Beast

by Kim Faulks

  I tugged, feeling the foreskin wrinkle at the head of his cock before I began the downward slide. I thought I was ready for the shift as my lips brushed fur. The shock stilled my tongue, but I kept my hand moving, sliding that perfect line underneath his length against my palm to the hair over his balls.

  This was the test. I felt the pressure in a way I couldn’t understand. The animal in him brought out the animal in me. I slid the tip of my tongue through the fur on his chest. His thighs shuddered, unable to hold the slow motion as I dropped lower.

  I kissed his stomach, then dragged my lips along his cock as I knelt.

  "Belle." He growled.

  I winced at the sound. "Anna." I corrected, my breath tantalizing the tip of his member.

  "Anna." The sound of my name seemed to unlock the chains which held the both of us. "Anna."

  I opened my mouth, stretching the sides, taking in as much of him as I could. My throat worked, ramming him between the roof of my mouth and my tongue. I felt the shudder, but not a word was spoken.

  None was needed.

  All the magic of this desolate place spun in the air around us. The dank air hummed with electricity that danced across my skin, warming me to the bone. The sense of wrongness caught fire, as my beast caught fire and burned to nothingness. From the glowing coals, a tender love was born.

  I sucked and worked my way to the end, swallowing the salty taste of us. Lost in the trance of him inside my mouth, I missed the change back to the man. Rough hands gripped me, jerking me to my feet. I didn’t have the strength left to fight him, even if I wanted. All I could manage was a snarl of my own, weak, but strong enough to draw the line.

  His grip on me eased, but there was too much power behind the flesh, too much need. My beast lifted me with one swift move, slamming my body and his chains against his chest.

  The hard links pinched the underside of my breast as he gripped my thighs moving me against him. Sharp, hot pain ripped through my body as he sought my opening. I held onto sting as he slid into the warmth of my sex.

  I gripped his shoulder, pulling myself closer. I couldn’t get enough of both the beast and the man, and those yellow eyes saw—they saw everything. I dipped my head finding his mouth with mine. My tongue touched something sharp. I jerked back. The sharp points of his fangs were still there, reminding me that, in some ways, the beast would always be there.

  I tasted blood and felt the sting under my teeth. Dangerous. My pulse picked up speed as he lifted my ass and thrust. This man was deadly in more ways that one. I dropped my lips to his once more as his cock thickened. His grip on my hips tightened, stretching me wider, stealing my mind.

  I hovered my tongue against his. My beast thrust his tongue into my mouth, entwining mine in a show of domination. Shocks wracked my body as he lifted me away from his hot skin, only to slam me against him again and again. I held onto whatever I could as the end rushed toward me.

  He was all I could feel, all I could taste, and as I crashed through that brick wall into ecstasy. I dropped my head and moaned my pleasure into his mouth. I felt the ripple along my spine as he rammed his cock into me a final time. Holding himself in deep, he filled me once more.

  The chains rattled. He sank to the floor, cradling me as we crumpled to the ground. The floor felt like ice underneath my body, but I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to move.

  I felt the loss as he slipped free. His arms tightened around me. I almost wished for the fur to keep us warm while the question lingered—what now? His hand moved in soft strokes against my arm. I tried to find an ending that didn’t result with both of us dead, but there wasn’t one. Each caress seemed a reminder of what could’ve been, but never would be. The silence was almost too much to bear.

  A boom rattled the floor above us. His hand stilled at sound. I felt him shift in the dark in an instant. The beast stepped in front, putting himself between me and the door.

  The end was no longer coming. The end was here.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The muffled blast from upstairs came again, tearing through the air. A creak of a hinge was followed by a warning from my beast. My arms wobbled as I shoved myself from the floor, peering into the darkness. "Who’s there?"

  I followed the rattle of chains as the wolf strode forward until the links that confined him snapped tight. He sniffed the air. My eyes found the tiny crack of light as I climbed to my feet. Was it Mark? Had he come to finish the job? My body was heavy, each step weighed down with the blissful, post-coital lethargy, but I forced myself to face the bastard.

