Beauty is the Beast: Beasts Among Us - Book 1

by Jennifer Zamboni

  Glancing up to the mirror from time to time to check on them showed me they were talking amicably enough. Hades even joined them, hopefully not to keep the peace.

  The day went surprisingly well. We even managed to get everyone out safely when an officer from the local sheriff’s department cruised by slowly. I didn’t know if he was specifically patrolling us, but his timing couldn’t have been more perfect, and I was grateful.

  After we got all our clients out, those of us who remained sat down to finish up the food. Scott and Doug sat on either side of me, making an effort to get along, which was going better for Scott than it was for Doug.

  Scott seemed weirdly protective of me, glancing between Doug and me, his eyebrows knit together and a hint of nerves in his scent.

  Doug didn’t really know anyone, not helped by the fact that he wasn’t the most talkative person in the room.

  After supper, Scott pulled me aside. “That dude has the hots for you,” he muttered in my ear with his back turned to that dude.

  “He’s interested, but I don’t know about the hots part,” I whispered back, patting his arm.

  “He’s more than interested. He hasn’t stopped staring at you. All day.”

  Doug, as far as I could tell, was interested in what I was, not who I was. I didn’t want to explain that idea to Scott, so I kept it to myself.

  “That guy, he’s too shy to ask, but I can tell what he wants.” Scott pulled away and went in search of more food.

  I wanted to know for sure if Scott had a clue what he was talking about, but my investigation was going to have to wait because the alpha changer was peering through our window.

  Meredith shrieked but managed to keep her plate. Everyone dropped their things and ran to look outside. He wasn’t visible but I could smell him, so he hadn’t gone far.

  “It was just a bear,” Percy stressed, bringing everyone’s attention to her and away from the darkness outside.

  I took the opportunity to make for the back door. I wouldn’t put it past the changer to walk right in. After all, I didn’t really know him. I’d spent maybe 40 minutes with him 150 years ago. That’s not much of a relationship.

  I shut the kitchen door behind me and walked into the darkness. I didn’t have to go far before his scent intensified. A wave of alpha magic hit me, buckling me at the knees. The whole dominant /submissive thing is not a choice. It attacks your nervous system.

  I hate losing control of myself, which is something I obviously have to deal with on a regular basis. I knelt down in the dirt with my eyes averted from the changer.

  His shadow, invisible in the dark, fell over me. “Stand, Maude.” He grabbed my bicep, hauling me to my feet like I weighed no more than a puppy.

  My legs scrambled to hold my body, knees shaking, and all I wanted to do was tuck tail and roll over.

  “I’ve been told you’re giving the pack a hard time.” He let go of me, and I looked up into his glowing yellow eyes.

  He’s not a wolf, but fae. It’s as if God, when creating the fae world, decided that there was a wolf needed on both sides, and this was his freaky fae equivalent.

  He stood upright like a man, but really, there are no similarities beyond that. He wore no shoes on his enlarged dog feet. His hands, if you can call them that, are really paws with extra joints, pads and all. His short, hairy, pointed ears swivel on the sides of his head, picking up the night sounds. The barrel of his enormous body was dressed in clothing straight out of an old Hollywood western, minus the hat. Who knew where you find a seamstress to do work with such odd measurements.

  I was terrified. They were bringing out the big guns on this one. He was here because he wanted me, not just the pack.

  “I really wasn’t informed of all the details when I agreed to this.” I spoke through clenched teeth.

  “You knew enough. You’d be cared for, treated as precious. Where else could you get that? You are not human, as much as you try to be.”

  “Do you think I don’t know that? Well honestly, I don’t have my mind made up. The whole pack thing is very attractive. I’d never have to worry about anything ever again. I’d get to be what I am. But I want to be who I am, and frankly, worrying is a good thing.” I needed the worry. The worry kept me connected, human.

