A Beauty Among Beasts

by Melanie Gabrell

  “I thought about what you asked yesterday,” he offered after taking his first bite. “It was rude of me to ignore you. Forgive me, please. I don’t get out much.”

  “It’s okay,” she replied, eager to hear what he had to say.

  “My dad isn’t coming back. He, my family, they all passed away. It’s only me here now.”

  “What?” She had been living alone with a teenage boy with no family—an orphan. How had her father been okay with this?

  “It's just me.”

  “And... why haven’t you told anyone?”

  “Because they would take all this away from me. And send me off somewhere,” he said, his gaze unwavering for the first time since they met. “Alone, at least I can hold onto the past—who I am, what I know.”

  It wasn’t right for her to be living like this. If her father knew he would have a heart attack. But knowing this, his situation, how could she leave him all alone? He wasn’t a bad person, or a hermit, or anything unusual. He was a lonely and sick human being. The castle was his home. There were remnants of his family, like in the gallery, and their things throughout the house.

  “Es tut mir leid.” She didn’t know what else to say.

  “It’s okay. I’m glad you decided to come. It’s nice to have some company.” He smiled.

  “So, do you even do school work then?”

  “No, I finished, but no one really bothers me here. As you know, people have a hard time finding it until they are looking for it. And then a hard time remembering the details when they leave. It is one of the castle’s many qualities.”

  They sat in silence for some time, but it was a comfortable silence. Occasionally, Leon would ask about Anna’s home life, but she realized there was much she still did not know about his life. He was a secretive man, but if the arrangement was to work, they would need to be friends, which meant they needed to talk.

  “What happened to your family, Leon?”

  “They passed away. My dad had diabetes, and they knew hardly anything about it at that time. It’s how I knew about you. But an unknown disease invaded our home and I was the only one who survived. My dad was the first to go, because of his affliction. It was hard for his immune system to fight on two fronts. They were all past the point where I could help them. There is a graveyard out in the garden where they are buried.”

  “I am so sorry,” she said for the second time. She was overcome with compassion. He had his own ghosts to battle—and did so all by himself.

  Leon did not respond, choosing instead to change the subject. She didn’t blame him. “Do you think you could be happy here?”

  The suddenness of the question took her by surprise. She spoke down to her plate. “I suppose so. It is beautiful.” She smiled. “And you aren’t as creepy as you seemed at first. Just not very … outgoing.”

  What kind of a question is that? We still hardly know each other.

  Anna had only been there a few weeks, and she wasn’t quite sure what he was getting at. Surely, he meant it as an employee? There was something in his tone that made her wonder if he wanted more. ‘More’ seemed completely inappropriate. And besides, she had never had a boyfriend. She had no idea what to make of it, or how she should act. She felt her face grow hot and hoped he wouldn’t notice.

  She shoved some food in her mouth to distract herself from her discomfort. He, however, showed no signs of discomfort.

  He nodded absentmindedly, acknowledging neither content or discontent.

  There was so much she did not know about him. She knew he was quiet and kept to himself, but she now realized there was more to him. He’d had a family once and he was person. He may have shut himself up in a lonely castle, but he’d asked for her company. And she had finally seen him smile recently—genuinely. For a normal person, that wasn’t much of a feat, but for him it was.

  Chapter 17

  Anna

  Every day following their dinners together, Anna arrived back to her room to find it covered completely in an assortment of items from gowns to gold. Her mouth dropped open the same way each time. She had never seen so many beautiful things and there was always more. It amounted to the riches only privy to that of old families, and then some. It seemed impossible that someone could have so much. Leon’s wealth never seemed to end.

  After three days of the same, she couldn’t help but ask herself questions.

  “What is all of this?” she whispered on the third night.

  “They are gifts for you,” Leon said, surprising her. He took a bow as he stepped through the doorway.

  “All of it is lovely, but I don’t want anything.” She noticed as she looked to him that his skin was gray again and his eyes red.

  What kind of sickness does he have?

  “Well, why not?” he demanded, and Anna was taken aback by his demeanor.

  “It is unnecessary. I have never needed such luxuries,” she said. “Where did you get all this money, Leon? I was in the gallery the other day and I noticed that—”

  “You’re kidding me, right?” He moved towards the door, clearly no longer in the mood to talk. “I was just trying to make you feel better.”

  “I merely mean to say that all the gifts are unnecessary. You are my friend; I don’t need ... things.”

  He paused at the door, his tense features twisting and falling, leaving only his eyebrows tense and furrowed. Without looking back, he opened it and walked out, leaving Anna alone and confused.

  Chapter 18

  Leon

  The gifts were more of an apology for the blood sugar, since it had been his fault—but he wasn’t about to tell her that. Besides, he was about to do it again. He would be a bit more careful, though.

  Leon was back in his private study—the one Anna hadn’t found yet. It was his favorite room and home to his private book collection and a perfect view of the back gardens. It connected to his bedroom, on the opposite side of the castle from Anna’s room, which was where he needed to be.

  He retreated there often to collect himself and keep her safe. That idea threw him off, he had never thought the second part before. Why did he care if she was safe?

