Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 44645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
“Gabriel?”
“Why do you make things so fucking difficult, Belle?”
My response is swallowed by the lake as I’m pulled under.
Cruel Intentions
Belle
When I regain consciousness, I’m sitting in front of a stone hearth. My foot is loosely bandaged and propped on a stool. A tray of biscuits and tea await on my right.
Sola and Lafayette stand far away from me, their faces expressionless.
“Do you think she saw him?” Sola whispers.
“Of course, she saw him.” Lafayette scoffs. “I should’ve known this plan would never work from the start.”
“You helped him to write it…”
“What exactly is he planning to do with her now?” He shakes his head. “Her family clearly doesn’t love her enough to care about getting her back, and now that she knows what he is, she’ll definitely run again. We’re double screwed.”
“Don’t say that…You don’t know that for sure. Wait, what was that about her family?”
While they whisper, I attempt to lift my right arm, but it’s far too heavy. I look at it, swallowing in horror at how swollen and raised my skin is.
My left arm looks even worse.
“I need you two to leave Belle and I alone for a moment.” Gabriel’s voice is suddenly behind me. “We need to talk.”
“At this point, do we really need to leave?” Lafayette crosses his arms. “Why can’t we all sit around and listen?”
Gabriel lets out a soft growl, and Lafayette quickly scurries from the room.
Sola walks over to me, adjusting the blanket before leaving us alone.
His footsteps hit the floor and he steps in front of me.
As a beast. Not Gabriel.
“You really are a beast.” I croak, taking in the sight of him. “How can you be…How is it possible?”
He ignores my comment and sits on the stool in front of me.
Grabbing a fresh set of aloe leaves, he sighs. “You’re determined to be defiant until the day you die, aren’t you?”
“No…” I wince, anticipating roughness from his fur, but he’s gentle. “I was coming to look for you, to tell you that my sister is in trouble. She’s a princess somewhere, but I think there’s a beast—another beast—that’s about to kill her.”
“He’s not going to kill her,” he says, his voice soft. “He’s going to attempt to make her fall in love with him.”
“What could possibly make you think that?”
“Because he’s my twin brother…”
Splitting the Curse
Gabriel
My last two words hang in the air.
Belle stares at me in confusion and disbelief while I continue addressing her injuries.
We sit in silence as the sun rises outside the windows, and my talons slowly shrink and transform into fingers. The fur on my back disappears, and I can feel my entire body slowly returning into the man I prefer to be.
Her eyes widen as she watches me, and I brace for her to scream again, but she remains silent.
She stares at me for a long while, tilting her head to the side.
“Do you still talk to your twin brother?”
“No.” Just the thought of his existence is enough to send me into a rage. “We haven’t spoken since we were cursed, but if I’m being honest, his punishment is far worse…He’s a beast all the time. He doesn’t ever get a reprieve like I do.”
“Okay…Well, do your henchmen and troops know about it?”
“They know some,” I say. “But they can never know about the creature I turn into on full moon nights.”
“Why not?”
“Because they could never understand anyone who is different from them.” He pauses. “It’s common for troops to rest when we reach a full moon, so that’s always worked in my favor.”
“Well, just so you know…” She pauses. “I think you look better as a beast,” she says.
“Come again?”
“I would still like you if you had to remain that way…” She stares into my eyes. “It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Stop lying.”
“It doesn’t.” The look in her eyes is genuine. “It doesn’t change anything about you, really. You’re still my book friend, and it makes more sense that people call you a vicious beast behind your back.”
“Who calls me that?”
“Me.” She smiles. “And a few others I won’t dare mention.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I make sure the final bandage is tight. “I’ll carry you to your room now.”
“Wait.” She shakes her head. “Tell me about the curse first.”
“It’s a very long story, Belle.”
“Good.” She stares at me. “Those are our favorite types to read together…”
Two Unkind Princes
Gabriel
Several Years Ago
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, my brother Charlie and I hosted lavish parties for only the most beautiful people in our land.
The Eighth Kingdom.
Maidens and men came from miles away to enjoy nights full of passionate sex and endless drinking in our private ballroom.
These events were invite-only, and I made it my personal mission to screw as many maidens as possible—to use sex to dull the harsh pain of losing our parents at sea.