A Beauty So Beastly Read online

“As a matter of fact, yes.” I rose and walked past him. “Contact our lawyer and have her draw up a contract stating that Mr. Haddox will be required to stay in my service until such time as I release him. In return I will drop the charges against his mother.”

  “Very good.”

  “And I’m starving.” The hunger was past the point I’d ever felt it before. And it felt differently too. If a cow walked by, I might eat it where it stood. “I still haven’t eaten breakfast. Mrs. Dotts was to prepare two steaks.” I wanted to tell him to make it three, but that would look too bizarre. “That’ll be all,” I said, excusing him.

  “Right away.”

  I went up the marble staircase and down the hall toward my bedroom. When I reached my door I paused, unable to stop myself from glancing at the door across from mine. I hadn’t been inside that room for a long time. It could’ve been amazing. Instead, I knew it was dusty and unused. I sighed, a small part of me wishing I’d put Adam in there. “Oh well.” I walked into my room.

  It was decorated in the same color scheme as the rest of the house. Golden curtains hung from the windows. My king-sized bed had a white duvet and lots of fluffy pillows in shades of gold, white, and black. At the end of my bed was a shiny black chest. Inside was an extra blanket, nothing more.

  My room had a fireplace, smaller than the one in the living room, with two white chairs with gold stripes arranged perfectly in front. It was covered in smooth white rock that matched the walls. Over the mantle was a large picture a photographer had taken of me on my sixteenth birthday. It was the only picture in the room.

  Against the opposite wall rested my desk. On it was my laptop, a pencil holder, a few books left over from school, and a notebook.

  Next to that was the entrance to my walk-in closet, the best part about my room. It was set up like an expensive little boutique. One-of-a-kind dresses, expensive shirts, pants, jeans, skirts, and casual dresses overflowed along every rack. The tiara I wore last night sat atop one of the shelves. Seeing it without the center diamond filled me with rage. I was angry. That emotion shocked me and I thought about Greg and what he’d said again. Had he cursed me?

  Two rows of floor-to-ceiling shoe racks covered the furthest wall in my closet. There were also drawers for sunglasses, scarves, gloves, underthings, and various other accessories.

  I grabbed my phone and went into my closet, flinging myself into the chair in front of my makeup desk. It sat at the end of a large round seating area that I used to put on shoes and twirl in front of the full-length mirror. All sorts of pretty things sat on my desk, including perfume bottles, lotion bottles, powder puffs, attractive tubes of gloss and lipstick and my favorite Bobbi Brown lip balm. I opened the lid and rubbed some on my lips. It immediately made me feel a little better.

  “Nothing like a little makeup to lift a girl’s spirits.”

  I jumped, staring at my phone. The voice had come from there. I picked it up, thinking maybe I’d accidentally dialed one of my friends. The face staring back wasn’t my own and it wasn’t one of my friends’ either. It was the face of a girl I’d never seen before.

  “Do I know you?” I asked, trying to regain my composure.

  The girl winked. I guessed she must be a girl from my school. “Kind of. We’ve met twice. Once at your birthday party and then again at your pool party.”

  I tried to remember all the people I’d talked to at the formal dinner my parents held for me on my birthday. It’d been filled with my dad’s work colleagues and my mom’s bridge friends. There had been several people I’d never seen before. I knew for sure she hadn’t been at the pool. “I don’t think so,” I said. “What’s your name again?” I glanced over my phone and into the mirror, unable to help the surprise at again seeing the odd new color of my eyes.

  The girl sniffed as though offended I didn’t remember her. “My name is Fizban. I’m here to help you in any way I can, Beatrice. This next year is going to be remarkable.” She chuckled. It was a kind laugh, like that of a child.

  “I know for a fact we didn’t meet yesterday.” I propped the phone against the mirror so I could talk to her with my hands free.

  Fizban made a tsk-tsk sound and shook her head back and forth. “You opened birthday gifts from your friends. You tossed your boyfriend’s present into the pool.” Her head tilted and she lifted a brow. “You tried to make out with Greg in the wine cellar.”

