by Marian Tee
Aurélien nodded grimly. “It is the symbol of The Naturalis.”
She was incredulous. “The cult that killed your father?” When Aurélien nodded again, she stammered helplessly, “I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories. I was…” And left with no choice, she had to tell him about her failed plan to search for the secret passageways he used, which then led her to discover the letter hidden in the fireplace.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized gloomily once more when she finished. “I really didn’t mean---”
“Hush. It’s not your fault.”
“But---”
“You did not kill my father, Arabella. They did. You were not the ones who attacked Louise and me that night. They did. And that’s why when I saw that letter and recognized their mark---” The beast inhaled sharply. “It shook me. I was terrified that the same thing would happen to you, and I was suddenly ashamed of myself, to have let you in my life---”
Arabella’s eyes flashed. “Stop!”
Aurélien’s eyebrows lifted slightly at being interrupted so suddenly.
“Don’t think like this ever again. I’m scared that if you do, you’ll find yourself pushing me away again and---” Arabella’s eyes stung. “Just don’t, okay?”
The beast slowly nodded. “I promise, ma belle.”
“G-good.” And biting her lip hard, she said unevenly, “And now it’s my turn.”
The beast immediately shook its head. “No. I was merely teasing---”
But still she went on, saying simply, “I’m sorry for wanting to hurt you by calling you a monster.”
“There’s no need, ma belle---”
“There’s every need because---” And her lips twisted. “I’m the real monster here. That time, I was hurting so much that I just really wanted to see you hurt. I wanted to see you bleed, and---” A shattered sigh escaped her. “I don’t even know if I’m fit to love, Aurélien. Isn’t love supposed to make us better people? But when you left me, I loved you so much that I wanted you broken. My love makes me ugly---”
“No.” The beast’s blazing blue eyes captured the gaze of the woman it loved for the first time. “Your love is what love is supposed to be.”
“How can you say that?” she demanded brokenly.
“Because it wasn’t that love made you ugly, Arabella. It was that love made you human.”
She sucked in her breath at the words, but still they stayed with her, embracing her even as she fought to shun them, forgiving her even as she was desperate to punish herself.
“I hate you.”
The beast smiled.
“I love you, I love you so much more now, Aurélien, but I also hate you because you always say the prettiest things.”
The beast inclined its head ever so slightly, drawling, “But of course.” And with an exaggerated accent, it added, “I am French, after all.”
And Arabella laughed. And she cried. And because she couldn’t help herself anymore, she wrapped her arms around his neck---
The beast stiffened.
She tightened her arms around him and leaned closer to whisper, “Make love to me.”
The beast jerked. “It’s too soon---” But when she only shook her head at it, the beast let out a ragged sigh. “You do not know what you are asking for. You still need time to adjust and---”
But the rest of what the beast had to say was rendered insignificant as Arabella’s arms unwrapped from its neck so she could reach for its horns.
A hiss escaped the beast, and tension imprisoned its powerful body as it felt her fingers slowly stroke its horns as if to familiarize itself with the texture. A moment later, her hands drifted down, reaching for the beast’s own hands---
Her small palms fitted against the beast’s hands, and they looked impossibly frail against its larger ones. After, her hands slowly moved up, and the beast drew its breath sharply as she touched its claws.
“It seems so tough,” she whispered.
“It should be,” the beast said grimly, “since it’s the genetically improved version of a lion’s claws.”
“Does it hurt?” she asked worriedly.
The beast didn’t answer right away. A part of it was still reeling at the way she had so quickly adjusted to the reality of its appearance – and now, even her fears were for the beast rather than of it---
She was too damn good to be true, the beast thought painfully, but through some twist of fate, Arabella Blume belonged to the beast---
And now it was too late for the beast to ever let her go.
“Aurélien?” Arabella’s concern grew when she saw the distant look in his gaze.
The beast shook its head. “I’m sorry,” it rasped. “I was just…”
“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” she offered quickly.
The beast shook its head again. “No. I want to. And I think---” The beast reined itself in with an effort. “I need to.” And after taking a deep breath, it slowly told her about how grief had twisted its father’s mind, and in a moment of madness it had attempted to change its son so that it would be immortal and avoid death the way its mother had been unable to.
“When he saw what happened instead,” the beast continued grimly, “the shock gave his sanity back and from then on, he devoted his life to finding a way to reverse what he had done.”
“And The Naturalis?”
“Their cult is all about preserving the world for its biblical species, and obviously---” The beast’s lips twisted. “I’m not a part of that. They killed my dad so that no one could ever perform such an experiment again---”
“Bastards.” Arabella’s voice shook. “If I ever come face to face with them again, I’ll gut them alive.”
The beast raised a brow. “Who’s being the beast now?”
