Page 36 of Of Curses and Beauty

“My dear Alaine.” She flinched at her name from his lips. Having grown accustomed to the natural way it had rolled off Daric’s tongue, Baxter’s bite sounded jarring by comparison. “It is so good to see you awake and well.”

His saccharine words rang false to her ears, but she plastered on a fake smile to appease her parents as they took up positions on either side of her. Rather than bolstering her confidence, they stood like sentries, caging her in, though she’d already accepted her fate. Her fever dreams had been wildly vivid, but even if it had all actually happened, she’d make the same choice. She would do this. For her family, she would do this.

“I am grateful for your patience, and for the assistance you have offered my family.” She wanted to spit in his face and claw his eyes out, to mark him so savagely that his outward appearance reflected the physical and emotional pain he’d inflicted on her. Instead, she folded her hands demurely and waited for her father to pull out her chair.

She stared at Baxter’s polished, black boots on the chair between them as she sat. Sunlight glinted off their shining surface, yet another piece of his carefully constructed image.

There would come a day when no amount of polishing could restore the youthful beauty she now possessed. She wondered if Baxter considered that far in the future if he had plans for her once she served her purpose. Perhaps he’d simply find another shiny victim. She would look forward to the day she’d be cast aside. Her freedom was only twenty, maybe thirty years away.

Neither of her parents looked her way as they took seats at the opposite end of the table. She couldn’t recall missing them in her dreams, but maybe her mind had always known she was home in bed. She didn’t think she would miss them once she married—her father perhaps, but not her mother. Resentment bubbled up inside of her where she’d expected guilt. It surprised her enough that she almost cried out, spewing the hurtful words that lined up on her tongue.

She choked them down along with the excuses she wanted to make for them. Yes, she would do her duty to her family and marry Lord Baxter, but she would be damn angry about it.

“I think it’s about time we get the business of this marriage underway.” Baxter dismissed Alaine completely, turning to address her parents as though she had no say in the matter.

Her mother nodded emphatically.

“That seems wise,” her father said, wringing his hands on the table before him.

Baxter took a healthy swig from the glass of wine before him. “I’ve had the contract written. My man will deliver it in the morrow. We can wed before midday.”

“No.” All eyes turned to Alaine, varying degrees of shock on each of their faces. She hadn’t meant to disagree but saw no point in taking it back now. “It would seem that I have suffered from a tremendous ordeal. I think it prudent to allow me some time to recuperate before the excitement of a wedding.” The look of disgust on Baxter’s face bolstered her confidence. “Our original agreement was to wed by the first snowfall of the season. I will honor that and marry you as the first flakes fall from the sky.”

There was no way to know how soon that day would come. She could wake tomorrow to the crisp taste of frost in the air, but hopefully, nature would be on her side. Surely everything would seem much more manageable after a few days to wrap her head around it. She still held out hope that she would find another way out of this mess, but she’d lost too much time while unconscious.

Baxter looked like he wished to explode out of his seat. Alaine expected steam to spurt from his ears at any moment.

Surprisingly, her mother stepped in to defend her. “That would give us some time to make the necessary arrangements. We’ll need to alter your dress and prepare your belongings to be transported to the Lord’s manor.”

“I suppose that will do,” Baxter acquiesced, albeit grudgingly if the look on his face was any indication. He swallowed back the last of his drink and shoved away from the table, boots thudding as his feet dropped to the floor. “Might I speak to my betrothed alone?”

Alaine looked to her parents, hoping her face conveyed the full scope of her horror at the prospect of being alone with him, but they didn’t even glance her way as they rose to leave. Baxter’s gaze, however, was a constant searing heat on the side of her face. He was a fox in the hen house, but Alaine was no spring chicken.

She bit her lip to keep from calling after her parents, knowing it would be in vain. They had invited the fox in, after all. It was an effort to maintain her unconcerned façade as the door closed behind them. She clasped her hands below the table to hide their trembling.

Caged in, she heard only the pounding of her heartbeat, like a clock ticking down her last moments of freedom.

The air shifted as Baxter stood and she crossed her arms over her chest reflexively.

He huffed a derisive laugh. His steps were calm and measured as he walked toward her, contrary to the erratic beating in her chest. “They’ll be mine eventually.”

“What will?” She hated that her voice came out breathy and cleared her throat as he halted behind her.

His breath on her cheek was the only warning before he whispered in her ear. “Every part of you.”

A jolt ran down her spine and she tensed at his close proximity. He ran a possessive hand from her shoulder to the front of her neck, his fingers lingering on the exposed skin below her collarbone before coming to rest against her throat. His grip was firm enough to hold her in place but gentle enough that it wouldn’t leave a mark, his pressure so accurate she wondered how many times he had used this particular maneuver.

Revulsion turned her stomach like spoiled milk. She closed her eyes against the nausea that followed his touch, at once grateful she’d been offered no food or refreshment since waking.

His stubble scratched her cheek as he pressed his face against hers.

“You may run from me, but you can’t hide from the snow.” He spoke in hushed tones only she could hear. “Don’t forget—I’m the only thing standing between your parents and a brutal winter in the cold. Fight me all you want, but I will have you one day, and I’ll enjoy making you beg for forgiveness.”

She loosed a breath as he released her, catching it again with a gasp as she felt his tongue against her cheek. Shock and disgust hit her so quickly, she fell off the chair as she recoiled from him.

His bellowing laugh seemed to echo as he walked out the door.

Chapter 33

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