How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  “That is all, Gabriella,” he told the maid. “You may retire for the night. Be assured there are guards outside your door to keep you safe.”

  “Yes, my lord. Thank you.” She curtsied, then ran into the dressing room, closing the door behind her.

  He sat at the table and wrenched off one boot, then the other. “I will be gone during the day for the next few days. Your father is showing me the nearby villages and castles, introducing me to his vassals—”

  “Your vassals.”

  Leo dropped a boot with a loud clunk. “The tour is to help spread the word that I’m the new duke. The sooner everyone hears the news, the safer you will be.”

  “The last assassin might still be here.”

  “I know.” Leo unbuckled his sword belt and laid it next to the blankets. “You’ll be guarded as usual.” He glanced up at her. “Be careful.”

  “You, too.” She stood. “Did you want to sleep now? I’ll fetch you a pillow.” She rushed over to the bed and grabbed one. “Here.”

  “Thank you.” He dropped it at the top of the blanket. “I know this isn’t the sort of marriage you probably dreamed about—”

  “Don’t.” She regarded him sadly. “Don’t apologize for who you are.”

  “You had to marry a Beast.”

  “I married an amazing man.”

  His heart lurched. “Ana.” He stepped toward her.

  “Good night, Leo.” She blew out the candle next to her bed, then quickly took off her robe.

  In the firelight, he could see the shape of her body beneath the white nightgown. The material wasn’t quite as sheer as the other nightgown he’d admired, but he was still able to detect the roundness of her rump as she climbed into bed.

  “Good night,” he whispered as he settled onto the blankets. He stretched out, his back to her, his cape wrapped around to conceal his swollen groin. It was damned uncomfortable sleeping in overly tight breeches.

  Rustling sounds from the bed tormented him as he imagined her long legs stretching beneath cool sheets. He watched the fire in the hearth, the flames slowly dying till the logs glowed with an amber light.

  More rustling sounds. A soft, feminine sigh.

  “Leo,” she whispered. “Are you awake?”

  “Yes.” He rolled onto his back to glance at the bed.

  She was sitting up and watching him. “Maybe we should use this time to get better acquainted.”

  He gave her a wry look. “Are you going to reveal your secrets?”

  She smoothed her fingers over the embroidered coverlet. “I was curious about you.”

  “I see.” He took a deep breath. “What would you like to know?”

  “Does it hurt? When the lightning strikes you?”

  He scoffed. “What do you think?”

  “I think it must hurt something fierce.”

  “That’s about right.”

  She stretched out, her head toward the foot of the bed so she could see him. “You told me how your mother died. How did your father pass away?”

  “He was killed in battle with a Norveshki dragon.”

  “When you were eight?”

  “Yes.”

  “What happened to you then?”

  “General Harden rescued me from the assassins, and I started my training as a soldier. Nevis was my sparring partner. That’s how we became friends.”

  “That seems so young to be with the army.”

  Leo shrugged. “The general knew I had to excel as a warrior if I was going to survive.”

  “When did you have your first battle?”

  He paused. “I was fourteen.”

  She paused even longer. “That’s so young to have to kill someone.”

  He sat up, his gaze focused on the fireplace.

  “Leo? Are you all right?”

  His hands fisted around his cape. Don’t tell her. But he wanted her to know what a monster he truly was. “I killed my first person at the age of five.” He heard her quick intake of breath behind him. Good, she would know to stay away from him.

  “That was the first time the lightning found me. It was hardly even raining yet. We were in a meadow, having a picnic, when a light shower began. We laughed, gathering up the blankets and food. Then, out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning shot out of the sky and hit me so hard, it sent me flying across the meadow. I landed, my body twitching. I thought I was on fire. I could barely hear my mother and the servants screaming. My nanny was the first one to reach me. She touched me.” Leo closed his eyes as the memories flooded his mind. “She died.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  He heard more rustling sounds. He’d probably made her uncomfortable. “And that’s when people started calling me a Beast.”

  “It must have been terrifying for you.”

  “You mean terrifying for everyone around me.”

