Page 41 of Beast of Blood and Roses
She was doing something to me, changing me in ways I couldn’t understand or control. Something I hadn’t thought was possible. Something that terrified me more than any curse ever had. My hands trembled as I gripped the edge of the ornate frame.
I had always been Enzo’s feared enforcer, sent to terrorize people when they owed the family money. My chest tightened as memories flashed through my mind: the satisfaction I’d once felt watching grown men cower, the way I’d fed on their blood without killing them, drawing out their terror until they paid what they owed. That role I knew how to play, had worn it like armor for years. But this one…
I ran a shaking hand through my fur, pacing away from the painting. I didn’t know how to be gentle. Didn’t know how to care for someone without destroying them. I didn’t even know the rules of whatever game my heart was playing.
The scent of lavender still lingered, and I found myself breathing it in despite my fear. What if I hurt her? What if this thing growing inside my chest—this tenderness, this need to protect her—what if it made me more dangerous than I’d ever been as Enzo’s monster?
I needed to do something for her. Something she wouldn’t expect. She was drained because of her mother. That was her Achilles’ heel.
But something was gnawing at me, a persistent doubt I couldn’t scratch. Volaris’ story he fed her didn’t add up. I had to find what he was hiding. Everything told me her powers were bound, and I suspected he had something to do with it.
But I couldn’t prove it.
Not yet.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything here. I clenched my jaw in frustration and headed back toward the living room where Colette and Marcel were quietly talking on the couch.
“I have a task for each of you to handle. Sophia Volaris is the name of Rosalie’s mother. Marcel, find out what you can about her.”
Marcel nodded gravely, already seeming to understand the importance. “I will.”
I turned to Colette, my expression softening slightly. “Colette, I have a different task for you.”
“Anything,monsieur.” Her eyes brightened, eager to help.
“I want you to give me the recipe for how to make macarons.”
She blinked in confusion, her brow furrowing. “Excuse me?”
I shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling foolish. “Just give me the recipe and I’ll do the rest.”
Making macarons couldn’t be that hard. My chest warmed as I remembered how Rosalie’s face had brightened at the mention of macarons earlier; that fleeting moment of pure joy breaking through her usual wariness. It couldn’t be that difficult to recreate that smile.
Colette could easily make the cookies, but I wanted to do it myself. My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides as the thought took hold. Even if my claws made it nearly impossible—hell, I couldn’t even use a fork properly—I had to try. She needed to see me as more than just a beast, or maybe that’s what I needed to see.
The idea of her lighting up when she saw something I’dmade for her with my own hands...it made something tight in my chest loosen just a fraction. How hard could baking really be?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rosalie
The dream faded away like mist, slipping through my fingers as consciousness pulled me back to reality. I blinked slowly, my mind still foggy with sleep, and frowned as I tried to grasp the fleeting images. I couldn’t remember it clearly...just bits and pieces dancing at the edge of my memory. A handsome man with deep green eyes that seemed familiar, but I couldn’t make out his features clearly through the haze.
My heart skipped a beat. Had that been Beast? I sat up abruptly, running my hands through my tangled hair. Did this have something to do with my magic? My pulse quickened at the thought. Did my magic somehow know what he looked like beneath the curse?
I stretched my arms above my head, working out the stiffness in my shoulders, then kicked the blanket off my legs. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand and my adrenalinespiked. “Oh, shit!” I’d been asleep for two hours, not the few minutes I’d intended.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, then paused as I looked down at the soft blanket pooled around my feet. A warm flutter spread through my chest. Beast had tucked this around me so carefully. I touched the fabric gently, surprised by the tenderness of the gesture. I hadn’t expected him to be so...gentle.
I sniffed, my nose scrunching as a smoky smell invaded my senses. Something was definitely burning; not just burning, but charring. The smell was bitter and sharp, making my eyes water. I looked around my room frantically, checking the corners and windows, but didn’t see anything. My heart rate spiked as I rushed to the bathroom, but the noxious scent wasn’t coming from there either.
Was the house on fire? Panic crawled at my throat as I yanked open my door and ran into the hallway. The stench hit me like a wall, so much stronger out here that I had to cover my nose with my sleeve. Wisps of gray smoke drifted up from somewhere below, and my stomach dropped.
“Beast! Colette? Marcel?” I yelled, taking the stairs two at a time. My bare feet slapped against the cold stone as I rushed down, expecting to see flames licking at the walls.
Instead, I found black smoke hovering around the kitchen like a storm cloud. The air was so thick I could barely see through it, and it burned my lungs with each breath.
“Colette? What happened?” I coughed, waving my hand to clear the air as I rushed inside. Then I stopped dead in my tracks.
