Deceit: A Beauty and the Beast Novel

by MJ Haag

  “I’d expected a happier face,” he said with a puzzled note.

  “I’m sorry, I’m just not used to wearing anything so...fancy.” I had almost said feminine.

  “That’s the point. To provide you the things you couldn’t have before.”

  “What if I liked the things I had before? Well, except the lack of food. I like the food here,” I quickly added, hoping I’d get breakfast soon.

  “If you could wear anything you wished,” he asked slowly, “what would you wear?”

  I grinned and answered promptly.

  “Trousers and a sturdy shirt.”

  “Even indoors?” he asked.

  I nodded and wondered what he thought of my preference. He didn’t leave me waiting long.

  “I would prefer you wear dresses, and in the future, I will offer you options that you might find more appealing than what you wear now. If you find you cannot adapt to them, we will see if there isn’t perhaps some form of trouser I can tolerate. I have no issue with the shirts by themselves.”

  His words cheered me.

  “Come, there is food waiting for you.”

  * * * *

  I spent the remainder of the day wandering around the manor and asking the beast questions about various rooms. Often he didn’t answer or told me it wasn’t my concern, but he made an effort to clear the mist when he spoke to me, and his growl faded as the day progressed.

  The next morning, an unruffled day dress with no lace or other adornments waited hidden among several other options in the wardrobe. The drab brown color made me smile as I plucked it from its lace-bedecked companions.

  When I stepped from the room, the beast made no comment. He followed me to the kitchen. Now, whenever I walked into the room, some form of food waited for me on the table. At the moment, eggs and thickly sliced bacon with mushrooms and cooked tomatoes waited on the tray.

  “I never see you eat,” I said as I sat at the chair. “When do you?”

  “After you sleep.”

  I watched his eyes when he answered and saw them flick to the bacon.

  “That seems a long time to go without food.” Picking up a piece of bacon, I held it out to him. “Here,” I offered holding it lightly.

  He moved quickly, stretching from his mist and snapping it from my fingers in one bite that left me wide-eyed.

  “I am not a tame pet,” he said.

  “Obviously,” I said with a laugh. “A pet would have licked my fingers in thanks.”

  He made a choked noise, but I didn’t look up from my food or offer him another bite.

  After finishing every crumb on my plate, I stood with a content sigh.

  “Is there a bag here that I could use? Like the one I used to own?” Before you shredded it, I thought sadly.

  “I would like to walk the wall today and want something to carry the things I find.”

  “Look inside the servant’s room.”

  I fetched the bag that I knew waited and held the door for him as we left. We spent the remainder of the day walking the wall, and he spent the majority of it without his mist.

  Chapter 3

  I woke to a noise in my room and sat up abruptly. Weak moonlight and a dying fire cast shadows in the room, and I couldn’t see more than vague shapes.

  “Sir?” I called with my heart thundering.

  Everything remained quiet, though I knew something had woken me. I held still for several long minutes until I heard the noise again. A rip and growl from the other side of the closed door.

  I slipped from my bed and tiptoed toward the beast’s door as noises continued from the other side. Carefully, I pulled the handle, and the door eased open. The fire in the room blazed; and within the light, I saw his massive form lying on the bed. He tossed about, his claws tearing the mattress as he struggled against a dream inspired foe.

  “Sir?” I whispered again.

  He shifted onto his back, and his struggles calmed slightly, but I saw his hands still twitched. Approaching the bed, I tentatively reached toward him to smooth the hair on his arm. It stood up stiffly, an indicator of his mood.

  When I looked up at his face, I saw the glint of his eyes as he watched me.

  “A dream troubled you,” I barely whispered, wondering if he would roar at me for the intrusion. Instead, he closed his eyes; so I continued to stroke his fur. When the fur on his arm gradually settled, I shifted to his head where it still stood up wildly.

