“I love you,” I whisper. “Even if it’s too late. Even if I’m not enough. I love you, Belle.”
“You are enough!” She leans down, pressing her lips to mine. “You’re everything. And I love you. I choose you. Do you hear me? I choose you, Beast. I choose…”
The last petal falls. And everything goes white.
Eight
Belle
For a beat, nothing happens. Then, the world explodes with light.
I’m thrown backward, landing hard on the ground as magic erupts from the rose. White light floods everything…blinding, burning, beautiful. It pours from the pedestal, from the castle, from the very ground under me.
The air crackles with power.
I scramble back to Pierre, throwing myself over him as the magic swirls around us like a storm. His body is still unmoving, and panic claws at my throat.
“Pierre!” I shake him. “Pierre, stay with me!”
The light intensifies, and I squeeze my eyes shut against its brightness. The bond in my chest flares hot and bright, pulsing with energy.
Then, as suddenly as it started, everything goes quiet.
The light fades.
I blink glaring spots from my vision and look down. Pierre is still under me. Still massive. Still covered in fur. Still my Beast.
For a moment, fear crashes over me… I’m terrified the curse didn’t break, that I was too late, that I lost him…
“My lady!”
I spin around. A man is standing there. He has Gideon’s voice, but he’s human, not a sword.
“I have hands,” he says with wonder in his voice. “I have actual fucking hands!”
“Gideon?” I breathe.
“The one and only. And look at you, my lady. Still gorgeous. Still…holy shit, is he dead?”
“He’s not dead!” I turn back to Pierre, pressing my ear to his massive chest. His heart is beating. It’s faint, but it’s there. “He’s alive. He’s just…”
“Unconscious from the curse breaking,” another voice explains.
I look up to find a woman approaching. She’s wearing a gown that looks like it’s from decades ago, slightly faded but still beautiful.
“Rosalie?” I ask, once again recognizing the voice.
“Yes, my lady.” She curtsies gracefully even after years as a mirror. “The curse has broken. We’re free.”
“But Pierre…he’s still…”
“Still Beast,” she finishes gently. “Yes.”
My heart sinks. “The curse didn’t fully break?”
“Oh, it broke.” Gideon is still flexing his fingers, grinning like a madman. “Trust me. We can feel it. The weight of it is gone. But the physical transformation… that was never the real curse.”
“I don’t understand.”
