~Beast~

Chapter 7

~~~ooooo~~~

The doors to the library crashed open and something fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

It took but a moment for him to pick out the shadowy figure hovering in the dark by the window with the curtain pulled back.

"What do you think you're doing?"

There was no answer from the other presence in the room. Leon doubted he'd even flinched at the sound of the doors hitting against the wall and didn't seem to care that they were left open.

His fists curled. "Are you mad?" he thundered. "This is madness! Why!? Answer me, damn you! Why? Why are you doing this? Why now?"

"I don't suppose the thought has crossed your mind to tell me what has gotten you so worked up in the first place?"

"You dare," he breathed. "You dare to stand there and pretend you don't know what's going on—"

"I don't have to pretend," he said. "It is obvious you are upset about something, but what it is I have no idea."

"I'm talking about this! What is this?"

He heard a movement followed by the sound of a sharp intake of breath. The other man drew closer until Leon could just make out his features at the edge of the candlelight by the library entrance.

"What—who did that?"

"You did," he said evenly.

"I..." He hissed and took a step back, immediately disappearing into the darkness.

"Are you telling me you weren't responsible for this?"

"Does it matter what I say? You've already convicted me."

"It matters to me," Leon answered. "The whole damned town is talking. They're saying it's you. Apparently, they've been finding these every few days in the woods."

"Let me guess—they were all left conveniently at the edge of the woods," the beast said dryly.

"More or less." He had found this latest kill only a few yards from where the trees started growing closer together and the bushes grew in clusters. "They'll be out for blood."

"And I thought I was the one who needs blood," he remarked.

Leon couldn't believe his ears. "This is no laughing matter. They'll want your head."

"Old news. They've been after it for a while."

"No, this is different. The entire town believes it's you." His chest rose and fell, his eyes transfixed on the carcass. It was unrecognizable—most of it was missing, its bones hanging out of what was left of the torso and the fur matted with blood. He hoped the thing, whatever it had been, had not suffered much and the fatal blow had come quickly. "I came back last night and have been searching the forest since for your latest hunt before someone else does."

"If it had been me, or them, only the bones would have been left. And you wouldn't have found them anywhere near these parts."

Leon winced. "Right." Whoever had done this had gone out of their way to make it look like something straight out of a nightmare. He sighed. "I'll ring for Bentley to come and clean up the mess."


~~~ooooo~~~

Her eyes followed the languid movements of the shadows on the wall across from her, trying to discern a pattern but more importantly, trying to ignore the tightness in her throat. The silence in the dining hall was different, not at all like the other nights. Ominous.

He had barely glanced at her when he entered the room and sat down across from her without a word. In fact, he'd only spoken one word the whole night and it had not been directed her way but towards Bentley. During the entire course of the meal he kept his eyes on his plate and scrupulously avoided looking at her or speaking to her.

Aeris took a sip of her wine and continued her careful study of the dancing shadows in silent anguish. His blatant dislike of her was not exactly unexpected but somehow, it still stung. It was just such an about-face, she thought miserably. So sudden.

A loud crash made her jump as the dishes on the table rattled and a curse filled the air.

"Damn it!"

Her eyes flew over to her dinner companion and was met by an icy blue glare. She lowered her gaze to the table where he'd slammed the now empty bottle of brandy he'd pilfered from Bentley before lifting back up to his face.

It wasn't just simple dislike on Leon's stony visage. The soft candlelight in the room did nothing to mitigate the fury and accusation that shot out at her like daggers from the cold steel of his gaze. His eyes were focused sharply on her face, unswerving, too observant, in spite of the copious amount of liquor he had imbibed. Those eyes didn't miss a thing.

His struggle with his emotions was visible on his face but only for a brief moment as with admirable effort, he got himself under control.

"I believe it's time you tell me why you're really here," he bit out.

She stared at him mutely. He returned her stare, his lips curled with disdain. With a shake of her head, she dropped her eyes to her nearly still full plate.

"Did a cat get your tongue?" he asked with feigned concern. "Or have you simply ran out of lies?"

She stiffened.

"It appears I made an error in assuming that using plain language would be at a level to your understanding. Perhaps I overestimated you." His voice hardened. "Just as our mutual friend did."

She raised her head and met his gaze with quiet dignity. "Or perhaps you shouldn't make assumptions at all," she said. "Whatever else you think of me, I have never told you a falsehood."

A sharp exhalation met her assertion. "What would you call omitting information pertinent to the situation then?" He crooked a brow at her. "The situation being, of course, your presence here at the castle and in his bed. I advise you to put some thought into your answer and cease with the lies. I had a man hired to look into you and your father."

A spurt of anger and hurt filled her at his admission. "I was under the impression I didn't have a choice."

He looked almost disappointed that she had not heeded his advice. "You did have a choice. You could have saved yourself and rejected his offer."

"And let my father die here? In a dungeon? What kind of a choice was that?"

His fists came down on top of the table, hitting the heavy oak with enough force to make his plate and silverware clatter as he leaned over, his eyes narrowed. "Need I remind you that I had someone investigate you? Don't pretend that there was no other motive behind your decision to take your father's place besides saving him."

She swallowed hard. "If the man you hired was worth his salt, you already know everything, don't you? Why are you even asking me any of this?"

"I wanted to hear the truth from you," he said, pushing back from the table to sit up straight against his chair and his shoulders sagged. "For a while there, I thought you were different." He shook his head. "Damn everything to hell. Damn me. I should have known better. Clever, beautiful women and lies go hand-in-hand. You're all the same. The only thing you're good for is a quick tumble. Nothing else."

