Gilded Rose: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling (Celestials Book 1)
Page 30
She couldn’t move.
She couldn’t free herself from its grasp.
Wide eyed and terrified of the death which awaited her, she stared up at the pale creature. The wings she’d seen in the reflection of the stream were even more formidable this close.
Pale, almost ghostly, its wings were ragged with holes and faint white scars creating a lace pattern over the thin, violet membrane. One of its horns had been broken at some point. The jagged edges had long since healed, yet the rough, half horn still looked painful.
The most eerie thing was that its face still looked very human. A man’s face, though grey in tone and wrong, stared down at her. His expression was twisted with aggression and hatred, yet familiar.
He might have been a man she would see in the street if not for his colored skin and fangs which poked out from his bottom jaw. How strange to be killed by a creature she never knew existed. That no one knew existed.
With the same suddenness as he attacked, the creature loosened his grip on her throat. He stared at the forest with a frown.
Danielle gasped in as much air as possible, certain he would squeeze again. His claws still grazed her neck with clear intent. If she made a sound, he could rip out her throat with those claws.
The ringing in her ears stopped, replaced by the sound of thundering hooves approaching through the forest. Guards. Likely sent to search for her by her father, which meant this creature recognized the sound.
How did he know what horse hooves sounded like?
And it was certainly male. The creature leaned away from her, hands still placed at her neck, but she could now see its torso. Broad shoulders, bare of even a stitch of clothing. The flat planes of his chest rippled with muscle. He was stronger than any soldier she’d seen in the yard. His muscles weren’t puffy like the human men she’d seen. Instead, they were wiry and strong.
She swallowed hard through the pain of her throat. A dribble of spit slid down her cheek but she didn’t dare move. He stared intensely at the forest.
Perhaps he knew if the guards found her dead body, they would kill him. It didn’t matter who he was or why he was there. Ten guards must be able to take on a creature such as this. Although, with wings, he must be able to fly.
The quietest whimpers escaped her lips. The creature flicked his gaze to her, a censoring expression clearly meant to warn her.
“Please,” she whispered. “I don’t want to die.”
Danielle didn’t know the reason the creature had attacked her. If he knew guards were dangerous, then he couldn’t be some kind of forest creature they’d never seen before. And he wore clothing, she could feel fabric pressed against her belly where her shirt had ridden up. Animals didn’t wear clothing.
The hooves were approaching, and the creature had to make a choice. He leaned close to her, his lips twisted in a snarl, staring into her eyes with so much hatred it made her heart hurt.
He dragged his claws down her throat, the fine points pricking her skin. She didn’t feel warm blood, but she knew if he hadn’t broken skin, he had left welts.
His hot breath fanned over her mouth. Great puffs of air as he snarled, then released her neck to slap his hands onto the ground at either side of her head. She flinched, closing her eyes and accepting her end.
But death did not greet her on this day.
She was buffeted by a wind stronger than any she’d felt before. When she opened her eyes, the creature was gone.
Danielle sucked in a deeper breath, terrified, her thoughts racing. Why had it left her? It had attacked her, it meant to kill her, and yet the sound of hooves made it leave her alone?
She scrambled toward the forest as the hoofbeats grew ever closer. They couldn’t see her like this. Soaking wet, clothing askew, bruises around her throat. What would they think?
Likely that she needed to be dragged back to her father and married off to avoid a scandal. No one would believe her if she said a monster crawled its way out of the forest. Hollow Hill was the safest place in the Kingdom of Ember, now that Little Marsh had fallen. She’d be dubbed a liar and married to the oldest prince they could find.
So, instead of begging the guards for help as she wanted to, Danielle hid herself in the bushes at the edge of the forest. She watched the guards ride by with their golden saddles and plumed armor.
She pressed her hands to her lips to still the sobs shaking her shoulders as the anxiety and fear pressed down upon her. But the creature had let her live.
Now, she just had to make it back to the palace without it trying to kill her again.
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Acknowledgments
There are too many people to thank for this book. An author’s nightmare is having a preorder up and then an editing mishap that causes either a cancellation, or putting on your big girl panties and finding a way to make a book happen.
When I realized this book might need to be delayed, I almost had a breakdown.
But then… You happened.
Readers, just like you, reached out in DROVES to make sure that this book was exactly how it should be.
Authors like J.M. Butler, Nicolette Andrews, and Miranda Honfleur helped edit.
Over 50 beta readers assisted in catching errors.
My heart is overflowing with appreciation. Love. Adoration. Too many words to count.
So this book is for you.
All of you.
About the Author
USAToday Bestselling Author Emma Hamm grew up in a small town surrounded by trees and animals. She writes strong, confident, powerful women who aren't afraid to grow and make mistakes. Her books will always be a little bit feminist, and are geared towards empowering both men and women to be comfortable in their own skin.