Page 5 of Her Beast

The goddamned office washugeand by the time he’d done one circuit, the glow had shifted to live, licking flames coming in through the door to the hallway.

Shut the bloody door and then check the bedchamber,a voice screamed inside his head.

Malcolm lifted his arms to shield against the heat and lunged toward the door, slamming against the roaring fire in the corridor. Pain seared his left arm and he gritted his teeth, slapping out the flames as he stumbled toward the connecting door to the bedchamber. His burning eyes flickered over the big room and landed on the motionless form on the bed.

“Sukey!”

But she didn’t move.

Malcolm crouched low as he ran to the bed, but still his lungs were on fire by the time he reached it. He lowered his head to her naked chest and listened; her heart was beating, her chest rising and falling.

A half-full glass and a jug of water stood on the nightstand. Malcolm emptied both over her head and face, but Sukey didn’t even twitch.

He shoved down the jagged bolt of terror at the lack of response.Calm down,he ordered himself.She’s breathing.

She was alive. Malcolm just needed to keep her that way.

Water, I need more water.

But one glance at their bathing chamber showed a hellish whorl of dancing red and orange, the flames darting out through the doorway like tongues.

There would be no more water.

Instead, Malcolm wrapped the counterpane around Sukey, covering every inch of her. He yanked a bed curtain off and wrapped that around his waist and then pulled down a second drape and covered his head and shoulders.

A deafeningpopcame from the room behind him. And another and another, as the windows exploded from the heat, bringing in more air, feeding the fire.

There was no more time.

Malcolm scooped Sukey up, hissing with agony as her bundled body slid over the burnt skin on his left side. He inhaled what felt like a lungful of broken glass and leaned close to his wife. “I love you, Susan Elizabeth Barton,” he whispered into the cloth covering head. “You’ll be all right, darling. I swear on my life.”

And then Malcolm plunged into the flames.

Chapter 1

15 Years Later

October 1872

Julia winced as she cleaned her tender skin with the cool, wet cloth.

“Did I hurt you, Julia?” Solomon asked, anxiety pulsing in his voice.

She fought down a twinge of irritation, tossed the cloth back into the tepid water, and then pulled up her drawers.

Once they were tied at the waist, she fiddled with her pearl bracelet rather than step out from behind the dressing screen and face Solomon.

Although the bracelet was neither expensive nor especially striking, it was her favorite piece of jewelry and the only time Julia ever took it off was while bathing. Usually just looking at the bracelet—which had once belonged to her mother—was enough to cheer her. Today it didn’t appear to be working.

“Julia?”

“One moment.” She sighed. While the last half hour hadn’t been horrible, neither had it been rewarding. She forced her face into a pleasant expression and stepped out from behind the screen.

Solomon was perched on the edge of the bed, fully clothed.

He’d been too afraid to take off his clothes, removing only his coat and shoes, and opening his trouser placket.

Julia, meanwhile, had stripped down to her chemise.

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