  “I need the pack to move on soon. They don’t belong all the way up here, as pure as it is.” He referred to the amount of magic that Maine has managed to retain by keeping a vast uninhabited wilderness. “And you must be told, if you refuse the pack you’ll never be welcome back. They may even view you as their enemy. I don’t suggest refusing your place.”

  That got me. I snapped. “How can I submit to an alpha that I’m dominant too? You should have thought of that possibility when you bit me.”

  “I have to choose strong women. You know a weak one would not survive the change. I knew very well that you would be dominant. It’s something we need to breed more of.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m no broodmare,” I said, my voice squeaky, not the threat I intended to convey.

  “You’re not a horse, youngling. You’re a bitch. Don’t make any hasty decisions.” He started to melt back into the darkness.

  Despite flinching at his words, I stepped forward, bringing him back in focus. “Wait!”

  He stopped and turned slowly.

  Again, I was overwhelmed with the need to grovel, sending me to my knees, but managed not to face plant this time.

  “I have a friend,” I started.

  “No. I choose the wolves, not you.” He narrowed his eyes at me.

  “Well then, will you scare him out of it?” I crossed my arms.

  Don’t look in his eyes, Gretchen. Don’t look, he’ll flatten you.

  “Very well. Where can I find him?” He gave the slightest of nods.

  “He’s here.” I tried to swallow, feeling like I was being choked.

  “Bring him to me.” The changer faded into the shadows without a sound.

  I could feel him but was able to get back up on my feet. As soon as I was sure of my balance, I raced for the house to search for Doug.

  He was deep in conversation with Scott and Hades.

  “What’s going on? Where did you go?” Lacey grabbed my elbow, scaring the bejesus out of me.

  “The alpha is outside,” I whispered.

  “Like, the alpha, alpha?” she hissed back, her eyes wide as her clutch tightened,

  “As in the alpha changer, the thing that made me the woman I am today.” I yanked my arm from her icy grasp and stalked towards the men.

  “We need to talk.” I butted my way into their conversation to stand in front of Doug.

  “Whoa there, Gretch. Don’t bite the poor guy’s head off.” Scott held up his hands as if preparing to referee. He probably thought I was upset about what he had told me about Doug earlier.

  “No promises. Come with me. Now.” I pushed Doug back forcefully, causing him to step back to regain his balance.

  “All right. I’m going.” Doug held his own hands up and started walking in the direction I’d come from.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked me as soon as we got away from the others, his eyes full of concern as he studied mine.

  “I have someone I need you to meet. Come on.” I took his hand and once again entered the darkness.

  I was prepared this time when I entered the alpha’s presence, steeling myself for the full blast of dominant magic. I still went down on my knees but was able to keep my attention on Doug.

  Not being a wolf, he didn’t feel the need to bow like I did, but he still felt the effects of an alpha male. He bristled as he shook in his sneakers. Had he been a wolf, his hackles would have been standing on end. Of course, if he was a real wolf, he’d be face down like I had been earlier.

  “What’s this?” asked the Alpha, crouching on his haunches to inspect his potential victim.

  “This is Doug. He wants the change,” I said, shuffling backward on my knees until I could stand again.<
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  “Does he? Is he a masochist? Does he enjoy pain? Does he want to watch his friends and family die while he lives on?” The alpha stepped closer to Doug and bent again so that he was just a few scant inches from touching the man’s face with his own.

  “I want to be normal. I want you to fix me.” Doug stood firm, his back strong and his jaw set.

  “I can’t do that.” The alpha straightened up and rearranged his face in an expression that could only be sympathy.

  “You can. I’m sick of being a freak, and you can make me normal.”

  For once, the alpha was speechless. As far as I knew, he always had an answer. People wanted the change to become special, to be apart from the general population. No one asked to be changed to be normal.

  “You think that werewolves are normal,” the alpha repeated for clarification, as if he were experimenting with the sounds of the words.

