Beauty and the Wolf

by Bridget Essex

  My heart swells with hope.

  “Okay, time's up, Andrew. Make your choice.” Grim's eyes flash dangerously.

  “Fuck you,” he says, because his vocabulary has apparently shrunken down to two words. But his voice sounds smaller now, and he's hunched over, cold and ashamed.

  “Goodbye, Andrew,” Grim says pointedly.

  Then she holds out her hand to me.

  And I take it.

  Chapter 19: The Thing About Stories

  I wake up the next morning wondering if I dreamed the events of last night. It seems too much like a dream: werewolves, and Andrew stalking me in the darkness, his teeth dripping with my girlfriend’s blood... But that horrific image drifts from my consciousness when I shift my head on the pillow, see Grim beside me, her chest rising and falling beneath the sheet. She’s fast asleep, with her full mouth softly open, her long lashes fluttering against her cheeks.

  I prop my head up on my arm, really look at her, tracing her features with my eyes. And as I watch her, I feel the love in my heart unfurling, growing, even as I acknowledge that weird little fact that...well, she’s not a human, is she?

  I’ve seen movies about werewolves. I’ve read about them in books. They were only ever stories to me, stories about tragic lives, full moons, and silver bullets.

  But the thing about stories is that you can leave them behind when you turn off the TV or read the last page. They’re not real. And this woman sleeping beside me—she’s more real than anything I've ever experienced before. I watch her breathe, feel the heat of her emanating through the sheet.

  I just...have to make peace with the fact that my girlfriend can transform into a large, toothy animal whenever she chooses to do so.

  I flop back down on the pillow with a deep sigh. No matter how much I love her...this is going to take a little getting used to. The gray wolf is part of Grim, a permanent part, as essential as blood and bones. Grim is the wolf. They aren't two separate beings; they're one and the same. I have to learn to love them both.

  Honestly, I don't think it'll be that hard. My heart feels as if it might burst with affection every time I look at her. I sit up in bed, place my hand on my chest, take a deep breath and massage my rib cage. I’ve never felt like this for anyone before.

  Smiling softly to myself, I edge out from beneath the blankets. I don’t want to wake Grim.

  I know what I have to do.

  Sunlight is streaming through the window; a beautiful day is dawning outside of Grim Tower. I dress in last night’s clothes as quietly as I can, pick up my shoes, and then I’m tiptoeing out of the bedroom and shutting the door behind me.

  Down a few flights of stairs, and there’s the main hallway leading out of the building. I find Rex sitting on the floor in the hallway, Mr. Cheese perched on his shoulder, watching the kid play on an electronic tablet. A pile of cheese slices is balanced delicately on top of Rex's knee. He picks a slice up now, rolls it, and stuffs it into his mouth, but not before tearing off a small piece for Mr. Cheese.

  “Hey, Pretty,” Rex greets me.

  “Hey, kid,” I tell him with a grin. I tousle his hair as I walk past him, and he smiles up at me.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Um...just for a quick walk—I’ll be back really soon, okay?”

  “Can you get us some cheese? I think we’re almost out.”

  Hmm. The last time I checked, there was a whole fridge full of cheese down in the basement...but then I consider the fact that I’m living in a building with a quartet of ravenous werewolves who really love cheese.

  Yeah, I don’t think that realization is going to get old anytime soon.

  I mean, the werewolf bit. Pretty much everyone loves cheese.

  “I left my purse with your aunt. We’ll get cheese later,” I promise him. He doesn’t seem too bothered by the delay, but Mr. Cheese glares in my direction.

  That mouse's expressions look so damn human. I’ve got to ask Grim if were-mice are a thing. I highly doubt it, but then...

  Hey, you never know.

  I realize that I’m whistling as I walk down the street toward the diner, the diner where everything began, where I spent my childhood, where I met Grim, and where my new story is about to unfold. Andrew finally promised to leave last night—between a world record-breaking string of expletives—so I figure the diner's going to go back up for sale.

  I might get to buy it back someday.

  I jog alongside the building and stand on the broken pavement behind the Dumpster. I inhale deeply—luckily, the garbage was just trucked away—my head angled up toward the early spring sunshine. There’s a mist of green in the air: if you peer into the forest behind the diner, there are bits of greenery on the twigs. Buds starting to rise out of the wood.

  The world is waking back up.

  I crouch down beside my old roses, the ones I planted with my mother, the ones we tended together. I touch the thorns and take a deep breath.

  And then I begin to dig.

  I’d kept an old bucket of gardening tools beside the Dumpster, and no one had ever bothered to get rid of it, so that’s what I use to break through the stubborn earth. I dig until the palms of my hands are sore and a little blistered. I dig until the rose bush is free of the earth, its roots broken.

  Ready to be planted somewhere else.

  The metaphor isn’t lost on me.

  I pick up the rose bush, and I balance it on my hip. There’s dirt all over me, but it's nothing a shower and a washing machine can’t fix. I tote the rose bush back along the sleepy main drag of Paris, and I don't see another living soul. No cars. No cats.

  The world is still dreaming, it seems.