  He sighed loudly, looped an arm around me, and tugged me onto his bed. When I landed, a cloud of feathers erupted around us. I squeaked in surprise and dread. I didn’t want to be in his bed, I’d only thought to ease his troubled mind.

  “Stay until I sleep,” he said, closing his eyes.

  I relaxed slightly and shifted in the loose feathers to again stroke my fingers through the fur on his head. Not long after, I felt his body relax and his breathing deepen.

  The beast confused me. During the day, I attributed his ire to his isolation since he only had me for company. Once I retired each night, I had given little thought to what he did. Yet, I should have. The state of his room on my first day should have told me just how troubled his nights might be.

  A feather tickled my nose, and I softly blew it away. What thoughts tormented him so much that he sought to destroy the comfort and extravagance around him?

  Carefully, so I wouldn’t wake him, I eased myself to the side of the bed and lightly touched my feet to the floor.

  “She will never free me,” he mumbled and rolled to his side.

  “Who?” I whispered.

  He didn’t answer.

  Looking at him, I decided he still slept. I withdrew from his room, leaving a trail of feathers. It was a long while before I slept.

  * * * *

  Squaring my shoulders, I dropped the beast’s shirt to the floor and undid my braid.

  After his comment the night before, I decided today would be the first day to try our new bargain. He’d let me wear proper clothes for two days and had let me see him without his mist. But it was last night, seeing him so disturbed by whatever he dreamt, that made up my mind. He had so many secrets, and no one to trust with them. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be his confidant, but I didn’t like being in the dark either. I hoped keeping my end of the bargain would open him up to a few questions I had. I wanted to know who wouldn’t free him and from what he wanted to be freed.

  As I stood combing my hair before the mirror, I began to shiver. This would never work. I would shiver the whole day through and wake up sick in the morning, I thought to myself. Yet, I knew if I didn’t try to uphold my end of our new bargain, I would find myself dressed in his choice of clothes once again. Taking a calming breath, I smoothed my hands over my hair. Unbraided, it fell to my waist and could serve to shield me a little if I chose. But I didn’t use it that way.

  With one last worried look at myself, I turned away from the mirror. Each step brought more doubt, and by the time I reached the door, my hand shook. I paused and took a fortifying breath before setting my hand on the handle. I pulled open the door.

  In the hall, the beast looked up from his usual waiting place. Without the mist, I saw the shock on his face. Before I blinked, a storm cloud of mist erupted around him, swirling with an intensity that stirred the air around me.

  “Do not move,” he said.

  I stood frozen with my hand still on the door handle. His reaction and the violence of the tempest that surrounded him robbed me of my thin courage. My limbs shook with cold and fear. Several long minutes passed with the mist growing no calmer.

  “Beauty,” he growled. “Lead and I will follow.”

  My voice failed me the first time I tried to speak. After clearing it, I managed a whisper.

  “I would, but between fear and cold, I’m shaking too badly. May I try again tomorrow?”

  “No.” The single word sounded like a desperate plea. “I will meet you in the library. Join me when you are ready.”

  He depa
rted quickly, leaving me stunned and clinging to the door. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but the disturbing storm that had surrounded him hadn’t been it. That he’d left me as soon as I’d mentioned my fear helped calm me.

  I went back into my room and looked in my wardrobe for a wrap. It was empty of everything. Even the shirt I’d dropped on the floor had disappeared.

  Wrapping my arms about myself, I shivered and awkwardly walked naked through the halls until I reached the library doors. They stood ajar and glowed with orange light. Inside, I heard the roar of a large fire. I peeked around the corner but saw no sign of the beast. Or of his mist. However, the curtains were drawn, making it hard to see very far into the room beyond the circle of fire light.

  Darting inside, I stood before the fire and held out my hands to warm myself. It seemed the temperature inside had dropped severely since revealing myself.

  A whisper of noise had me spinning. A great black cloud churned just inches from me.

  “Eat,” he said gruffly.