Arabella was momentarily shocked, and then she couldn’t help laughing. “I guess I’m better than you at being beastly.”
“Why does that not surp---mmph!”
With her lips pressed against his, Arabella asked shakily, “What about this? Does this surprise you?”
But before he could answer, her tongue was already darting out--
The beast closed its eyes as her tongue began to trace the outline of its lips.
“I thought about it for a long time,” Arabella confessed, “and I get it now. You didn’t want me kissing you because I’d have felt your fangs.”
Slowly, the beast nodded.
“But I know about it now…” She slowly lifted her mouth from his. “Won’t you please take over?”
The beast didn’t answer.
She paled. “You don’t want me anymore?”
The words had the beast cursing in its mind. “You misunderstand,” it said harshly. “Nothing will give me greater pleasure than to make love to you, ma belle, but – are you sure you are doing this because you want it? And not because you merely feel guilt or pity---”
The beast broke off when Arabella suddenly reached for its hand, and to its shock, she brought its hand under her skirt.
The beast jerked. “Arabella---”
And then she was pressing its hand against her core.
Her core, which was slick with wetness.
“Does that feel guilt to you? Or pity?”
“No,” the beast rasped.
And its blue eyes turned red.
“It does not.”
And then the next thing she knew, Aurélien had already swept her up in his arms. One blink, and he had ripped her clothes off---
The marks that his claws left on her clothes made her eyes widen in belated understanding.
Ooooooh!
So that was why he kept stealing her clothes---
Another blink, and he, too, was naked.
Another blink, and he was positioned above her, his hands slowly but firmly pushing her legs wide open.
Wider, wider, wider---
She couldn’t help raising herself on her elbows, curiosity getting the better of her.
<
br /> A strangled gasp escaped Arabella.
“Oh my God.” She looked up at him dazedly. “Y-your cock---” She swallowed hard.
The beast smirked. “Don’t worry, ma belle. It will fit.”
“No,” she choked out. “It will not. It just---”
But then Aurélien had already started thrusting his cock inside of her, and she moaned.
Inch after inch after inch---
And she couldn’t stop staring, couldn’t stop moaning, and oh my God, that was so long---
Inch after inch after inch---
Oh my God, there was still more?
Inch after inch after inch---
Arabella collapsed against her back, panting, shaking, and feeling so stuffed. She knew it was a psychological thing, but seeing Aurélien’s actual cock slide inside of her just made things feel different. It was better, more vivid, more---
Aaaaaah!
Aurélien had already started to move, faster and faster, and she hastily held on to him. Her hands found his shoulders first, and then they moved up to his neck, and when she touched the edge of his horns---
The beast roared, and raising itself to its haunches, it drove its cock deeper into her pussy.
She screamed, her legs automatically locking around his waist, and her hands moved up further.
Her fingers locked around his horns.
The beast shuddered.
Her eyes widened.
Could it be---
She started to stroke his horns.
The beast started pumping its hips faster against hers.
Oh my, it was!
“How kinky,” she said with a giggle. “Touching your horns actually turns you on?”
“Tais-toi.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t---mmph!” His mouth locked over hers to silence her, and it was her turn to shudder against him.
So…tais-toi meant ‘shut up’?
She wasn’t really sure, didn’t really care.
Because right now, this was their first kiss---
And it was everything she could ever dream of.
Her tongue moved hesitantly against his at first, a part of Arabella terrified that she would accidentally cut herself with his fangs. But as the kiss deepened and she had yet to shed a drop of blood, Arabella began to relax, realizing that Aurélien would never let anything happen to her.
When the beast finally managed to wrench its mouth away, Arabella protested in a sob, “Nooooo---”
“Hush,” the beast whispered. “It will be better.” And it was true to its word as it reached down for her clit. Using the pad of its thumb, the beast was able to stimulate the tiny nub of flesh without pricking her skin, and Arabella’s body arched against the beast’s at the very first stroke. A second stroke and her eyes began to roll back. And by the time the beast was able to match the rhythm of its strokes with the thrusts of its cock---
Arabella shattered in its arms, her orgasm making her body curve like a bow while the sweetest gasp of pleasure spilled past her lips.
“Aurélien, oh God!” She wrapped herself around him as tightly as she could as wave after wave of pleasure pummeled her, and when she heard Aurélien growl and felt his body become taut against hers---
She pulled away to look into his eyes. “I love you.” And when she reached to stroke his horns, a strangled gasp escaped the beast –
Her touch liberated him, changing the beast from the inside, but most of all, the beast could feel her touch returning the human part of it – without changing its other half. And when it looked into Arabella’s dark eyes---
In her gaze, there was the beast…and Aurélien.
And Arabella loved both of them equally.
