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“I do not wish to hurt anyone,” I admit and the heaviness of it hits me unexpectedly. It is difficult to lay myself bare this way, although I am hidden from her by the blindfold. “I only crave you. It may pass, but I…” The words catch in my throat. “I crave you to the point of madness. So you will remain inside the castle walls.”
Elle takes a shuddering breath. The beast notices this even from his resting state. Is it him who drives me to madness for Elle, or is it me? I have fought him for so long, but looking at her like this, obedient and compliant and hungry for me, makes me question whether I was fighting the cursed beast or my own impulses.
“No one has ever said such a thing to me before,” she replies softly. I can hear her heart pounding in her chest. I think I may hear it even if I did not have the beast within me, for that is how much I crave her.
It is not enough only to hear the sound. It defies reason that no one has wanted Elle this much before, but then it is impossible for anyone else to need her as I do.
Unable to stop myself, I grip her hand tighter, as if unwilling to let her go.
Elle startles slightly at the touch, but after a beat she holds my hand back. Her heart is pounding harder than I realized. I can feel the life coursing through her, and the heat and warmth she possesses.
Elle feels so very human under my touch. So very alive and untouched by the wickedness of any curse. The way her heart beats is only for me, and I am entranced by it. I had expected more fear from her when she heard what I am offering, but it is small compared to her desire.
Her other hand lifts from mine as if to touch me, hesitantly moving toward my face.
I make a sharp tsk sound, drawing the hand that held hers back and warning her away.
Elle’s hand falls to the table. Her hand curls around the edge once again. She worries at her bottom lip with her teeth, thinking.
“Is this…” Elle begins tentatively. “Is all of this an act of the magic?”
“I do not know.” When I was first living with the beast inside me, struggling to regain control over my life, hoping that I might be able to leave the castle and live among people again, I had convinced myself that every raw urge was the fault of the magic and the curse alone. Now, having tasted Elle and felt the sweet clench of her pleasure, I cannot be sure. She is the first and only who has caused such madness.
Elle opens her mouth as if to speak but hesitates. I can see the smallest movements of her tongue in her mouth, rising to touch her teeth, and I want to hold her chin in my hand and keep her still so I can continue to watch until the sun rises.
And perhaps until the sun sets again.
Perhaps if Elle was here with me always, it would not matter how many days had passed. Until I saw her on that swing and knew her to be mine, the passing of time was slow and painful, as the beast dictated so much of my life and would not allow me to return to anything that could be considered normal. I saw the years stretch before me, empty and devoid of affection or even conversation.
“What is it you’re thinking?” I question in her silence.
She takes a small breath, her heart slowing slightly underneath my palm.
“I am drawn to you as well,” Elle admits in a soft voice. I could already feel the desire emanating from her, but it is a unique pleasure to hear her say something that should be utterly forbidden. She should not be drawn to me, rather repulsed, and yet…it may be because she has not seen me. She must agree. And then she will learn to live with the beast as I have. “If you allow me to send my father a note that I am well and perhaps a package of food?—”
“No.”
Her face falls.
“No one can know you are here,” I continue. This is of the utmost importance. The news cannot spread in town that Elle is in my castle and intending to stay. I cannot have what happened before. She is my secret. And so she must remain hidden.
“I would not…I do not need to disclose my location,” she says quickly, her heart fluttering nervously in her chest. “Only that I am well and cared for.”
Her voice shakes with the last bit and my mind reels with a compromise. If only to get her to agree.
Her intentions when it comes to her father are pure and more than the man deserves. Elle’s father had her sleeping in a room that chilled her at night and did not value her enough to keep her away from men like Crawe. And yet she does not want him to worry after her. She wants her father to be fed, too. We’re seated at a table covered in the finest delicacies my kitchens could prepare, and Elle is still thinking of her father.
“I will consider your request if you obey me and agree.”
Elle exhales unsteadily. More heat fills the magic around her and between the two of us. The beast stretches inside me, beginning to wake. The scent in the air is undeniably one of lust, and my need for her grows until I feel it cannot be contained, much like the beast. If he wants something enough, he will come to the forefront and take control. I know he wants Elle enough, and can sense, without understanding the complexity of our situation, what having her will do for him.
For both of us.
I breathe through the nearly overwhelming urge to pin her and lick her and have her. To remind her that she is already claimed. Mine. She is mine. Possessiveness surges through me.
Elle leans forward, pressing her body closer to me.
Another sharp wave of lust steals my breath. It is not mine alone, but Elle’s, too. My mind fills with questions. Is it the power of the magic? Is it the forbidden?