  Only then did I notice the tray laden with every sweet imaginable. My stomach growled. The tray sat low on the table, and I didn’t want to bend to reach it.

  “Could I see you please?” I whispered.

  When he had shown himself during those brief periods over the last several days, he’d always appeared calm. The black air around him did not hint at calm. I needed to know what it meant.

  “No,” he said in a surprisingly gentle voice. “Eat. Do not fear me. You are safe.”

  I glanced at the tray. Everything on it tempted me, but it felt like a trap.

  Taking a fortifying breath, I reached for a pastry glazed with sugar and stuffed with dates, ignoring the strawberries and grapes. I kept my eyes trained on the cloud the entire time, but nothing changed. It still swirled in the same position. I continued my wary study as I took my first bite. The sugar melted on my tongue, and the taste momentarily distracted me.

  The mist moved away from me. I watched in surprise as it drifted toward the shelves and plucked the gilded book I’d wanted to read several days ago. The beast returned to the sofa and set the book on the cushions for me.

  “Relax,” he encouraged. “Read.”

  “I would prefer not,” I said, not willing to turn my back on him.

  He didn’t become upset as I expected. Instead, he seemed to sense he caused my unease because he drifted from behind the sofa to the corner near the first curtained window.

  “Please, sit,” he said in a firmer tone.

  Finishing the pastry, I licked my fingers and picked up the book. I sat as he bade and tried to read. I felt absurd sitting there naked while holding a book, and my mind drifted to my first glimpse of Father’s classroom at the Whispering Sisters. Had he felt the same way sitting in a chair before a group of naked woman? Had they? I wondered if it became easier the more time they spent together.

  The blaze kept the room warm enough that I didn’t shiver, but it began to warm the tray of food too much. I looked up, noted the glistening moisture on the fruit, and reached for several. The tartness of the grapes and sweetness of the strawberries complemented each other. When I’d eaten those, I went back to reading. I’d only managed a few pages when my eyes drifted to the pastries. The heat from the fire had warmed them enough that they smelled freshly baked.

  I glanced at the mist, but it remained the same. Since sitting, he hadn’t made a sound.

  I stretched forward and plucked another pastry from the tray. The tiny tart was no bigger than the palm of my hand. I nibbled at it slowly and read.

  The gilded book contained a compilation of poetry from several authors. Most of the poems annoyed me as whining drivel from love struck fools, but a few provoked deep thought and required re-reading. After several chapters, I tossed the book aside and looked up at the cloud.

  “I need a moment,” I said softly, hoping he would understand.

  He didn’t move, so I stood and quickly left the library. I considered running to his room and getting a shirt but took a few calming breaths and made it back to my room to use the chamber pot, instead.

  Away from the fire, I started shivering again. The cold didn’t cause me to hurry, though, and my teeth chattered by the time I returned to the library.

  I peeked around the door just to be certain the beast hadn’t moved. The mist still swirled in the corner. I crept inside and stood before the fire, telling myself he was just sleeping and wouldn’t notice me. Gradually, the shivers eased, and I sat on the sofa again. New food waited on the tray, cooled meat pulled from a bird and tender cooked vegetables.

  I moved to the shelves to look for a different book. Since farming had held my interest for a while, I decided to read about animal husbandry. It amused me since I sat with a beast while reading it.

  Losing track of time, I jumped slightly when the mist moved toward me, nudging the table. It momentarily blocked the view of the fire. The crash of a log and crackle of new flames explained why he’d moved. I hadn’t thought of feeding the fire. With the table so close, I settled back into the sofa and nibbled while I read.

  Hours later, I unfolded my legs, which I’d curled under me at some point and stretched with a huge yawn. The food tray was missing from the table, and the fire had burned down again. I recalled the beast moving several times to add to it, but he’d remained in the corner for the last hour.

  Other than feeding the fire, he’d not moved or spoken to me the entire day. I still didn’t feel comfortable without clothes, but I wasn’t afraid anymore.

