The Heart of The Beast

by Susan Kohler

  Tom paused to take a quick look at Beauty’s red bottom. “You’re right M’lord. I myself used to spank her harder than that when she was a fractious child.”

  “Traitor!” Beauty snarled. “Men!”

  “As you can see, Tom, she’s still fractious, although she’s no child.” The Beast grinned at Tom, something he’d never done before. Quietly he repeated a third time, “Leave us.”

  Tom met the Beast’s eyes and for the first time in as long as he could remember, felt some hope for Beauty’s future. There was a slight easing of the hatred in Tom’s heart, a small lessening of his thirst for vengeance. A tenuous smile passed between the two men. It was the tiniest hint of a truce between them; the universal and timeless acknowledgment amid men throughout the world about the vagaries of a woman’s nature. One male agreeing silently with another over the problems caused by a woman. Without another word Tom turned and left, locking the barn door behind him.

  As soon as Tom left, the Beast rolled Beauty over. He ignored her soft gasp as her tender bottom found the rough straw. He grasped both her hands in one of his and held her arms over her head.

  He grinned and lowered his mouth to hers whispering gently, “Is it true, lass? Are ye jealous? Have you come to care so much for me?”

  “Of course not, you fool,” Beauty said very softly, but her eyes were soft and half-closed, her breath was coming slowly, and there was the hint of a smile playing on her lips.

  “Little liar,” whispered the Beast, grinning as he reached for her and gathered her in his arms. He kissed her gently and began to remove her clothes. “I thought you were always truthful.”

  She met his passion with a need of her own, matching him kiss for kiss and caress for caress. He played with her with his mouth and hands before thrusting his manhood deep into her and bringing her to a furious climax.

  “It seems there’s another difference between you and my horse,” the Beast mused aloud, teasing Beauty. “My horse doesn’t get as much pleasure from being ridden as you seem to.”

  “I but feign my pleasure to boost M’lord’s fragile ego,” Beauty said primly.

  “Feigned?” the Beast teased softly. “You bit my shoulder.”

  “I was exceedingly hungry,” Beauty said sternly, her eyelids almost closed. “Tis long past time for the noon meal.”

  Those were the last coherent words she said for a very long time as the Beast took her yet again. Later, still lying in the hay, Beauty snuggled contentedly in his arms.

  “Why is it that whenever either one of us gets jealous,” she ignored his derisive snort and continued, “I’m the one who always winds up with a sore butt?”

  “That’s the way of things, Beauty,” the Beast grinned, teasing her, “luckily for me.”

  The pair put their clothes on and made their way back to the castle. Heads held high, they walked past several soldiers who noticed the dirt and straw sticking to Beauty’s torn blue silk gown and to the Beast’s shirt and hose. They walked past servants who noted the bits of straw in their hair and their dirty faces. They headed up the stairs and straight to the bedchamber. Neither one of them noticed the absence of the woman who had been tied to the bed. The Beast ordered Gwyneth to send their supper and hot bathwater up to the bedchamber as soon as possible. He wanted this private time with Beauty to continue.

  Soon they were squeezed into the bronze tub together, soaping each other. A large tray of food was placed within reach. There was roast chicken, candied peaches, bread, cheese and fine red wine.

  “M’lord?” Beauty ventured timidly, holding a slice of the peach up to his mouth. “Why would you be interested in any other woman? What am I lacking? Do I not do anything you ask? Am I not compliant with your every wish?”

  He took the bite and poured a single goblet of wine, drinking from it before holding it up to her lips.

  “Beauty, you do indeed do everything I ask, and you are very amenable. That may be part of the problem. If you go on being so compliant, you may begin to bore me.” The Beast looked at Beauty and demanded, only partly teasing, “Where is the woman who stood up to me, in spite of her obvious fear, and bargained for her brother’s life?”

  “Wouldn’t I be breaking the agreement if I quibbled with you and argued all the time?” Beauty asked as she reached over and tore a leg off the chicken.

  “You agreed to love me and to do anything I asked. Telling me your true feelings on things won’t break the agreement. Don’t you think wives who love their husbands ever speak back?” the Beast asked, taking the chicken leg from her and eating it himself.

