A Beauty So Beastly

by RaShelle Workman

  Thinking about Adam sent my mind immediately to our kiss. What a kiss it was. I’d kissed several guys over the years but Adam’s kiss was the first for me with feelings so I had nothing to gauge against it. I thought about Will and the awkward way he’d tried to feel me up when we kissed. I had a feeling Adam’s kiss was better than any other guy ever.

  Taking a deep breath, I forced away thoughts of kissing Adam and began to read. The history of the Vaktare and Locanis went back thousands of years. The book included many details including several legends.

  I read the first one. It was about a Vaktare with red fur who would be born with all abilities and talents. She would be called Unduyee, which meant Red Warrior. The Unduyee would restore peace between the Vaktare and the Locanis.

  I glided over the other legends, including one about a demon spawn that was half Vaktare and half Locanis. It seemed many Vaktare and Locanis indulged in sexual relations over the centuries, but they could never conceive. I didn’t delve into the details. It was getting late and I needed to read the material that actually happened in Hiraken.

  After reading about several wars, I came to a part that mentioned my father’s name. It made me wonder who the author of the history book was.

  “Show me the title page,” I said, feeling weird talking to the podium. Pages immediately flipped back to the beginning. When they stopped, I leaned over, reading:

  A History of Hiraken and its People

  The Vaktare and Locanis

  By:

  Fisher and Lenora Cavanaugh

  “My parents wrote this.” For some reason knowing they were responsible for the words on the pages made the histories all the more interesting. It also saddened me. I needed to find them. It bothered me that they’d left just as my life was turned upside down. Though they hadn’t shown me emotion, they’d done lots to prove they cared for me. I couldn’t believe they’d abandoned me when I needed them most.

  Around two in the morning, when I was almost at the end, I found a very interesting piece of information about my parents:

  Fisher Cavanaugh was next in line to rule Hiraken. When war broke out between the Vaktare and the Locanis, all of the Cavanaughs were believed killed except Fisher, his mate Lenora and their child, Beatrice.

  “That’s me,” I whispered, feeling tingles run the length and breadth of my body. Seeing my name in the histories of my people made me more anxious to know everything.

  Near the beginning of the book they’d mentioned that all Vaktare were born with a magical skill. I flipped back to read that part again. There were hundreds of abilities. Sometimes an ability was passed down from one generation to the next, but more often than not, the gift was random.

  “Do I have an ability?” I pondered aloud. I didn’t think so.

  I went back to the part about my mom and dad.

  After going to their medicine woman, Fisher and Lenora raced up the Wananoag mountains behind their castle, toward the place where they were told they could jump realms. The medicine woman gave Fisher a pendant and instructions on how to use it to open the portal. They almost didn’t make it.

  Several of the strongest and vilest of the Locanis chased them. The worst Locanis went by the name Adam.

  “What’s up with all the ‘Adam’s?” I whispered, thinking about my Adam and checking my phone to see if by chance he’d texted. He hadn’t.

  I read on:

  Lenora used her gift with the elements to create a storm while Fisher spoke the incantation to open the portal. After Adam and Fisher fought, Fisher was able to jump realms at the last second. Beatrice was born soon after.

  After reaching the new realm, Fisher discovered Adam had stolen the pendant. If Adam can find a way to use it, the remaining Cavanaughs may be in danger.

  There were words scrawled in pencil down the right side of the book:

  There are other Vaktare who’ve survived. They’ve come to some kind of truce with the Locanis. I killed a Vaktare last night in the mountain behind our house after questioning him. He wouldn’t tell me what they wanted or why they were trying to kill us. But they’ve found us. And worse than that, I believe the Locanis who goes by the name Adam has discovered a way to use the pendant and is closing in.

  The date above the words written in the margin was three days ago. I read the words again, a feeling of dread climbing into my stomach. Adam was a common name. And my Adam couldn’t be the Locanis my dad spoke of. If he were, he’d had plenty of opportunities to kill me over the past several days. He could’ve just let me fall at the shopping center. Or smothered me in my sleep. I remembered the way he brushed my hair, the sparkle in his eyes when we spoke about the weirdness in my life.

