Chapter II:
Beauty and the Beast
Christine felt her stomach drop as she dismounted her horse and looked up at her new interminable home.
The chateau was gigantic; a good three stories high. The dark green forest completely enclosed it with its trees and inside the tall, black gates gardens of roses were spread out everywhere. A maze of tall shrubbery led off through the gardens to what could only be the entrance to the bleak, gray castle. Towers jutted into the stormy sky and windows of expensive glass hid the mysterious interior of the monstrous palace. It was dark and quiet with no sign of wildlife or existence living near this secluded ruin. Christine felt gooseflesh cover her arms from the eerie silence.
Phillippe dismounted as well and came up to stand next to her. He could feel her fear.
"Do not worry, ma cherie," he whispered in hopes to comfort her. But her rigid stance clearly expressed that she could find no comfort.
Together they walked through the garden maze and came to the thick oak doors of the enclosed entrance. When Phillippe knocked the doors opened silently by themselves and revealed a dimly lit, long hallway. It was unearthly quiet.
"It is still as frightening as the night I first saw it," Phillippe whispered to himself.
Christine understood perfectly what he meant. The wide, luxurious hall was deathly silent; the only sound being the flickering flames of the torches. It was so dark and ominous she could not even see the end of the hall.
"He is probably waiting for us," Christine thought aloud, her voice betraying her brave words.
"Christine, there is still time. You don't have to do this."
The large doors shut closed behind them with a loud bang, locking the two of them in and giving them no chance to escape.
"No, Papa," Christine whispered. "I must do this."
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When they finally came to the end of the hallway, another pair of large, oak doors waited. Christine looked to her father and he nodded. Taking a deep breath, she knocked heavily and righted herself as they opened.
Holding herself as brave and as proud as she could, Christine slowly entered into the large room. It was quiet, just like the hall, with a roaring fire blazing in the mountainous hearth. A long wooden table was placed in the center of the room, decorated ornately with expensive china and extravagant food. It looked like a table for a king. But as she looked around she could see nothing. There was no sign of anyone.
"Where is he?" she whispered to her father as he came up beside her.
"Right behind you."
Christine closed her eyes for a moment before slowly turning around to face her future. Her heart was pounding furiously in her chest and she felt as if at any moment she would faint. And then she saw him.
He was certainly not like any man she'd ever seen. He was well over six feet, much taller than her father, and had very broad, strong shoulders that tapered down to a smaller waist. He was muscular; she could see from the outline of his body against his clothes, which were actually impeccable. His hair was dark and thick but not too long or wild. He stood erect with an arrogant, haughty air to him. He was a towering man with obvious power and strength. His face was hard but chiseled with a strong jaw and symmetrical features. He was not ugly at all, rather he was very handsome. But his eyes were different. They were the stand-feature among his masculine beauty. They were a cold, intense green; menacing and probing. There was no compassion in them.
Lowering her gaze, Christine curtsied politely, out of old habit, and waited for him to speak.
His eyes drew over her like she was a prize mare.
"This is your daughter?" his low, deep voice growled. He really was like a lion.
"Yes," Phillippe replied hurriedly. "Her name is Christine.
The man nodded and then looked at Phillippe. "You may go."
Christine's eyes widened. "What?!"
"Merchant, you have fulfilled your vow and now I have no further need of you."
Christine turned to her bewildered father and reached out for him.
"Must he go now?"
"Yes. I want him gone from here."
Phillippe pulled Christine into a tight hug and tried to soothe her but she was intent. She hurried toward the beast of a man and tried to argue.
"Please. Can't he just stay the night?"
The man stiffened as she came near.
"No. I want him gone. I've been gracious enough to even let him into this house."
"But he's my father!"
He stared at her for a moment and she hoped he was considering her plea.
"Say good-bye to your father," was his response.
Before she could scream in protest her father shoved her into his shoulder and whispered for her to just say good-bye and be quiet. His serious tone convinced her to be obedient.
As her father walked towards the doors and tears ran down her cheeks, she looked at the man responsible for all of this doing.
"Will I ever see him again?" she whispered. "Will I ever be allowed to go home and see my family?"
"This is your home now. I suggest you get used to it because you're not going anywhere."
Christine felt anger and despair consume her as the doors shut on her father and she was left alone forever.
"Why are you doing this?" Christine whispered, half to herself and half to the monster with her.
And he was a monster, in her eyes.
"Tonight, we will have dinner. We will wait to marry later sometime this week."
She felt like she was going to explode with fury.
"I am not going to marry you!"
He glared at her with his cold, green eyes.
"You don't have a choice," he said lowly, as if in warning.
"I could leave here. You can't stop me," she shouted as she edged toward him.
His jaw clenched. "Do you want to find out?"
Christine shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I came here."
"Exactly. You came here. You made the decision. You could have stayed and let your father take your place, but you came here. Now you will do what you're supposed to."
Without another word he stomped out of the room and left her in wonder.
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Erik slammed the doors of his chamber loudly and took a deep breath.
God, what had he gotten himself into? Was he really that stupid?
He had thought she might be pretty or maybe even plain. He had expected mildly attractive, but this? He had not expected her to be this beautiful, this…
His body was on fire from the sight of her. When he had seen those dark brown eyes and lush body and chestnut curls he had felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. She was so stunning; her father had not exaggerated. In fact, he hadn't given her justice. She was like a goddess, Aphrodite herself. Alluring and breath-taking, she had immediately reminded him of his masculinity and his male need. God, how long had it been since he had a woman? Too long. Now he had the most beautiful and most desirable woman he had ever seen in his house alone with him. Brilliant.
His loins were aching, begging to be assuaged. He had wanted to grab her, throw her over his shoulders and just take her there. But then he remembered what he had done and why she was there in the first place.
He should have never lost his temper when the merchant took the rose. He should have just let the poor old fool go and forget about the whole thing. He had just been so angry after the encounter with Amelie that he hadn't been able to control himself. Then he had heard the merchant mention his beautiful daughter and he lost all train of thought. He just knew he needed to get his wife and was willing to blackmail to get her. Now here he was, in his castle alone with a gorgeous, vulnerable woman.
He thought of all the wicked things he could easily do to her. She was completely at his mercy. He could have her and no one would ever know. And God, how wonderful it would be. After months of celibacy making love to a beautiful young creature like her would be just the thing he needed.
He doubted, however, that she would be very willing right now. She hated him at this point. He had stolen her from her family and entrapped her in this dungeon of a place. She had seemed timid at first but she proved to be a spirited lass with a lot of courage for yelling at him like that. No, she would not welcome his touch. Not that he was very pleased with her. He did not like being yelled at and was not used to people arguing with him. If he took her it would fierce and merciless. Besides, he still had to marry her. He couldn't just defile before he married her. That would not be a good start.
He just needed to calm down ad relax. If he went out there and spoke to her he would tempted to scream at her or make love to her, so he just needed to remain calm. It was going to be hard living with this woman and trying to convince her. He had a lot to do. He just hoped his cock wouldn't get in the way of things.