  “No. I mean you. You were only five.”

  He stiffened when he felt her hand on his back. “What are you doing?”

  Both her hands pressed against his cape. “I swore to myself earlier today that I wouldn’t be afraid to touch you.”

  He gritted his teeth. “You should be afraid. I just told you I killed my own nanny. Don’t you see how dangerous I am?”

  Her hands skimmed around to his chest. “You shouldn’t blame yourself. It was an accident.”

  “You need to stop,” he warned her as her hands moved past the edge of his cape and onto his shirt. One thin layer of insulation. “Are you all right?”

  Her arms were now fully wrapped around him, hugging him. “I’m fine. You’re the one who’s hurting.” She rested her head against his shoulders.

  His heart clenched in his chest. How long had it been since he’d received a hug? He couldn’t even remember. He glanced down at her hands. On her left hand, the gold of his mother’s ring glinted in the firelight. The ring that now belonged to his wife. Dammit, this was making his eyes burn, making him weak. He should put a stop to it.

  “Ana.”

  “Shh. Let me stay here a moment.”

  As time stretched out, he slowly relaxed, slowly learned to accept her embrace. He could now feel the shape of her face nestled against his shoulder blades. With each breath, her breasts nudged gently against his back.

  “Ana. I’ll always remember how you defended me in the courtyard. It meant a great deal to me.”

  Her grip around him tightened. “It meant a lot to me, too.”

  “I’m honored by the amount of trust you and your father have placed in me. I won’t let you down.”

  “I know.” Her face moved against his back as if she were caressing him.

  Did she actually care for him? Did he dare touch her bare skin? But his hands—most of his power was concentrated in his hands. Even with his gloves on, he sometimes gave people a shock.

  But maybe he could touch her nightgown. Maybe he could caress her as long as she remained dressed. His groin grew harder just at the thought.

  Dammit. He’d promised to protect her. Why would he risk hurting her? And why drive himself to despair, growing hard from wanting her when it was impossible?

  He swallowed hard. “Good night, Ana.”

  She slowly released him and backed away. “Good night, Leo.”

  Chapter Twenty-five

  A few hours before dawn, Brody arrived in the shallow waters near the Isle of Moon. It had been a hell of a long swim—all day and most of the night. The seals he had followed looked exhausted as they flopped onto the sandy beach.

  At first, they had been wary of his presence, but he’d communicated to them that he meant no harm. A few times during the long journey, they had rested by floating on their backs, and he’d busied himself catching fish to eat. After he offered them some fish, they’d welcomed his company.

  Now they dozed off in the sand, their black hides glistening in the light of the two moons. He shifted from a seal into a dog and moved away to shake himself dry. After finding a soft, grassy spot behind a rock, he cur
led up for a nap.

  Sometime later, he woke to the sound of a female singing above him on the bluff.

  “My true love lies in the ocean blue. My true love sleeps in the sea. Whenever the moons shine over you, please remember me. My lonesome heart is torn in two. My grief runs deep as the sea. Whenever the waves roll over you, please remember me. Please remember me.”

  It was the same song he’d heard Lady Tatiana sing the first time the seals had come. But this was a different voice, one that was so sweet and lyrical he wondered if he was dreaming it.

  “Ye came! Oh, my darling dears, how can I e’er thank ye enough?”

  The seals replied with a barked greeting.

  Brody peered around the rock. The sun was rising in the east, painting the sky with rosy colors and making the sea sparkle. A woman, dressed in the cream-colored wool of a nun’s habit, was descending the path to the beach. She held up her skirt with one hand, and in her other hand, the handle to a wooden bucket. When she made a final jump onto the beach, water sloshed over the brim of the bucket, dampening her gown.

  “Are ye hungry?” She rushed toward the seals. “I brought ye some fish.”

  As she approached, Brody realized she wasn’t quite fully grown. She had the height of a woman, but the willowy body and youthful face of a girl perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old. Her long black hair was plaited in a ponytail, although silky strands escaped to curl around her face.