  That would explain why he took your story so well though.

  “No.” I went over to the cot and lay down. Memories of his kiss filled my mind and warmed my body. “That wasn’t the kiss of a man sent to commit murder.”

  I punched the pillow, determined to convince my brain of what my heart already knew. Adam cared about me. He wouldn’t do anything to harm me. He wouldn’t.

  His Head Ripped Off

  Fourteen

  Hours later there was a click and I heard the door to the Museum for the Supernatural open. “What the hell happened in here?”

  I was lying on the floor. A quick glance at my body told me I was naked. “Don’t come in,” I shouted, grabbing a blanket off the cot.

  “Beatrice?” It was Professor Pops. “Are you all right?” I heard the worry in his words.

  “Um, yes.” I wrapped the blanket around myself and glanced around the room. It’d been dark and I’d been preoccupied when I climbed onto the cot last night. Now it was easy to see it had been a weapons room. Every sword, ever kind of weapon with a sharp point had been embedded in the walls or the ceiling. My pillow had been slashed to bits and the cot was bent at a funny angle. I glanced down at my hands. Had I done that?

  “Cole, get a broom, a dustpan, and a very large trashcan. Have Troy help, if you need it. Hurry”

  “Right away, Pops.”

  The door clicked.

  “Professor Pops?” I moved so that I could see into the Museum. The room was a wreck. Broken glass was everywhere. The dragon’s head had been ripped off and the body lay on its side. The troll was missing his limbs. The Hunter had been torn in half. The werewolf had fared worst of all. His eyes had been removed, his head ripped off, and his body was in pieces. Fur was strewn everywhere. Professor Pops bent over and carefully lifted something in his hands.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said. Tears sprang to my eyes. I couldn’t believe I’d wrecked the place. “I don’t remember doing this, but it had to be me.” I tilted a unicorn upright and picked up its horn, trying to put it back in the place where I’d ripped it off. It wouldn’t stay so I set it on a shelf still upright.

  Professor Pops took a white creature that reminded me of a fairy and placed it carefully on a table. Thankfully, it still had its head and all of its limbs. The way Professor Pops cradled the creature, it obviously meant a great deal to him.

  “Whatever it costs, I’ll gladly pay to replace everything.”

  Professor Pops smiled sadly. “Beatrice, no amount of money can replenish this.”

  I hung my head, a sob ripping through my throat. I’d never felt so horrible in all my life. “I know,” I whispered.

  He walked over and patted my shoulder. “If anyone is to blame for this mess, it’s me. I left you down here.”

  I glanced up at him. “Perhaps, but I promise to do whatever it takes to make sure your museum is filled with supernatural creatures once again.”

  “Oh, my dear, how do you intend to do that? I certainly don’t want the creatures murdered. Do you?” He picked up the dragon body in one hand and its head in the other. It was then that I realized Professor Pops wasn’t just a human. I should have known. He didn’t really even have a scent, other than peppermint.

  “No. No way.” I hadn’t really thought about how I w
ould accomplish the task. “So, what kind of supernatural are you?”

  His eyes flashed red. “A Hunter,” he said, cautiously.

  I took a step back. “You’re a vampire?”

  “More or less.” His eyes went back to their normal color.

  “Wow. That’s . . .”

  “Creepy? Scary?” Professor Pops chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t bite.”

  I smiled. “I think I should just go.” I picked up a gremlin and stood it on its pedestal.

  “I don’t think that’s wise.” Professor Pops stacked a bunch of papers that had been the history of the unicorns together. “You need to find a way to control the beast that lives inside you. Otherwise, this type of thing will happen every night.” His hands flourished around the room. “I’ve been doing some research and . . . ”

  The door clicked open. A guy I hadn’t met but who I assumed was Cole walked in followed by Troy. They carried a large trashcan between them. Cole had a broom and Troy held the dustpan. They both froze when they saw me and I remembered I was only wrapped in a blanket.