  He looked to Luna, his ever-loyal dog, as she came trotting into the study and over to her favorite spot by the window that stretched from floor to vaulted ceiling. “Luna, what am I doing?” he asked. He’d never invited a provider to have dinner with him, nor shared any information about himself. She called him her friend. This was all unsettling to him. Luna replied with a wag of her tail and came over next to him.

  He wanted to give her things, things had always served him well to gratify his other providers, but for some reason she didn’t care for it and all she did was ask questions. It was infuriating. He didn’t give her gifts just to satisfy her, though. It was also an apology. For some reason, he felt bad this time. That was the most unusual part.

  Anna’s blood was more delicate and decadent than any he had tasted. It was the diabetes, he knew. It made it sweeter, and she had quite a sweet tooth to keep it that way. He was tempted even more often than usual by her, and her presence made him lose control more easily. He did try to tell himself at first that he was trying to help her, but he knew better than that.

  “I was helping, to a degree. I made her sugars drop from their high state, and it had only faltered once, just the other day when I took too much and her blood sugar rocketed down in the middle of the day,” he mumbled to himself. “I just have to be more careful.”

  He had followed her to her room that night to see her light up with joy over the gifts, but she hadn’t, and their conversation went in a direction that he wasn’t ready to handle. His temper was reaching its uncontrollable peak because he hadn’t fed in time, and he sensed her high sugars and it made him weak. It was a terribly perfect situation.

  Feeding made him strong—more alert. It also helped him to remember who he was and what he was capable of. It was necessary to sustain his being; he no longer relied on food to keep alive, onl
y blood.

  It was a reminder of what he was—a vampire.

  Truth be told, he was beginning to have trouble drinking Anna’s blood. It was strange for him to admit such a thing to himself, but it was true. She was becoming more ... real to him, more than just a blood sack.

  Anna had come of her own free will—she smiled, she explored, she was an enigma. He had been watching her from the shadows, filled with curiosity.

  His feelings, which hadn’t shown themselves since his turning, were getting in the way of his feeding. Showing emotions? Not a problem; in fact, when he didn’t feed, his emotions ran rampant, like that night. Showing feelings? That was an entirely different story. He wasn’t even quite sure what it was like to have feelings anymore, only that it sounded more human. That was something that he missed, being human, and feeding was the only thing that allowed him to stay human-ish, but all that meant was his good looks and a beating heart.

  I am going crazy, aren’t I?

  He decided to leave his thoughts in the room and made his way back toward Anna’s bedroom. He knew how to clear his head. He opened the door silently, not that it mattered, he had discovered she was a heavy sleeper.

  He walked to her bed and knelt down beside her. She was peaceful and mumbled quietly in her dreams while her blanket was once again tucked around her neck. It’s almost cute, he thought, but quickly, stopped himself. He opened his mouth and made an incision in her neck with his elongated teeth—they grew when a human pulse was nearby.

  He didn’t completely give in to it, at least not anymore. He swallowed once, savoring the taste and getting the flow going before pulling back. The urge to drink more was strong, but he had learned that was the easiest way to lose control on the other end of the spectrum. One end was psychotic bloodlust and destruction, the other emotionally unstable and weak. Neither was good.

  He pulled out a bottle and set it next to her neck. The red liquid poured into his bottle without her waking. It was more than just heavy sleeping, he had some sort of venom, like a snake, that made humans more subdued. When sleeping, it guaranteed they would not wake. Anna’s breathing remained slow and methodical.

  Back in the study, Luna laid on the floor licking her paw and watching him, as she usually did.

  They sat like that most nights. Leon hated to go to sleep. With sleep, came the nightmares, another lovely part of his gift. It was usually nightmares of his family, mostly his sister, Sophia. But the night before, it was Anna.

  He wondered if Luna had nightmares too, and if that was the reason she didn’t mind staying up late. Luna, the guardian of his soul, the one he made his eternal companion. Animals were much better than people, he had found that out long before. The white crescent mark on her chest matched the black one on his, though his was hidden beneath his shirt.

  “Have I gotten it wrong, Luna?” He sipped from his glass of dark red liquid, her blood blended well with the wine, and each time he was racked with… what was it—guilt?

  Chapter 19

  Gwen

  Gwen didn’t make it to the shops to open the store on Saturday; in fact, she only made it as far as the front door.

  Since Anna’s departure, she’d picked up Anna’s chores in addition to her own. It didn’t leave her with much extra time for herself, but she knew her father was looking for more help around the house and the shop to make up for the loss of her two brothers and suddenly Anna.

  Gwen’s hand sat on the doorknob just as the nagging feeling began tugging in her stomach. She knew something was off when Effie didn’t come bounding down the hallway as she usually did.

  She sighed and walked back to Effie’s room—the one she used to share with Anna when they were little.

  Effie was still fast asleep in her bed and didn’t even hear the door open. She walked over to her and placed her hand on the little girl's head. She was burning up. It wasn’t the first time either. Effie got sick a little too often for a kid her age.

