Read Online Withering Rose (Once Upon A Curse Book 2) by Kaitlyn Davis - Free Book Online Page B

while."
    He snorts. "That's funny. When I stopped by
this morning, you seemed perfectly content to stay in there
forever."
    "Of course I did, when the other option was
going anywhere with you." The retort rolls off my lips with
surprising ease. I clench my jaw to keep it from dropping.
    The muscles around the beast's jaw clench
too, but his hands tighten into fists, covering unspoken rage.
    A satisfied feeling settles over me. I got
to him. Take that.
    The feeling dissipates a moment later when
he leans intimidatingly forward, making the space between us taut
and tense. "What are you doing in here?"
    I take a step back, looking over my shoulder
at the woman. "I felt the magic. I just wanted to see where it was
coming from."
    He inhales sharply. "Don’t go any
closer."
    I focus my attention back into the shadows
shrouding his face. "Who is she?"
    "None of your business."
    "She's beautiful," I murmur, wondering if
she's special to him, if a beast is capable of love.
    "I said, none of your business. Now step
away."
    But I don't want to step away. Something
about her magic is magnetic, pulling for me, as though I've slipped
into a spinning vortex and there's no choice but to get sucked
inside.
    My fingers reach back, pressing against the
bed. So close.
    "Stop!" he barks. "I won't tell you
again."
    But I feel outside of myself, as though I
have no control over my movements. My mind grows fuzzy and
disjointed the farther back my fingers slide. Magic sizzles on my
skin, my magic yearning to connect with hers. My arm continues to
stretch toward her while my gaze stays on the beast. He's trembling
as though his body is fighting with his mind for control. I wonder
if I should feel afraid. But my emotions are so far away. My mind
is distant. My whole body bends back toward the woman, until…
    We connect.
    My eyes go wide as the gentle pull on my
magic becomes a furious yank, and my whole body jerks toward her,
throwing me off-balance as I tumble over, landing on the bed. My
magic leeches into her, and I'm so utterly confused, I can't catch
up with what's happening. My magic doesn’t affect people. I can't
heal a dying woman. The only thing I can give life to is plants. So
why is she absorbing my power like a tree in the desert, thirsty
with starvation?
    My gaze shifts to the beast.
    Does he feel it?
    Does he know what it means?
    But when my eyes land upon him, he is not a
man anymore. The body beneath the cloak is rippling, expanding,
growing higher and larger. The pale color of his hands is darkening
as his nails elongate and fur pushes through translucent skin. His
fingers change shape. His body bends over, landing on all fours
against the floor. And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the cloak
covering him disappears and a snarling black bear stands before me,
revealing sharp canines. He roars, rearing up on hind legs and
slashing jagged claws toward my face.
    I scream.
    A high-pitched, terrified sound.
    The horror is enough of a distraction that I
forget about the woman and the magic and the questions I was about
to ask. I forget my vow not to hide anymore. I forget my promise to
be brave. I forget everything.
    All I know is the door is open, and in the
time it takes for the beast to release another bloodcurdling roar,
I'm already sprinting through it.
     
     

 
     

     
     
    I'm blinded by fear as I race through the castle
halls. All I can think is, go! Get away! Run! Quickly!
    So I do.
    Across the halls. Down the staircase.
Through the front door.
    I'm outside before I even realize it, racing
down the front steps of the castle and diving into the main stretch
of the town. I've gazed at these streets from above for the past
few days, so I know if I follow this road it will lead me to a
gate, it will lead me away. And that's where I have to go. Away.
Home. To another city. Anywhere but here in this castle with that
monster.
    My eyes stay straight ahead. I don't allow
them to focus on the wolves and bears watching me as I dash by.