  Silently she tore off the other leg and held it out of his reach as she ate it quickly.

  “You want me to speak back to you? To fight with you?” Beauty asked astonished to the core as soon as she had swallowed her food.

  “Nay, but I want your honesty and I don’t think I have it yet. It makes me distrust you,” the Beast told her, handing her the goblet of wine.

  “You think I’m disloyal? I’ve done everything you asked without question. What more can I do?” Beauty was puzzled as she sipped her wine.

  “You misunderstand, lass. I know you to be completely loyal to me. But I also want you to be true to yourself whilst serving me. I saw the real you once, terrified and pleading, but still you stood toe to toe with me and bargained with me. I’d like to see that lass again.” The Beast gazed at her.

  “Really?” Beauty’s voice was deceptively soft. “How can I bring out that innocent girl, with a mind of her own and just barely enough courage to speak her piece? How, I ask you, when every time I disagree with you or displease you in any small way, I wind up over your knees with a stinging bottom?”

  “And you probably always will,” the Beast grinned openly before reaching for a crust of bread.

  “Why?” Beauty puzzled.

  “Because I enjoy taking you over my knees. I enjoy spanking you and making you squirm. I love to see the colour come into your cheeks and feel the heat where my hand has been,” the Beast smirked, watching the colour come onto her cheeks. “Not hurting you, mind you, but playing with you.”

  “Oh? Sometimes your play does smart and sting quite a bit,” Beauty said quietly, wishing she wasn’t blushing.

  “Sometimes I really am punishing you, and sometimes my temper gets away from me,” the Beast admitted. “Still, if you want to hold my interest, you’ll have to find a way to stand up to me once in a while.”

  “Or?”

  “Or I’ll send you home.” His voice was deceptively steady and firm.

  Although it was delivered in a flat, calm voice it was an empty threat. The Beast would never send Beauty away and though neither had admitted it yet, even to themselves, they both knew it. By now the Beast had all but forgotten the oath he’d forced out of Beauty. The oath that she was never to see her family again.

  Suddenly, Beauty exploded in magnificent anger, shocking the Beast. “Now if that isn’t just like a man! If I do what you want, I’m too boring. If I argue, I get punished. If I bore you, you’ll send me home to see the family that I love so much I was willing to die to save one of them. What a stupid threat! Only a man could be so dumb! If I argue and get punished, not only do I lose any hope of seeing my family but I also have to stay here with you! And what have you ever done to make me want to stay with you anyway? Spank me? Rape me? Use me as the lowest servant? I’d sure miss all that if I went back to my loving family, wouldn’t I?”

  She drank deeply from the wine goblet before pouring more and downing that too.

  Shocked, the Beast responded with a rage of his own. “What have I done to make you want to stay? I’ve treated you better than I ever have any woman before. Your chores are few and easy. Your beatings are not severe at all, I’m almost gentle with you.”

  His eyes narrowed ominously as he snorted, “I try to give you all the loving that I can. What more do you want?”

  “I want the right to disagree with you, even argue. I want to share lau
ghter with you and offer you comfort when things aren’t going well for you. I want your affection when we love, as much as your passion. I want to be free to see my family and to be trusted to return to you.” Beauty paused before continuing softly, “And I want two more things: I want to know what happened to leave Molly crippled and pregnant... ”

  “And?” the Beast growled lowly.

  “And I want to know what would become of me and the child if I were to become with child,” Beauty whispered softly.

  “That’s quite a list of desires, my love.” Both of them tried to ignore his use of the term, even though it was the first time he’d ever addressed her so affectionately. Outwardly, only a brief flicker of shock in her eyes acknowledged that Beauty had even heard it. Inwardly her heart threatened to beat its way out of her chest.

  Finally the Beast recovered from his own shock and continued, “I do not know what I would do if you were with child. If you had any noble blood, I could marry you so the child would be my heir.”

  “What?” Beauty almost shrieked.

  She was so astonished, she dropped the goblet into the rapidly cooling bathwater.

