Page 10 of Beast and Remedy
“Yes! Stefan and his father need to return to their rooms early for the night because of their business in Unterkirch, but he told me he wants to send me letters! Isn’t that amazing?”
She rubs her temple and glances to where she danced with Stefan. She sighs contentedly, resting her hands on her hips. “You know, I think I have this princess role down too well.”
“I hope you were able to look past his attractiveness before accepting on our behalf.”
Marian’s jaw falls, and I laugh.
“You should have seen your face! You were all like,oh no!” I snicker. “I couldn’t resist messing with you.”
She slumps and playfully smacks me. “Yeah, yeah. Eat my own words. Iknow. Are you still hoping for an escape?”
“Is it obvious?”
“We’ve stayed long enough. Let’s go.”
We peer at Jean, who is watching us warily. I feign a yawn, and Marian feigns sleeping.
Jean smirks and whispers in Papa’s ear, and when he gives us approval, I break into a wide grin.
My sister guides us through the ballroom, guests acknowledging us as we pass. Her gold dress matches the flower adorned walls, complementing and illuminating her.
Gazing down at my emerald-green gown, I’m glad the color is different. It’s another thing setting us apart as twins, giving us our own identity.
The stench of sweat lingers in the air as we stride up the stairwell toward my study, pausing at the threshold to a muted sound coming down the hall.
Scuffles and riffles grow louder. And somethingrumbles.
Marian and I share a concerned look before breaking into a sprint.
I burst open the door, gasping when a growl echoes into the corridor, making my blood run cold.
Shredded parchment, spilled ink, my collection of quill feathers destroyed. And my vials… My heart shrivels at the shelf of broken bottles scattered on the floor.
The wolf is ruiningeverythingin its sight.
How did it break out of the storage closet? Did it eat all the contents in those containers?
What sort of reaction is this?
Fear dries my throat when the beast’s malicious eyes find mine, foam forming near its sneering, ravenous mouth. It rests its full weight on the injured leg and flinches, snarling at the light coming in from the hall.
I think through everything we did for treatments.
It couldn’t be the salve. Maybe the pain tonic? No, Marian has that recipe memorized like I do. I even made her repeat it back when she finished dressing for the party before I did.
What if someone broke in during the celebration? No, we have our guards stationed. No staff would be allowed back here, either.
Could it be an expired herb? Food we gave it gone bad? What did I do wrong? What did I miss?
“Vi,” Marian whispers, clinging to me.
I guide her behind me before raising my hands calmly as I enter the room.
“Vi, don’t!” Marian urges.
The wolf focuses on her.
“Don’t move,” I order, loud enough to divert the creature’s attention.
