Page 267 of Evil Hearts

“As you wish,” I murmured, my heart at my feet. But when I turned toward the village, she stopped me again.

“No, not there.” She pushed away from my chest to stare into my eyes. “I don’t belong there. I never did. Take me home. To our home.”

Before I could process, she leaned up and pressed a kiss to the side of my snout.

I nearly dropped her in my shock. It was more than I had ever dared to wish. It was more than I could possibly deserve.

Mari

My heart wasstill pounding. This time it wasn’t fear coursing through my veins, it was something else. Something warm and wonderful.

It was no time at all and an eternity before we returned to the den. Beast carried me down the narrow tunnel and into our cave. It was dim, the fire nothing but dying embers.

Much like our first night, Beast set me on the ground and ordered me to stay while he went to feed wood to the fire. In that moment, he looked every bit the evil monster my village accused him of being. Dark fur matted red with drying blood, fire dancing in his red eyes. Eyes that were intent on me.

“What do you want, Mari?” The growling question shuddered its way through me. He abandoned his task and stalked toward me, dropping to all fours as he neared. He stopped just shy of touching me.

“Why do you insist on staying with me?” There was a softness to his voice now, a gentleness he’s always kept hidden from me, but I’d always sensed was there.

The answer was easy.

“You make me feel safe.”

“You are addle-brained.” He took another step forward, close enough to nuzzle into my neck. I tilted my head to the side togive him better access. He was so warm, so soft. I buried my hands in the fur on the sides of his neck to keep him in place.

His tongue slid out to lap at my neck. It was hot and slick against my skin and made bumps break out everywhere. Heat shot through me and pooled low in my belly.

“What do you want, Mari?” He asked again. And just as before the answer was easy.

“You.”

“You don’t even know what that means.” His claws hooked into the material of my dress and he began sliding it upward, over my legs, my knees. I shifted to kneel making it easier to help him pull the dress up over my head.

“So explain it to me.” I tugged the material free of my hair and tossed it aside. It was covered in blood and would never be clean again. It was something to worry about later. I knelt naked before him, shaking in the chill of the cave but unwilling to do anything to destroy the moment.

“Lay down.” He ordered me, coming closer. Close enough to brush my sensitive nipples against his soft fur. I shuddered before scrambling to obey. In the weeks since I’d come to the cave I’d collected a number of furs to lay on. I was thankful for the pallet that kept me off the cold stone floor.

“Don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you.” Beast crawled over my naked body.

“I’m not completely innocent. I know how it works.”

Beast let out a roaring laugh. “You know how two humans come together. You’ve never been with a god before.”

“Is that what you are? A god?” I thought about all the ways he cared for the people and animals of the forest. Of how he took care of me. The way he cared for us but wasn’t above violence to keep us safe.

No, the idea of him being a god wasn’t hard to grasp. The idea of such a god lowering himself to be with someone like me,someone so easily thrown out by her own people, was a harder idea to swallow.

“Does it matter what I am?” He licked a line up my neck, causing bumps to erupt all over my body. “So long as I am yours?”

“Are you?” I grabbed the fur around his neck and forced him to look at me.

“From the moment I saw you.” He stared at me intently. The flames reflected in his red eyes. “I have waited lifetimes for you. I couldn’t stay away if I tried. I would have returned you to your village if you’d asked but it would have ripped my soul in two. You’d have taken a part of it with you.”

Tears welled in my eyes, my hands tightened in the fur around his neck. I buried my face there and whispered the only words that mattered,

“I’m yours.”

Beast

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