Read Deceit: A Beauty and the Beast Novel for Free Online Page B

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 departed 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