  The door rocked on its hinges. I hadn’t heard the snap of the lock. I hadn’t heard anything but that explosion upstairs. My wolf continued to sniff the air and whine. I inhaled deep, trying to find what he knew, but all I scented was cold earth.

  I shivered and crept forward, with my beast, then inched closer to the opened door. A low whine tore from my lover’s lips. I understood every tone just as if he spoke. Be careful. I nodded, staring at that tiny sliver of dull light. This could be trap. Mark could be out there, waiting for me to come to him.

  And if it wasn’t? If this was our only way chance to escape and I was too scared to recognize it, what then? The chains snapped tight. The grind of metal on metal set my teeth on edge.

  I reached out. My fingertips brushed the edge of the door. This was my chance to be strong for the both of us, if I could only find my courage.

  My grip found the corner. I eased the door open an inch at a time. No one reached for me. Cold air lashed my bare skin as I stepped into the doorway, earning a sharp woof. I scanned the corridors and stepped back inside.

  "He’s not there. I don’t know where he is."

  Gold eyes implored me.

  "Maybe he didn’t latch it when he left before? I can’t remember. Everything’s a blur."

  The darkness shifted into silvered shadows, revealing the pale hue of his skin. He gripped my shoulders, then pressed his warm lips against my forehead before he spoke. "Run. Save yourself. Get to the forest if it’s light. If it’s still dark, the house can hide you. Hurry."

  I shook my head. "Not without you."

  The air buffeted my arm as he reached, to push me away, or draw me close, I wasn’t sure. "Don’t be stupid. This is your chance to run, Anna. Take it. Take. It."

  Freedom lingered within arms reach, but it wasn’t though those doors. He didn’t get it. "I’ve been dead inside for so long, I’d forgotten what it felt like to be alive. Please don’t make me go back to that. I want the man and the beast. I want everything."

  The choked hiss told me I’d found my target. "I’ve waited an eternity to hear someone say those words to me. I’d given up hoping."

  "Well, here I am. I’m not going anywhere without you."

  He lifted his head and that golden gaze drenched me in sunlight. "Then we’d better hurry. There has to be something we can use to cut this chain."

  I glanced back to the door. "Okay, stay right there, all right?"

  The chuff was almost a snarl. "Where else can I go?"

  "Right." I set my sights on whatever tool I could use to cut those heavy links. A bench of some kind sat at the end of the corridor. I rushed forward, searching the wooden shelf and found a small file and a rusted set of pliers I couldn’t open.

  There was nothing else on the bench, nothing but years’ worth of dust and filth. The dull room blurred. I mashed my lips together, muffling the sob building in the back of my throat.

  "It’s okay, Anna. Don’t cry sweetheart. Don’t cry."

  I threw the pliers across the room, not caring if the sound carried. The steel tinged, hitting steel before it fell to the ground. I wiped the tears from my eyes and swallowed the thickness in the back of my throat. There was nothing left to do, but to wait for Mark to come.

  My steps felt as heavy as my heart as I returned to the open doorway. I glanced to the pliers, lying underneath a jumble of rust. Maybe I could work the handles. If I cold crack the seal I could work free
the bolts that secured the chain to the wall?

  I headed to the useless tool and bent, picking it up from the ground. My fingers hit a rusted mess. I squinted, trying to make sense of the coppery mass, realizing it was nothing more than a jumble of keys in all sizes splayed on a round keyring. I swept them aside, intent on finding a piece of sandpaper or a small can of oi—

  Keys.

  I glanced back to the doorway, then snatched them from the ground. My steps were a haze. My mind numb. I held the ring and lunged for the doorway. "Keys. Keys. Your lock."

  The words didn’t make sense, but he understood all too well. His eyes widened. "Keys. Yes, the lock at my neck."

  I fumbled through the mess. There were so many. I didn't know which one.

  "That one, it doesn't have as much rust. Try it."

  I snagged the silver tip and shoved the others clear. Please don’t break. Please don’t break.

