Beau and the Beastess Read online

  Beau and the Beastess

  Bethany Lopez

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Also by Bethany Lopez

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2016 by Bethany Lopez

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Beau and the Beastess was originally published in the Twisted Fairy Tales Anthology, which is no longer available.

  Enjoy this magical short!

  Prologue

  Annabelle was born on a crisp, beautiful morning. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the birds rejoiced at the birth of the new princess. Her parents were beside themselves with joy, and the kingdom knew all of their prayers had been answered.

  Her childhood was filled with joyful memories and Annabelle thrived under her parents loving guidance.

  But when someone is as pure and joyful as young Annabelle was, there is almost always someone evil who wants to take it from them.

  Annabelle’s aunt, Georgiana, had been in love with Annabelle’s father, only to be pushed aside when he met his one true love, her sister. Although she’d feigned happiness for her sister’s union, Georgiana never forgot what it felt like to be rebuffed. In fact, over the course of time, she’d let the jealousy fester, until revenge became her only reason for being.

  On Annabelle’s sixteenth birthday, when she was about to attend her first ball and meet the prince who was her intended, Georgiana struck, and struck fiercely.

  In the middle of the ballroom, with all of the Kingdom in attendance, Georgiana cursed Annabelle, and tore her from the bosom of her loving family.

  One face in the mirror, another to others, you will from henceforth be seen as the most hideous and wicked of creatures. You shall leave this time, to reside in another, and if by the eve of your thirty-fifth birthday, you do not find someone to see beneath the skin, and love the heart beneath The Beast, you will be forever changed, never to return to your home.

  One moment Annabelle was standing in the center of the crowd, her gorgeous ice blue gown swaying around her, and the next she was gone. Vanished without a trace.

  The king and queen spent tireless hours and spared no expense in the search of their precious child, but to no avail. Annabelle was gone. The heart of the kingdom was gone. And it never recovered.

  Chapter One

  Annabelle

  “Where is he?” Annabelle shouted as she stomped across the marble floor of her front entryway, not allowing the look of fear on her servants faces to calm her in the slightest.

  “I don’t know, Miss,” her butler answered, his voice trembling. “The Driver said he’d be here over thirty minutes ago… Uh…maybe they got lost?”

  Annabelle glared at the man who was two heads taller than her and shouted, “This isn’t his first rodeo… He knows the way here by now. Call and tell him if he isn’t here in five minutes, he won’t get paid and I’ll take my business elsewhere.”

  As much as Annabelle wanted to believe that this would be the last time she’d need to use The Driver’s service, the twenty other times she’d tried and failed proved it difficult to have faith.

  She wasn’t getting any younger, however, and her thirty-fifth birthday was looming. Annabelle wasn’t sure if she’d get another chance to reverse her aunt’s curse.

  This only made her angrier, and as she stormed through the old mansion she owned on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia, Annabelle roared in frustration. Picking up an antique vase off the side table, she heaved it and sighed when she heard the satisfying shatter of the glass against her fireplace.

  Her chest rising rapidly, Annabelle began to calm herself down, noticing that she was alone in her living space. The servants often scattered when she flew into a fit of rage, which seemed to be happening more and more lately. Annabelle was having a hard time controlling her anger, something she used to be able to do with ease. But as her time grew shorter, and it became obvious that trying to find a man to love the woman beneath The Beast was a futile effort, her reasons for remaining calm were becoming harder to remember.

  Once she turned thirty-five, Annabelle knew that The Beast would totally take over, and the girl she used to be would be gone forever.

  Annabelle rested her hands against the mantle and looked into the mirror hanging above it. Small of frame, but strong of will, that’s what her father had always said to her, Annabelle remembered with a heavy heart.

  Although her reflection looked the same in the looking glass to her as it always had, she could hold it in her hand and see the twisted knots that were hanging wildly around her head. Years ago she’d cut her long brown locks into a short pixie and dyed it blonde. That way, when Annabelle looked at herself in the mirror, she still looked appealing to her eyes, but she was reminded that she was not the same girl she’d once been.

  She could look down at her body and see how horribly disfigured it was, therefore, Annabelle tried to never look down. Sometimes her hand would accidentally cross her vision, and she’d spend hours obsessing over her mangled form.

  In the mirror, however, she was a pretty woman with a fair complexion and deep brown eyes. Annabelle had no idea what her face looked like to others, but from the reactions of her staff, and the few strangers she’d allowed to cross her path, she gathered it was terrifying.

  “Madame,” her butler called from the hall. “The car is pulling up the drive.”

  Annabelle twirled away from her reflection, glass crunching beneath her heels as she hurried out. When she reached the large wooden door, Annabelle flung it open to see the dark car with tinted windows parking in her circular drive.

  When The Driver got out and a tall lanky man was pulled from the back, rage fueled her again and Annabelle roared, “Why does he not have a bag over his head?”