  I gasped. “How do you know that?” The idea that she’d been there and I hadn’t seen her really freaked me out. Taking the lid off my new Bobbi Brown beach perfume, I sprayed a little on each wrist and my neck, hoping the scent would calm my nerves.

  “Well,” she said, her nose twitching. I wondered if she could smell the perfume, its fragrance the epitome of summer—a breezy day at the beach with a fruity drink in one hand as I lounged in the sun. As I thought about taking a trip to St. Tropez, I caught my reflection and tilted my head to one side. Something besides my eyes had changed. What was it?

  Fizban interrupted my thoughts. “My appearance is slightly different now than it was yesterday.” She shifted positions and I caught a glimpse of her bright red hair. It was the exact shade of her lips. The color seemed tame compared to the blue of her eyes. They weren’t like any blue I’d ever seen on a person. They were turquoise.

  Like Greg’s, I thought.

  “What did you look like yesterday?” Something wasn’t right and my pulse raced.

  “I was a little taller, a little broader. My voice was deeper and my muscles were thicker.” She winked. “You knew me as Greg.”

  My first thought when she said that was to hang up on her. Obviously this was someone trying to give me crap. Maybe one of my friends put her up to it. Probably Eva. That’s when I realized there was no way to end the call. I picked up my phone, trying to figure out how to make her go away. I even pushed the button to turn off my phone. Nothing worked. “You’re lying.” I finally said, setting the phone down like it’d burned me.

  “Am I?” She touched a finger to her nose and suddenly I was staring at Greg’s face. “For your vanity, your cruelty, and your cold—”

  “No, stop,” I shouted, covering my ears. “It can’t be. It can’t be.” The buzzing was back, louder than ever. I squeezed my eyes shut. “Go away.” I wondered if someone had slipped something into my drink yesterday and I was still tripping. I wouldn’t put that past any of my friends.

  Greg’s voice seemed to climb inside my head. For your vanity, your cruelty and your cold, unfeeling heart, a curse I leave upon you . . . The voice changed back to that of Fizban’s. A year shall not pass before your true form will be revealed. You are Vaktare, daughter of royalty, born to deliver your people, created to save your species from the extinction they so rightly deserve . . . The voice changed back to Greg’s. You, your father and your mother have been sentenced to die . . . It was Fizban again. Unless you can learn to give love unconditionally. Only then will your species have a chance.

  Snapping Her Neck

  Four

  The night called to me. I raised my head and roared at the full moon, surprised at how free I felt. How happy. It was a sensation I’d never experienced. Joy seemed to bubble along my veins and out each of my pores. I ran through the thick trees, climbing higher into the mountains, stalking something.

  The scent drove me onward. When whatever I was tracking moved, my body instinctively compensated. It stopped. I did too, but only for a moment, and then crept forward at a slower pace. My body was stealthy. I knew exactly where to step and how much pressure to use. My ears turned back and forth as I listened. I sniffed the air, allowing the breeze to caress my whiskers, almost tasting what I was after, seeing with my senses everything that was around me. To the right was a small stream used by my prey to get water. That’s where what I tracked was heading. It didn’t even realize I hunted it.

  The snap of a leaf straight ahead told me it was moving again. I picked up speed, knowing I would catch it at the stream. My heart raced
with excitement.

  The trees opened slightly. A deer stood at the water’s edge, her ears turning, listening for sounds of danger. Finally she dipped her head and began lapping at the water.

  My throat burned with need. I was starving. I dug my front paws into the earth, preparing to attack. Then I ran. One. Two. Three. I leapt on the doe, my claws digging into her back, my teeth grabbing hold of her neck. I shook, snapping her neck until she was still. When I knew she was dead, I let go, roaring in triumph. Leaning over, I went for her stomach, but that’s when I noticed my reflection in the water.

  I was . . . I was . . .

  I jerked myself awake. “A monster.” I’d fallen asleep at the makeup desk in my closet. Lifting my head, I glanced in the mirror, and noticed whiskers. “Impossible.” I tightly shut my eyes. Counted to five. Opened them. The whiskers were gone. “Thank goodness.”