  “Why not? I have no desire to tie myself to any woman but I do need an heir. One woman is as good as another,” the Beast shrugged, grabbing the wine goblet and drinking directly from it. “The only difference I can see would be her title and her dowry. If you had those things, you would do me as well as any other, nay even better, for I know you and have trained you to my ways. Well, almost trained you.”

  Beauty fumed as a longing she didn’t want to admit, even to herself, filled her soul. She wanted no man to marry her on those terms, she decided. She wanted the man she was to marry to be doing it for only one reason; because he wanted her as his mate for life. Something that would never happen, now that she’d given her future to the Beast. Wisely, she kept her feelings to herself. It was only one of her many secrets.

  Without knowing her turn of mind, the Beast continued, “But as it is, I do not know. I still refuse to give you permission to visit your family. As for the rest, you are arguing with me right now or hadn’t you realized it? And I notice you did not ask me to stop spanking you, or did you forget to mention it?”

  “I don’t mind it so much.” Beauty blushed as she admitted, “As long as you love me afterwards. It’s only after you spank me that you open up and really talk to me and cuddle me, like you are now.”

  She wiggled against him as she continued, “I didn’t like the belt though, it stings and hurts exceedingly.”

  “You minx!” the Beast exclaimed, as her foot gently explored and teased his burgeoning manhood.

  Then he faltered. “About the girl Molly. Yes, as is my right, I took her. At least, I probably did. I really don’t remember her. Then I must have left her, maybe to attend to a squabble in the village, or handle a crisis in the stables. I don’t recall. I just know I didn’t cause her injuries. I know I’ve done many things you disapprove of but I swear to you before God, I’ve never done that kind of injury to any woman.”

  “I can only guess what happened. I probably left her in the great hall unguarded. Someone must have dragged her into the barn, raped her and beat her senseless, leaving her crippled. I know not who. I would have wanted her to stay with me so that Gwyneth could care for her if I had known aught of her injuries.” He paused before admitting, “I do know that girls have been attacked after being here, even though I started sending an escort to see them home. That’s why you’re always so well guarded.”

  “So you only raped her?” Beauty accused.

  “It wasn’t rape. If I had her, it was my right,” the Beast shot back. “It’s how I was raised.”

  “I know,” Beauty admitted, “but I still can’t believe it’s morally right.”

  “We’ll argue about that later.” The Beast pulled her to him. “Right now I have better ideas. Let’s leave this tub and get into bed.”

  “Tired, M’lord? ‘Tis early,” Beauty teased.

  “I’m not a bit tired, as you’ll soon find out.” The Beast gathered her into his arms and dropped her, dripping wet, onto the bed. He grabbed a few of the candied peaches from the tray and spread them, artistically, on Beauty’s breasts.

  “I think I’ll have dessert now,” he grinned, lowering his mouth to nibble on the sweet fruit.

  “Whatever M’lord wishes,” Beauty murmured, her eyes closing in passion as she savoured the feel of his tongue on her breasts.

  “M’lord, I also crave dessert,” Beauty moaned as the sensations washed over her.

  Reaching out one arm, she grasped the bowl of candied peaches. She pushed against the Beast’s muscled chest until he lay back on the mattress. Beauty poured some of the peaches on his chest and began to nibble and suckle until the fruit was removed. The Beast nearly went wild. She poured some more of the fruit onto his erect maleness and ate that right off his body. This time the Beast did go wild, his whole body buckling under her tender, sensual ministrations.

  As his breathing returned to normal, the Beast reached out for the bowl of fruit. “Tis my turn, you’ve already had two portions,” he said gruffly.

  He poured the fruit onto the juncture of her thighs and put the bowl aside. Slowly, with his eyes holding hers, he grinned. That grin sent shivers down her spine. Those shivers were nothing compared to the sensations that followed though. He lowered his mouth to the tangle of curls and drove her out of her mind. Before he finished driving her to the heights of ecstasy, he had her legs resting on her shoulders and her heels around the back of his neck. She clenched her thighs so hard when she climaxed that she almost strangled him. For once, after her orgasm, he was the one struggling to catch his breath.