  But when I return to Grim Tower, hurry down to the kitchen, and open the door leading out to the alleyway, I find Grim awake.

  She’s staring at her own rose, her arms crossed over her chest. It looks like she just rolled out of bed: her hair is adorably tousled, and her amber eyes are hooded, brooding.

  It's the best feeling in the world when she shifts her gaze from the rose bush to me—and her expression lights up. She smiles—openly, naturally—and though there’s a hint of worry in her eyes, she’s genuinely happy to see me.

  I place my rose’s root ball on the ground, and she puts her arms around my waist and lifts me up a little so that I can kiss her. She tastes of mint and forest; I breathe her in, wrapping my arms around her neck.

  “When you were gone after I woke up... Bella, I didn’t know what to think.” She sets me down, and I press a—very dirty—finger to her mouth. She kisses the pad of my fingertip, dirt and all.

  “Grim, I...I wanted to tell you something.”

  She stares at me with such a grave expression that I rise up on my tiptoes and capture her mouth again, chuckling a little when I taste the dirt on her lips.

  “Don't worry. I just... I did a thing,” I say, after we've both come back up for air.

  Grim raises a brow, glancing down at the sad rose plant I dragged out of the ground. Hard to imagine such a lonely-looking plant could ever grow roses at all...

  But it will, and my bringing the rose bush here... It was deliberate. Meaningful.

  Important.

  “I don’t claim to have all the answers, or to understand how the world works—because, hell, after last night, I really need a refresher course,” I say quickly, searching her face. “Like, are unicorns real? Aliens? Bigfoot? Santa Claus?”

  She starts to open her mouth—

  “No, no, don't tell me. What I'm trying to say is... The one thing I do know is that I love you. All of you.”

  Her eyes, shining like honey in the sunlight, widen.

  “I love you, Grim.” I give her a smile that comes straight from my heart. “Beast and all.”

  She cups my face tenderly, brushing at a smudge of dirt on my cheek with her thumb. “You know,” she says, her voice thick with emotion, “you can plant that rose here. With mine. We can build this garden together. Because I t
hink...” She pauses, tears standing in her eyes. “I think we’re going to stick around here for a while.”

  “That’s good to know.” I give her a wink and a cheesy smile. “I was hoping you’d decide to plant some roots.”

  She chuckles.

  “Sorry—bad pun.”

  “Terrible,” she murmurs, brushing her mouth against my neck. “But I loved it. I love you.” The heat of her embrace is so delicious that I want to savor it forever.

  And I just might...

  I kiss her between the roses, while spring rises all around us.

  Beauty, beauty everywhere.

  Especially in a beast.

  The End

  If you enjoyed Beauty and the Wolf, you'll love A Knight to Remember! Virago is a knight from Arktos City who falls through a portal into our world. Holly, a librarian, is starting to believe that love is impossible to find...until, during an unusually vicious storm, magic and romance appear in her backyard in the form of that mysterious, gorgeous knight... A Knight to Remember is available to read for free in Kindle Unlimited!

  More from Bridget Essex:

  - Date Knight: The sequel to the much-loved novel A Knight to Remember, Holly and Virago are on another adventure—this time, in another world.

  - Forever and a Knight: Follow along on the adventures of Josie, a shock jock DJ from Boston, as she falls through a portal into another world...and on top of the woman of her dreams...who just happens to be wielding a sword.

  - A Dark and Stormy Knight: Mara is a painter who has always felt alone...Charaxus is a lady knight who's always felt alone, too. Together the women meet, one magical night, and a love story begins to unfold that will change them both forever.

  - The Protector: Elizabeth Grayson doesn’t want a bodyguard, but changes her tune when she meets brooding, mysterious, sexy-as-hell Layne…who harbors a secret.

  - The Vampire Next Door: (Co-written with author Natalie Vivien) Courtney's book store is failing, and she thinks her girlfriend might be cheating on her...Courtney doesn't even think she believes in love...that is, until she meets the vampire next door.

  - Raised by Wolves: Meet Becca Swift! She's got the most overbearing family in the world—because she was raised by wolves. Literally. Becca is a werewolf, and she is part of a loud and crazy, up-in-your-business pack. In her day-to-day life, she tries to keep the fact that she's a werewolf a secret... But then along comes Loren.

  - Meeting Eternity (The Sullivan Vampires, Volume 1): Would you risk your life for love? The compelling, epic love story between Rose and the mysterious Kane Sullivan begins.

  - Trusting Eternity (The Sullivan Vampires, Volume 2): What would you do if a chance at love slipped through your fingers? The compelling, epic love story between Rose and the mysterious Kane Sullivan continues.

  - The Guardian Angel: When Erin's life is saved by a gorgeous woman who swears she's Erin's guardian angel...things begin to get complicated.

  - Wolf Queen: When they were teenagers, Amber and Stevie were so deeply in love that nothing could drive them apart. Until the one night, when Amber needed Stevie to be there...and, instead, Stevie disappeared without a trace...

  - Wild: An Erotic Lesbian Romance: Six months ago, Lily made the worst mistake of her life and let the woman she loved walk away. Now, at a campground party, she glimpses Cora across the fire, the woman she's not stopped thinking about or wanting, and sparks begin to fly.

