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“The guards and knights that did not know our secret, attacked us, while the ones that were privy to it attacked the others, trying to save us. It was awful and bloody, and when it was finished, my family lay slaughtered. The sorcerer escaped and has not been seen since. My first act as king was to have the men who killed my family hanged.”
I can see it all in my mind’s eye, and my heart goes out to the young Beast. “Yet you are not king now?” I ask curiously.
Beast laughs, the sound unpleasant and harsh. He gestures at himself. “Look at me. Anyone who saw me ran in terror, convinced I must be some kind of monster. Most of the staff fled, and within a year, the three villages surrounding the castle were empty. I relinquished the crown to a distant cousin who built his own castle on the opposite side of the country.”
“And what of your sister?”
“She came back the next day, her lover in tow. When she saw my new form and the remains of the great hall, she fainted. Her lover told me she was with child, and I urged him to take her far from Granton. With the sorcerer still at large, it was imperative that they go and never return.” Beast pauses and meets my gaze, and the intensity in them causes me to catch my breath. “I never heard from Aria or Alaric again, not until he wrote to me of you, begging me to take you in.”
I freeze, the blood draining from my face. “You’re my—“
“Uncle, yes. And you, a prince.”
“By the gods,” I breathe, my eyes tracing over his features, looking for something familiar. The firm jaw and cleft chin are the same, and I suddenly find it hard to breathe. Father rarely speaks of my mother, his heart still torn in two over her early demise. “Will you speak of her with me? My mother? I know so little.”
Beast inclines his head. “But first, I must tell you that tonight is the first full moon after your eighteenth birthday.” A mixture of fear and foreboding slither down my spine. “You’ll experience your first shift when the moon reaches its apex. I will teach you how to control yourself and then we will hunt.”
Snow White
My nails snap and break as I claw at the stone wall, desperately seeking escape from the pain. The tendrils of magic try to force themselves into my head, and a piercing scream tears itself from me.
Morana’s chanting pauses as she hisses, “Why can I not get inside your mind?”
“Please, stop!” I beg, but she pushes the magic harder. It feels as if someone is trying to drill through my skull. Sweat drips profusely down my face and chest, and my back bows in agony.
Cassian, where are you?
Chapter 9
Snow White
One Year Later
Snowblanketstheearthin its quiet sparkling cover. A shiver runs through me as I sit huddled in the corner, my knees tucked under my chin, my bare feet and legs purple from the cold. My former dress is now nothing but thin rags, not enough to provide any semblance of warmth. Morana found the blanket Alaric had given me and beat me relentlessly when I would not give up his name.
To further punish me, she also had the hay removed. In the summer, when it housed countless fleas, this was almost a blessing, but now I’d give almost anything to have it back for the little warmth it provided.
I absentmindedly watch my breath fog before me, the whorls and swirls distracting me for a moment before disappearing. It’s becoming harder and harder to keep myself present and aware. Escaping into the depths of my mind, where freezing temperatures, lice, and hunger pangs do not exist, is becoming harder to resist.
Most mornings, I no longer bother to mark the day. There are already hundreds of scratches, and the sight of them leaves me both furious and depressed. I haven’t seen Alaric in what feels like months, and I realized recently that I can no longer remember Cassian’s face.
Hope is rapidly dwindling, and I am hanging on by a precarious thread. Soon there will be nothing left of me.
Six months later
Laughingupatthedeep blue sky, I twirl around, my blush pink dress swirling around me. Red, yellow, and purple wildflowers sway in the tall grass, and the ghetti birds sing in the trees. The sun casts a golden glow over me, warming me while a gentle breeze ensures it doesn’t get too hot. A hand clasps mine, spinning me around, and I crash into a broad chest. Green eyes sparkle down at me, and my face splits into a wide grin. I knew he would return for me. His lips meet mine in a passionate kiss, and my heart swells with love. I have waited so long for this.
Snow.
Snuggling deeper into Cassian’s chest, I revel in the feeling of his arms around me, holding me close. A joyful tear streaks down my face, peace enveloping me for the first time since Momma . . .
Snow!
Cassian scoops me up and races across the field with me. “You are so strong,” I whisper as he gently sets me on his horse. The pounding of the horse’s hooves is jarring, but Cassian holds me close, and I fall into a doze as we travel. I’m not sure where he’s taking me, but it doesn’t matter as long as he’s with me.
We ride for what feels like forever. The moon follows the sun across the sky, over and over again, while Cassian regales me with tales of his adventures.
Snow White.
