon and stay in her room. It was a small start, but she yearned to learn more about him and the curse.

  “Would you like supper brought up to your room, miss?” Calinda asked.

  She ran her hand along the walls, finally allowing herself to feel the history of the castle. “I’m not very hungry. But, thank you, Calina.”

  She absorbed the energy of the castle, breathing it in. It was a lot to take in. Centuries of love, loss, and sorrow flooded her senses, but she allowed it to. She embraced it. If she was going to break the curse and free Conall, she needed all of the information she could get.

  She paused in the middle of the hallway as Maisie walked by, her eyes fixed on Allyn. She wore an old-fashioned purple smock, her short hair dull and lifeless, her face a pasty white.

  “Hello, miss,” Maisie said, smiling.

  Allyn spun around, her eyes wide as saucers. That voice.

  Calinda paused as well. “Something wrong, miss?”

  Allyn covered her mouth as she watched Maisie walk away.

  It can’t be.

  She turned back to Calinda and shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said.
“I just thought her voice sounded familiar.

  Calinda bowed. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Nodding, Allyn’s mind raced. “Just one more thing. Can any of the ghosts of the castle leave?”

  As if confused by the question, Calinda’s brows furrowed. “No. Part of the curse is that we are bound to the castle and the grounds.”

  “Is Maisie your daughter?”

  “What kind of question is that?”

  Allyn shrugged, her eyes fixed on the little ghost as she vanished into the darkness at the other end of the hall. “Just curious.”

  “She was an orphan. But, yes, I raised her as my own.”

  “I see,” Allyn said. “Where did she come from?”

  “Your questions are quite vexing, miss. I don’t follow your meaning. What are you really getting at?” Calinda asked, putting her hands on her hips.

  “I don’t know. I can’t really put my finger on it. You know?”

  “No,” Calinda said, shaking her head, her lips pert.

  “You see, when I was a little girl,” Allyn began, lowering her voice and stepping closer to Calinda. “Something visited me when I was in the convent. I can’t say if it was a ghost, a spirit, or something else. But, it sounded just like Maisie.”

  Calinda’s brows furrowed, making her forehead crease. “That’s impossible.”

  “Is it?”

  Calinda looked over her shoulder in the direction Maisie vanished into.

  “I think you should go to bed, miss.”

  Allyn sighed. “Sure. You’re right. Good night, Calinda.”

  Calinda didn’t reply. She simply bowed and vanished.

  Once alone, Allyn walked the rest of the way to her bedroom. Could Maisie have been the one that used to visit her? Why would she do such a thing?

  She drew her own bath and sat in the hot water with her arms over the sides. As she closed her eyes, she thought of everything that had transpired that year alone.

  She never thought she’d be face-to-face with the Wolf that almost captured her last winter. Now, she was falling for him.

  How did that make any sense?

  Nothing about Allyn’s life ever made sense. She figured she’d better get used to it. She closed her eyes, not realizing just how fatigued she was and drifted to sleep.