  The Driver looked up at her with a smirk that was just begging to be slapped off his face and replied, “He don’t need it, Madame… I think I’ve done you proud this time.”

  His words didn’t register immediately, but when she saw the handsome captive get closer to the stairs, Annabelle realized that he was being led by his arm, that his eyes were staring straight ahead but unfocused, and that his face was void of expression at the sight of her.

  Good God, the man was blind, Annabelle thought, and a hideous grin spread across her face, causing The Driver to momentarily lose his footing. Perfect!

  Chapter Two

  Beau

  Beau wasn’t sure what happened, or how become the target of the man who’d snatched him off the sidewalk in front of his apartment building. One second he’d been on his way to grab coffee, and the next he’d heard tires screech in front of him and felt a hand clasp over his forearm and tug.

  His walking stick had clamored to the ground as his head was pushed down and he was shoved into the back of a car. Before he’d even had the chance to react, yell, kick, anything, the door had been slammed and the car had driven away.

  He’d tried talking to his captor, find out what was going on, and explain that there must be some mistake, but the mysterious stranger had remained silent.

  “Excuse me,” Beau’d said when he was finally able to right himself in the seat. He felt along the p
anels of the door, and was frustrated to find there were no door handles on the inside. Just holes where they used to be. “Um, I think you have the wrong person. I work at the regional library for the blind. I have no money to speak of…”

  When there was no response, Beau sat back and focused on the drive.

  He could tell they were on the freeway and had been for some time, he made mental note of the sounds surrounding them and tried to keep a calculation of how long they were on each stretch of road before they turned.

  After about twenty minutes, they left the highway for side streets and eventually turned onto a gravel road.

  Beau braced as the car slowed. A few seconds later, they stopped and the back door opened. The same hand grabbed his forearm and yanked him from the car.

  He heard the roar of what sounded like a ferocious beast, before a woman spoke, her voice ripe with anger. Finally, The Driver spoke, and from what he gathered from their brief conversation, The Driver had kidnapped him for this woman.

  “My stick?” Beau called out when his toes smacked against the concrete step, not caring who answered.

  “Sorry, bloke, the stick got left behind,” the voice to his left answered. The Driver.

  Then The Driver addressed someone else. “He’ll need assistance.”

  Beau’s arm was passed from The Driver’s to another strong, masculine hand from above, presumably up on the steps. The new captor’s touch was surprisingly gentle and he joined Beau on the ground, placed Beau’s hand in on the crook of his arm, and guided him up the steps.

  By the time he reached the top, Beau was more confused than ever.

  What was he doing here?

  Who was the woman?

  Why had he been chosen?

  Beau didn’t have much time to ponder before the angry woman’s voice berated his guide.

  “Quit coddling the man. Take him downstairs and lock him up, then see to dinner. I’ll be down in a little while, after I’ve dealt with The Driver.”

  He felt his guide stiffen then the gentleness was gone. Fueled by his boss’ chastising, his guide grabbed Beau roughly by the arm and dragged him over the threshold and down a long hallway.

  Beau could smell lilacs in the air, and felt the hard stone beneath his feet. A door opened, and rather than try to maneuver Beau down the stairs, the guide added insult to injury when he lifted Beau and threw him over his shoulder.

  At five foot eleven and two hundred pounds, Beau wasn’t large, but he also wasn’t feather light. His guide, however, must have been a giant, because he was able to throw Beau around like a sack of potatoes.

  He was barely on his feet before Beau felt a hand on his back and a hard shove. He stumbled, trying to keep his feet beneath him, and he heard the sharp sound of a door being slammed and locked behind him. Except it didn’t sound like a wooden door or solid door at all. To confirm his fears, Beau reached out his hands and walked gingerly forward, not stopping until his hands found their purchase.

  He was in a cell.

  A cage of some sort.

  Like an animal, or worse.

  Beau held on to the bars, his hands tight enough to feel the metal making an imprint on his palms.

  He’d been kidnapped and thrown into a dungeon.

  What the hell was going on?

  Chapter Three

  Annabelle

  The Driver left as soon as his payment hit his greedy little hands. Excited, and unsure how to approach this new predicament, Annabelle had taken a little time to calm her temper, and her nerves, before meeting with her newest guest.

  Usually, meeting a new victim was wrought with humiliation and pain, both of which caused her beast to rage within her, but the fact that this man was blind, meant that he wouldn’t have the initial reaction that the other men had.

  Disgust.

  Terror.

  And sometimes, pity.

  Annabelle could admit to herself that for the first time since the beginning, she was hopeful that The Driver had potentially found her someone that could actually love her. She’d been groomed for love at a young age, but, unfortunately, since she’d been in this place, The Beast had been quite successful in beating back all of her innocent sensibilities. She’d learned the hard way just how cruel people could be and had learned that it felt better to inflict pain then be on the receiving end of it.

  When she was ready, Annabelle made her way down the dark, musty stairwell that lead to the dungeon. She could tell that her captive heard her approach, because his head lifted from the cot and turned in her direction.

