Feral Page 9

  Before she got dressed, she sat at the vanity to do her hair. Because she wasn’t skilled in that regard, she redid it several times, trying to get it right. Finally she managed to pin it up in a softly creative way. She added a jeweled comb to one side.

  Her makeup required a light touch-up, so she applied a bit of blush and the pink lipstick she’d become accustomed to wearing.

  Climbing into the clothing was a chore. She wasn’t used to tiny hooks and poufy fabrics, but at least everything fastened in front.

  Jenny gazed at her reflection in a full-length mirror. It had taken almost two hours to complete the look, but this was the prettiest she’d ever been. She’d never felt so ladylike.

  She noticed an antique perfume bottle on the vanity and tested the fragrance. It was sweet and genteel. She sprayed a bit of it on her neck and wrists.

  She exited her suite and stood in the hallway, unsure of which direction to go.

  Beauty didn’t have a clue how to find Beast.

  Nine

  What should she do first? Check the wing she was in? Head over to the other side of the castle? Or go upstairs?

  She chose the stairs and took them to the second floor. Roaming the hallway, she tried every door and discovered all of the rooms were locked.

  The third floor proved more complicated, as it was a maze of hallways and connecting corridors. But again, every door was locked.

  What if Noah wasn’t even here? What if she was all alone in this place? No, she told herself. That wouldn’t make sense. Whatever he had in store, it involved the two of them.

  Jenny returned to the lower level and came upon a door with a sign that read, “Beast.”

  Her pulse pounded in her ears. This was it. She’d found him.

  Anxious, she turned the doorknob and crossed the threshold, which opened into a parlor, similar to the sitting room in her suite, only bigger and with masculine furnishings.

  Since the parlor and kitchenette were empty, she proceeded to the bedroom, which was also vacant of Noah’s presence. So was the adjoining bathroom.

  Now what?

  Befuddled, Jenny exited Beast’s suite and continued her quest, heading for yet another wing.

  On and on she went, like a storybook heroine in distress. The more time that passed, the more nervous she got. Then an eerie thought crossed her mind. Was Noah watching her? Had he set up spy equipment to track her throughout the castle?

  Soon she found another door, actually a set of double doors, which were labeled, “Ballroom.”

  Was this her final destination?

  She tried the handles, but they wouldn’t open. Damn it. How was she supposed to find him if he was one step ahead of her the entire time?

  Jenny was tempted to return to her room and pout, but that would make her look weak. No way was she going to give him that kind of victory.

  A few minutes later, she saw a glass door with a sign that read, “Rose Garden.” She tried the door and it opened. But since the path wasn’t lit and dusk had long since fallen, she hesitated. Surely, he didn’t expect her to go stumbling outside in the dark.

  No, apparently he didn’t. Because as she stood there, gazing out at the night, a sprinkling of lights appeared. Now she knew for sure that he was watching her.

  Would Beast appear among the flowers, like he did in the story when he’d caught the merchant plucking a rose for Beauty?

  Cautious, Jenny ventured onto the path, looking to and fro. Color bloomed all around her, but there was no sign of Noah. At the end of the stone walkway was a greenhouse.

  She approached the building, which had a sign on the door with instructions: “Wait here.”

  For the heck of it, she tried the handle. It was locked. Clearly, she was meant to wait outside. She prayed the lights didn’t go off.

  Luckily, they stayed on, and much to her surprise, the door opened and out walked her driver.

  “Hello, miss,” he said.

  She didn’t chide him for duping her. He was, after all, Noah’s loyal employee. Funny, too, because she didn’t even know his name, but now didn’t seem like the time to ask.

  “Good evening.” She tried to reply the way Beauty would. “As you can see, I’m still searching for my host.”

  “He requests your presence in the ballroom.”

  “Are you here to escort me?”

  “Sorry, no. I’m just the messenger.” He gestured for her to take the path from whence she’d come.

  Picking up her skirts, she returned to the interior of the castle. She’d agreed to this twisted fairy tale. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been forewarned.

  Would the ballroom doors be unlocked this time? Or was this another wild-goose chase? She tried the handles, and thankfully, they worked.

  Granting herself entrance, she marveled at the enchantment. Hundreds of white votives burned throughout the grand room, which was already glorified with a jewel-toned floor and stained-glass windows. In the center of it all, a crystal chandelier shined over a lone dining table.

  The table was set for two, and on one of the chairs was a delicate red rose. Clearly that was Beauty’s seat. But where was Beast?

  She lifted the flower and stroked its velvet-soft petals. Since the stem was about the right length to fit comfortably into her bodice, she tucked the rose between her breasts.

  As soon as it was secure, footsteps sounded behind her, creating a ghostly sound.

  She turned and saw Noah, who’d just entered the room, and her heart echoed the tap, tap, tap of his feet.

  Attired in a regal suit that she assumed was from the same era as her dress, he actually looked like a prince turned beast. His tawny-streaked hair was fastened into a ponytail. Or was it called a queue in those days? Whatever the terminology, it left the angles of his face unframed, making his shapeshifter features more pronounced.

  Jenny’s voice quavered. “I looked everywhere for you.”