  A white china plate had been placed on the edge of the table. Two seasoned steaks sat in the middle. To the right of the plate was a steak knife and a fork, a white linen napkin underneath. The meat smelled rotten. Not fresh like the deer in my dream. I poked at the meat slabs. They lay there, dead.

  “Cold.” Frustrated, I picked up the plate, determined to give Mrs. Dotts a piece of my mind. Why hadn’t she wakened me?

  Juices the color of blood swirled along the edges. They made my mouth water. My stomach gurgled. “Gross,” I said, aloud. But picked up the steak and took a large bite, tearing off a piece with my teeth. I chewed a couple times, swallowed and took another. My hunger increased as I ate. I couldn’t get it inside me fast enough. As I shoved the final piece in my mouth I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. And froze. My teeth were long and pointy. A piece of meat hung in my mouth. Some of the juices dribbled down my chin. One droplet hung and quivered and then fell onto my shirt.

  I screamed, horrified and dropped the plate. There was a laugh. It sounded like Fizban. I couldn’t stop to deliberate what it was though. I ran to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before I puked.

  “Miss Beatrice. Is everything all right?” It was Isaac knocking on my door.

  My body shook. I wiped my mouth and flushed. At the sink I turned on the water, closing my eyes to avoid the mirror, and rinsed my mouth.

  “Miss.” Isaac knocked again, harder.

  I spit. Cleared my throat. “I’m fine, Isaac.” I thought about the plate and the juices staining the thick white carpet in my closet. It should be cleaned up. “Come in.” I walked to the window, peering outside. It was dark. A glance at the clock told me it was after midnight. I’d been asleep nearly twelve hours. That was unnatural for me. The moon shone three quarters full, a waxing gibbous, if memory served. There were no clouds. Millions of stars twinkled brightly. A satellite blinked across the sky, slowly making its way around the Earth. A shooting star shot across its path.

  Most people believed in wishing on a shooting star. Not me. I didn’t need wishes. I always got what I wanted.

  Except love, a voice inside my head whispered. It sounded like Fizban again. Or Greg. Their words filled my mind: For your vanity, your cruelty and your cold, unfeeling heart, a curse I leave upon you . . . A year shall not pass before your true form will be revealed. You are Vaktare, daughter of royalty, born to deliver your people, created to save your species from the extinction they so rightly deserve . . . You, your father and your mother have been sentenced to die . . . Unless you can learn to give love unconditionally. Only then will your species have a chance.

  Isaac had walked in and paused just inside. “What do you require?”

  I heard Isaac speak, but his voice sounded so far away. The curse burned itself on my heart, my soul, and each and every fiber of my being.

  “Miss Beatrice? Are you ill?” He came forward and touched my arm.

  I flinched, turning away. With my back to him I answered. “I dropped my plate in the closet.” I pointed in its direction, too afraid to go in there myself. I didn’t want to catch a glimpse of my reflection, worried I might see the changes on my face.

  “I’ll take care of it.” He went in my closet. I heard him pick up the plate. Then he reappeared. In one hand he held the plate and in his other was my cell phone. “It seems you have several missed calls from your friends.” He handed me my phone.

  “Thank you.”

  Isaac raised his eyebrows in shock. His features contorted in surprise. I figured that was how my face must seem as well. Words like “thank you” weren’t part of my vocabulary. I didn’t owe him my thanks. My family paid him handsomely for his service. That was all the thanks he required. The words had just slipped out, probably because of my crazy dreams or whatever. “I’ll have the Nelle come in right away to clean the carpet.”

  I nodded. “Have Adam’s rooms been prepared?” I asked, quickly glossing over my comment.

  “Yes, miss. And the contract has been faxed over as well. All is ready for Mr. Haddox’s return in the morning.”

  “Good.” I said, sitting on the window seat, my body thirsting for the moon’s light like a fish needed water.

  “Is there anything else you require?”

  I stood. “Will you wake me at ten in the morning?”

  “Of course.” He went to the door.

  “Oh, and please . . .” Another freaking word I didn’t use. “Have Cook prepare me a rare steak for breakfast.”

