The sun had started to set when I finally waved Belle off. I had given her the horseless carriage, forcing her to at least right it to the outskirts of the village before continuing on foot. The less time she spent outside at night, the safer she would be and the safer I would feel. At this point, the only real regret I had was that I would transform back alone tonight.
I spent dinner in the library, the smell of the books familiar and comforting, my gaze every so often drifting to the couch Belle would normally occupy. She would be back there soon enough, in seven days she would be back there and everything would return to normal. Then again what was normal about this? I was still a beast, only able to give any sort of sexual gesture to Belle once a year. If anything I just couldn't understand why the curse hadn't broken yet. Couldn't the witch see that Belle was someone special to me? Belle seemed to feel the same way...but...maybe she didn't.
My walk to my room was slow, knowing that the sheets would smell of her but there would be no body to rub of against. It was something I found surprising to desire. I didn't simply wish to have sex with Belle, I just wanted her here to sleep with her, nothing more. The feeling was foreign and admittedly made me feel a little sick.
But the intruder in my room made my stomach feel ten times worse.
I growled at the figure hovering over the rose, stepping into my room only for the stranger to raise her head. Immediately my body tensed, wishing I hadn't come this close to the enchantress as she stood up, shrugging the cloak from her shoulders. She wasn't dressed in much, a white dress almost the color of her hair that was extremely shear in every fold. Her icy eyes unsettled me and her amused grin reminded me of a cat eyeing her prey. "My, my...I always forget how beautiful of a queen you were," she purred, plucking the glass case up and removing the rose, returning the glass over the empty space. My nostrils flared as I took a step forward.
Instantly her hand snapped forward, tossing me across the room and pinning me firmly against the wall. "Now, now, my queen. No need to lose your head. I simply wished to observe its condition," my fists clenched to try and get some sort of control over my body, but it was no good. The witch looked at the rose, clicking her tongue in distaste before returning it to its resting place. "Tis not looking good, my queen. If you do not hurry you may never break this curse," at that the large clock in the main hall chimed. I gritted my teeth feeling the beginning of my transformation as the witch laughed, "Perfect timing."
"I will break this curse. I have...I have found someone," I cried out as my thighbones snapped, slowly reforming into haunches as the witch simply laughed.
"Ah yes, your little Belle will save you? Are you so sure?" She waved her hand next to her, creating a swirling image that cleared into a picture of Belle looking towards her village with a large smile.
Oh I'm so glad to finally bid rid of that place! She exclaimed and my heart sunk as the witch waved the image away.
"Aww," she pouted, stepping up to me as my muzzle snapped forward, "poor little puppy, got her little heart broken." Suddenly her hand snapped forward, grabbing between my legs as I gave a shaky gasp. "But at least you have planted another creature in her," she chuckled, fingers moving along the folds as my body tried to comprehend between the two opposite sensations of pain and pleasure.
"You do not know what you speak of!" I spat, giving a animalistic yelp as fur started to grow along my skin. The witch simply laughed, moving close as she mercilessly shoved her fist upwards. Tears collected in the corners of my eyes as I looked up, the pupils dilating as the blue tone faded into gold.
"I assure you I know exactly what I speak off," she whispered in my ear, moving her hand as I withered and whimpered under her grasp. "You are a beast...a beast that wishes to spread their spawn as far as they can. If Belle does return she may find herself unable to live with such a vile creature inside her. Your selfishness will have killed her," she stressed, suddenly increasing the speed of her hand as my body reeled, the horns curling from my scalp and as the last bell range I gave out a loud wail. My tail sprung from my back and I could hear the soft drips of liquid hitting the stone floor below me. The witch laughed, yanking her hand out without much care for gentleness and released me to collapse onto the floor. She grabbed a discarded shirt of mine, cleaning her hand before spinning her cloak back over her shoulders.
"You no you deserve nothing more than you are," the enchantress purred before disappearing in a flash of white. And for once I found myself unable to explode in a mass of rage, destroying what little remained in my room. For once I just curled up into myself, trembling as the pain of my ripped out heart vibrated through my body.
EDIT: Holy jeez that was a very long break wasn't it? Well i'm bad, sad to say, though, the end isn't very far away. I was trying to think of what else to add to this story, but in the end I couldn't think of anything that didn't feel like I was just forcing it. I'll space out the last few chapters over the next couple days and maybe draw a "the end" picture for the final chapter. Either way, enjoy!