  “Yes. Gretchen’s normal, anyhow. She’s the only werewolf I’ve actually met that I know of,” said Doug.

  “Gretchen?”

  “That would be me.” I raised my hand. I hadn’t realized that no one told him I changed my name. I’d thought he addressed me as Maude because he was an old geezer.

  “I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can offer you. I make my selections very carefully, and until now you’ve not made it onto my radar.” And he was gone.

  I was feeling the need to avoid all human contact. If I really wanted, I could call all my appointments and tell them I was sick or some other cop out, but the others were working without complaint, so I would as well.

  The time we spent closed messed us up so badly that we were scheduling the next week or so from scratch, doing our best to work around the schedules of the clients we’d previously canceled on. Most just rescheduled for a couple weeks, but some wanted their hair cut immediately.

  One such woman sat in my chair, known to me only as Mrs. Ostolski, mother of the little brat that was currently dominating Percy’s attention and testing her patience.

  Again, let me state: I like kids. I like them outside the salon playing and having fun. Kids inside a salon are a whole different bag of kittens. Kids in a salon, in general, are: rude, obnoxious, vile, and at times creepy. Ann Ostolski was all of the above. The child might never live to see her adolescence if she continued in her wicked ways.

  Her mother was a pushover who checked on her daughter every three seconds.

  “Are you all right, honey?” She used her feet to scoot my chair around to face her kid.

  A moment later, “Do you need anything, dear?” And then, “Just a little bit longer, then we’ll go to Burger King.”

  Bribe, whine, bribe, tantrum, bribe, finish. It was a very tired routine, and they were by no means the only family who followed such a script.

  “I’m going for a wander. Be back in 15!” Fern peeked her head out the door of her little massage room under one side of the grand staircase, the back side of Toni’s space.

  We gave her a collective nod, then went back to work.

  “Ma’am, just give me two minutes. Then you can go check out your daughter’s cut.” I yanked the chair straight so that she was facing the mirror where I needed her to be to check my work.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize I was moving,” Mrs. Ostolski said, turning her head to look towards Percy’s station.

  Bull. “It’s okay. It can get a little distracting in here.” Using a hand on either side of her head, I turned her forward facing once more and worked quickly to finish the cut.

  “Mommy, I need you to look at my hair!” Ann yelled. She was only two stations over, and Meredith wasn’t being all that chatty with her client in between.

  Mrs. Ostolski got up out of my chair and marched over to check her daughter’s hair. Upon giving her approval, she returned to my seat where I was glowering at the wall.

  Restrain the death gaze, Gretchen. The death gaze turns away money. We like money.

  I yanked the cape from where it was trapped between her back and the chair so it could drape properly once more. She shot me a dirty look in the mirror, which I ignored.

  One more snip of my sheers, then I let her check it out. She nodded her satisfaction, running her fingers through it.

  “Would you like a blow dry?” I asked, which she accepted with a smile.

  I couldn’t get them cashed out fast enough.

  “I need a moment,” I muttered to Percy as I rushed out the back of the salon.

  I skittered to a halt when I beheld Fern standing white faced, clutching one of Lacey-Marie’s blood donor bags. She held it aloft as soon as she realized I was there. We stared gape mouthed at each other for a moment before Fern gained her composure enough to speak.

  “Whose blood?” she asked, her voice coming out with a bit of a squeak.

  I didn’t know how to answer with anything besides the truth. It was our fault for keeping the blood behind the milk, but it was our personal fridge, not the salon fridge. She had no right to be going through our kitchen.

  I struggled not to let the snarl out that was lurking near my surface. “What are you doing in here?”

  “I went for a walk,” she said, her fingers digging into the plastic.

  “People normally walk outside.” I crossed the room and snatched the blood bag from her grasp.

  She let it go without any resistance. “I did. I went to the barn.” I could hear her heart beat faster, and the smell of her fear rolled towards me.

  Oh, good.

