A Beauty Among Beasts

by Melanie Gabrell

  Chapter 46

  Anna

  “Anna. Anna, wake up.”

  Her eyes fluttered open to find Gwen hovering above her.

  “What’s happening?” Her voice came out in a whisper.

  “It looks like you and Leon have been through a lot. There was a lot of blood and ... black stuff, but Henry and I cleaned you up.” Gwen smiled. “You have a lot of explaining to do, though.”

  She sat up in the bed. She was in Leon’s bedroom. He lay on the couch on the opposite side of the room, covered in a mess of bandages and dried blood. She caught his eye and he smiled at her. It was the biggest smile she’d seen cross his face since they met, and it was infectiously warm.

  “Hi,” she said with a small wave before laying back down. Her whole body ached. “Where’s Dad? And Effie?”

  “They’re here; they’re down in the kitchen making you some food.”

  “But, Gwen, I don’t—”

  “Yes, you do, Anna. You need food. I talked to Leon about what happened ... not about whatever happened here, that’s still a mystery to me, but what happened ... to you. He woke first, and he’s different. You’re different. You are human again—at least partially.” She pointed to Anna’s chest. “Your mark is still there, but your heart beats normally and your own blood runs through your veins.”

  That’s why he grabbed me. I didn’t hurt him, I helped him.

  Anna looked at her hands as if they would suddenly turn from monster claws to human hands, but they had not changed despite everything they had gone through. It was amazing she was still alive.

  Her hands throbbed beneath the cloth surrounding them. The thorns had torn at her hands and would not heal. It wasn’t surprising, she had seen the thorns tear at Leon—the only things that made a lasting wound.

  “So that’s why Leon kept the rose,” Anna muttered, but Gwen overheard. She had almost forgotten she was sitting there beside her, which was saying a lot considering a day prior she would have sensed Gwen’s pulse from the other side of the room.

  “What?” Gwen turned to her, and even Leon leaned up on his elbow to hear better.

  “The rose,” she pointed to the split vase beside the bed, “it saved us. Leon, why did you always keep it?”

  “It was a reminder of my humanity. Luna helped, too. Seeing it was a reminder, feeling the pain was an even stronger reminder, and repelled the urges.” He shrugged. “The darkness always lingered there, pulling me towards it.” He pointed to his mark.

  He was right, Anna felt it lingering there, a literal weight on her chest. Now it felt a lot lighter than it had, like wearing a necklace. The curse had not been broken in the typical sense but had become something else—for them at least. There was a balance within them of light and dark that could not be destroyed.

  “You just harmed yourself and kept a lethal weapon around for the fun of it?” Gwen asked.

  “Well, when you put it that way…”

  “Wait—but it killed the witch, didn’t it?” Gwen scratched her head. “How did it kill the witch and save you?”

  “Because the rose was the key to the curse, of both life and death. Without love it kills. With love, it cures. Once Margot tried to make me think it was love with her that was the only way out, so I didn’t believe a cure was possible. But it was, with you, Anna.”

  “That’s adorable,” Gwen mused. “Why did we ever let you come here, Anna?” She shook her head, bewildered. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  Anna got up from the bed and walked to the mirror. Her neck didn’t feel right, and she needed to look at it. But the mirror showed a translucent image, like a ghost. She began to panic, something else rising in her throat.

  “It’s okay,” Leon whispered in her ear from behind, keeping eye contact through the mirror. “You no longer have a reflection; it was a part of the curse. I kept the mirror here as another reminder. Pieces of it still linger, but I assure you, you look great.”

  “But I could see myself the other day…”

  “You hadn’t had blood yet. You weren’t fully transitioned.”

  Anna spun to look at him. “You mean I will never see myself fully again?” In all her time at the castle, she hadn’t even noticed the lack of mirrors. There had only been one or two, like the one she was looking at.

  “No. At least, I don’t think so. We may not be vampires anymore, but some things still reside within us. I guess we can’t erase the whole curse. I don’t know what will stay and what will disappear. But, according to the curse, you will remain as you looked when I turned you.” She watched his ghostly eyes shift downwards in the mirror.

  “Is that why you keep the picture in the gallery? The one of you before all this?”

  “Yes, though it was from before I went to war, so I was a bit younger. I like to remember my human self—the innocent one.”

  “You are still that person.”

  “Yeah? I’m not a scary hideous version of that teenager?” He reached around and tickled her belly, sending her into a fit of giggles.

  “No. Well, maybe a little scary at first. When you were famished you were gray and ghoulish.” She wiggled her fingers at him in their reflections, though the movement stung a bit. “Your eyes grew red. But when you were content your eyes were golden and your skin peachy. Like they are now.” She smiled.

  “I think you are a bit too kind. Did you see how you and your family cringed when you met me?”

  “Like I said, you were a bit scary.”

  “Well, you on the other hand, will never be scary.”

  “But I am what you are. Besides, you saw me yesterday, I was an animal.”

  “No, you are much more than I will ever be. You are more beautiful in every way than the sun. You are the moon.”

  “That sounds familiar,” she said and blushed. “I read your letter.”