  Professor Pops took in my appearance as though noticing it for the first time. Determination reflected on his features. “It’s going to go like this: Troy, Beatrice gets your room. You need to change the sheets and clean up. I don’t want dirty clothes cluttering up the place.”

  Troy let out a loud sigh. “Aw, man.”

  “Then you’re going to clean your bathroom. Scrub it. And then clean it again,” Professor Pops continued.

  “Ugh,” Troy threw his hands in the air.

  “On your way up, I need you to take Beatrice’s suitcases to your room. Make some space in your closet. When you’re finished, let me know.”

  “What, right now?” He threw the dustpan on the floor.

  Professor Pops seemed to glide over to Troy. It was so fast I didn’t see his feet move. “Yes, right now. Do you have a problem with that?” His voice was low and menacing. It sent shivers up my spine.

  “No, sir.” Troy strode to the door. Professor Pops followed and unlocked it with his key. Professor Pops whispered something to Troy.

  Troy nodded. “I’m sorry Beatrice,” he said, his features schooled into an apologetic gaze.

  “It’s fine.” I waved a hand at him. “Thank you for lending me your room.”

  When Troy left, Cole whistled. “That was tense.” He went over to the corner near the dragon and started sweeping the glass into a pile.

  I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to help but the blanket wasn’t all that secure. “I need some clothes,” I said.

  “Oh, Miss Beatrice, I’m so sorry.” Professor Pops walked into the room where the cot was and went over to the table that had held all the weapons. There were drawers underneath. He pulled one open and pulled out a black pair of pants and a black shirt. “These are workout clothes, but they should cover the essentials.”

  I moved closer so I could speak without Cole hearing. “I need underthings as well.” I lowered my head. “I’m so sorry.”

  Professor Pops cleared his throat and opened another drawer. Inside were underthings. “See if there’s something in there that fits.”

  “Thank you,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.

  Professor Pops walked to the opening of the weapons room and then stopped. “When you shift, your clothes disappear?”

  I glanced around the room. I hadn’t thought about it before. “Yes,” I said. “The clothes I wore last night are gone.” That stunk. That suit and those shoes had been some of my favorites.

  “Interesting. And then when you shift back, you’re in only your birthday suit?”

  My face flushed. “Apparently.”

  “Interesting, indeed.” He walked from the room and I heard him and Cole whispering and the swishing of broken glass.

  Moving to the open drawer I found a sports bra and boxers that might fit. Then I went into the bathroom where I did a quick wash with a wet cloth. I slid on the underclothes and the workout attire. The outfit was like nothing I’d ever worn before. It was loose and comfortable. I tried to comb my hair with my fingers and wiped off some of yesterday’s makeup from under my eyes. I still needed shoes though.

  Professor Pops was a step ahead of me. When I came out of the bathroom there was a pair of black socks and plain black shoes in my size outside the door. I put them on and went into the Supernatural room. Cole and Professor Pops had the entire floor nearly swept up. The trashcan was filled with glass. They were working on putting a book back together. Shame scorched my body.

  “I am really sorry,” I said again, feeling helpless, and wishing I could do more.

  “It’s all right, Beatrice.”

  I nodded, even though I knew it wasn’t. “I’m going to clean up the weapon’s room.”

  “Thank you,” Professor Pops said.

  I went over to a mace and grabbed the handle, trying to pull it from the wall. It wouldn’t budge. “Stupid thing,” I cursed, placing one foot on the wall to give me extra leverage.

  Professor Pops walked in and smiled. “Your strength in this form is like that of a normal human.”

  I grunted my acknowledgement, determined to get the freaking mace out of the freaking wall and a little irritated that I felt like he was studying me.

  “But I bet you could call on your beastly strength even while in human form.” Professor Pops took a pad of paper and a pen from his back pocket. Then pulled his glasses from the pocket of his sweater, put them on, and wrote something down.

  “How would I do that? I asked, releasing the mace handle and rubbing my hands. They were red and starting to really hurt.

