Page 37 of Falling for the Beast

“We’ll go tomorrow.” A darkness came into his eyes. “But don’t argue with her. If she says she can’t help, accept it.”

Aribelle nodded. “Of course.”

“I mean it.” He grabbed her upper arms. “She’s not someone you want to mess with.”

A small twinge of fear snaked up her back. Thaddeus was right. If Catherine could curse him, she could do worse to her. “Okay.”

He let go of her and stalked out of the room, tension evident in his muscles. Aribelle let him go. She knew he needed some time. He was the one who had dealt with Catherine all those years ago. Seeing her again wasn’t going to be easy for him.

Thaddeus paced his bedroom. Why had he agreed to take Aribelle to see that old harpy? Nothing would change his circumstances. Catherine wouldn’t lift the curse, he knew that, but she might get angry and do even more damage. At least right now his life was somewhat livable. What if she took away his power to heal himself? To heal others? What if he was left with his animalistic nature and nothing to prevent him from ripping apart another human being? What if he hurt Aribelle?

He couldn’t say no to her, that was the problem. At least, not for long, apparently. He had no willpower when it came to her. And now he had agreed to go see the old witch. Great. And he thought his life was difficult now.

If Catherine grew angry, who knew what she could put them through. He hadn’t understood when he was young and stupid. He’d thought the world would bow down at his feet. He’d thought his money meant power, and that people were there to do his bidding. He’d always gotten what he’d wanted until Catherine defied him, and the prospect of seeing her again scared him to death.

He opened his desk and pulled out a worn journal. Opening to a new page, he sat down and grabbed a pen.

Aribelle continues to push the limits. She has now persuaded me to take her to see Catherine. I am afraid the end result of confronting the old witch will be devastating. But I cannot deny Aribelle. She has such a hold on me, I cannot break free. I fear she will be my undoing.

He heard Aribelle bustling around in her bedroom and decided to go see her. Maybe he could talk her out of going to visit Catherine somehow. He walked down the hall and gently knocked on her door.

Aribelle opened the door a crack, a guilty look on her face. “Yes?”

“Can I come in?”

She hesitated. “Now?”

“Yes. I want to talk to you.”

A blush crept over her cheeks and she opened the door.

“What on earth have you got on?” Thaddeus held in a smile as his gaze traveled over Aribelle, dressed in a ballroom gown, her hair pinned up on top of her head.

“I’m sorry, I only wanted to see if one of these would fit. And this one did. And then I thought it would be cool to see what my hair would look like…” She blushed even more and took a step back. “You must think I’m silly.”

Silly wasn’t the word that was coming to his mind at the moment. “No.”

“Well, I’ll change out of this get-up so we can have dinner.”

He didn’t want her to change out of the dress. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her exposed neck. But he couldn’t think such things. He tried to look away but was unsuccessful. Then a thought occurred to him. “Maybe we can have a formal dinner tonight.”

“What?”

He shrugged like it wasn’t important to him. “I could put on something nice. We could eat dinner together on the deck.”

“It’s not too cold?”

“It should be fine.”

A smile formed on her lips. “Okay. I’ll be down in a few minutes then.”

He nodded and left her room. After shaving, he put on a suit and tie and went downstairs. He rummaged through the cupboards and found a candle. He lit it, put it on the table on the deck, and rearranged the chairs. Why was his heart beating so fast? It wasn’t like this was a date or anything. They were just goofing around. But it didn’t feel silly. He brought out two plates and the crock pot with the roast and potatoes.

Aribelle stepped out onto the deck. His heart stuttered and he held in a gasp. How could it be possible for her to be even more beautiful?

She looked up at the moon. “You’re right. It’s not too cold.”

“It was unseasonably warm today.”

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