Taming the Beast: Eleven Paranormal Romances

by Alyse Zaftig

  The grizzly reared up on his back legs, reaching to his full height. His head brushed the crystal chandelier above the foyer as a roar ripped from his lungs.

  The men were so frightened, one of them shot while the others scurried out of the mansion. The bullet hit James in the shoulder, but he barely felt it. He landed on all fours and readied himself for the charge.

  Blood seeped down his foreleg as he began to barrel toward the intruders. Tim was trying to reach Matilda who had fallen down on the stairs and was backing away on her hands and feet. James pivoted toward Tim and bit into the scoundrel’s leg, crunching hard, his teeth slicing into bone. Tim screamed and Matilda covered her ears.

  The taste of Tim’s blood on his lips broke something inside him. He had to protect Matilda. The rage of his inner grizzly drove him to destroy the intruder.

  More screams came from outside and Matilda begged him to stop. He heard her voice, deep behind the crazed mind of his grizzly. Somehow, now that he had something worth fighting for, James was able to regain control of his beast.

  He let go and backed away from the wounded ex-boyfriend. The giant grizzly turned to the front door toward the sound of screaming. He and Matilda arrived outside just in time to see the statues that lined the front walk no longer standing upon their pedestals, and throwing pinecones and stones at the intruders.

  The men jumped into their car and drove away, leaving Tim behind, bleeding on the foyer floor. James was so startled by sight of the statues being fully animated right in front of his face that he snapped out of his grizzly form and was left naked and bloodied on the cold concrete walkway. Matilda made a startled sound beside him, and he looked down at her. Her hands were on her lips. Her eyes were wide.

  “Are you seeing this?” he asked. Just to make sure.

  “Oh yes, I’m seeing this.”

  “Who are you?” James demanded.

  But the statues silently climbed back on their pedestals and took their stony-faced positions once again.

  Tim wailed from inside the mansion. James and Matilda hurried back to the house to deal with the mess. While James got dressed, Matilda called 911. It didn’t take long for the Fate Mountain Bear Patrol to arrive and take Tim away. The entire time the police were there, Tim raved about the statues. James told the police that he and his friends had come to the estate on drugs and had been hallucinating the whole time.

  “Thank you for the help Commander Morris,” James said as the chief of police walked back to his patrol car.

  When the police were gone, James and Matilda slowly walked through the house, examining every object either of them had ever seen move. They were both determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. With her helping him, James believed that he would finally find answers.

  Ever since Matilda had come into his life, he had been confronted with his own flaws in a way that made him wake up to the world once again. She had also helped him see that he wasn’t quite as broken as he had believed himself to be. And those things together were helping him heal in a way he had never expected. Maybe he could be whole again. Maybe he could finally have hope.

  When they didn’t find anything, Matilda and James walked back into his bedroom and sat on his big leather couch. They looked up at the cuckoo clock that James had seen looking at him more often than not, and held each other.

  They hadn’t found any clues and none of the objects had moved or communicated with them. Part of him was beginning to believe maybe it really was an illusion. He had thought himself mad for so long, it was difficult to get over the habit.

  Then it happened.

  The clock slowly opened its eyes and looked at them. Matilda sat up straight, stiffening beside him. He glanced at her and she was blinking her eyes repeatedly, staring at the clock.

  “You see that, right?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Just checking,” James said.

  “Who are you?” Matilda asked the clock.

  “I am Clockworth,” the cuckoo clock said. “And I am the guardian of this estate.”

  “How is this possible?” James demanded.

  “Long ago, a gifted mage lived in this mansion. He enchanted many of the objects here. After he was killed, no one was left who knew about us. Over the years, we’ve tried to communicate. We were created to be helpers to man. We wanted to help you, but we saw that it only bothers you, just like everyone else who has lived here over the years.”

  “This place was a steal, fully furnished and everything,” James said.

  “They always said this place was haunted when I was a kid, and now I understand why.”

  “Maybe it is haunted, in a manner of speaking,” Clockworth said. “But all we want is to help and to have a good conversation.”

  “Can you teach me about magic?” Matilda said with awe in her voice. She looked up at James with stars in her eyes.

  “Of course.”

  “I could happily study these objects for the rest of my life, James. I always wanted to be an archaeologist.”

  It filled James’s heart with gladness to hear those words.

  “Does that mean you don’t want to go to college anymore?”

  “I no longer see the point.”

  “We can help with a great many things,” Clockworth said. “Not just instructions on magic.”

  “There’s a lot to do around here,” Matilda said, tapping her lip. “My beast is a bit of a slob.”

  She giggled and kissed James’s cheek.

  “Of course!” Clockworth said. “We can clean the house for you.”

  “You can do that?” James asked.

  “Yes, it’s easy.”

  “Fantastic. You can start on the downstairs bathroom,” Matilda said with joy in her voice.

  At that, several objects jumped down from the shelves and off the walls and hurried out of the bedroom. James could hear clattering all throughout the house as they began to clean the downstairs bathroom.

  “Can you believe it?!” Matilda said, gripping James’s arm in excitement.

