Beast Lord: (Beauty and the Beast) (Tangled Tales Book 3) (16 page)

Stefan hadn’t been able to control the beast within him when he entered the courtyard and saw Wickhambreaux about to rape Bonnibel. The man’s blue square stone ring had flickered in the moonlight and with his keen vision in this form, he could see that this was the same man who had scarred his face for life. That, added to what he was planning to do to Bonnibel, filled him with rage. He’d attacked one man after another, and now he sank his claws as well as his teeth into the man he hated more than anything.

He didn’t stop, not even when they crashed into the old witch. He could no longer speak since his beast form was nearly completed, and the pain within him from the shift was so horrible that if he didn’t kill Wickhambreaux soon, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to carry out the task.

He was about to go in with the final blow when another cramp overcame him, and he hesitated, giving the man the advantage. He’d bitten and clawed and maimed Wickhambreaux worse than the man had originally done to him, but yet the bastard refused to die.

The next pain he felt wasn’t from his shift, but rather the sharp blade of the bastard’s sword slicing into his arm. He fell, pulling the man with him, but Stefan knew his time was about up, because he felt some odd changes. Not sure if he were dying or just turning into a beast forever, he looked up, unable to move. Wickhambreaux held his sword high, ready to plunge it into Stefan’s heart. But the man stopped, his eyes opened wide, and he dropped the sword and fell to the ground.

Bonnibel stood behind him with a sword in her hands, pushing it further into the man.

“Bonnie,” Stefan tried to say, not sure what was coming out of his mouth. “I . . . I love you.” His vision blurred, and his head fell sideways, and when it did he saw that damned rose on the ground. The lone petal loosened from the stem and he knew this was his end. And as the petal fell to the ground, he heard words he thought he’d never hear in this lifetime.

“I love you, too, Stefan.”

The rose disappeared, and instead of dying, he felt something odd happening. He turned onto his back to see Bonnibel smiling down at him, and though he looked like a bloody beast, she didn’t care. She reached down and kissed him – with her eyes wide open.

Moonlight spilled down upon him, and bathed them both in a golden-white light. He felt his bones shifting and saw the hair on his knuckles disappearing. She kept hugging him and kissing him and telling him she loved him and with each word he became more and more the man he used to be.

“Stefan, she did it,” he heard his brother, MacKay, call out. “Everyone, she broke the curse.”

The fighting seized and everything came to a halt. Everyone watched him change back into a man. He felt as if he had a new outlook on life. He got to his feet and pulled Bonnibel to him and kissed her hard. Then he raised a hand in the air and ordered the fighting to stop.

“No more killing,” he called out. “Those of you who served Lord Wickhambreaux can either leave or stay here and pay fealty to my brother, MacKay.”

“Me?” MacKay asked. “Really?”

“Ah, MacKay, you’ve finally got your own castle,” said Arnon, coming to join them with Lucio by his side. Wolf stayed in wolf form for the time being.

“Stefan! Your face,” said Kin, coming to join them as well.

“Don’t remind me,” he grumbled, his hand going to his scar. It didn’t feel as protruding as before.

“The scars are barely visible,” said Bonnibel, kissing him again.

“Bonnie, you said you love me.”

“Aye,” she said, looking down at the man she’d killed. “Love has given me strength I never knew I had.”

“You saved my life in more ways than one. Thank you.”

“You came for me, and you saved me as well.” She fell into his arms and her head fell against his chest and she started crying. “My father is dead, Stefan.”

“Aye, I’m sorry, Bonnie.” He cradled her in his protective embrace. “I wish I had gotten here in enough time to save him. If I hadn’t been so cautious, I might have made it in time.”

“Let’s take care of the dead, boys,” Lucio called out.

“What happened to the book?” asked Stefan, looking around.

“Hecuba tried to steal it,” Bonnibel told him.

“I stopped her,” said Kin rubbing together his hands sheathed in chain mail gauntlets. “Or . . . I think I did. But the book turned to dust.”

