by Marian Tee
And for some reason, this only made the Frenchman chuckle. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” she demanded, even more annoyed now.
But this only made the billionaire’s body shake with even more laughter. “Ah, mon coeur, you may bear a strong resemblance to Belle---”
“Who the hell is Belle?”
“But you’ve adorable similarities to Gaston.”
And because she wasn’t much of a Disney baby, it took Arabella a few more seconds than usual to realize she was being insulted.
“Asshole!” She started pummeling his chest, striking him as hard as she could, but the damn billionaire seemed to be made of stone and it just felt like she was only hurting herself in the process.
“Enough, ma belle.”
“Not until you bleed,” she snarled. “You fucking---no!”
The telltale ripping sounds told her he was once again getting rid of her clothes.
And then she was naked, and the next moment, he was pulling her down, impaling her in one go. “A better use of your energy, don’t you think?”
“A…a…a…asshole!”
He laughed under her, making her want to retort, but with Aurélien taking hold of her hips so he could drive deeper into her, all Arabella could do was moan anew.
And so it continued, and as the days passed, the more they believed that they could stay in their glass house forever.
But they could not.
Dead Butterflies
After knocking on the door, Nana called out, “May I come in, mademoiselle?” There was a muffled reply, and after a moment’s hesitation, the maid curiously took a peek inside the bedroom.
Oh!
Seeing Ms. Blume’s figure half-hidden under the bed, Nana hurried inside, asking in alarm, “Is something wrong?”
A scuffling sound followed as the other woman crawled out from under the bed.
Arabella grinned up at the maid sheepishly. “Sorry, Nana. I didn’t mean to worry you. There’s just something I want to figure out.”
“And going under the bed is part of it?” Nana asked dubiously.
“In a way.” It was all Arabella was willing to admit. Nana was a darling, but she was also first and foremost under Aurélien Sauvage’s employ, and the entire staff had long proven to be staunchly loyal to its master. If Nana found out that she was searching for the entrance to the mansion’s secret passageways, it would only be a matter of time before their master found out as well.
And then chaos, Arabella thought with an inner grimace. Even though they had been lovers for almost a month now, she knew a part of Aurélien still had a difficult time believing she truly loved him, and no doubt it had to do with his scars.
If he found out prematurely that she was looking for the secret passageways, the billionaire’s first suspicion would be that she was searching for an escape route. He would never believe her that it was all because she wanted to see him in the light – and prove to him once and for all that she loved him, whatever he looked like.
And it was a good plan, Arabella told herself, but first she needed to get rid of Nana.
Clearing her throat, she waited for the other woman to turn to her before asking, “Do you need anything from me?”
“Oh, yes. Mrs. Bouilloire wanted me to ask if you would like to have your lunch by the gardens today.”
“Only if it’s not too much trouble.”
Nana grinned, saying slyly, “Nothing is too much trouble for the master’s girlfriend.”
Arabella made a face. “Ha. Ha. Ha.”
“Or is it beyond that already, mademoiselle? Perhaps he’s gone down on one knee already---”
“Nana,” Arabella growled warningly even as her cheeks flamed.
“Alright, fine, keep it to yourself, mademoiselle. We’ll find out one way or another anyway.” And with that, Nana gave her a jaunty wave before leaving the room.
Just to be safe, Arabella waited for a couple of minutes before resuming her search. Nothing showed up under the bed, and it was the same when she checked for any clues under the large rug by the fireplace---
Oh!
The fireplace!
It was the only place in this room she hadn’t searched.
Taking the flashlight out of the drawer, she took special care as she ducked her head inside, mindful of Mr. Temps’s warning. Switching the flashlight open, she saw immediately that the butler hadn’t lied about the shards of glass that made the chimney’s walls inaccessible. Even so, she moved the light slowly around, taking her time---
And that was when she found it.
A folded letter, its color faded in age, stuck in one of the crevices. She carefully pulled it out and grimaced when tiny loose pebbles fell with it, striking her face. Ducking out of the fireplace, she straightened up and glanced curiously down at the letter.
There was a strange symbol on it, and the only way she could describe the image was---
A dead butterfly, Arabella thought uneasily.
What reason could any person possibly have to draw a dead butterfly?
The conundrum stayed with her throughout the day, and she continued to puzzle it after dinner and she was on her way back to the tower room. Upon entering, she had only taken one step inside when she heard Aurélien greet her with a husky warmth.
“Bonjour, ma belle.”
The fire went out, the blinds were drawn, and then just like that, his arms was wrapping around her from behind.
“Did you miss me?”
“Nope.”
“Great.” He nuzzled her neck. “I missed you, too.”
Her jaw dropped. “But I just said---”
“You mean you just lied.”
“I did not---” But Aurélien was licking her ear by then, and her voice trailed off. Whatever. It didn’t really matter if he knew that she had missed him, anyway.
As he swung her up on his arms, Arabella was careful to keep her hands only on his shoulders. By now, she was very much familiar with where and where not to touch, and because she had done her very best to obey his rules, Aurélien gradually relaxed around her and allowed Arabella to touch him as she wished.
