Beastly Beautiful Read online

  It wasn’t yet light out, but the street lamps provided enough light for her to make her way by, and with the streams of traffic already crowding the streets she wasn’t worried about walking alone in the dark. Besides, a hint of gray was touching the sky in the east, promising it wouldn’t be long before sunrise. Her boots slogged through the melting snow, the passage of many feet over the sidewalk having already deteriorated the coat of pristine white to a churned bed of gray.

  All of these details Teagan noted with a kind of detached awareness. Her thoughts were on the encounter ahead, on planning out her own words, and trying to anticipate his responses. Last night she had learned so much during that short car ride home. So much and yet so little. So focused had she been on the revelation of Sir’s secret and on everything else that had just transpired that somehow she had never thought to seek the truth on a matter much closer to her heart.

  Puffing out clouds of white breath, she treaded onward, shivering under the blast of the wind and shoving her frozen hands deeper into her pockets. Within her boots, her toes were little numb blocks of ice. Her nose and cheeks would be red and chapped by the time she arrived. She looked, she thought, much like the unkempt mess she had been the first time she visited Sir’s apartment. Only this time she traveled there in a much different state of mind.

  The fear was still there, the uncertainty at what lay ahead. But it was a different kind of fear this time. The fear of rejection. And the uncertainty wasn’t over whether or not she was making the right decision, but whether or not the results would be all she hoped for.

  Their time together last night, everything they had been through, had left her certain of one thing. She was in love with Sir. Hopelessly, maybe even pathetically, in love. But it was love just the same, and it was real. She had been wrestling with the notion for some time, denying to herself what should have been clear from the beginning. But all that denial, that internal turmoil had ceased the moment she saw Sir’s life threatened, the instant she realized she might be about to lose him forever. Her heart still beat faster at the memory of the crazy gunman’s weapon leveled right at Sir. She would’ve done anything just then, anything to save him. Even if it meant throwing her own life away.

  That was how she understood the depth of the emotion burning within her. Surely that kind of devotion wasn’t a whim, a flickering fancy that would be snuffed out by the first winds of hardship. She shook her head. No, her own feelings were clear enough to her now—ineradicably clear. It was Sir’s emotions that left her in suspense.

  Was his gentle behavior with her last night an indication that he had some feelings for her as well? Or had he merely been exhausted by their ordeal, off his guard, and vulnerable to her questioning? Would today find him the same caring man he had been when he stood beneath the drifting snow and told her goodbye? Or would she find a transformed Sir waiting for her, the colder, more controlled stranger whose secrets kept her always at arm’s length—who seemed eager that it should stay so?

  All too soon, she found herself standing before the doors to Sir’s apartment house. As she passed the doorman and rode the glass walled elevator up to the top floor, she asked herself if this would be the last time she ever made this trip. Would her declaration today, her admission of her feelings for Sir, ensure the end of their relationship? And what about her secret dealings with Dr. Green? Would he forgive her for those?

  It was no good torturing herself with possibilities. Soon enough she would know everything. She steeled herself for the encounter ahead, uncertain whether to attribute the rising excitement in her to anticipation or dread. The elevator came to a stop and, with a ding, the doors drew open.

  Cautiously, Teagan peered into the room before her. She hadn’t been invited up here, she suddenly remembered. Maybe Sir was having one of his drinking bouts, or worse, was undergoing one of those bestial transformations he was cursed with. Then again, it was weeks before the next full moon, wasn’t it? She should be safe enough. Even if she wasn’t, she’d take her chances. With that decision firmly in mind, she stepped off the elevator and into the living room. The doors immediately closed behind her and as quickly as that, her one mode of escape vanished.

  A single lamp illuminated the room with a soft yellow light, much like the last time she had been up here—the occasion where she had witnessed one of Sir’s tortured dreams. She silenced the distracted thoughts that memory aroused and proceeded further into the room.

  “Sir?” she called softly into the perfect stillness. “Anybody home?” Only the echoes of her own voice came back to meet her. “Hello?” she called more loudly.

  Still nothing. She poked her head into the den to find it empty. The lingering warmth emanating from the now dark fireplace, however, suggested it couldn’t have been long since someone had been in here. The room was in its usual order and there were no clues to suggest what had become of its last inhabitant.

  She proceeded to the red bedroom next, that secret place which had once so filled her with terror when she awoke to find herself a prisoner there. It seemed a likely place to find Sir at this early hour. Only it too turned out to be empty. The bed didn’t look as if it had been slept in, yet she was sure he had returned to this room, at least briefly, after the banquet last night. She knew it because the tuxedo he had worn lay thrown over the back of a chair, forgotten, and his shoes lay discarded nearby. The closet door stood open as if he had been inside recently, rummaging through his clothing, but there was no sign of him now.

  Growing more and more confused, Teagan checked the rest of the apartment, exploring rooms she had never before visited. By this time, she was fairly certain Sir wasn’t in the apartment. He would have responded to her calls by now. And yet curiosity made her continue poking her head into the rooms. She’d never had free reign like this to explore every corner of the place. Somehow she felt Sir wouldn’t mind under the circumstances.