  “ You know, now there is sun here,” he joked, evoking a smile from Anna. “So I can accurately compare.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him from behind.

  He did have a point, though. For the first time since she’d been there, the sun had made an appearance in the sky, without a cloud to be seen.

  He continued, “You are a beacon of light in darkness. You even brought light to the darkness that harbored in my heart.”

  She smiled shyly, remembering the words. She turned around to face him. “What do we do now?”

  It was the question they had to address. Her home was destroyed, people were looking for her family, and they had just been through something she couldn’t quite put into words.

  “Well, we take care of your family. For now, and forever. You can all stay here in the castle. We watch for other creatures of the night. Who knows what abilities we still have in us. We may live forever. We may not.”

  “Are you sure you could deal with me for that long?” she asked, half joking.

  “There is no doubt in my mind.” He hugged her tight and spoke to her once again through the mirror. “I think that is the only way I could live forever. We will protect life, though we were made to destroy it. We don’t have to be what others tell us we are; they don’t have that power. Life is fragile and worth protecting.”

  “Will we be able to have children? In the book I read vampires can’t—”

  “You read too much. As far as I know, our bodies function as normally as humans who were never vampires, so when the time comes we can certainly try.” He smirked and bent down to kiss her.

  She gave into it. This time it wasn’t as gentle, more firm and sure. He felt familiar against her, his lips inviting, and when they parted her lips tingled wanting more.

  There was the sound of movement downstairs and the two separated reluctantly and headed downstairs to see what the commotion was about.

  They found Gwen in the dining room with Effie, Henry, and her father having lunch.

  “Effie, how are you feeling?” Anna walked over to her and gave her a hug.

  “Better!” She hel
d up Dog and Bear—the latter in even more terrible condition than he had been a few days before.

  Leon cleared his throat, seemingly unsure of what to say. He looked disheveled and out of place. Anna grabbed his hand smiled up at him. She could understand his hesitation. He was the man who stole Anna away and technically killed her.

  Gwen turned and butted in, “Don’t worry I explained everything best I could. It’s okay. But, Leon, I decided you have to make us a deal.”

  “I’m listening.” He shifted his body to face her.

  “Henry and I brought a few more people with us… I hope you don’t mind. They were stuck in the camps and their homes destroyed. I know there is plenty of space here… I even found Hannah, Joe’s sister. Joe thought she was dead, but I found her wandering. She told me about what happened and she’s—you know—like you were. I don’t think Walter meant to do it … anyway, Luna has taken quite a liking to her.” She nodded over to the hall. Hannah stood in the shadows, looking gaunt and tired. She waved shyly from the distance. “But you can help her, right?”

  “Hannah... I—” Anna began.

  “It’s okay,” Hannah whispered. “You and him,” she pointed to Leon, “You were like me. I’m sorry for what my brother did.”

  Anna knew what she meant. She could only imagine what the girl had gone through all on her own at such a young age. She’d lost her family and her life all at once.

  Leon went to Hannah and knelt to look her in the eyes. “I’m sorry for what I did to him. I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you.”

  “It’s okay. You had to.” She looked down at Luna and pet her from head to tail. The dog stood just above her waist.

  “You can live here with us,” Anna smiled. “Come have some lunch. I’m sure the castle fairies could whip up some rare steak.”

  Epilogue

  Anna

  The front doors of the castle creaked open.

  “Hello?” The voice echoed through the foyer.

  Anna hesitantly approached from the kitchen, it had been a few months since the whole family moved into the castle and they had been able to take care of people well enough to send them on their way. They never had visitors anymore.

  The doors closed quietly, but the foyer was still lit by the open windows. The light illuminated the figures of two men standing in the middle, looking around at the large room. One turned to face Anna.

  “Will?” She dropped the plate she was holding, and it hit the floor loudly, but to all their surprise, the glass didn’t break.

  “Anna!” The two men walked up and hugged her tight. “We followed your instructions in your letter. Led us right here—though we were a little confused, honestly.” Will smiled and held up the letter.

  “So much has happened... I even forgot I sent that out. I’m so glad you’re here! Everyone’s going to be so excited. Come!” She grabbed their hands and dragged them into the dining room.

  “We have two more guests tonight!” Anna announced cheerily. “That explains the extra place settings.” She glanced over to the end of the table where there were two more full plates set. She hadn’t quite understood earlier, but now it made sense.

  Effie looked and then ran at full speed, full of giggles, hugging their legs. “Hi,” she whispered.

  Gwen and her father stood from their chairs and greeted them excitedly.

  Leon stood slowly from the other side of the table, holding on to Hannah’s hand. Anna could see the worry in both their eyes. Hannah still felt hunger for them. They had helped her tame her cravings over time, but she hadn’t changed as Leon and Anna had, she said she wasn’t ready yet. She wanted to be sure the witch was gone, and there were no more. As a full vampire, she was still stronger than Leon and Anna.

  Hannah pulled away from Leon’s grip. “I’m fine, you can say hi,” she encouraged and swatted his arm.

  Leon chuckled and stood. “Welcome Wilhelm and Alexander. My name is Leon Von Essen. I am the owner of this land and ... and your sister Anna’s fiancé.” The last part looked to be a bit hard for him to get out, and the two brothers eyed him skeptically.