When the beast laid her down on the bed and reached for her clothes, it was surprised when Arabella suddenly said, “No, you don’t!”
Its hands stilled. Arabella had never refused its touch before, and it was stunned at how much the rejection stung.
“You do not want me?” it asked flatly.
Oh, shit. She was such a fool! Realizing she should have added an explanation, she said in a rush, “I mean, don’t undress me.”
When Aurélien still didn’t say a word, she realized she was still being misunderstood and grimaced. “Sorry, I mean, don’t undress me because every time you do, it means not seeing my clothes again.”
The tension gradually left the beast’s body as Arabella’s meaning became clear. “I am sorry, mon coeur. I will make sure to replace---”
Arabella sighed. “That’s not the point. I get it that ripping my clothes off is some kind of fetish for you---”
The beast couldn’t help but cough to hide its amusement. If only she knew! The only reason it always made sure she never saw the clothes that he had ripped off her body was because she would only start questioning things the moment she saw the claw marks on her clothes.
“But next time, don’t throw them away,” Arabella was saying. “It’s too wasteful. I can mend them---”
“Agreed,” the beast said smoothly. “Next time I rip your clothes off---”And it immediately suited action to words, causing Arabella to sputter and laugh in surprise. “I will have it mended by one of the local seamstresses. D’accord?”
Knowing it was the best compromise she could get from him, Arabella said readily, “Deal.”
“Bon, eh bien…” Good. Well then…
There was a rustle of clothes, and just like that, Aurélien was naked under her. In another blink, he had her kneeling between hi
s legs, and after which he drawled politely, “Show me how much you miss me, s’il vous plait.”
Arabella couldn’t help but laugh. Only Aurélien Sauvage could make his request for a blowjob sound so romantic and charming! And darn it, she was still far from immune to it.
“Mademoiselle?” the beast asked mockingly.
Imitating the sound of an eager-to-please doxy, she cooed, “Oui, monsieur!”
And it was why as she took its cock in her mouth, the beast’s massive shoulders were also rocking hard with laughter at the same time, even if it was only but a moment. For soon, the magic her mouth worked on its cock became impossible to ignore, causing the beast to close its eyes as it growled out its pleasure.
The sounds that Aurélien made were like the most seductive music, and by the time he finally came in her mouth, Arabella was wet and aroused as hell. Thankfully, there wasn’t any need to wait, and even though he had just come, Aurélien’s cock remained impossibly hard as it popped out of her mouth.
Low-key Superman, she thought again, and oh, how thankful she was he could be so!
Pulling Arabella up on all fours, the beast placed her hands on the headboard, grating out, “Hold tight.”
Arabella didn’t even need to be told twice.
A moment later, it started, Aurélien pounding hard into her that in moments she was seeing stars, and in another few she was already coming with a scream. Wetness gushed out of her in forceful waves, but throughout it, Aurélien kept shoving his thick and endlessly long cock inside of her, never stopping until he, too, was cumming.
His sticky hot cum filled her to the brim, and still more poured out of his cock, and Arabella whimpered as she felt his seed began to trickle down her inner thighs.
The best low-key Superman trait of all, she thought dazedly.
As the beast carried Arabella into the marble bath and began rinsing her body in the darkness, it asked her what she wanted for her birthday the next day.
She mumbled something that even its heightened hearing couldn’t catch, and the beast frowned. “Say it clearly, ma belle.”
More mumbling.
“Arabella.” The beast was torn between exasperation and amusement.
Finally, grudgingly and reluctantly, Arabella admitted, “I want you to stay the night with me.”
Ah.
A moment later, the beast said politely, “Pardon, but I did not hear that. May you repeat it again?
“F.U.”
The beast grinned, but even so it continued to protest, “I am not lying. I truly did not---”
“I want you to fucking stay the night,” Arabella hissed. “There! Are you happy now?”
And to which the beast whispered in her ear, “More so than I ever deserve.”
Oh dear God!
Arabella slammed her hand against the water in frustration. “It’s not fair! Why do you keep saying the prettiest things?” Aurélien only answered with a laugh, and as he toweled her dry, she couldn't help asking, “Well? Do you agree?”
“What do you think?”
“Aurélien!”
The beast laughed. Carrying her back into bed, the beast asked softly, “Did I not tell you before? Whatever you ask that I can give, ma belle, it is yours. And so yes, we will sleep in each other’s arms tonight.”
There was an abrupt pause after that, and knowing why it was so, Arabella said just as softly, “I won’t break any rules, Aurélien. I promise.”
There was a moment of silence---
And then she felt his lips press against her forehead. “Merci.”
In bed, they lay facing each other in the dark, both of them seeing through each other’s hearts. “Do you not want anything else?”
“Nothing. Just…that.”
“What is that again?”
“Goddammit---”
The beast laughed. “Désolé, mon coeur. It is just that you are so wonderfully fun to tease.” Seeing her lips part, the beast swiftly forestalled more insults, promising, “No more teasing. I am utterly serious now. Do you truly not want for anything else?”