  “I can’t.”

  “All this time, you had all the help you needed to clean the house.”

  “This is good news,” he said taking her in his arms. “I have much bigger plans for you.”

  James kissed Matilda deeply as she giggled and wiggled in his arms. The feeling of her curves under his hands made him rigid with desire. As he climbed over her on the couch and rested between her warm thighs, he knew the best things in life were yet to come.

  Part IV

  Baylee and the Beasts

  Kit Fawkes

  Chapter 1

  Her new employers were even more attractive in person. Baylee Edwards knew that was an inappropriate thought to have as they introduced themselves, but she couldn’t stifle it. All week, since she’d interviewed via Skype with Duncan Fitzhugh and Nick Wellington, she’d been thinking of them far more than she should. Her thoughts had focused on them rather than on the temporary job she was taking at their estate.

  As she shook Duncan’s hand, she had to resist the urge to push back strands of reddish blonde hair that was presently obscuring one of his blue eyes. Then she had to resist the urge to throw herself against him as heat sparked up her hand and spread throughout her body.

  As quickly and as discreetly as possible, she pulled her hand free and turned to Nick Wellington. When his fingers touched hers, she barely bit back a moan. She had the same reaction to her dark-haired, dark-eyed temporary boss as she’d had to the other one. Her heart was galloping in her ears, and once again, she released his hand as quickly as possible.

  “We’ll show you to your room, and then the library. As we mentioned in the interview, it’s a disaster. It hasn’t been modernized or catalogued.”

  She nodded at Duncan’s words. “I’ll be happy to evaluate it as we discussed, Mr. Fitzhugh.” That was the first step to organizing it. She was here for however long it took to modernize the estate’s extensive library collection.
It was a live-in position, and with Sam being persistent, she was happy to get away from the city for a few days, or perhaps even a few weeks, depending on the scope of the job.

  “Call me Duncan,” he said as he put a hand on her lower back to steer her in a polite fashion toward an impressive set of stairs. They were at least four times wider than a standard set, and the polished wood shone with a mellow patina of age. She couldn’t help caressing the wooden banister and found it as smooth as it looked.

  “And you must call me Nick,” said her other boss. He gestured for her to go ahead of him.

  It was a bit nerve-racking to climb all the stairs and be aware of them just a couple of steps below her. She had a vivid mental image of tripping and falling backward. If she injured her new bosses, she imagined that would be the end of the assignment.

  The flight of stairs felt like it went on forever before they reached the second landing and found two more staircases. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Duncan, cocking her eyebrow in question.

  “Keep going straight. These stairs lead to the left and right wing, but the library and your room is in the main wing.”

  She climbed more stairs, feeling the burn in her thighs. She wasn’t exactly a couch potato, but she wasn’t an avid exerciser either. She preferred yoga and swimming, and only grudgingly went to the gym upon occasion when her girlfriends guilted her into it. She was feeling the consequences of that choice now, and it was a relief to reach the second floor.

  “To the right,” said Nick. He had already turned that way, as had Duncan.

  Now, she followed behind them again, and when she should have been paying attention to her surroundings, instead she was admiring the view. Both men were dressed casually in faded denim jeans that hugged their bodies lovingly. She quickly reached the conclusion they both had very fine buttocks.

  Fortunately, she wasn’t so engrossed in staring at their asses that she kept walking and stumbled into them when they stopped. She smothered another groan when she realized it was yet another set of stairs, though these steps were more conventional, being narrower and less fancy. When they reached the top, both men turned to the left, and she followed them. She was hoping she would remember how to find her way back to the main area with all the twists and turns.

  Nick stopped in front of a set of French doors and pushed one open. The gleaming gold handle complemented the pearlescent white paint. This time, when they stepped inside, she couldn’t hide her gasp. “This is my room?” It was huge, with delicate Victorian furniture, and a massive four-poster bed that could have easily held all three of them. She blinked at the thought, subtly shaking her head to clear it as she tried to focus on why she was there instead of allowing herself to indulge in unrealistic fantasies. “It’s lovely.”

  “We’ll leave you to settle in, and then we can show you the library in a little while.”

  She waved a hand. “That’s not necessary, but thank you. I just need to get my luggage from the car, but that can wait. Right now, I’d like to see the library.”

  Duncan nodded. “If you prefer, we’ll show you the collection, and then we’ll bring up your luggage.”

  She supposed she should protest, or tell them that wasn’t necessary, but the idea of dragging her three suitcases up all the stairs was enough to have her acquiescing without protest. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”

  Moving almost as one, they turned back to exit her room, and she fell into step behind them. Going down the stairs was a lot easier than going up them, and the view was just as nice, if not better. Watching their muscles flex with each step was making her heart rate increase, and she was embarrassed by how hardened her nipples had grown. She was thankful for the thick sweater she wore that surely hid the evidence of her arousal.

  They only descended the one utilitarian flight of stairs, walking down the landing and straight past the staircase that led to the main entrance. She followed behind them as they bypassed several other doors in the hallway before pausing before a set of French doors similar to the ones gracing her own room. Duncan pressed down the handles on both doorknobs simultaneously and pushed the doors open with a flourish.

