Beauty's Beast (Naughty Fairy Tales), page 1
Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2016 Rose Wulf
ISBN: 978-1-77233-858-4
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Audrey Bobak
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
Dedicated to you, my wonderful readers.
Without you there would be no point in publishing, so thank you all!
Please enjoy this story!
BEAUTY’S BEAST
Naughty Fairy Tales
Rose Wulf
Copyright © 2016
Prologue
Aurora Linn squealed like a child as she read, and then re-read, her latest email.
Clamping a hand over her mouth and praying no one happened to be walking by her office, she cast a surreptitious glance around. The office was square, painted a light, neutral beige, and three of the four walls boasted tall windows for maximum exposure. But the only person she saw was just slipping into their car, which was parked across the driveway and facing away. So she was free to return her attention, albeit briefly, to the exciting message staring back at her.
“I can’t believe I won!”
Her light green gaze was still dancing across the large, colorful typeface of Congratulations! when the phone at her left rang, startling her back to the moment. Even though she’d just won a four-night paid vacation to another country, she still had a job to do. After all, the trip was a month away.
Sighing and attempting to rein in her giddiness, Aurora lifted the receiver and put on her professional voice. “Evergreen Apartments, how may I help you?”
For two years now, she’d been the Resident Manager of the mid-sized apartment community, Evergreen Apartments. It was often a thankless job, but she took pride in her work and enjoyed the opportunity to see all the different aspects of life as they unfolded around her. Most of the time, anyway.
“No, ma’am, that was not a typo. You should have a copy of the invoice showing exactly—” Then there were the days irate former tenants called complaining about their deposit refunds. Like it’s my fault they never cleaned their oven or they destroyed their carpet. Or, in Mrs. Markham’s case, a little of both.
But it was all in a day’s work and soon enough Mrs. Markham, though no less happy, was off the phone.
Aurora glanced around again, releasing a slow breath to relieve the tension that always built up after being yelled at. Yep, she’d be taking a walk to Starbucks after closing. And maybe she could meet her best friend, who’d jokingly promised to go with her if she happened to win this fantastic trip, and tell her the good news.
The surrounding view of the complex hadn’t changed, with the exception of a couple of new cars parked in the lot on the far right, and one less car in the small parking area in front of her office. The buildings were all a matching shade of light brown with dark green trim and, being the middle of the afternoon on a Wednesday, not many people were wandering about. She only had one vacancy in need of renting and she already had two applications partially processed. Literally all she had to do for the rest of the afternoon, until something came up, was wait by the phone.
So she shot a quick text to Kayla, her long-time best friend, and forced herself to check the rest of her email. Most of which turned out to be mis-filtered spam or Facebook notifications she didn’t truly care about.
Her mind wandered back to the vacation she’d won without any resistance.
Nearly two weeks ago she’d stumbled across an online giveaway promising four nights paid vacation, dinners included, for a stay in an old Irish castle. Castle Finnegan. Aurora pulled up the pictures again and scrolled through them. The castle boasted a large, stone staircase leading up to a wide entrance, framed and covered by a pair of two-story towers connected at the top. Beyond that was a taller, wider single building with front-facing cathedral windows that connected to two side-buildings, both two stories tall. The stone of the castle was probably washed right before the photographs were captured, but care had also been taken to preserve the ivy crawling up the walls of the buildings. And the entire estate was settled on an almost clichéd hillside, with sprawling fields of green grass and large protrusions of boulders. It looked like the castle’s property actually extended all the way to the cliff, which would make for a beautiful picture.
I can’t wait!
Chapter One
Daemyn eyed the approaching group from a third story window. Alastar’s done it again. The latest inheritor of Castle Finnegan, and the last of the Finnegan line if he was to be believed, didn’t use his castle and sprawling estate for personal enjoyment. He neither lived nor vacationed in it. No, instead Alastar Finnegan sporadically listed it online for international travelers. He often listed it at ‘reduced’ rates to get faster, and longer, visitors. He sometimes even just gave away whole weekends to not-so-randomly selected contest entrants.
Because Alastar was a sadistic bastard who loved reminding Daemyn of how limited he was.
This must have been a free weekend group, because Daemyn only counted two women walking behind Alastar. One was walking calmly, her gaze following her friend’s gestures with less enthusiasm than the other woman. And it was that other woman who grabbed tight hold of Daemyn’s attention. Even from this distance she was stunning.
It was hard to judge her height from a third story window, especially when she had barely made it past the front towers, but next to Alastar he guessed she stood at five-seven or eight. She had long, loose, strawberry-blonde hair that perfectly reflected the setting sun. Best of all, she had curves. She wasn’t some skinny piece of flesh stretched over bone like so many of the women in modern society. Hell, that same society would probably describe her as overweight. But they were morons. That woman, whatever her name was, she was beautiful.
Damn Alastar for knowing just how to get under his skin.