  “Why am I here?” the man asked as she walked closer.

  “What is your name?” she asked, ignoring his question.

  “Beau,” he answered, sitting up on the cot then prodded, “Why am I here?”

  Annabelle put the key in the door and unlocked it, pushing the door so it squeaked as it opened slightly.

  “You can have free reign of my home,” she began as she entered the cage. “There are three stories, a kitchen, a music room, and a library. All of which you can use. The house is on one-hundred wooded acres of land, so even if you got it in your head to run away, you’d never escape.” Her tone lowered and she promised, “I’d find you, no matter where you hid.”

  “I may be blind, but I’m not stupid,” Beau responded. “I know I’d never be able to get away on foot.”

  “Don’t bother to ask any of the servants to help you escape. They’d never betray me for you.”

  “Why am I here?”

  “I’ll tell you everything at dinner. Be in the dining room at six o’clock sharp.”

  “How will I find my way, or know the time?” he asked, never moving from his seated position.

  “You were taken walking alone on a busy street when The Driver found you, I’m sure you can find your way to dinner.”

  Without waiting for a response, Annabelle took one last look at the handsome stranger, hope sparking within her, before turning to return upstairs and see the cook about dinner.

  She’d decided that honesty was the best policy when dealing with her captives. They usually didn’t believe her, and those who did, found it impossible to see past The Beast to love what was inside of her. Still, Annabelle found it was easier for her just to tell them the real story.

  And maybe with Beau, since he could get to know her without the distraction of her outward appearance, she finally found someone who could learn to love her in time to break the spell.

  When she’d first arrived in this land, Annabelle had tried going to town to meet a man the normal way, but she’d learned quickly that men didn’t take kindly to The Beast. After an embarrassing scene in the town square, where a man had told her to leave him alone and pushed her bodily away from him, she’d come up with the idea of bringing men to her.

  Realizing that she needed to play things differently with Beau if she wanted what was probably her last chance at happiness, Annabelle dug deep inside herself and tried to bring her softer side to the surface.

  She could feel The Beast writhing within her, but did her best to stomp it down by thinking about her parents and her kingdom.

  “I’m trying to come home,” she whispered softly, pain ripping through her at the thought of her family, which caused The Beast within to whine audibly.

  Chapter Four

  Beau

  Feeling along the wall as he moved, Beau managed to get up the stairs without falling backwards. He’d gotten very dependent on his walking stick over the years, and found it frustrating to be without it. Still, he would rather be left to find his way around, than be manhandled as he’d been earlier.

  Beau followed the scent of food, figuring he’d end up either in the dining room or the kitchen, where he’d be able to ask to be pointed in the right direction.

  He wasn’t sure of the time, but guessed if he could smell the food, then he must at least be close to accurate in his timing.

  When he rounded a corner, he heard the lilting tone of his capt
or’s voice.

  “I see my assumptions were correct,” she said, somewhat arrogantly, and he contained his sigh of relief that he’d arrived at his destination.

  Although he couldn’t see her, he’d felt her rage earlier, and he knew she’d be a formidable foe if he got on her bad side.

  Beau was surprised, but tried not to show it, when he felt a rough hand touch his elbow, guiding him to a chair at the table.

  “Thank you,” he said softly, and heard her soft intake of breath.

  He sat and waited. The woman had said he’d learn why she’d taken him at dinner, but he didn’t want to anger her by being impatient and asking for an explanation again.

  Beau heard the scraping of the chair legs against the floor, then the sound of her sitting and pulling herself up to the table.

  Curious, he asked, “Will you tell me your name?”

  “Haven’t I already?” she asked, sounding truly surprised. “I’m so sorry, I was so excited by your arrival that I forgot my manners. I’m Annabelle.”

  Excited by his arrival? He really didn’t understand this situation at all.

  “I’d say it’s nice to meet you, Annabelle, but I try not to lie if I can help it.”

  A startled laugh left her lips, and Beau wondered at the contrast of this woman. At times she sounded like a wild animal, while others, like a normal, even sweet, woman.

  “I too like to be honest, so, like I promised, I’ll tell you why you’re here. You may not believe what I have to say, but I swear to you, it is one-hundred percent true.”

  Beau held his breath as he waited to find out why he’d been taken.

  “I am not from this place,” she began, and Beau had to admit, it wasn’t a great start. He wondered if maybe she had a mental disorder of some sort. “Nineteen years ago, on my sixteenth birthday, I was a sweet, happy, young girl, ready for my first ball and set to meet my betrothed, when my Aunt Georgina put a curse on me. Jealous of my parents’ love, she sought to hurt them by taking away the one thing they treasured most, me. She cursed me to this place, and transformed me into a hideous beast. In order for the spell to be broken, I have to find someone to love me, in spite of my outward appearance, by my thirty-fifth birthday. If I don’t, I will forever stay here, in this land, as The Beast.”