  Surely she was too young to take the vows of a nun. Perhaps she was simply being raised at a convent. In that case, she was most likely an orphan.

  She set down the bucket and began flinging fish at the seals. When they caught them in midair, she laughed.

  The sound was musical. Breathtaking. It flooded his senses, immediately making him crave more.

  Suddenly suspicious, he inched closer. A breeze wafted her scent toward him, and he froze.

  A shifter. The scent was faint. Barely there. Most likely she’d not yet experienced her first shifting, but she would soon. And since she could apparently communicate with the seals, that probably meant she would be shifting into a seal.

  A selkie. That explained the special allure of her voice. And the beauty she already possessed. In another year or two, she would be stunning.

  Men would find her hard to resist. Sailors would wreck their boats to find the source of her song and laughter, and once they saw her, they would risk drowning to catch her. Luckily for sailors, a selkie was extremely rare.

  “Did ye bring the bottle with you?” she asked the seals.

  The seals barked in reply, and one of them tossed the bottle toward her, the glass sparkling in the sunlight. With another musical laugh, she caught it.

  “Thank ye so much!” She hugged the bottle to her chest, then leaned over to pet the seals. “What was that? Ye made a new friend?” She looked around and spotted Brody.

  Damn. He hadn’t expected the seals to tattle on him. Had they said he was a shifter? He crouched down low to look unthreatening and gave her his best sad-eyed, puppy face.

  “Aww.” The girl gave him a sympathetic look. “Ye poor thing. What happened? Are ye lost?”

  Brody woofed, then sat and lifted a paw. That move usually worked wonders.

  She smiled as she slowly approached. “Ye’re so sweet.”

  Brody grinned back, letting his tongue loll to the side of his mouth.

  “And so pretty with yer bright blue eyes.” She shook his paw. “I think I’ll call ye Bettina.”

  He gulped so fast, he nearly bit off his own tongue. Who the hell named a dog Bettina?

  People usually called him Spot or Patch because of the black fur around his eye. Lady Tatiana had been a bit more original, calling him Pirate. He’d liked that name. But never in his twenty-one years had someone given him a girl’s name. He gave out a low growl.

  “Oh.” She drew back. “Ye don’t like it?” She regarded him seriously for a moment. “I know! Julia. I’ve always loved that name.”

  Dammit. Was he going to have to lift a leg? Not that he normally exposed himself to young women. But why the hell couldn’t she tell he was male?

  “Look what I have, Julia!” She showed him the bottle. “My sisters are going to be so excited! Come on!” She grabbed the empty bucket and ran toward the path. “After we read the letter, I’ll try to find ye an old bone.”

  Sisters? Brody scrambled up the path after her. Did she mean real sisters or other nuns? Apparently, Lady Tatiana had written them a letter. Were these the nuns who had nursed her back to health?

  At the top of the bluff, he trotted alongside her as she ran across an open field, headed for a group of buildings. The scent of freshly cooked breakfast emanated from the first building.

  Bacon! Brody stopped and whimpered, affecting his best pitiful look. Let’s go to the kitchens for bacon!

  She motioned for him to follow. “Come on! We have to read the letter first.”

  Dammit. He loped behind the girl as she ran past a chapel and into a graveyard. Next to a new grave, three young women were waiting.

  Brody lurked behind a stone statue while he studied them. They were all dressed alike in their cream-colored habits, but they were definitely not real sisters. One had the white-blond hair and ears of an elf from Woodwyn. Another had the red hair of a Norveshki, and the third, the golden-blond hair of a Tourinian.

  “Maeve!” the redhead called to her. “Did ye get it?”

  “Aye!” The selkie plopped down onto the ground at the foot of the new grave. “Here it is!”

  The Tourinian girl sat next to her and grabbed the bottle. “I’m the oldest now. I’ll read it.”

  “Hurry, Brigitta,” the redhead urged her as she and the elfin girl sat across from them.

  While Brigitta fished the letter out, Brody inched closer till he was hidden behind the gravestone.

  “My dear sisters,” Brigitta began. “Thank you so much for writing! I love you and miss you more than I can say.”