They were getting closer now and, as he watched, the woman’s gaze lifted to take in the up-close view of the castle. He ducked out of sight from the window just slowly enough to allow her a glimpse of his movement. He was, after all, the reason the castle was rumored to be haunted.
****
“Can you believe how beautiful this place is?” Aurora said, beaming, as she unpacked her large rolling suitcase.
Kayla was perched on the edge of the mattress, waiting patiently. Her luggage was already unpacked and resting in her own room across the hall. “What I can’t believe is how bouncy you are,” she joked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this excited.”
Aurora grinned as she slid her makeshift underwear drawer shut. “I don’t think I’ve been this excited since my trip to Scotland after college.” Which had been, hands-down, her favorite vacation ever. Until this one. This one was almost guaranteed to blow it out of the water. She’d never gotten to sleep inside a real castle before!
Kayla laughed. “Well, I’m glad I get to witness this. Aurora Linn’s great Irish adventure.”
“Don’t be jealous,” Aurora returned, trailing her fingers along the intricate carvings of the dresser. “It’s our great adventure. Or it could be.”
“Oh, I’m going to enjoy myself, but I want you to enjoy yourself more.” Something about Kayla’s tone assured Aurora that more was coming. Aurora turned to face her friend right as Kayla continued. “Did you get a look at our host? Alastar Finnegan, of Castle Finnegan of course. Aurora, this could be your match made in heaven.”
Aurora flushed and waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “Mr. Finnegan’s our host, for one thing, and for another, he’s not my type.” He was kind of handsome, but men like him didn’t look twice at oversized women like her. And for as handsome as he looked in slacks and a high-end shirt, something about him really didn’t appeal to her. Something in his eyes.
Kayla huffed her disagreement. “Since when? The man owns a freaking castle—the one thing you love more than those sexy books you brought.”
“That is definitely a point in his favor,” Aurora admitted. She moved to sit beside her friend so that she could lower her voice. “But he’s … blond.” She didn’t know how to articulate the eye thing. Kayla would just dismiss it, anyway.
Similarly to the way she was dismissing her now, actually.
Kayla laughed. “Seriously? Picture him brunette, then, who cares?”
Giving her friend’s shoulder a shove, Aurora said, “If you like him so much you go after him!”
“Uh-uh,” Kayla said, a disturbing gleam in her brown eyes. “You’re the star here, Aurora, and you need to get some action. You’ve been single, what, three years? Do you even remember how to have sex?”
Aurora blanched. “Kay! How did we go from hair color to sex?” Except she knew how. Kayla had one of the dirtiest minds she knew and was every bit the erotic romance fan she herself was.
“Seemed like a natural progression to me,” Kayla offered with a teasing shrug.
She was saved by a polite tapping at the closed bedroom door. “Hush!” Aurora whispered as she stood and moved to the door.
Alastar smiled politely when their eyes met. “I thought you ladies might be ready for some dinner? Our chef’s prepared his special welcome feast and the weather’s perfect for seating out in the yard.” He paused for barely a beat, sweeping his arm wide to indicate the direction they should go, and asked, “Have either of you ever eaten dinner on an ocean cliff side?”
****
Daemyn watched from the shadows as Alastar led the women away. He hadn’t caught their names yet, but that was fine. And while they dined on Alastar’s imported cuisine, he could take inventory. Not that he didn’t already know which one he wanted. He didn’t even feel inclined to peruse the other woman’s room.
As soon as they were out of earshot, he let himself into her room, which she’d left open of course. Likely assuming there wasn’t anyone about who could intrude. She hadn’t done much to the space—no one ever did—but her scent drew him like a homing beacon to the dresser. Her rolling suitcase was tucked away in the corner and he tugged the top drawer open to confirm she’d unpacked. And he’d found his favorite drawer on the first try.
The woman’s scent was simple. Vanilla and honey with a bit of pine. Sweet, but not cloying. The pine cut nicely.
Daemyn groaned and replaced the drawer without touching any of the garments inside. He wanted to, certainly. But he’d rather wait until she was wearing them and then slide them off her rounded hips with his teeth. That thought’s not helping. Just the scent of this woman had his cock hard in his pants. He was tempted to let down his fly and relieve that pressure right where he stood, with her delicious scent filling his lungs and the image of her in his mind.
He refrained.
He’d have her soon enough. Have her writhing and gasping beneath him, her legs around his hips and her fingers buried in his hair. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was the vocal type.
****
When he stepped into his room, he found Alastar waiting, standing beside his favorite window. Daemyn ground his teeth at the bold intrusion. “What the hell are you doing in here, Finnegan?”
Alastar turned and smiled, the expression cold. “Enjoying yourself, Daemyn? I think this pair is quite fitting.”
“You know you’re not welcome in this room,” Daemyn said, striding toward the shorter man. When he was standing well within Alastar’s personal space, he lowered his voice. “State your business and fuck off.”