  “I’m aware of how diligently you searched.”

  “I suspected that you were tracking me.”

  “I would’ve sent someone to retrieve you if you’d gotten lost. I wouldn’t have allowed you to wander the halls the entire night.” He angled his head. “Although I imagine it was starting to feel like forever to you.”

  Was he mocking her? Reminding her that he intended to live for an eternity, in spite of her interest in saving him?

  She responded, “Forever is a long time. Too long, I think.”

  He glanced at the rose between her breasts. “Not if it’s what someone has become accustomed to.”

  She fought a breath of desire. “Are we sparring already?”

  “So it seems.” He gestured to her place setting. “Shall we dine?”

  Jenny nodded. She was famished: for food, for him, for their strange evening to progress.

  He scooted in her chair, then sat across from her and said, “We’ll be having a five-course meal, prepared by a catering service that works regularly at castle events. I just need to let them know that my dinner companion has arrived.” He removed his cell phone from his jacket and punched out a text.

  “They’ve been waiting in the kitchen all this time?”

  “They knew when I hired them that this was a private masquerade.” He put his phone back. “Of course, they don’t have a clue that my costume is real.”

  She spread her napkin across her lap. The caterers didn’t know, but she certainly did.

  He reached for a bottle of cabernet sauvignon that was already on the table and poured it into their glasses. “This is from the year you were born.”

  She took a sip. “To reinforce how fragile my mortality is?”

  “Actually it’s just a nice vintage. But if you want to equate it with your fragility, who am I to argue?” He tasted his wine and offered her a slice of bread. It, too, was already on the table. “You look dazzling, by the way. I like that you chose the blue dress. It matches your eyes.”

  She thanked him for the bread and the compliment
. “All of the gowns were beautiful, but this was my favorite. I never imagined myself in anything so glamorous.”

  “Tonight you’re Beauty locked in Beast’s castle.” Noah glanced around. “It’s impressive, isn’t it?”

  “Extremely.” She studied him from beneath the chandelier. He was as impressive as the surroundings.

  He gazed at her, too, and while they continued to look at each other, a tuxedoed waiter entered the ballroom with shrimp cocktail as their first course.

  After he departed, they ate silently.

  The next course was a wild greens salad, and the third was lemon sorbet to cleanse their palates.

  A short while later, the main entrée arrived: beef tenderloin stuffed with mushrooms, and baby red potatoes seasoned with rosemary and carved into hearts.

  Jenny waited until the waiter was gone before she said, “Heart-shaped potatoes?”

  “It wasn’t my idea.”

  “But you approved the menu ahead of time, didn’t you?”

  “It seemed to fit with the fairy-tale setting.” He sliced into one of the potatoes in question, breaking it in half. “Besides, mountain lions eat the hearts from their prey. You provided me with that information yourself.”

  She pretended to shrug off his comment, even if it made her uncomfortable. She didn’t want to think about him devouring her heart, not literally or figuratively, and especially not after he’d warned her not to fall in love with him.

  “You know what I just realized?” He topped off her wine. “You know more about me than I know about you.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “I told you about my family history, but you haven’t told me about yours.”

  “You know about my grandfather.”

  “Yes, but what about your parents? Who are they?”

  “I never met my father. He left before I was born.” She cut into her tenderloin, but she didn’t take a bite. “My mother died when I was five, so I barely knew her, either. She had a brain aneurysm. It happened really suddenly. We were already living with my grandfather, so I stayed there and he raised me.”

  He frowned. “Maybe I should be trying to save you. Your story sounds more tragic than mine.”

  “I don’t think so. I had a good life with Grandpa.” She considered the circumstances. “And now I’m running the rescue he founded. The place I would’ve lost if it hadn’t been for you and your money. In that sense, you already did save me.”

  “For a sexual price,” he reminded her.

  She ate the beef she’d gently knifed. “You still did it.”

  “Only because I’m a rich beast who wanted to fuck you. Do you know how I amassed my fortune?”

  She shook her head. She’d never thought to inquire.

  “By investing in gold.”

  “That was a smart thing to do.”

  “Being immortal has its perks. Is it any wonder I intend to stay this way?”

  She struggled to level the playing field. “It’s a long time to be alone, Noah.”

  “So we’re back to forever and how long it is?”

  Yes, they were back to that. “How have you managed to fit into society for all this time? Don’t the people you’re around start to notice that you don’t age?”

  “I don’t stay in one place long enough for them to notice. I move. I change my identity. I go into seclusion and come back when enough time has passed.”

  “Is Aeonian the first business you’ve ever owned?”

  He nodded. “Other supernaturals have run clubs before. Speakeasies, discos, whatever was in vogue. But my club is the first one where we could hide in plain sight. Eventually I’ll have to sell it, though, and move on. Or close it down or whatever. Eventually it will be time to disappear again.”

  She couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking, “How would you have lived out your life if you hadn’t been attacked and could’ve gone back to Indian Territory? Do you think you would’ve gotten married and had a family of your own?”

  “That’s a pointless question.”

  “I think it’s relevant.”