  She crossed the threshold, and her eyes widened at the size of the library before her. It easily rivaled the suburban library where she had worked until budget cuts had forced them to reduce staff. It was almost as large as the university library where she had spent so much time getting her degree in Library Sciences. Just looking at it, she was certain she wouldn’t be finished in a matter of days.

  Neither Duncan nor Nick had followed her inside, and she turned to look at them. Before she could ask, Nick said, “We’ll leave you to get familiar with everything, and your bags will be in your room shortly.”

  Nick glanced at his watch. “Mrs. Farley usually serves dinner at five, since we like to eat before it gets dark—early risers, know—so that gives you about four hours to look things over and settle in. Please don’t feel like you have to work here in the library for all those four hours.”

  She nodded her appreciation and watched them leave. After the door closed behind her, she let out a long sigh. She couldn’t decide which was more exciting about this temporary assignment—her employers, or the books.

  At least the books were a sure thing, and she wouldn’t humiliate herself by approaching them. Casting a rueful glance down at her short, curvy body, she reminded herself neither one of her bosses were likely to find her as attractive as she found them. They were both outstanding specimens of manhood, while she was on the plain, average side. She certainly wasn’t a size two, and she wasn’t the type to make men swoon.

  Abruptly, she recalled Sam telling her she needed to be more enthusiastic in bed to compensate for her flaws. She flinched before snorting aloud. Sam had been an ass, and he’d been all wrong for her. She needed to remember that any time one of his small barbs worked its way through her memory. With any luck, she wouldn’t have to think about Sam much at all. Now that she was out of the city, and she had changed her phone number, she was unlikely to have to deal with him again.

  That thought left her in a cheerful frame of mind, and digging into the books only improved her mood. Duncan and Nick hadn’t exaggerated when they’d told her it was a mess. Nothing was in order. Someone hadn’t even taken the time to alphabetize the titles, let alone group them under the Dewey Decimal System for the nonfiction works.

  Someone had kept them clean though, because each book she pulled out randomly to determine just how out of place it was came out clean and dust free. She was pleased someone had taken care of the books, but puzzled by why they hadn’t cared enough to restore some semblance of order.

  There was a large grandfather clock in the library, and abruptly, she realized it was four-thirty when it chimed again. She had lost herself in the project and the pleasure of all the books. There were so many first editions that it made her head swoon, and they had obscure works in every classification.

  Realizing dinner was going to be served soon, she stood up, getting off the floor where she’d been seated to examine a shelf full of books on the occult. Those had appeared more thumbed-through than the others, and she wondered if one of her employers had an interest in the subject, or perhaps it had been one of their ancestors. This library was clearly at least as old as Midvale Manor itself, which she pegged to be at a few hundred years old.

  Dusting her hands down her pants, though they were remarkably clean after dealing with all the old books, she left the library and returned to her room. There wasn’t time for a shower, but she did spend a few minutes freshening up and applying a light layer of makeup.

  Baylee debated about changing for dinner, but ultimately decided against it. For one thing, she was short on time, and for another, she hadn’t brought anything fancy. She had one little black dress with her, but after a day of driving and exploring the library, she really didn’t feel like expending the extra effort to dress up just to eat.

  She might feel awkward
or out of place if she arrived in the dining room and found her employers dressed to the nines, but she decided she’d rather underdress than overdress. Her khaki pants and sensible pink button-down shirt would just have to do.

  It was surprisingly easy to navigate her way back to the main floor, though she had been concerned about getting lost. When she reached the first floor, she found Nick and Duncan lounging against the wall, clearly waiting for her. She was startled by their thoughtfulness and smiled at the both of them. She was also relieved to note they were as equally casual as she was. In fact, they still wore the clothes they had worn earlier, and that was certainly nothing to complain about. If all jeans fit all men like that, they would be her new favorite clothing.

  Each held out a hand to her, and she was indecisive on whose to take as she walked forward. They solved that problem by both taking her hand and leading her to the left, down another long hallway. “I wasn’t expecting an escort.”

  “We didn’t want you to get lost. Midvale Manor is ridiculously large,” said Duncan.

  “Hey, it’s just right,” said Nick, though there was laughter in his voice.

  “His relatives were a bit pretentious,” said Duncan in a pseudo-whisper.

  “Says the second son of Laird Fitzhugh. Didn’t you say your family’s castle was at least twice the size of Midvale Manor?”

  “My ancestor’s castle,” said Duncan, his gaze meeting Nick’s.

  She wasn’t certain what message was conveyed, but Nick nodded, and the conversation switched topics as they entered the dining room.

  She’d been expecting some ridiculous monstrosity, with the table spanning fifty feet and capable of seating a hundred. Instead, it was a cozy dining room with only room for six chairs around the reasonably sized table. Before she could ask, it was like Nick had read her mind.

  He said, “This is the informal dining room. There’s a formal one farther down the hall, and it seats fifty, but we never have call to use it.”