Page 65 of Beast of Blood and Roses
Beast was dying, and now I was about to die too.
Colette stood at the door, motioning with her hand. “Hurry, hurry. They’re coming.”
I burst through the front door just as Colette slammed it shut behind me, the heavy wood reverberating through the house. My lungs burned as I gasped for air, adrenaline still coursing through my veins from the terrifying chase.
“Beast!” I called out desperately as I raced through the hallway toward the living room.
Beast was slumped over against the base of the couch, his massive frame looking somehow smaller and more fragile than I’d ever seen him. Blood had soaked through his clothes in dark, spreading stains, and more blood trickled steadily down his chin, dripping onto his shirt. His breathing was shallow and labored, each breath seeming like a struggle.
My chest tightened with panic. The spell was literally tearing him apart from the inside out.
Marcel knelt beside him with a bloodstained towel, gently trying to clean the worst of the blood from Beast’s face and neck. “I tried to help him move to the couch,” Marcel said without looking up. “But he’s too heavy for me to lift, and every time I tried to move him, he cried out in pain.”
“I have it,” I said breathlessly, falling to my knees beside Beast. My hands shook as I pulled the Witch’s Heart out of mypocket, its surface still warm and pulsing with power. “I have the Witch’s Heart back.”
Marcel gave me a sad look. “I just hope it’s not too late.”
I placed the necklace around Beast’s neck. I wasn’t sure it would help him, but a blue and white aura moved around him. Maybe, just maybe, this would work. Blood stopped slipping down his chin. His eyes fluttered open and he took a shuddering breath.
“Pain… has stopped,” he whispered.
Thank God. I held him close, my hands shaking as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “How did this happen? Was the amulet cursed?”
I pulled back slightly so I could see his face.
He focused on me. “I don’t know. Maybe Enzo might have had it bonded to me or it had to do with your father’s spell.”
“Let’s get him up,” Marcel said as he gently placed one of his arms around his shoulder.
I gritted my teeth and braced my legs to help lift him onto the couch. He had been so powerful earlier, but now he was panting and I wasn’t sure if he was still bleeding, I didn’t know what to do.
Bam Bam Bam
I jumped, then forced myself to focus back on getting him to the couch.
Snarls and angry shouts erupted from just beyond the front door, making the heavy wood shake on its hinges. The sounds of claws scraping against the door and fists pounding made it clear that our sanctuary wouldn’t hold them for long.
Beast’s bloodied hand shot out and he grabbed my arm with what little strength he had left. “You have to leave...” Each wordwas a struggle. “I can’t fight them anymore. Not strong enough.”
I looked into his pain-filled green eyes and felt my resolve harden like steel. I braced my shoulders and lifted my chin defiantly. “But I am.”
He shook his head weakly, fresh blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. “It’s too dangerous. I don’t want you to die defending me.” His grip on my arm tightened desperately. “I’ve caused enough death.”
“I won’t leave you. Not now, not ever.”
His eyes filled with something that looked like wonder mixed with grief. “You have to stay alive,” he said, his voice breaking. “You need to live the life you deserve. I...” He paused, gathering what might be his last breath. “I love you.”
Those three words stopped time itself. Around us, Marcel and Colette gasped, but all I could think was: I’d never imagined hearing them from the Beast’s lips. My heart soared and shattered at the same time.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Fierro
The wood splintered with a loud crack. Trystan, his wolves, and Volaris were going to break through any second. The bleeding had stopped, but I was still too weak to stand properly, let alone fight a pack of supernatural predators.
That wouldn’t stop me from trying. I’d die fighting to save Rosalie, Marcel, and Colette if that’s what it took.
All of this was on me—my past, my choices, my curse had brought this danger to their door.