  - Come Home, I Need You: An Erotic Lesbian Romance: Faith has a passionate, potent relationship with her wife, Marina, one that has stood the test of time. What started as a fiery fling has evolved into a lifelong love affair of two powerful women who love each other intensely. But Marina's job often takes her out of the country, and Faith's been missing her terribly lately…

  - Falling for Summer: On the twentieth anniversary of her sister's drowning, Amanda goes back to Lake George to face her past and unexpectedly meets Summer McBride. Summer is a beautiful, vivacious, carefree woman--everything Amanda isn’t--and Amanda begins to fall for her until she learns Summer’s dark secret. Can love heal all wounds?

  - Don’t Say Goodbye: Maxine “Max” Hallwell has spent her entire life making the safe, responsible decisions. When her best friend, Jo, introduces her to her new girlfriend Fiona, a stunning, charismatic cake decorator, Max realizes that making safe decisions might have cost her the woman of her dreams...A heartwarming, poignant romance.

  - A Wolf for Valentine's Day – Trish Dalton has put her wild, adventurous days behind her. But when she's gifted a weekend stay at a remote lodge in the Rockies, she finds she may have one more adventure left in her. A light-hearted, steamy romance, perfect to read any time of year.

  - A Wolf for the Holidays: Mandy’s not having a great December. Her lackluster girlfriend has given her a massive dog--who looks a lot more like a wolf than a dog--as a gift. But all problems seem minor when she wakes up to a gorgeous, naked woman stealing jeans out of her dresser...a woman who swears she’s a werewolf. A warm, holiday romance!

  - The Christmas Wolf: When Kat meets potential roommate Jewel, she has high hopes. For one, Jewel's gorgeous as hell. Distracted by that fact, Kat's budgetary concerns fly out the window, and an intoxicating chemistry begins to brew between Jewel and herself. There's just one problem: Jewel just happens to be a werewolf...

  - Wolf Town: Amy moves to the strange little New England village, Wolf Town--but she finds more than a fresh start when she begins to fall in love with the daughter of the Wolf Town patriarch...who also just happens to be a werewolf.

  - Big, Bad Wolf: During a terrible snowstorm, Megan thinks she sees a wolf. But when beautiful, hungry-eyed Kara comes into Megan’s life, she brings more danger than a pack of wolves.

  - Dark Angel: Cassandra Griman was in the wrong place at the wrong time when her life is saved by an angel. But first impressions aren’t everything, and the captivating woman who saved her life is no angel. Can love save the soul of a vampire?

  These and more are available now.

  Sign up to be notified when Bridget releases anything new!

  Acknowledgments

  Writing a book is a very long and twisty road full of good times and hard times and stops for snacks along the way. This analogy was brought to you by the fact that Beauty and the Wolf's long and twisty road was longer and twistier than usual. This book took me a good, long while to finish, because in the middle of it, we bought a house (falling in love with it), and moved to another state. Our lives changed entirely during the course of writing this novel, and it was beautiful to watch it unfold, even though it was very hard. Which is, of course, much like writing a book! See what I did there? Circles within circles.

  I have the best readers in the universe, who—along the long, daunting way—sent me unicorn pictures, cheered me on and were the most supportive, wonderful people I could ever ask for. Without you, telling these stories would be pointless. It is my greatest happiness to write them, and I'm so grateful you love to read them. Special thanks goes to Britney, Lisa, Jonnett, Stephanie, Susan (Holly!), Terri, Larissa, Cathie, Kristina, Rachel, Kath and Kell and many more people than I have room to thank here—you are the integral parts of my rainbow family who love these books so much. Especially special thanks goes to Katie—an honorary Hero of Time, Blythe—who keeps all sorts of things together with duct tape, and Amy—who knows exactly when a moment is implied.

  I love all of you very much, and couldn't do this without you—thank you for your constant support, humor and love. You are appreciated to the moon and back.

  Love goes to Marian and Ruby, Laura and Jen, James (forever and ever and ever), my sister Kitty and Maddie. Your love fills me with rainbows.

  And my heart and soul and all that I am goes to my wife. She made of this book something beautiful, and every day with her is lovely and good. Thank you for making of my life something worthy. You are adored and cherished. I love you, beautiful.

  About Author Bridget Essex

 
My name is Bridget Essex, and I write about werewolves, vampires and lady knights; about two strong, courageous women who fall deeply in love with one another, living love stories that transcend time. I’m married to the love of my life, author Natalie Vivien.

  I’m best known for my Knight Legends series, stories about women knights, real world hi-jinks and love stories that are out of this world. My Sullivan Vampire novellas are a popular series lauded as “TWILIGHT for women who love women,” and I have several other series and stand-alone novellas, and I’m always putting out something new. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when I release something!

  You can find out more about my work at http://BridgetEssex.wordpress.com I’d love to connect with you on Facebook! Friend me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/bridgetessexauthor

  Learn more about Rose and Star Press, publishers of lesbian romance and fiction of distinction, at http:///www.LesbianRomance.org