  As soon as she slowed her own breathing and brought it under control, she noted, “I’m truly sorry, M’lord.” She giggled, “I hope I’ve done you no harm.”

  The Beast leered at her and wiggled his eyebrows. “I doubt if you did any permanent harm. In fact, I think I can prove it to you.”

  He entered her in one smooth hard thrust and the ageless ritual of passion began again; so familiar and yet so new, and so incredibly erotic. Again and again they almost reached the peak, only to pull back. As if they were one, they slowed the pace almost to a stop. The Beast slid his manhood in and out of her so inconceivably slow that it seemed he would never get himself all the way into her. Ever so slowly he picked up the pace. Beauty was with him every second. She moved with his passion and his thrusts so perfectly that he felt joined to her permanently.

  The speed built up again. Again they almost reached the peak. Again they slowed to a crawl. Finally, moving as one they moved towards the peak and went over. The feelings washed over them as they each held onto the sensations as long as they could before returning to the solid reality of the bed.

  “M’lord,” Beauty breathed on a sigh.

  “What is it Beauty?” he asked without even opening his eyes.

  “Tis naught,” Beauty replied in a sleepy voice. “I just wanted to say M’lord.”

  “Tis well,” the Beast muttered.

  Chapter Seven

  Shortly after the day that Beauty’s brother Tom came upon the Beast spanking Beauty in the barn, the Beast came up with an idea. He’d long realized that he needed more men to train as his guards but knew not where to find the right men. One day as he walked through the barn he stopped and watched Tom working with a young horse, a yearling colt that was already very large and extremely strong, having been bred to be a warhorse powerful enough to carry a knight in full armour.

  For the first time the Beast really looked at Tom. Beauty’s brother appeared to be in his early twenties. He had dark blond hair that reached just past the nape of his neck. His shirt was off, and the Beast could see the play in his arms and chest muscles as he struggled to control the scared yearling without causing the animal any injury. The Beast noticed that Tom seemed to be very strong and fit, with an impressive set of muscles. From the many reports he
had received as well as his own observations, the Beast knew that Tom was also an extremely hardworking young man.

  The Beast was no fool though, as he remembered well the story of the lass, Molly, and knew that Tom probably still blamed him for her death. He also knew full well that Tom held a grudge against him for taking Beauty away from her family and into his bed, especially without any marriage vows between the two of them. Of course there was also the matter of the time he had ordered Tom to be whipped and nearly had him hung. He realized that Tom had to hold some anger and resentment, possibly even a real hatred for him.

  The Beast also knew that, for Beauty’s sake, he needed to try to bridge the chasm that divided himself and Beauty’s brother. Not even to himself would he stop to consider why it was suddenly so important for him to please Beauty. After much soul searching and consideration, the Beast decided to offer Beauty’s brother an opportunity to join the ranks of his guards.

  The Beast approached Tom as he worked in the stables and said gruffly, “Tom, I want a word with you.”

  Tom felt a flash of the familiar resentment and a trace of fear that he struggled to keep hidden as he cautiously answered the Beast, “Yea, M’lord, is there something amiss?”

  “I am in need of some more guards,” the Beast said without fanfare. “It requires constant combat training. Guards need good horsemanship and hand to hand combat, along with skill in the use of the long bow and broadsword. Would you be willing to work hard?”

  Tom hesitated. He was so surprised that his guard slipped and some of the fear and hatred he still felt around the Beast showed in his eyes.

  “What’s the problem, man?” The Beast’s voice had an ominous ring, and only Beauty would have noted the sardonic humour hidden in the words. “I’ve never done you any harm, have I?”

  “M’lord, with all respect, you have indeed.” Startled, Tom couldn’t stop his words. “You sentenced me to be whipped and also hung for a crime I did not commit. My young sister wanted only to save me and you took her to your castle and into your bed. She was a virgin, an innocent, gently reared lass. To this day, you use her as if she were nothing but your whore and you keep her from seeing her family. The only time I’ve seen her since you stole her from us, you were beating her, right here where we’re standing.”