Page 44 of Autopsy of a Fairytale

The minute she opened the front door, Cerberus bolted for the woods, and Bel hesitated as she stared at the encroaching trees. She hadn’t set foot near the forest since the attack. Alcina was gone, the sensation of being watched vanishing with her, but the pain and helplessness of that night were seared into Bel’s brain. Cerberus, though, possessed no such qualms about his favorite hiking spot, and as he dragged her enthusiastically for the tree line, she chose to confront her anxiety, thankful for the dog to guide her through the stress. He’d proven himself her worthy defender, and Bel knew adopting him hadn’t been an accident. No one at that shelter had wanted the black pitbull with the cropped ears and the meaty face. She used to pity him for his abandonment, but now she realized her pity had been misguided. He hadn’t been abandoned. He had simply been waiting for her.

After doing his business, Cerberus found a stick and shoved it into her hand. With a smile, Bel launched it into the trees, and the dog tore after it. She waited for him to return, but after a few minutes, his black fur still hadn’t re-emerged from the leaves.

“Cerberus?” she called, picking up her pace, that familiar fear bubbling in her chest. “Come here, baby beast.”

“Hello, Detective.” The seductive gravel crackled over her skin, electrocuting her heart with its deep perfection.

Bel’s blue eyes followed the sound, unable to resist its call, and Eamon stepped into the open, Cerberus glued to his side as he waited for his new friend to throw the stick.

“Are you following me?” Bel asked as Eamon tossed the makeshift toy, and Cerberus leaped after it. Her voice sounded accusatory and harsh, but after the emotions of the funeral, she didn’t trust herself around the perfection captured in this man’s skin.

“Would it bother you if I was, Detective?” He stepped closer, as if to force her to acknowledge her awareness of him.

“I could arrest you for stalking a police officer.”

“But you won’t, my little Detective. You like my eyes on you.” He gently captured her jaw and tilted her head up. She hated how her skin burned to life at his touch, how his words rang true as she stared up at his looming height.

“Was that you? Those nights I felt someone watching me?” She despised the way her voice sounded as she both feared and hoped it had been his black eyes hunting her.

“Sometimes.” Cerberus returned, bumping Eamon’s leg with the stick. He took it from the dog, who tap danced in place until Eamon launched it down the path. “Other times it was Alcina stalking you as Vera since your neighbor’s was the only scent I detected. I’m sure you knew the difference in our gazes.”

Bel opened her mouth, but her words were unnecessary. He recognized the realization in her eyes. The times when terror licked like hungry flames at her skin, that had been Alcina. Her memory flickered to that morning when she spoke to her father. She hadn’t even realized Eamon was watching her until she caught sight of him. His watchful gaze felt different. Safe, protective, possessive.

Eamon smiled a wicked grin as he leaned forward and breathed her in, his eyes closing for a second as he savored her scent. The action surprised Bel, and when his eyes opened, they found hers harsh and confused.

“I thought…” she cleared her voice. “I thought with Alcina dead, the curse would be broken.”

“It is.”

“But…” she trailed off, unsure how to put his hunger into words.

“I still crave you,” he answered for her, stepping so close, his chest almost brushed hers. “The undeniable urge to kill you was lifted with her death, but I’ve tasted you, my little Detective. Every part of me wants every part of you. Your scent is intoxicating.”

She should move. She should step back.

“She’s dead. I’m safe now. You don’t need to watch me.” Bel whispered, stepping forward so her dress brushed against his shirt. “You can leave.”

“Isobel.” He lifted a hand and tucked her hair behind her ear, the way he said her name enough to light the world on fire. “You’re a part of me now, and I will always be able to sense you. I can no more leave you than I could stop the sun from rising. No matter how far you flee, I will feel you. I cannot abandon you to suffer this life’s dangers. You are mine to protect.”

“I don’t need you to protect me.” She tried to deny the way his declaration settled in her chest and fused to her bones.

“I know, Isobel.” He stepped back, and she gasped for breath at his sudden absence. “But I will protect you all the same.”

“Will you protect me from yourself?”

“I am evil, but not the evil you hunt,” he repeated his sentiment from the other day. “I am a killer, but your life is one I will not allow to end.”

“You shouldn't admit that to a detective.”

“You’re one of the few people in this world to see me for who I am. I won’t hide from you, Isobel Emerson.”

Bel gasped slightly at the way her name left his tongue. Who was this man, this beast, that both terrified and comforted her? “If you ever so much as step one foot out of line, I will offer you no mercy.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

“And there’s no way for me to convince you to leave Bajka and me alone?”

“None.”

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