“It did?” asked Lucio curiously. “Were you holding it when it happened?”

“I was,” admitted Kin. “Why?”

“If I know Hecuba, nothing is an accident. Kin, you’d better watch for side effects, because I have a suspicion Hecuba is not done having her fun with the de Bar siblings.”

“Do you mean Kin might be the next one cursed?” asked Bonnibel, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Aye,” laughed MacKay. “And I hope he turns into something even more hideous than Stefan since he’s always been the golden child.”

“Golden child?” Bonnibel looked at them curiously. “What do you mean?”

“He means that Kin has the best luck in the world,” explained Stefan. “He’s always had everything come to him easily, and I, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing him shift into a vulture.”

“If I do, I swear I’ll peck out your eyes for that,” snapped Kin.

“It doesn’t matter, because I know that I’m the luckiest one of the bunch now,” said Stefan taking Bonnibel’s hands in his and getting down on one knee, not even caring that his wounded arm was bleeding.

“Stefan, what are you doing?” Her eyes glanced from him to that of his brothers.

“I’m asking you in front of everyone to marry me and be my wife.”

“Really?” He saw her stop, and her eyes wandered back to her father’s dead body on the ground. He wondered for a second if she were going to turn him down, but when she looked up and smiled he knew she would say yes.

“Before my father died, I pointed you out to him and told him how I felt about you.” He told me you would protect me and take good care of me and he gave me his blessing to marry you. So I accept.”

“Your father said yes – when I was in my beast form?” This was unbelievable to Stefan.

“He could tell how I felt about you and knew I was in love.”

“Love certainly is blind,” said Arnon and they all started laughing.

“Love is not blind, and from this day on, my eyes will always be on you, my wife.” Stefan stood up and kissed his betrothed, not able to wait for the wedding day.

Chapter 18

A sennight later, Bonnibel was a married woman. She danced with her new husband, having had the best time of her life. Her sisters had come from France and Scotland, as well as a few of her relatives from England. And with the entire de Bar family there, it was a grand occasion.

“Kiss the bride, kiss the bride,” came a chant of voices as the knights thumped their wooden tankards against the trestle tables of Breckenridge Castle. Of course, it was Stefan’s brothers initiating the kissing. Or at least his brother Kin who was well in his cups with several girls on his lap.

“With pleasure,” said Stefan, kissing her passionately, and then sweeping her up into his arms. “And now, I bid your leave, good people, as I plan on making my bride my wife in every way.”

More cheers went up as Stefan headed across the great hall. When they got in front of Kin, he jumped up, causing not only the girls but also his chain mail gauntlets to fall to the ground.

“You fool, pick them up,” said Stefan, meaning the whores, but Kin bent down, almost falling and picked up his gauntlets and shook them off.

“Are those gold?” asked Bonnibel, sure they were silver a minute ago.

“I guess they are,” said Kin, smiling and putting them on. “I rather like them this color.”

“Kin, mayhap you’d better get some sleep and get an early start back to your castle in the morning,” suggested Stefan.

“Good idea, brother. Now you behave yourself with that little lady tonight.”

“You are the one who needs to behave. If you continue to hoard the castle whores, you’ll have the whole garrison sore at you,” said Stefan.

“I don’t want them anyhow.” Kin’s eyes settled on a young woman across the great hall. “Who is that beauty? I want her.”

“That’s the miller’s daughter,” Bonnibel told him. “She’s a very nice girl.”

“Then she won’t want Kin,” said Stefan. “His charm only works on strumpets.”

“Not so,” protested Kin. “My charm will work on her tonight, mark my words.” He staggered off and Stefan just shook his head and carried Bonnibel to the solar.

“I can walk,” she told him.

“Nay, you will be carried and treated like a princess on this night, as well as every day from now on.”