  “To what? Me being mortal again? That isn’t going to happen, and what I would’ve done all those years ago has no bearing on my existence now.” He motioned to her food. “Why haven’t you touched your potatoes?”

  The quick change of topic rattled her. “I haven’t gotten around to them yet.”

  “I thought maybe you didn’t want to destroy them.” He made her aware of his plate, where they were all chopped up. “The way I did.”

  She refused to cringe at the hearts he’d mangled. She even went ahead and stabbed one of hers. Noah watched her, as if he were expecting it to bleed.

  Before things got too awkward, she summoned her composure. “What are the caterers going to serve for dessert?”

  “Chocolate torte wrapped in chocolate ribbons. It’s their specialty.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  “Glad you think so. Because afterward, we’re going to go to my suite and you’re going to get on your knees for me.” He tipped his glass to her. “Does that sound wonderful, too?”

  She went warm and instantly wet. Chocolate with an oral sex chaser. Something sweet. Something salty. “Will I be removing my dress before I do it?”

  He nodded.

  “What about my undergarments?”

  “You’ll be keeping those on.”

  She envisioned herself in corset and petticoat, crawling on the floor between his legs. “Are you going to give me instructions?”

  “Yes, I am. But you know what’s even better than that? I have a camera in my room so I can record it, and when we’re done, we can watch it.”

  Her breath rushed out, nearly dislodging the bodice-trapped rose. He went back to his meal, and she sat there, her mind in a whir.

  Beauty was going to make a sex tape with Beast.

  After dessert, Noah’s eagerness mounted. He took Jenny to his suite, and now she stood beside the bed in her silk-and-velvet dress, waiting for him to set up the camera equipment and tell her what to do.

  Once it was operable and the video was running, he said, “Take off your dress.”

  She did as she was told. First she removed the flower, then fumbled with the tiny hooks on the bodice. He wasn’t about to rush her. Part of the allure was her inexperience, and the cumbersome garment wasn’t helping. Neither was her awareness of the camera.

  It took a while, but she stepped out of the gown. She looked around for somewhere to put it, then placed it on the bed. He wouldn’t have cared if she’d left it on the floor. But the fact that she’d taken such special care of it only heightened the moment. Her underwear wasn’t going to receive the same kind of gentle treatment, at least not by him. Eventually he intended to claw them off her.

  “Should I get on my knees now?”

  “Not yet.” He wanted more time to touch her. He traced the lines of the corset. “I used to be fascinated by these because Seminole women didn’t wear them. The first one I saw was on a white woman. She was blond, like you.” He took the comb out of her hair and tossed it aside.

  “Who was she?”

  “A whore.”

  “You slept with prostitutes?”

  “They were the only white women willing to be with me then.”

  “I would’ve been with you.”

  They gazed at each other for a soundless moment. Confused by the way she was making him feel, he said, “For the record, I was planning on getting married when I was mortal.”

  Her voice jumped. “You were? To who?”

  “No one in particular. I just assumed I’d have a wife someday.”

  “My grandpa always told me that I’d have a husband someday. Someone who shares my love of big cats.”

  “As opposed to someone who’s half-cat?”

  “That isn’t what I meant. Besides, you told me I’m not allowed to care about you.”

  “But that’s not going to stop you from trying to save me,
is it?”

  “I can’t help it. It just feels like it’s something I should do.”

  Noah looked into her eyes. By now she seemed unaware of the camera and completely focused on him. If they’d hailed from the same era, would he have chosen her for his bride?

  Troubled by the thought, he went back to talking about the whore. “The blonde in the corset gave me my first blow job.”

  “What if I don’t please you the way she did?”

  “You’ll be better than she was.” Without thinking, he leaned in to kiss her, and their tongues met and mated. She tasted like chocolate, but he supposed that he did, too.

  Half-hard and ready for more, he ended the kiss. “You can get on your knees now.”

  She lowered herself to the floor, the petticoat making a half-moon behind her. The flouncy garment was a profusion of lace and ribbons, the exact opposite of his masculine attire.

  He ditched his jacket and tie, unbuttoned his shirt, and opened his pants. “I changed my mind about giving you instructions. I’m going to let you figure it out on your own.”

  “But I’m not good at it. I need you to guide me through it. Or else I won’t be better at it than she was.”

  “Who told you that you weren’t good?”

  “No one. I just know that I’m not.”

  “You’re going to do just fine.” Noah freed his cock and moved closer to her face.

  She looked up at him. “Can I use my hands first? Can I do that for a while?”

  “You can do whatever comes natural.”

  She explored him gently, stroking him from shaft to tip. Her touch was tentative, and it aroused him beyond reason. None of the whores had ever handled him this way, and neither did the groupies at the club. He’d forgotten what it was like to be with a woman whose sexual confidence wavered. When she cupped his balls, he sucked in his breath.

  Sweet sin. Could she be any more perfect?

  She moistened her lips and kissed each testicle. She rubbed her cheek against his cock, too, teasing him with the softness of her skin. Everything she did was an aphrodisiac.

  Tonight, she’d stepped out of the pages of a fairy tale, and so had he. Beauty and the Beast. She had her instincts, and he had his. He was looking forward to ripping her corset and petticoat to shreds before the night was through.