Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 66503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Now they both look at me like I’ve gone insane.
“No,” my father barks at me, and he jerks himself free from Beast’s grip before crawling away on the floor like a wounded animal. He points at Beast. “That thing is not family.”
“He’s a human being, just like you and me,” I say.
My father’s gaze is solely on Beast. “Letting you escape was the worst mistake I ever made. I should’ve killed you when I had the chance!”
“Yes, you should have,” Beast retorts, lowering his eyes. “Because I will never, ever stop trying to make you pay for what you did to her.”
My father’s in shock for a moment before he rebukes, “What I did? What about you? You tried to abduct her and kill her!”
“No!” I interject. “He tried to save me.”
“By bringing you to that cell?” he spits.
“My orders were to kill everyone on sight,” Beast says, tucking the flower back into his pocket. “It was the only way.”
My father scoffs. “Maybe you should’ve killed her. At least it would’ve saved her from all this pain.”
Beast’s eyes are filled with rage. “You made her suffer all that pain by lending all that money and not paying it back!”
Papa rebukes, “Because I was trying to fix her.”
Beast roars like a madman. “She’s not broken! She’s perfect!”
I stumble backward, dropping the candleholder. My hand rises to meet my eyes as I stare at the one thing that’s brought about so much misery in this world. These scars, these malformed hands, this body that destroyed my mother’s … me. I’m the reason my father had to pay, had to be killed, why I was taken, why Beast was snatched and trained, why everyone is the way they are now.
And it suddenly feels like I can’t breathe.
Beast stomps toward my father, who cowers in the corner of the living room.
“The only reason you’re still alive is because I protected you,” Beast growls at my father, pointing at him. “Because she loves you, and I love her.”
“Love?” my father splutters. “Do you even know what that is?”
“I know more about love than you ever will,” Beast replies, tapping my father’s chest.
I can tell it takes every ounce of self-control in him not to snap my father’s neck.
My father shakes his head, fuming with rage. “I sacrificed everything for her.” He glances at me now. “You are my daughter, Aurora. And I will do what I need to protect my family.”
“Family …” I mutter.
It’s something I’ve always wanted but never truly knew.
“We’re family, Aurora,” my father says, playing on my heartstrings.
But I know it can’t be true.
I don’t want her. I never did.
She’s a monster.
Beast merely watches me, but the pain in his eyes is almost unbearable.
“We should stay together as a family. Us two. Not him.”
What?
“He doesn’t belong here, Aurora,” my father continues, his tone lowering. “He’s the enemy.”
My heart begins to drop.
“No,” I say, shaking my head.
My father’s face darkens. “Are you in love with him?” my father asks.
I don’t even know how to answer without feeling judged.
But my face apparently says enough because the disgust clearly shows on his face. “Wow. You want to be with him?” my father says as he gets up from the floor. “He’s a murderer who betrayed his own men.”
“Stop,” I mutter, closing my eyes because I can’t stand to even look while they try to face off again.
“No, you have to choose. Him or me,” he retorts.
“Don’t make me do this,” I beg, rubbing my lips together to stop the tears from flowing.
“Wow. I never thought this day would come. Betrayed by my own fucking daughter.” My father’s nostrils flare. “I can’t listen to another minute of this,” my father barks as he storms out the door. “Good fucking luck.”
I expected Beast to follow him and throw him down to the ground to wrestle him to death.
Instead, he stands there in the living room like a giant made of stone, feet lodged firmly onto the floor. As though he’s afraid that if he even moves a single inch, he might end up hurting my father. Hurting me.
Tears slowly begin to roll down my cheeks, and suddenly, he moves.
He stomps toward me and wraps me into his arms, almost crushing me in his embrace.
“Don’t cry,” he says.
“I can’t stop,” I reply. “I don’t know how.”
“Don’t give him any of your tears,” he says. “He’s not worth a single one.”
I hug him as tight as he’s hugging me, the pressure enough to force me to stop.
“He’s really gone, isn’t he?” I ask.
He doesn’t respond, but I can feel his chest tighten.
“I don’t have anyone left,” I mutter, feeling the gaping hole in my heart growing.
“You have me,” he rebukes, holding on tight.
But that’s just it.
I need Beast. Desperately.
But does he really need me? What can I possibly give him?