  Where’s Dad? He should’ve been taking care of her.

  The little girl opened her eyes. “Gwennie,” she whispered with a cough. “Tell me a story?”

  Gwen smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. She told her a story about their old dog, Daisy. Gwen always remembered her fondly—a big fluffy dog like a golden retriever, only black. They were never sure what kind of dog she was, but she was sweet and attentive. “You know, they say that dogs are guardians of our souls? When we die and go to Heaven, it will be Daisy who helps us get there. Kind of like a guide.”

  After a while, Effie’s eyes closed again, and she whispered something indistinguishable. Gwen tucked her in tightly and left the room. She hoped Effie would get better on her own—and before they had to call a doctor.

  Gwen went to front door. She may not be able to go out but there was still mail to grab. There was a small pile waiting and she pulled it inside quickly.

  Back in the kitchen, she sorted through the mail and found a letter addressed to her. Before she could read it, she heard the door open and watched her father hurry inside, letting a large amount of cold air in.

  “Where were you? Effie is really sick.”

  “I was with another client, Gwen! I’ve gotten quite a bit more since that Mister... What was his name?”

  “That’s not as important as your daughter, Dad,” she spat, not looking at him. “She needed you this morning; did you even check on her before you left? Without Anna here, I can’t stay. I’m the one who gets the food, supplies, and mans the store. I didn’t go today.” She folded her arms across her chest.

  “I’m sorry, Gwen. You know what, we don’t make much from there anyway, I will just start opening it later in the day when I can get there. And I’ll be sure to take care of her today. You can go. Where is she?”

  “She’s sleeping. I put her back to bed. She needs rest.” Her tone grew gentler. It was unusual for them to have any kind of disagreement, but things were changing.

  Her father turned to retreat to his office, leaving her to whisper to herself, “I wish you were home more.” She laid her head back and sighed. “And Anna.” She’d thought the added income was going to improve things, which it had in some respects, but it wasn’t all going as she pictured.

  She turned her attention back to the letter in her hand, looking for something else to think about.

  It was not stamped, just a folded piece of paper with her name on it. When she opened it, she saw it was from Henry Tolkien and she smiled.

  Dear Gwen,

  I was nervous that you may not want to meet with me, or perhaps that something was wrong. I did not see you out this morning; I must’ve missed you! I am needed tonight for duty, and regretfully will not be able to take you out to dinner, I hope you can forgive me. I was hoping to see you tomorrow—same time, same place? Look for me in the square tomorrow morning and give me your answer. I can’t wait to see you.

  Henry

  There was still a chance that he would be out in the square. She glanced in her father’s office. He wasn’t going anywhere for a little while.

  “Dad, I’m running out to the store! I’ll see you later.” She grabbed her coat, hat, and gloves before he could respond and was out the door.

  It was bitter cold, and her ears began to numb quickly. She pulled her hat down a bit further over her curls and walked slowly to the square, keeping her eyes open. She scanned faces, her heartbeat rising in anticipation, but none of the faces belonged to Henry.

  Where is he?

  She knew it was the time of day where he would normally be out patrolling. She was slightly ashamed to admit she’d learned his schedule. She waited a few minutes longer, but became aware that others going about their business were beginning to stare at her standing alone in the cold.

  Henry was nowhere to be seen. Oh well, I’ll go to the store then.

  As she unlocked the door to the shop, she noticed there were a lot of boxes that father had pulled off the delivery truck the night before. Much more than usual, a
ctually. Must be for the new clients. She wondered how Anna had managed to do it all alone. She always had quite the challenge pulling in the shipments from the back, sorting, pricing, and placing everything. Somehow Anna made it look easy.

  “Hi!”

  Gwen spun around and smacked her head on a nearby shelf. “Au!”

  “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you,” Henry ran around the corner and grabbed her around the waist to help her up.

  She gathered herself and brushed the dust off her clothes. Unfortunately, she couldn’t dust off the bump that was beginning to form on her head.

  Now I know why Anna always has bruises… Crap, how does my hair look now?

  “I was across the street and thought I saw you come in,” he said. “You’re okay, right?”

  “Yea, I’m fine,” she replied, still rubbing her head. “Tomorrow night is fine, by the way.” She smiled warmly.

  “Really? Okay, perfect. I’m sorry, they have me watching the store across the street all night. Someone was attacked, so I have to ‘stay on duty’ all night.”

  “That’s okay. I’m glad I got to see you. You are welcome to hangout here as much as you like.” She paused and gave him a cheeky grin. “You know, do some real work.”

  “Hey—” he began to say something, but Gwen giggled and threw a big box at him.

  To her surprise, he hung around all day helping her, and only glanced across the street occasionally to make sure it was not tampered with more. It was the most fun she’d ever had working.

  Chapter 20

  Joe

  “Joseph Brodbeck, pleased to meet you. Though, I know we met prior …in your class.” Walter stared at Joe like he was a sheep—his eyes glancing over the yellow star that stood out on his chest. They were the only two in the bakery. It was the wolf and the sheep. Only the wolf didn’t know what the sheep had up his sleeve, literally.