Page 163 of Beau and the Beast

“And everyone else?”

“I assume they’ll go free,” Wolfram said, hitching one shoulder.

“Wolf, we are going to figure this out. We’ll break this thing and—“

Wolfram placed a hand on his knee. “This has been the best few weeks of my life. You’ve already given me that, Beau. I don’t need you to give me more. We’ll get the money to you in the morning and Violet will handle everything from here.”

Beau reared back as if Wolfram had raised a hand. “You’re kidding. You want me to go?”

“No. I don’t. But I can’t keep you here.”

“Like hell you can’t,” Beau said. “You haven’t beenkeepingme here. I figured out a long time ago that none of you would’ve stopped me if I wanted to leave. Iwantto be here—fixing this, figuring it out—being withyou.”

“There’s no future for you here.”

“Fuck the future,” Beau said, tears stinging his eyes. “I’m happy with you. I don’t—“

“There’s no future for youwith meeither,” Wolfram said quickly. “I die, I stay a monster, I become a man again—none of that is a part of the life you deserve.”

“You’re out of your mind,” Beau shot back. “I’ll stay with you—Iwantto stay with you, whether you change or not.”

“I can’t even begin to let you do that. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, and certainly not on the man I’ve come to care about more than any other.”

Beau pressed forward, needing to be closer to Wolfram, needing for him to somehow understand.

“I never expected that being with you would be easy, Wolf,” Beau said. “I’m not letting you die—and I’m not letting you send me away because of some… misplaced altruism. You’re good for me. I’m not going anywhere.”

“We don’t have to decide this right now,” Wolfram said. “I think it would be best if you didn’t stay the night.”

“Why, Wolfram?”

When Wolfram looked at him, there was a sheen of glossy tears over his golden eyes.

“I can already feel myself mourning what we have,” he said, his voice low and tight. “It hurts too much to think about losing you.”

Beau pressed further into him, kneeling on the bed to wrap his arms around his neck.

“I’ve only just found you,” Beau whispered. “I can’t lose you. Not yet.”

“It’s out of your control.”

“You may not have noticed, Wolf,” Beau said in between kisses pressed into the side of Wolfram’s face, “but I don’t give up easily. I don’t give upever.”

Wolfram leaned into his touch, his breaths going deeper and steadier.

“Let me stay tonight,” Beau begged. “I want to be with you. I want to see all of you. I’m not leaving.”

When they came together that night, things were different.Everythinghad changed. Their union wasn’t about exploring something new or celebrating the wonder of finding each other.

To kiss Wolfram that night felt like a rebellion against an unfair world. They pressed against each other, fumbling and frantic.

Beau couldn’t believe it—couldn’t wrap his mind around this new timeline. Unless his book worked to break the spell, he would only haveweekswith Wolfram. He clutched at Wolfram and squeezed him, surrendering to the kiss, wanting to be so close to Wolfram that the rest of the world wouldn’t be able to find a way in.

After a moment, it was clear that Wolfram wasn’t going to send him away—that Beau would be allowed to spend the night. They were both hard quickly, rutting against each other through their clothes.

How was it possible that Beau had only just found this sort of goodness and it was already being taken away from him? The world was a crueler place than he’d ever imagined.

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