He kicked open the door with his foot, and when she heard the crowd following behind them, he placed her on the bed and quickly came back and barred the door. Then he started to undress quickly, dropping his clothes on the floor along the way. She watched as he removed his braies, and his hardened form told her he was more than ready to make her his wife.

“Let me undress too,” she said, scooting off the bed and dropping her gown to the floor.

“Wait,” he said, pulling her onto the bed and closing the bed curtains around them.

“What are you doing?” she asked with a giggle.

“Ever since I found out about all the secret passageways and peepholes, I’ve decided we will make love without the chance of anyone watching.”

Stefan had told her the entire story about her father, her mother, and even the monk. Brother Andrew stayed on at Breckenridge Castle as a private scribe, living in the castle freely instead of hiding in the walls. Bonnibel was home again, although her home would always be empty without her father. She didn’t hold a grudge against him for what happened to her mother because she knew there was a beast in every one of us and his actions were not intentional. She knew her father truly loved her mother and just gave in to the beast at a time that he shouldn’t have.

“Bonnie, I love you so much. I just wanted to tell you.”

She smiled as Stefan helped her to undress. “You have told me that about a hundred times a day since I agreed to marry you.”

“And I’ll tell you two hundred times a day from now on.” He pushed her clothes away and pulled her naked body against his. “I almost lost you because I hesitated to tell you I loved you. If I had told you how I felt, would you have told me you loved me too, before you ever left with the messenger?”

“Yes, I would have, Stefan. And then your curse would have been broken. And had I known that was all it took to break your curse, I would have told you sooner.”

“I couldn’t let you know. That was part of Hecuba’s rules. If I had told you what could break the curse, I might have trapped myself in the form of a beast forever. I couldn’t take that chance.”

“Well, I’m glad you took the chance to come after me, even if I hadn’t told you I loved you.”

“I want to make you my wife now – in every way.” He ran his hand down the side of her face and she tilted her head and closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of warmth and love coming from his body. Then her eyes popped open. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to close my eyes. I got lost in the moment.”

He smiled at her and reached forward and kissed her on the nose. “If you consummate our marriage with your eyes open – then I’ll take that as an insult. “Bonnie, I can’t wait anymore or I’m going to explode,” he whispered against her ear, climbing atop her with his hardened length brushing against her.

“I’m ready,” she told him, taking a breath, and ever so slowly he entered her, making her feel whole.

“Is this too much?” he asked, and with her eyes closed, she moaned and shook her head.

“Stefan, stop being so cautious and just make me your wife whatever way it happens to come about.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, once more being cautious. Figuring she had to show him instead of tell him, she raised her hips and threw her legs around him, allowing him to enter her completely. Then she felt the man and the beast, but it was alluring, titillating, and fulfilling. She welcomed him in all his glory.

Their bodies joined as one, and even when he growled and moved his hips faster, it did not bother her because she knew he would never hurt her. This was her man, her husband, and her lover. And while each of us has light as well as dark within us, she knew that their love was what broke his curse and never again would she ever see the
Beast Lord
.

From the author:

I hope you enjoyed the Beast Lord. There is light as well as darkness in everyone, and Stefan had his struggles, as well as Bonnibel determining the right thing to do.

If you haven’t read Wolf and Arnon’s stories, you can find them in
Lady and the Wolf
– Book 1, (Red Riding Hood)
and
Just A Kiss
– Book 2, (Frog Prince).
Please also watch for more books in the series coming soon!

If you enjoyed
Beast Lord
, I’d love for you to leave a review on amazon for me.

Also be sure to stop by and visit my website at
Elizabethrosenovels.com
and make sure to subscribe to my mailing list in order to receive updates on new releases. You can also read excerpts from any of my novels on my website as well as get sneak peeks at covers of upcoming books. And please remember that there are other authors by the same name, but my novels can be identified by the rose on every cover. My author Facebook page is
Elizabeth Rose – Author
(don’t forget the dash.) And my twitter handle is
@ElizRoseNovels
.

Thanks for your support,

Elizabeth Rose