  “Hmmmm,” he tapped the pen to his cheek. “Do you remember any specific feelings from when you’ve previously shifted?”

  I tried to think back. “I believed they were dreams, until a couple of night ago.”

  “Which they probably were.” He tucked his pen in his back pocket and flipped his notebook shut. “Okay, grab hold of the handle.”

  I did. “Now what?”

  “Take a deep breath and feel for the werecat energy.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, held it, searched my insides for some kind of energy. I found nothing, but I didn’t want to tell him that. Breathing out, I yanked on the mace . . . and it popped out.

  “I did it,” I said, opening my eyes. Cole’s face was inches from mine. He wore a naughty smile. My happiness deflated. “You pulled the mace out for me, didn’t you?”

  Professor Pops shook his head, trying to hold back a smile.

  Cole tucked his hands in his pockets and twisted his mouth. “Yeah, I kinda did.”

  Without thinking, I leaned over and punched him. He went flying backward, smashing into the trashcan full of glass. Shards rained down on him.

  “I didn’t mean to,” I said, covering my mouth.

  Both Cole and Professor Pops started laughing. Cole stood up and brushed off his pants. He didn’t have a scratch on him.

  “Are you supernatural too?”

  “I guess so.” Cole walked back over.

  Professor Pops clapped him on the shoulder. “Cole is a relatively new member of our family. I adopted him just six month ago.”

  “What are you?” I asked, fascinated to meet someone different, like me.

  Cole glanced away, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

  “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” I turned away, moving over to the katana jammed into the ceiling. I reached up and yanked. It wouldn’t move.

  “Tell her, Cole,” Professor Pops urged.

  He came over and pulled out the katana. “It’s okay. I’m just still trying to get comfortable with it.”

  I smiled at him. “It’s totally understandable. Apparently I look human, but I’m not. I’m a Vaktare, which is some kind of werecat, and I’m from another realm.”

  He returned my smile with one of his own. And I realized he was handsome, in a tough guy kind of way. He wore a
snug black tank top, which was a stark contrast to his pale skin. His jeans were loose and hung below his plaid boxers. He was maybe five foot seven and bulky. Not overweight, just completely covered in muscles. He didn’t have a six-pack but a ten pack. His hair was the darkest black I’d ever seen, except when the light struck it. Then it shone a deep blue. His eyes were light gray.

  “Well, I’m a gargoyle.” He shrugged, walked over to the opposite wall and pulled out another sword.

  “Serious,” I said, coming to stand beside him. “That’s so cool.”

  “You think?” He rubbed one of his earlobes. “I have super strength and I can turn things, including myself, to stone. That’s it. Those are my powers.”

  “I think that’s awesome.” I yanked on an arrow. That one came out, so I went to another. “Oh, what about wings? Some gargoyles have wings? Can you fly?”

  He tugged on his ear and glanced over at Professor Pops. “I don’t think so. At least not yet.” He bent over and picked up something. “Is this your phone?”

  “Oh, I completely forgot about it. Thanks.” Somehow it had escaped the carnage unscathed. I quickly checked to see if I had any messages from Adam. There were messages from Ashley, Eva, and Cassidy. I guessed Will had talked to them and they wanted to know where I’d gone. But there were none from Adam. The phone’s battery was at twenty percent. I’d have to charge it later. Since I didn’t have any pockets, I set it on the table next to a jagged edged knife.

  “I’m going to see what’s taking Troy so long. I’ll be back in a while. Will you two be all right down here?” Professor Pops asked.

  I glanced at Cole. “Sure.”

  “I’ll be back.” Professor Pops left, leaving Cole and me alone.

  “So who do you think would win in a fight? A gargoyle or a vampire?”

  Cole tapped his fingers against his mouth, thinking. I started to laugh. He joined in. “A gargoyle, for sure.”

  “I think so too.”

  I climbed on the table to pry out a Chinese star. It was so far into the wall I couldn’t really get a good grip. I kept yanking, but it wouldn’t come and my fingers kept sliding off it.