  I grabbed the lock at his neck and stabbed the key toward the opening. My hands trembled so hard, I missed. I whimpered and tried again, gritting my teeth and steadying my hand. The tip slid inside the slot. I gently eased the metal the rest of the way and twisted.

  The snap of the lock was like a shot of adrenaline to my heart. The steel body fell away. I jerked the ends of the chain free. They fell from around my lover’s neck to clatter to the floor.

  My beast glanced to the open door and then to me. There was only one thing to do.

  A growl echoed from his chest, sending shivers along my skin. He held out his hand and I took it. I could tell the first step for him was the hardest. How long he’d been down here, I didn’t know. I tightened my grip. He’d never be alone from this day on. Every battle, every triumph, every loss, we’d share together.

  His steps were quiet, as though he walked on air, heading for the doorway. He sniffed, not giving the corridor a second glance. I followed no more than a step behind as he wound his way to the base of the long line of stairs.

  "This was once my home. I wonder if it still recognizes me as its master."

  The answer escaped my lips without a thought. "Yes, without a doubt."

  He turned back to look at me, his hard gaze softening. "We shall see, won’t we?"

  He let my hand go, surging forward. I couldn’t help but stare at his naked body as he mounted the stairs. His thighs rippled, all that power and it was mine.

  That thought resonated as my chest burned with the force of keeping up to him. Mine. This man might be the beast, but there was one inside me as well, just as savage, just as caged, and it recognized its mate.

  He stopped for a split second, waiting for me to catch up before trying the handle of the door. The lock gave and the door swung inward. "It seems some memories can’t be forgotten so easy."

  I nodded, confused by what he meant as we stepped through. I glimpsed the thick bolt from the door as we passed. The rod was extended all the way forward, as though it was still inside the hasp. The heavy padlock still hung from the housing, locked.

  The man disappeared before my very eyes, sprouting the thick dark fur I longed to touch. A swish of his tail against my breasts comforted me as he turned, setting his lemon gaze on mine. I nodded, understanding what needed to be done.

  We raced through the house, him bounding through the halls and me, trying my best to catch up. The wolf skidded as he leapt from the shadows to a stop at the base of the stairs.

  The front part of the house was missing. Remnants of its glory were scattered on the ground. I gulped the crisp pine-scented air, shedding the filth of that cellar from my lungs.

  A scream tore through the air above us. Belle. My legs felt like concrete, I stumbled, following the beast as he bounded up the stairs, taking four steps at a time. He raced along the balcony, disappearing from view through a doorway.

  My hand slipped from the rails as I clawed my way up one stair at a time. Savage snarls cut through the air. I focused on that entrance, giving everything I had left. I bounced off the doorway, scanning the antique four-poster bed of the master suite.

  My beast stood on the far side of the room, facing Mark, who had his back to me. A woman lay on the ground at his feet, naked, bloody. I blinked, trying to shift the gore.

  She wasn’t Belle.

  A whimper from the other side of the room dragged my gaze. Belle cowered in the far corner, her face was bloody, her eyes wide. Lord Bête stood over her, teeth bared at Mark. Honorable to the very end. The beast shifted his gaze—only for a second—to me, then back to monster in the room.

  The bastard hadn’t heard me. I clamped my mouth shut, quietening my breaths. Blood dripped from the carving knife in Mark’s hand to splash against the floor. I stepped inside. A lunge from the wolf kept Mark’s gaze firmly fixed on him. Was he giving me a chance to end this?

  My focused on Mark, and felt my lips curl back. I welcomed the beast inside myself. I had one chance.

  I lunged for his back, not caring about the knife in his hand. My fingers wound through his hair. I gripped what I could and clamped my legs around his waist. My arms felt like jelly. I jerked with all the strength I had left, yanking his head to the side.

  The wolf leapt. His fangs sank deep. Mark’s flesh peeled like an overripe peach as we fell to the ground. His blood shot like a fountain, splashing against my lover’s snout and onto me. I hit the ground, knocking the wind from my chest. Pain detonated inside my head as I met the wooden floor. Still, I gripped Mark’s hips, riding the fall, not giving the sonofabitch a chance to survive.