  “Why do you have a dog kennel and no dogs?” She took a step away from me, her smell intensifying.

  Did she have a clue what she stumbled upon?

  “Hey Gretchen, do you think—” Hades sauntered in, in full-force god mode, “Hello Ms. Mayberry.”

  Well, if she didn’t have doubts about us before, she definitely did now.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Fern back away until she hit the counter, reaching for balance with one hand.

  She darted sideways, towards the door to the garden. I dashed forward to block her path. Her eyes widened, pupils dilating, and her breath quickening.

  I’d moved too fast.

  “Get away from me,” she whispered as her body started shaking. The scent of her fear dripped off of her, exciting my wolf, making me want to attack.

  This was the third person to find out what I was in a very short time, and the first of them to show rational signs of fear.

  I growled, low in my throat.

  “Gretchen, back off.” Hades pulled rank on me.

  I cowered and exposed my throat. I hadn’t known that Hades could do that. I suppose that’s what it takes to be the god of the dead: supreme dominance.

  “You first.” Apparently talking through gritted teeth was going to be my new thing.

  Hades immediately toned it down, and I was able to straighten up.

  While Hades and I were finding a balance, Fern was once again trying to escape.

  “Fern, please.” What, let me explain? Don’t run away from the crazy monsters?

  “Please what? You are insane!” said Fern, her arms hugged her rib cage, fingers gripping at the fabric of her shirt as she fought to keep herself from panicking further. “My Nana told me stories. But this?”

  “I’ll behave myself. If you just stay the rest of the day, I promise I’ll come up with something truthful to tell you.” I was pulling my words out of thin air, scrambling for the right thing to say.

  “She was telling the truth?” she whispered, her voice filled with wonder and the smell of fear diminished.

  “Please don’t mention this to anyone,” I pleaded, pulling out a chair, motioning for her to sit down.

  She eased into it, using her hands for balance, her eyes were slightly unfocused, as if she were deep in thought.

  “Tell me about the stories your Nana told you.”

  “Well, she told me about men who shape-shifted into wolves and killed off the local herds when she was
a little girl. She told me that they were mercenaries and berserkers. She said a few of them fought alongside Grandfather in Vietnam. She said they saved his life.”

  She looked up at me during that last bit, studying my face.

  I took a seat opposite, letting her feel safe with the heavy table between us. “Have you heard anything about the mass killing of livestock lately?”

  She shook her head. “No.” She drew out the word, as if considering my point.

  “I swear I haven’t mauled any sheep lately. And I work very, very hard to keep myself calm and under control. That’s why I drink this all the time.” I tapped my travel mug of soothing tea.

  “Okay.” Her eyebrows scrunched together as she pressed her index finger to her lower lip with her elbow settled on the table.

  “Did your Nana tell you to be afraid of people like me?”

  “Actually, no. She respected the men my grandfather fought with. There are even pictures of them hanging on their wall. I just figured she meant they fought like animals to keep Grandfather alive, not that they were animals.”

  “Well, we’re not, strictly speaking.”

  “Their wolves are fae.” Hades interrupted our conversation. “This body,” he pointed at me, “is human with fae DNA added.”

  Fern’s focus shifted to the now glamoured god in the corner. “And you?”

  “I’m all fae, m’lady.” He swept a bow and flashed her a charming smile. “It’s my job to keep rascals like this pup under control.” He indicated me with a sweeping motion. “And also the blood drinkers. We fae like to keep our lives private, so it’s in my best interest to keep an eye on them all.”

  I stood from my place. “We should probably get back to work. Please, will you keep our secret? You can ask us any questions you like. Anything to make you feel safe.”

  “Yeah, I’ll try.” She stood, her face betraying the fact that she was deep in thought. She moved gracefully around the room and out the door, a stark difference from the beginning of our conversation.

  I glanced over at Hades, heaving a sigh of relief.

  And then I smacked him hard across the face, not holding back, knowing he could take it.