Arabella only shook her head, knowing that Aurélien would be able to see her in the dark.
“Well…I want to give you something else so tomorrow night, after dinner, make sure you dress up.”
Her eyes widened. “Why?”
“It is a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.”
The beast chuckled. “Why am I not even a little surprised to hear that?”
“Well, whatever it is,” Arabella mumbled, “just don’t make me cry, okay?”
“I make no promises.”
“Asshole.”
“I love you.”
One, two, three seconds passed and then---
“Yeah, I kinda love you, too.”
The beast smiled. “Bonne nuit, Arabella.”
“Bonne nuit, Aurelien.” And as she felt her eyelids start to droop, she mumbled, “Don’t break your promise, ‘kay?”
“D’accord. Now sleep, ma belle.”
“Say you promise.”
“Croix de bois, croix de fer. Si je mens, je vais en enfer.”
With her eyes still closed, Arabella sighed and mumbled, “Michelle, ma belle, sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble.”
The beast choked. Had she just answered him with lyrics from Beatles song? It would have laughed if it could, but seeing that Arabella had already fallen asleep, the beast contented itself with a stolen kiss on her lips.
“Sweet dreams, ma belle.”
And then the beast lay on its back, listening to the melody of her heartbeat while it waited for evening to pass. Just before dawn broke, the beast gently pulled away from Arabella, and it was about to leave when something caught its eye.
Wondering how Arabella could come across such an old letter, the beast picked it up---
And that was when it saw the dead butterfly etched on the paper in human blood.
It was the symbol of The Naturalis.
As the moon slipped away from its dark throne, a shadowy figure could be seen leaping across great heights. Trees swayed in its wake, and as the beast crossed over the still waters, it caught sight of its reflection.
Desolation stared back at its haunted blue eyes, and the beast roared, the sound rippling through the island like an echo of one bloodstained memory from the past. The beast loped faster, straining its powerful muscles to traverse longer distances. But no matter how far it went, it could not run away from the feelings that now gripped its heart like a vise.
Exhaustion claimed its victory in the end, and the ground shook as the beast landed on all fours, its claws tearing through the hard-packed soil. Its breathing was harsh, and its powerful body still shook from the hours it had aimlessly roamed throughout the night.
How could it have let itself forget its vow?
What would it do if Arabella suffered the way Louise Baldwin had – and all because she had made the unforgivable mistake of loving a beast?
The beast lifted its anguished gaze to the spread of blackness above.
What could it do to stop itself from loving again?
Playing God
When Arabella woke the next day, the first touch of reality that accosted her was the empty space on the other half of the bed. It broke her heart just a little, but Arabella quickly pushed all her fears and doubts away. It was already daylight, and of course Aurélien had no choice but to leave her side before sunrise.
As she took her bath, she found herself doing the silliest things. Dancing instead of walking, humming even when she couldn’t carry a tune, and oh, Arabella even took the time to run a brush through her dark tresses a hundred times. She had read somewhere that it was the secret to making one’s hair shine, and silly or not, she wanted to look her very best---
Because tonight, she thought dreamily, everything would change. She didn’t know why she was sure of it, only that she was.
Throughout the day, she would find herself sighing and gig
gling as she lost herself in daydreams, so much so that the staff had started to tease her. “Perhaps it’s because the master has finally proposed,” Nana asserted loudly while sweeping the dust off the figurines that graced the main hallway.
Arabella, who had been on her way out, choked and tripped over her feet, causing Nana to burst into laughter and the younger maids to giggle among themselves.
Even Maurice noticed the change in her during their regular calls, with her father commenting that she looked particularly pretty.
“You’re imagining things, Papa,” Arabella stammered.
Maurice shook his head. “You’ve always been a lovely little thing, my dear, but today…” A hopeful look flashed on her father’s face. “Oh, my dear, is it because your, err, man has promised to turn a new leaf for you? Are you getting married? Are you pregnant?”
“Papa!” Arabella quickly disabused him of such notions and afterwards, she made an excuse about needing to hang up. Maurice could be persuasive if he wanted to, and she didn’t want to risk accidentally blurting out anything about her and Aurélien.
Dinner was the most rushed affair, with Arabella managing to convince the chef to serve her a single course as his birthday gift to her. And as she walked away and rushed to the stairs, she heard a chorus of voices from the kitchen, wishing her good luck.
Oh, for goodness’ sake!
When she finally reached the tower room, her heart was beating madly, and she was breathless and giddy. She opened the door, wondering all the while what she would say.
But there was only silence.
He probably wanted to surprise her, Arabella thought with a smile.
She closed the door behind her, changed into a rather skimpy nightgown that she had never found the courage to wear until now, and dived under the covers.
She waited.
And waited.
And waited.
But he never came.
It was only when dawn broke over the skies when her eyes started to sting, but she hurriedly blinked them away. Stop being a baby, Arabella. He had to have a reason for doing this. No doubt he would come tonight, he would apologize and explain, and she would pout and play hard to get a little, but after that all would be well.