“I’ll never know what Fiona saw in you,” Alastar muttered, stepping to the side and in the direction of the door. “At any rate, your new pets are here for four nights. Minimal staff, as always. Do try not to kill either of them. This economy’s been hell on the tourism enough as it is.”
Alastar slid from the room without waiting for Daemyn’s reply. That was probably for the better.
Daemyn snorted and turned his attention to the window. It was his favorite because it had the best view of the sunset over the ocean. And if there was one thing he’d learned to appreciate in all his centuries, it was a beautiful sunset. Except this time all he could see was her. The woman who smelled of vanilla and pine. The woman whose voice he’d never heard. He’d wait until she finished her meal, but no longer. Under the best of circumstances, incubi weren’t known for their patience, and Daemyn hadn’t been near the best of circumstances in close to three hundred years.
It was time to make the introduction.
****
“I’m in love with this castle,” Aurora declared as she turned her gaze away from the horizon. The sunset over the ocean was breathtaking, but she wanted to see it reflected on the stone walls of the castle. Wanted to see it blink off the blades of the greenest grass she’d ever seen.
Instead what she saw was a man, in a window on the third floor. For a moment it was as if he was looking right at her. Her heart rate doubled and heat rose to her cheeks despite herself. “Kay, do you see—?” But already he’d vanished, stepping back and out of sight as if he’d never been there at all.
“Do I see what? You drooling over a four-hundred-year-old castle? Yes, I see that,” Kayla teased.
Aurora shook her head. I must’ve imagined it. Grinning, she looked back at her friend. “I’ve just had the silliest fantasy and it’s all your fault.”
Kayla set down her fork and leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Do tell.”
With her fingers busying themselves with folding the cloth napkin in her lap, Aurora said, “Can you imagine the story it would make if I really did meet someone here? Some unspeakably gorgeous man straight out of Hollywood or something?”
Kayla laughed good-naturedly. “I take it we’re not talking about our handsome host?” She didn’t wait for a response before lowering her voice. “Oh, I can imagine. And if you did meet someone you were so gaga over, do you know what I’d tell you?”
Aurora rolled her eyes now, knowing exactly what she’d say. “You only live once, right?”
“Bingo!” Kayla exclaimed, lifting her fork again. “In the meantime, though, that sentence applies perfectly well to this food. I’ve never had steak this delicious.”
It was Aurora’s turn to laugh as she returned her attention to the remainder of her meal. But she couldn’t shake the image of that man from her head. I really hope I wasn’t hallucinating… “Hey,” she said suddenly, “didn’t that brochure say this castle is rumored to be haunted?”
Kayla looked up and swallowed her bite. “Oh please, you don’t buy that, do you? It’s a publicity thing.”
Pursing her lips, Aurora said, “Probably…” Still, that would make a pretty good story, too. But then again, who would she tell that story to if her best friend was sitting right across from her?
****
Aurora wrapped her velvet robe around herself and stepped from the bathroom. A room which was literally used for bathing. She’d never been so privileged before and getting to experience this style of bathing had ratcheted up her excitement. As she padded, in her worn, fuzzy slippers, down the cool stone hallway toward her room, her mind raced. The hall windows were smaller than the main hall’s windows but still cathedral style and they bore no coverings. The unfiltered moonlight cast a beautiful, romantic glow on everything.
It also cast a large amount of shadows, and it was those shadows she blamed for her heart’s brief leap of terror when someone stepped from them and into her path.
“Good evening,” he said.
Aurora’s eyes widened and her mouth went dry with mixed anticipation. It was him. The man she’d glimpsed in the window during dinner. Only, up close, he was so much more impressive.
He stood a good head taller than her, easily over six feet, and her first thought was that he was built like the freaking Rock. The Rock, not a rock. And her fingers itched to reach out and touch those spectacularly bulging muscles. His shirt was dark, black in the moonlight, and pulled tight across his chest. In better lighting she imagined she’d be able to see every ridge of muscle. Those etched muscles disappeared into dark denim and she couldn’t tell whether or not that was a shadow or an actual bulge in his pants.
Oh my … wow… This man was mouthwatering. And the moonlight reflected perfectly off his molten brown eyes as they bore holes into her.
“Ah,” she said awkwardly, “hi.” Great going, Aurora.
His lips twitched and he stepped closer, into her personal space. Somehow the motion cast him even more into shadow. She could barely make out the outline of his strong jaw and it was a moment before she caught a glimpse of his hair. It was straight and black and pulled back behind his shoulders.
“Tell me your name,” he whispered, his voice deep and rumbly. She swore it vibrated straight into her, sparking something warm low in her belly. As he spoke, he reached out and caught a damp strand of her hair between thumb and forefinger. He rubbed them together briefly, leaned forward, and took a long, slow breath. She swore he even hummed.
Swallowing heavily as her body’s irrational reaction continued, she said, “Aurora. I’m Aurora. Who … are you?” Was she really asking for this god’s name? Maybe I should be asking him to take me right here on this floor. Oh, Kayla was right. It had been way too long.