  "Finish it," I screamed.

  I was seized by his savagery, sickened, for it mirrored my own. A hard yank of Mark’s head and the sickening sound of breaking bones filled the air.

  My fell to the ground, the soft brown curls still wound through my fingers as Mark’s head came away from the body. I stared at the wolf as my heart hammered, then kicked the body away. Free, we were finally free.

  But how free were we? What would happen if we tried to leave, would the magic keep us here in this house, wrapped tightly by the forest around us?

  One beast. One woman.

  My legs shook as I climbed to my feet and reached out a bloody hand. My beast moved against me and I wrapped my arms around him tight. No matter what happened next, I‘d finally found my happy ever after.

  THE END

  Thank you for reading my dark fairytale, Beast. Keep reading for a taste of the next Submissively Ever After instalment, Gretel.

  The death of my father left a hole in my family. Left bankrupt, my brother, Hansel is forced to sell our furniture and our jewels, but refuses to sell our home.

  What will we trade when the money runs dry? When the cupboards are bare and there’s still mouths to feed?

  Hansel looks at me now with the devil in his eyes. There’s only one who can save me from the fate Hansel has planned—my Ghost in the darkness, my wolf.

  But Ghost is forced to leave without knowing Hansel’s bartering the only thing we have left. Me. And I don’t think he’ll be back to save me.

  Chapter One

  Gretel

  “What are you smiling at?”

  Mother’s icy tone chilled the air. I felt her gaze skim past me to Maybelle as the smirk died on my lips. I fingered the frayed edge of the doily in front of me, tracing the thread from top to bottom.

  From of the corner of my eye, our servant curtsied. The smile we shared evaporated from her lips. “Nothing, ma’am. Enjoy chef’s special apricot pastries.”

  Maybelle pushed the platter toward me, then turned away. I inhaled the delicious scent and my belly moaned in response. I grabbed the delicate silver tongs perched on the edge of the platter. Before I could pick up the pastry on top, the sound of a scraping chair tore through the room. The edge of the pastry crumbled as I clipped the edge, earning me a sharp glare from my mother. She whisked the dish away and offered it to my brother, Hansel.

  “Here you go my darling. You like these don’t you?”

  Her tone was s
weeter than the pastries in her hands. I dropped into my chair and placed the tongs on my empty plate. Mother giggled, dragging the glazed morsels from the tray to my brother’s plate by the tips of her fingers, then sucked her fingers delicately.

  Her behavior struck me as odd. Mother was acting like a child, laughing and giggling, running her hands over Hansel’s bony chest. She tickled the three small hairs that sprouted from his open neckline and bent to kiss his lips.

  A dark secret lingered in the air, one that made my belly churn and my heart race.

  Hansel’s chin jutted high as he yanked his gaze toward me. Those eyes glinted, burning like fire. A power that had never been there before flickered in his gaze. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

  My brother’s lips curled at the edges, the smile far from brotherly. In that instant, I registered the difference. His skin shone just as it had the day before and there was no hint of depth in his voice, but the change was unmistakable. Gone was the boy I’d shared my life with, and in his place was now a man.

  I shifted attention to my mother, who pouted in front of him. I caught the sweep of her hand along his small shoulders. She was acting strange, touching more than normal. The air of possessiveness blunted my hunger.

  A deep sound sliced the tension as my father cleared his throat. I turned my gaze toward the doorway. Father strode into the dining room. He slowed long enough to give me a wink, then ruffled Hansel’s hair as he passed.

  He glanced across the table and dipped his head. “Good morning, my love.”

  Mother dropped like a weight into the chair, her cold gaze firmly fixed on the plate in front of her. “Morning.”

  I watched the exchange, hovering on the outside like a stranger. Her love had always been hot and cold. I had yet to feel the warmth.

  “Hansel, did you sleep well, my son?”