Page 59 of Falling for the Beast

In the dim light from the window, Aribelle saw Thaddeus’s muscles bulge as he grew taller. He growled, a low, menacing sound. His teeth grew into fangs and claws emerged from his fingers.

“See?” Gavin said, hysterically. “See what he is?”

“Yes, I see.” She tried to speak calmly but wasn’t very successful. “Please let me go, Gavin.”

Thaddeus roared and Gavin pointed the gun at him. Two shots rang out and Thaddeus fell to the floor. Aribelle screamed and Gavin let go of her. She ran to Thaddeus, tears welling in her eyes as he transformed back to a man, lying still with a pool of blood forming under him.

“What did you do?” she shouted at Gavin, her hands shaking violently.

“I saved you. Didn’t you see? I saved you from him.” Gavin’s eyes were wide, his face desperate to convince her that he was the hero.

“No, you didn’t. He wasn’t going to hurt anyone.” She pressed on one of the bullet wounds in his chest, trying to stop the bleeding. “He’s a healer.”

“No!” Gavin pressed the palms of his hands to his temples.

Tears streamed down Aribelle’s face. “He was kind. He healed me.”

Gavin’s mouth went up and down without any words. He took a step back, confusion on his face. “I saved you.”

“You shot an innocent man!” Aribelle pressed her fingers to Thaddeus’s throat, trying to find a pulse. “Please don’t die,” Aribelle whispered. “I love you.”

“No,” Gavin said again, weakly this time. He lowered the gun and shook his head.

“The police will arrest you. You’ll go to jail for murder!”

Gavin’s face drained of color. “What did I do?” he mumbled to himself. He seemed in a daze. “I have to get out of here.”

Yes. Please leave. Aribelle held her breath while Gavin looked wildly around, then headed toward the door. She heard it slam and then the house went still. Gavin had left.

Aribelle sobbed. She couldn’t find a pulse on Thaddeus’s neck but didn’t want to believe that he was truly dead. He could heal himself, right? He had healed from worse. But those injuries had all been gotten from his powers. What if he couldn’t heal from a normal injury? She didn’t have the strength in her to think he was gone.

The blood pool grew, and she had a sickening feeling inside of her. She couldn’t just let him bleed to death. If there was any chance at all he was still alive, she needed to get him help. The hospital was out. The only person she could turn to was…

Catherine.

She was the only person who could save him. Aribelle had no other choice. She’d drag his lifeless body there if she had to.

Aribelle stood and grabbed Thaddeus’s arms. He was heavy. Too heavy to lift. She braced herself and pulled with all her might. He moved an inch. Trying not to get discouraged, she pulled again, telling herself she was his only chance at survival.

She tugged and pulled until she’d gotten him to the door. She swung it open. As she pulled, she tried not to look at the blood smears on the floor. He was bleeding out. She had to hurry.

When she finally got him outside, he slid easier on the snow, but she still fought with all her might to drag him. She managed to get Thaddeus to her car and heave him into the back seat. He didn’t move. His chest didn’t rise and fall. She slammed the car door and ran to the driver’s seat. He couldn’t be dead. He would make it.

She started the car and shoved it into drive. “Come on, Bugs,” she said out of habit.

It was late enough that traffic was light, and she was able to make it to the older neighborhood in record time. She turned onto Ash street and stopped in front of Catherine’s house. Before she could allow herself to get nervous, she leaped out of the car and ran up the steps. She pounded on the door.

The younger woman opened the door, her eyes wide as she looked at Aribelle. “What do you—”

“Please, help me!” Aribelle wrung her hands and more tears welled up in her eyes. “Thaddeus has been shot. I need Catherine to heal him.”

The woman turned around. “Mother!”

Catherine joined her daughter at the door. “You again,” she said, disdain in her eyes.

“Please, help.” The words would barely come out of Aribelle’s mouth. She buried her face in her hands. “He’s going to die.”

Catherine stepped onto the porch. “Where is he?”

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