  Isaac glanced at the empty plate. I could almost hear him questioning my need for so much red meat. He didn’t ask though. “Very well.” He left the room, closing my door.

  “What is my problem?” If I were suffering from some kind of drug-induced dementia, it was lasting a long time.

  For the first time in my life I was scared. I felt like a little girl. And I was alone.

  Ask Fizban. She said she’d help, my mind said.

  “No!” I growled, flopping onto the cushioned window seat. The moonlight on my skin was like a salve. I’d never been a night person. In many ways it’d scared me, made me unsettled. “What’s happening to me?” I curled my small frame into the window seat, pulled on a blanket and closed my eyes.

  Practically Drooling

  Five

  Mrs. Dotts bustled into my room carrying a tray and humming. “Good morning, Miss Beatrice. How did you sleep?” She busied herself, setting the tray on my desk.

  “Fine,” I said, feeling slightly more like my old self today. I yawned and stretched.

  Mrs. Dotts walked over and picked up the blanket I’d used last night. She folded it and placed it back on the window seat. She then picked my clothes off the floor. It was Nelle’s job to tidy my rooms, but Mrs. Dotts was one of those who saw a need and handled it.

  I glanced down and realized that at some point while I slept I’d removed everything except my underthings.

  “It’s ten o’clock. Mr. Haddox will be arriving shortly. You’d better come and eat.”

  I glanced over at the tray. As I requested there was a steak, along with some orange juice and fresh fruit, which up until yesterday had been all I ate for breakfast.

  Determined to get my life back, I picked up a strawberry and popped it in my mouth, excited for its sweetness. I could barely taste it. I tried another. If anything I tasted the second one less. I took a sip of orange juice. In the past I’d loved the flavors of the juice and the strawberries mixed together. Just like the strawberries, the juice was completely bland.

  I cut into a piece of steak. It was rare, way too rare for my previous tastes, but I put it in my mouth anyway, practically drooling. It was delicious. Ignoring the fruit, I quickly took another bite.

  “Chew it well. You don’t want to make yourself sick.” Mrs. Dotts spoke as she went into my bathroom.

  I took another bite and tried to chew more slowly.

  The shower in the bathroom turned on. Mrs. Dotts returned with my clothes and towels in her hands. “Your shower is ready.” She gave me a once-over before her eyes found mine. “Will you need me to help you with your hair?
” Her eyes kept a steady gaze on my face and not my almost naked body.

  She was doing Celeste’s job. My hair was long and could be unruly. I had a hard time dealing with all of it. Celeste had been a master. Now she was gone. “Yes, p—” I paused, changing my mind, remembering I’d told Adam he would do it. “Adam will do my hair when he arrives.”

  I watched her work to keep a smile off her face. “As you wish.”

  “Th—pl—” I let out a strange growl. “Send Adam up to my room when he arrives.”

  “Yes, miss.” She left, taking the tray and my clothes and somehow managing to close the door behind her.

  I went into the bathroom, took off my underclothes and got in the shower. When I finished, I got out and spent extra time brushing, flossing, and sterilizing my teeth, tongue, and mouth. I left the towel on my hair and went into the closet.

  My phone rang and I dashed out. “Hello.”

  “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you and calling you. I’ve left tons of texts. Why haven’t you returned any of them? I mean you just left your party and we haven’t seen you since.” It was Ashley. The girl knew how to have a one-way conversation. “Bea? Are you there? Bea? Bea?”

  “I answered the phone didn’t I?” I put my phone on speaker and went back into my closet. I needed something totally hot, yet casual, so Adam wouldn’t think I was trying to impress him.

  “Okay so talk. Tell me what’s going on? Eva said you slept with that guy she liked. Greg. She’s pissed because she saw you walk down to the wine cellar with him. After that she couldn’t find him and he never came back. She thinks you have him stashed in your room.” Ashley sounded pouty. She constantly worried that I was mad at her. It drove me insane. Her personality made me mad at her.

  I contemplated what to tell Ashley. Obviously as soon as we hung up she would call Eva and tell her what I said. Should I make Eva mad? Should I lie and say Greg and I did hook up, even though it didn’t happen? It depended on what I wanted.