"You're wrong."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "I'm aware of that."

"I meant, you're wrong about why I made the decision I did."

"Then you're even more ambitious than I took you for." He gave a mirthless chuckle. "Might I suggest poison? It would be the easiest method. And quite possibly, one of the cleanest. There are many people who would be eager to assist you in your endeavor. I can provide you with a list of names if you wish."

Something inside of Aeris snapped and sent her surging from her seat. "I will not kill him! And if you think that I will go along with any plan to hurt him...!" She clenched her fists, her whole body shaking. "How could you even think I would do such a thing?"

"You tell me," he retorted. "You used him to escape another man. This man, your lover, he was cruel to you and you welcomed the first opportunity that came your way to get out of his clutches. But your past has followed you here. Tell me, now that you've had some time to think things over, are you certain you aren't regretting your decision and would prefer to have your old lover back instead of a beast?"

"Lover!" She almost choked on the word. "Where did you find this man whose services you paid for to look into my father and me? Did you hire the first person who knocked on your door? Did you compensate him well enough? Because his information is so grossly inaccurate, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire investigation was done from the comfort of his chair or his job skills are very poor indeed!"

"Is that right?" Leon seethed. "Pity, I was misinformed about his unparalleled reputation then. I paid a small fortune for him to conduct an extensive inquiry with explicit instructions to include any detail he unearthed, regardless of how minor or insignificant it might appear, starting from who was present at your birth. I know of the birthmark on the back of your left thigh as well as the mole over your heart, which is inexplicably, in the shape of a heart itself." His brow lifted mockingly. "You weren't born with the latter. You also have a scar behind your right ear that was the result of a fall from a tree at a friend's house when you were seven years old. I can tell you the name of every friend, neighbor, teacher, tutor, and physician you've ever had. It is my understanding you were an exceptionally bright student who never missed a lesson, was always punctual and dressed presentably, and had a partiality for plants, flowers in particular, before you were even out of the nursery. The town you grew up in adores you and calls you "Beauty" rather than by your birth name, and the first boy you fell in love with broke your heart the day he left town and never looked back and not long after, you met this other man who would become your lover." He looked coldly at her. "Shall I go on? Or are you going to maintain his findings are incorrect?"

"They are incorrect!" Her voice trembled but she stood her ground. "Not all of it, but some."

"Which part? Have I been had? And by who? You or the man I hired?"

She shook her head in bewilderment. "I can't talk to you. Not when you're like this."

"And what is that?" The look he gave her should have withered her on the spot. "A man who no longer believes every word that spills forth from that pretty mouth of yours? A man with the blinders finally removed from his eyes?"

"A man who will only believe the worst of me!" she cried. "You clearly have no intention of listening to anything I have to say anyway."

"I've listened to you for far too long already. Now I'm listening to someone else. And the more I hear, the more I..." His jaw clenched and he turned away.

"Right," Aeris whispered. "I knew you were going to say that."

He swiveled back around to face her, his eyes stormy. "Don't presume you know anything about me. Or Cloud, for that matter."

"No, I wouldn't. After all, you wouldn't presume anything about me."

"If you think you can turn the tables on me, think again. You could have disclosed the real reason why you came to be here at any time but you kept your silence. Even when I gave you the chance to come clean tonight, you didn't. The time for talking is over now."

"Leon." Her throat closed and she could only stare at him, her body tight with strain.

"With all due respect, Master Leon, I would still like to hear the truth from her."

They both gave a start and turned to peer at the dark end of the table where the voice had come from.

"That is, if you're willing to talk, Mistress," the butler said, stepping into view from where he had been waiting as patiently as ever at their beck and call.

Leon opened his mouth as if he was going to object, but after a moment, he snapped it shut and sat back again with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Mistress?" Bentley's voice and face were impassive, yet strangely, his presence seemed to help alleviate some of the tension in the room at once.

"Aeris," she said without thinking and almost laughed at the banality of her response. "The truth... The only truth that matters is what you already know. I am what I have always said. Nothing more."

"Nothing—!" Leon shot to his feet, his nostrils flaring. He turned to Bentley and fumed, "I'll be damned if I'll listen to anymore of this! It is clear she is an opportunistic, consummate liar and deceiving people is all she knows how to do. We would be better off sending her away than be subjected to her endless lies."

The butler looked calmly at him. "And the Master then?"

"He can go to hell," he muttered.

"That man." Aeris's voice shook as she looked at her dinner companion with tears in her eyes. "You were right in some respects about him. He was a greatly revered man." Her eyes fell to the table, coming to rest upon a golden flame flickering gently atop a slender white taper as her thoughts drifted inward. "But he was cruel. A brute. It is also true he took an interest in me and I was young and naive. A part of me felt honored that such a proud and handsome man was paying his attentions to me and therefore, I may have encouraged him a bit but..." She gave a delicate shudder. "There was something not quite right about him. I could sense it. Underneath that calm exterior hid a monster. It wasn't admiration people felt for him but fear."

"But you encouraged his attentions," Leon said, his voice taut.

She nodded. "I did, in the beginning, until I discovered the truth. I was foolish, inexperienced and too trusting." A bitter chuckle escaped her. "Trusting of everyone but my own instincts apparently."

He made a sound of impatience and turned to head for the door.

"Please." She let out a deep breath and hung her head. "If you would care to give me another chance, I will be glad to tell you all that happened between this man you call my lover and me."

No answer came and she closed her eyes, certain he had left the room.

"Master Leon, we may as well hear the rest of it."

There was another painstakingly long silence.

"I'm listening."