  “You didn’t tell us that in your letters, little sister,” Alex said and raised an eyebrow to her.

  “I figured you’d come home eventually,” she said quietly. “That’s a thing to say in person!”

  Will grabbed her left hand for examination. “Where’s this from?” The ring was old, with a beautiful stone surrounded by others like a flower, and delicate handcrafted carvings around the band.

  “It was Leon’s sister’s,” Anna said proudly. “Dad gave Mom’s to Henry.”

  “What?!” Gwen spun around; she had been talking with Henry briefly, who was turning red behind her. Their father chuckled from the other side of the room.

  “You heard me,” Anna smiled and pointed behind her. She had been so excited for that moment, and it was even better that her brothers were there to see it.

  Henry got down on one knee and produced a small box from his pocket. “Now that … you know … you are done with school … and things are quiet, and—” his voice shook, “—I love you, Gwen. We may not have been together long, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make a promise to you. Will you marry me?”

  Gwen began to cry, shaking her head up and down to answer, because she couldn’t quite seem to find the words.

  “What are you doing up?”

  Anna turned from the library window to see Leon standing in his pajamas.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” she teased.

  The window drew her back. It was early, the sun wasn't even up yet, but it's light caressed the horizon. It lit up the white snowflakes slowly falling from the sky, blanketing the ever-blooming gardens. The air was brisk but alive; the crack in the window let in just enough for her to feel its energy.

  Leon came up behind her and dragged his arm across her shoulders gently.

  They did not talk. He had learned and knew better than to disturb her morning peace. He reached his hand over her arm and down to her fingers. It was warm and pleasant. Their fingers intertwined, and they watched the fire crackle—happy prisoners of the serene morning snow outside.

  “We should probably go see everyone soon,” Leon prodded. “I think they’re waiting for us.”

  “Just one more minute.” She laid her head against his chest. After a moment, he grabbed her hand and tugged her back towards the door. She yielded reluctantly. She wasn’t opposed to seeing everyone, but she enjoyed her quiet time.

  They slowly made their way to the main room, where everyone was gathered by the fireplace. They didn’t seem to notice as the couple made their way down the steps, they were too busy talking and laughing amongst themselves. The sight making Anna smile. The whole family was together again, the was war over ... everything just seemed right. She observed the rarity in life to identify such moments, but they do pop up occasionally if one can notice them.

  They spent the day talking, recounting their stories. Even late into the night, Anna, Gwen, Leon, and the brothers sat on the couches in the foyer. The two brothers couldn’t believe what they had heard from Anna and Gwen.

  “I feel guilty for going to war. And here I thought the danger was out there.” Will sighed and placed his head in his hands.

  “We thought we had it bad. Well we did, but we are sorry we couldn’t be here,” Alex chimed in.

  “You did what you had to.” Gwen smiled apathetically and sat back against the couch, admiring the fire.

  “I can’t believe you, Leon…” Will shook his head. “No offense, but I want to kill you for what you did to my baby sister.”

  “No offense taken. I was quite literally a monster.”

  “None of this went the way I expected,” Anna said with a laugh. “The past year has been crazy. You left, and everything, well … fell apart even more than I thought possible. I even died. I didn’t die from the Nazis or my newly discovered diabetes—actually, I don't even have it anymore—and Leon didn�
�t even kill me. Well, I guess you kind of did.” She smiled. “But it’s actually what saved me in a weird twisted way.”

  They all looked at her. “When did you become so talkative?” Will raised an eyebrow.

  She grew red and tucked her legs beneath her. “I don’t know.” She shrugged.

  “Just because you have new abilities, doesn’t mean I can’t rough you up, little sister,” Alex teased. “And your ... fiancé.”

  It felt right having them around. Amidst all the chaos, she had almost forgotten how much she missed them.

  Alex and Will had decided to move in and she was grateful for their presence. Death made her realize that while life was cruel, it was worth living. She would probably not die a normal death, but the mortality of those she loved made every moment more precious. While her family watched from Heaven, she would be able to help and guide the generations on Earth.

  Already, she loved watching Effie and Hannah chase Luna through the rooms. Since the war was over and things were starting to settle down, she and Leon would get married, just in time for the two brothers to attend their quiet wedding in the gardens. The castle became a beacon for the people of the village, who now knew of its existence and how its inhabitants had helped after the town’s destruction.

  However, they did not know of the magic that resided within.

  Their story would continue to be told through generations—with the help of her two brothers, who sought out careers in writing after their return.

  When the brothers successfully distributed Anna’s story, they went out in search of other magical truths. They discovered that nothing was black and white, the world was colored gray, blurred by the free will of humans and the good and evil of varying degrees laying siege in their hearts.

  Acknowledgements

  Writing my first novel has been quite an adventure, but I am proud to say I’ve finished it; though, I am still hesitant to let it out there. I’ve heard this is a writer’s conundrum—you want to get a story out there but are afraid to let anyone read it. So, it is with the little bit of courage I’ve mustered, which I obtained from a few important people, that I let my novel out into the world.