  “Come,” he said softly. He sounded strained. “I will walk with you to your room.”

  I led the way through the hallway, feeling his acute gaze, and tried not to run. When we reached the door, he followed me inside. Another tray waited with a steaming bowl of soup. I still felt full from the last tray even though the pink light of sunset radiated through the windows.

  “Thank you for today, Benella. Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to repay you as you deserve.”

  I turned to see him withdraw and close the door.

  The day hadn’t been what I’d expected. Because of the lesson that Aryana and Ila had provided, I’d imagined myself running from him when his pent energies became too much. At the very least, I’d thought he would leave to find the wood nymph.

  I opened the wardrobe and found the shirt I’d taken from him and slipped it on, glad to finally have cover.

  * * * *

  The beast didn’t wait in the hallway the next morning when I exited my room, wearing another plain dress. I thought he might be tired of my company after the prior day. I would have grown bored watching me read, too.

  Gliding through the silent hallways, I made my way to the kitchen ready to spend the day outside. Though I loved books, I loved being outdoors as well. When I’d peered out my window, the sun had been peeking through thin morning clouds, promising a mild day.

  I entered a cold kitchen and glanced at the empty table in surprise. The beast paced before the door, his stormy mood apparent in his fur and bared teeth, which he chose not to hide from me. He muttered to himself quietly until I spoke.

  “Sir?”

  His head whipped toward me as if in surprise.

  “I’m afraid yesterday was for nothing,” he growled lowly.

  I remained quiet, hoping he’d provide more information.

  “In punishment for my failed attempt, she’s blocked my ability to control the magic of this place since I could not control—”

  He lashed out at the table in a violent rage. The wood split under the fury of his ravaging claws and a chunk flew toward me. In horror, I watched it tumble through the air. The wood piece struck my face just above the jawline, stinging as it gouged the skin before falling to the floor.

  I gasped and pressed a hand to my face. The noise penetrated his rage enough to pause his destruction. His ragged breathing filled the room as tears filled my eyes, mostly from anger not pain. My fingers felt warm and wet, and I pulled my h
and away long enough to look at the blood.

  Without saying a word, I walked toward him. His angry gaze met mine.

  “You hurt me,” I said flatly. I turned away and pulled open the outer door.

  He made no move to follow me.

  I strode through the long grass and made my way toward the gate as I wondered what level of stupidity had possessed me to think I might actually have had a positive influence on the beast. It was that tree’s fault. Teach him, it had said. Some creatures couldn’t be taught kindness, patience, or civility.

  Tears trickled down my face, and I stumbled over a tree root. The cut burned now, but no more than I deserved for my conceit. I’d been so certain I’d be able to figure out the puzzle that surrounded the beast.

  A roar sounded behind me, pulling me from my thoughts enough to see that all of the vines and roots of the trees around me quivered oddly. The roots in the path ahead of me flattened to the ground as if trying to help ease my passage. Good, I thought, hurrying. Behind me, the beast roared again. This time, it sounded more like a curse. Ahead, the gates beckoned, yawning wide. As I stepped through them, the beast roared my name.

  In the distance, the rattle of an empty wagon bed reverberated through the trees. I hurried my steps, and several minutes later, my feet crunched on the gravel of the road toward the Water. Just rounding the bend from Konrall, a wagon driven by Henick slowed to avoid me.

  Henick smiled and called softly to his team as he pulled back on the reins.

  “Benella, what are you doing here? I thought you left with your family to settle in Water-On-The-Bridge.”

  His familiar friendly smile sent a wave of relief through me just as the beast again roared my name. Henick’s mouth firmed as he looked at me closely.

  “What happened?” he asked with true concern.

  “I’m sorry to ask this of you, but can I ride with you to the Water? I had a run in with the beast.” Better that he thought the beast knew my name from a trespass than from an extended stay.

  “Of course.” He set the brake and jumped from the seat to offer me a hand up.