Page 72 of Red's Beast

Lily slaps at him as she tries to get away from him before calling out, "You're crazy. He will not show himself. What makes you think he will when he never has before?"

Corbin places the knife dangerously close to her jugular, and I take a step forward, causing a branch to break. His eyes narrow into thin slits as he turns toward the sound. He pulls Lily backward, her back bumping against his chest. "See that, Lillian? He's at the edge of the woods because of you. Thatmonster is coming because you call him. I told you that you controlled him.”

"He wouldn't do that for me. I told you there is nothing between me and the beast of the haunted woods. He doesn't answer to me." The wind picks up out of nowhere and whips her long blonde locks across her face, but it also carries her scent to me.

I inhale a whiff as I realize what I have to do.

He tightens his hold on her arm and whispers into her ear. "Oh, but his actions say otherwise. Don’t you notice him right there in the woods? He’s coming.”

Corbin takes the knife and drags it across the side of her neck, blood dribbling down and soaking the collar of her cream blouse instantly. She gasps at the cut. "Are you crazy? What are you doing?"

A loud snarl escapes me, and Corbin smirks. "That is exactly what I need to know. You swear he doesn't answer to you, then why is he right there and snarling because I cut you? You may not realize it, but he cares for you and listens to every word you say."

She looks toward the woods, a plea on her lips.Please save me. If what he says is true, then save me, beast. Get me out of here with Grandmother and let's not ever look back.

The bond opens fully again at her acceptance of what’s between us. Relief floods through me, but is quickly squashed as Corbinmakes a matching cut on the other side of her neck. "You want this beast? I know you do. Well, she's mine and on the night of the full moon, it will be official. You will be cursed in those woods for the rest of your life, and you will never be free."

"You know about the curse?" Lily turns to face Corbin, a look of shock on her face.

"Does it matter? There's nothing you can do to save him. You might as well save the pack and become my mate." He jerks her toward him and kisses her hard. It's all a show for me, and when he breaks the kiss, he leans back with a smile. "Now, be a good little mate and tell him what you choose."

"What is with you all telling me it's my choice? I never asked for any of this."

Corbin stares at her intently for a moment, uncertain of how to answer her by the looks of it. "Nevermind about that. I have a proposition for you, beast. Don’t you want to hear it?"

I step as close as I can to the edge of the woods without singeing myself, and Corbin seems to see me as I press as close to the boundary as I dare.

"There you are, beast. I guess you showed your ugly face so I can tell you the deal."

Glancing around, I wait for the screams to erupt, but they never come. It's not like they've ever seen a sliver of my face, so to stand here without complete chaos breaking out is shocking. Afew onlookers who have come out snarl their nose in disgust, but I don't pay them much attention.

All my focus is on Lily.

He keeps Lily with her back to his chest and raises the knife once more to her throat. I let out a low growl, and his eyes meet mine. "If Lillian becomes my mate, then I will free you from the woods. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

"Don't take it," Lillian cries out, but the knife presses harder into her skin, causing another cut. “He’s lying.”

"Hush. If he knows what's good for him, he'll take the deal and finally be free of those blasted woods. How long have you been in there, beast? Wasn’t it about two hundred years ago? I’m sure you tire of being in there and long to be free. Well, there is a way for you to get out without her and I can do it."

"There's more than his way to be free," she mumbles.

Corbin looks like he's been pushed too far as his mouth forms a snarl and he snakes his arms up her body until he grabs her chin tightly. He moves her head to the side and presses his face into her throat.

"Shut up, Lillian."

She wiggles in his grasp, causing him to laugh.

"How's that alpha power coming along, Kitten? Find it yet? It never seems to come out when you need it most, does it?"

Her eyes widen as she registers his words. "You know. How do you know all this?"

"I know everything and how this all was set in motion." He smiles as he sniffs the side of her face and hair, dragging his nose across her skin. "Just like I know, this is going to upset that beast of yours."

He drags his tongue up the side of her neck, cleaning the blood off first before shifting his teeth into fangs. He sinks them into her throat right over the spot where my marks were. I press against the barrier as I try to get through while Lily wails from the shock of the bite. Corbin raises his face from her throat, and I can see where he has messed up her beautiful skin. It looks like he attempted to tear out my marks with his own, though they were no longer there.

The barrier burns as I keep trying to get through, and that only causes him to laugh harder. "Can't get through that now, can you? Oh my, what pain that must have caused you? It hurts, doesn’t it, beast? To watch the woman you care for being taken by another and know that she’ll never be yours."

Lily touches her neck and looks at the blood that coats her fingers. "What have you done?"

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