“I love you, Aurélien. I love you, La Bête Sauvage.”
The beast roared, and as it released its cum into her warm and welcoming core – it could feel its old self returning---
The beast was Aurélien Sauvage again.
And it was all because of his Arabella.
The End
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Savage, Broken, Beautiful, and I REALLY, REALLY HOPE (yes, intentional capitalization so you know just how much I love this book) you enjoyed reading it.
When I started outlining this story, I knew exactly what I wanted to happen and how things would start and end. What I hadn’t counted on, however, was how other things would take a life of their own and become potential plots for standalone sequels.
This was only supposed to be about Arabella coming to terms with how Aurélien (I love his name!) also being La Bête Sauvage, but now it’s become so much more and as I ended the story I realized that there’s still so much more to write. And that’s a good thing, oui?
Like The Naturalis, where are they now? What about Louise Baldwin? What about the threat hanging over Maurice? And the West Wing – is something important hidden there? Oh, and last but not the least I have yet to introduce, umm, an “important figure” from Arabella’s childhood. His name is Gawain (you know why it starts with the letter G!), and one who’s destined to give Aurélien a run for his money.
So anyway, yes, obviously I will write more about them. Mainly, for my fangirling pleasure but also because I hope that you’ll enjoy more of them, too.
Thank you again and until our next journey!
Marian Tee
P.S. If you enjoy my work but have never reviewed a book of mine, pretty please consider making an exception and write a review for Savage, Broken, Beautiful? I would truly appreciate hearing your thoughts. And if you would like to share your review with me, please do feel free to email me or use any of the social media links below to drop me a message.
CONTACT ME.
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram
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Also by Marian Tee
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Standalone Novels
Savage, Broken, Beautiful
A contemporary and sizzling-hot retelling of the Beauty and the Beast, this story starts when Arabella sells herself to a mysterious French billionaire who has her whisked to his remote island.
Eternal Night
This is a retelling of Hades and Persephone’s love story, but this time the God of the Underworld finds himself falling for a mortal girl.
Captivated: 4-in-1 Friends Romance Boxed Set
Enjoy four standalone romances between passionate, domineering billionaires and the women who were their friends first before becoming their lovers.
All stories have either happy-ever-after or happy-for-now endings.
His Fair Lady
Prince Julian knows the blind fortuneteller Cass is everything he wants in a woman, but she can never be his bride.
Devoured and Secrets
Back-to-back standalone novels about cynical Italian billionaire Luca Valencia who buys himself a wife in order to give his little girl the mother she needed and deserved. His choice: innocent Vivian Day, who he knew could ill afford to reject his proposition.
The Marriage Dare
Quintessential girl Friday Jane can’t ever say no to a dare. And so when her friends challenge her to make out with a beautiful stranger, she does it. And when said stranger dares her to marry him – she does it, too.
Greek Billionaire Romance Serials
The Art of Catching a Greek Billionaire (FREE!)
The Art of Trusting a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Loving a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Forgiving a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Wedding a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Kissing a Greek Billionaire (FREE!)
The Greek Billionaire and I (Standalone)
The Greek Billionaire and His Secretary Series
The Greek Billionaire and His Secretary (FREE)
Dear Greek Billionaire
Love, Your Greek Billionaire
Forever and Ever, My Greek Billionaire
That One Time (Standalone)
My Dutch Billionaire Trilogy
Part 1 (FREE)
Part 2
Part 3
Pollyanna and the Greek Billionaire Trilogy (Innocent and Betrayed)
Part 1 (FREE)
Part 2
Part 3
How Not to be Seduced Series / Mediterranean Affairs (According to Reading Order)
Nik & Daria
A Fling with the Greek Billionaire: Prequel (FREE)
A Fling with the Greek Billionaire: Standalone
Eternally Seduced: Contemporary Romance (7-in-1 Boxed set)
Included in this bundle: How Not to be Seduced by Billionaires, How Not to be Seduced by Rockstars, How Not to be Seduced by Dukes Part 1
The Ice Around My Heart (How Not to be Seduced by Dukes Part 2)
The Rockstar and His Fangirl (Standalone)
The Rockstar I’ve Loved for So Long (Standalone)
BBF Series: Christopoulos University (According to Reading Order)
Warning: Love Moderately Duology (Derek & Jaike)
Unwillingly Yours (FREE!)
Meant to Be Yours
Park & Violet (Standalone)
Nick & Lilac (Standalone)
Jason & Keanne (Standalone)
Prince of Darkness Duology
Part 1
Part 2
For Angelo (Standalone)
BEASTS Series (All Standalone Books)
My Russian Beast (Sergei & Fredericka)
My Greek Beast (Alyx & Nathan)
My Italian Beast (Anneke & Marcus)