  “I miss her, too,” Maeve grumbled.

  Brody peeked around the gravestone so he could see the four girls. Why would Lady Tatiana refer to them as her sisters? If she’d stayed here to recuperate from her illness, it could have been only about two weeks, hardly enough time to act like this was family.

  “I have safely arrived at Vindemar,” Brigitta continued. “The fortress is huge! It is surrounded on three sides by water, and whenever I gaze at the sea, I think of you.”

  The elfin girl sighed. “I wish we could see it.”

  “I know.” Brigitta resumed reading, “You won’t believe it! My sister didn’t remain at the convent, but followed me here. We’re becoming good friends.”

  “What? Tatiana didn’t stay here?” The redhead’s gaze shifted to the grave, and all the girls gave the dirt mound a wary look.

  Brigitta scoffed. “And here we thought we were doing Tatiana a favor by reading the letter by her graveside so she could hear it. But she’s not even here!”

  Brody’s thoughts swirled. Lady Tatiana was buried here? Then who was at Vindemar with Leo?

  “I hope this means Tatiana is being nice now,” the elfin girl said.

  “Something wondrous has happened,” Brigitta continued. “Two weeks after we played with the Telling Stones, I met a man with red hair and a black horse, exactly like the stones predicted! His name is Leofric of Benwick, and we are to be married.”

  With a squeal, Brigitta lowered the letter. “She’s getting married!”

  “How exciting!” The redhead clapped her hands.

  “But then she’ll ne’er come back,” Maeve mumbled.

  The elfin girl patted the selkie on her knee. “It doesn’t mean we’ll ne’er see her again.”

  Brigitta hugged the letter to her chest. “I wish we could go to the wedding.”

  The elfin girl tilted her head. “’Tis strange how her prediction came true. I wonder if she has some kind of power other than seeing the dead.”

  “Ye think sh
e can see the future?” the redhead asked. “Then all of her predictions might come true?”

  “Oh, I hope so!” Brigitta’s eyes lit up. “She said I would have seven suitors vying for my hand.”

  The redhead snorted. “Like that would e’er happen.”

  “It could,” Brigitta protested.

  “Read the letter!” Maeve yelled.

  “Fine.” Brigitta studied the letter. “Where was I?

  “He seems quite strong and dependable, honest and trustworthy. And I find him extremely handsome. His hair is a dark red, but he doesn’t have the freckles that Sorcha feared he would.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” the redhead grumbled.

  Apparently the redhead was Sorcha. Brody continued to listen as the letter went on to describe Leo in glowing terms. Whoever the writer was, this lady pretending to be Lady Tatiana, she was clearly attracted to Leo.

  “Oh, my,” the elfin girl said. “Luciana sounds like she’s smitten!”

  Brigitta giggled. “I think ye’re right, Gwennore.”

  Luciana? Was that the name of Lady Tatiana’s imposter? Brody listened to the rest of the letter, and sure enough, it had been signed with the name Luciana.

  The four girls chattered excitedly as they stood up.

  “I’m famished!” Sorcha announced. “Let’s go eat.”

  “Oh, I promised some food for my new friend.” Maeve spun around till she spotted Brody half hidden behind the gravestone. “Julia! There ye are!”

  He winced.

  “Good goddesses.” Sorcha looked him over. “Where did ye find the dog?”

  “Down on the beach.” Maeve patted Brody on the head. “I named her Julia. Isn’t she adorable?”

  Gwennore grinned. “I think he’s more of a Julian.”

  “No, she’s not!” Maeve huffed. “Look at her pretty blue eyes.”

  Brody whimpered, and the other girls laughed.

  “Come on, Julia.” Maeve rubbed his ears. “I’ll find ye an old bone to chew on.”

  I’d rather have bacon. Brody hesitated while the four girls headed for the kitchens. Then he circled to the front of the gravestone to read the name engraved there.

  LUCIANA.

  His eyes narrowed. Tatiana and Luciana. One was buried here, and the other was about to marry the Lord Protector. He needed to hurry back to Vindemar to warn Leo.