  In the end, she found herself standing before the closed door to the study. Everything about the sturdy red door’s silent, imposing appearance discouraging her from prying into whatever secrets it concealed. Sir’s old instruction against opening the door rang loudly in her head. Yet she knew the secret of this room now. She was aware of its purpose. Surely, that made it a secret no more.

  She tried to imagine what his response would be if he learned she had entered that room without his permission. Somehow, she couldn’t picture it being anything too terrible anymore. She no longer feared the wrath of Sir—not now that she knew what was behind it. Respect for the man’s privacy made her hesitate, but curiosity drove her to stretch out a hand anyway, and give the knob a turn.

  She had expected to find it locked as usual, had thought she would have to go into the den and remove the brass key from its hiding place beneath the silver box. But to her surprise, at her experimental twist to the knob, the door swung open easily, revealing a dimly lit interior.

  Chapter 30

  Carefully, Teagan advanced into the room. She had already been informed as to the room’s true use. Nevertheless, she was startled at the wreckage before her. The walls were battered and scored by long gouges, the deep marks of a frenzied creature’s claws as it raked them over the plaster. The furniture was overturned, and much of it smashed to bits so that some pieces were almost unrecognizable as former chairs, tables, and a sofa.

  There was a desk too. The heavy oak monstrosity sat in the center of the room, a lone, sturdy island surrounded by chaos. The once smooth wood had been chewed and clawed, the drawers ripped out and dashed into splinters, but the strong frame remained standing, impervious to the abuse. Atop this desk rested the room’s one light source, a cracked lamp with a missing shade. Teagan could imagine him coming into this room recently and digging it carefully out of the rubble, to set out for her. She didn’t know how she knew that the light had been left for her. Somehow she just did.

  Approaching the bald lamp, her gaze fell to what lay beneath the pool of its light. A single sheet of clean, w
hite paper. She had become familiar enough with Sir’s handwriting over the past weeks to recognize his writing scrawled across the page. With trembling hands, she lifted the note and brought it up to the light.

  Dear Teagan,

  If you are reading this, then you have come, as I knew you would. You have more questions, to which you hope to find the answers for here. Once you arrived, of course, you were unable to resist the chance to look in on the forbidden.

  She sensed the humor in the words. He wasn’t angry, but amused by her prying.

  She read on.

  I want you to see this room. I want one person in this world to know the truth, and I have chosen you as that person. From the beginning I’ve trusted you above all others, have risked more to your care. Now, daily it grows more and more important to me to show you who I really am. I need you to see the results of my curse with your own eyes, so you can fully understand, perhaps for the first time, what you have involved yourself in.

  Why so urgent, this sudden need to reveal my secret? I’ve asked myself that many times. Maybe it’s a test. Maybe I want to see if you can accept me for who I am, or if you’ll run screaming away like any sane woman would. If that’s the object, then my test becomes a punishment for us both.

  Teagan struggled to follow his meaning. …a punishment for us both. Was he implying to lose her would pain him? Surely not. She tried to silence her hopes. Sir wasn’t the sort of man capable of returning feelings like hers. She mustn’t allow herself that assumption. The note continued.

  My desperation to learn your response, unfortunately, will have to wait. I have pressing business that must be completed if I’m ever to harbor any hopes toward a normal life…with you. Don’t try to follow me. You mustn’t interfere in any way. I will succeed or fail alone.

  Her eyes dropped to the signature, which was signed simply: Sir.

  Teagan’s mind reeled as she dropped the scrap of paper. He spoke of learning her response, of living a life with her. Did that mean what her trembling hopes whispered it could? Or was she somehow reading too much into it? No. A normal life…with you. There was no way to misread that.-

  She looked around the room with its tattered furniture and clawmarked walls. Could she accept him for what he was? She didn’t have to think about it. She had already, almost from the moment she learned the truth. Nothing could make her draw back from Sir.

  With shaking hands, she switched off the lamp and stumbled from the room, drawing the door closed behind her. What urgent business did Sir have that had taken him away—both his absence from the apartment and his warning against following him suggested a journey of some sort. Where had he gone? Where could he possibly hope to find a cure for his transformations? If, indeed, a cure was what he had hinted at. Why else would he drop everything and disappear so quickly?

  It seemed clear something had happened last night that had persuaded him he could no longer live in this state. Maybe it was the attack of that crazy man. Maybe it was his own feelings—if she dared believe it—for her that had inspired him to seek help. Either way, he was gone now and with him any opportunity of learning where or why he went. Was this it then? Was she expected to simply sit back and wait for whatever length of time to pass before she could hope to know the truth?

  Then it struck her. She scrambled to Sir’s bedroom, dropped to her knees before the dresser, and dragged out the bottom drawer. Rummaging through the garments, it only took her a few seconds to dig out that fateful letter, a scribbled warning from a crazy man, a scientist who was being forced to give up his studies…one who hovered on the edge of a unique discovery.

  She quickly found the letter wasn’t there. Not surprising. Where Sir was going he would need the return address on the envelope.

  She left the apartment.

  Don’t follow me. Sir’s instructions tugged at her during the elevator ride down to the lobby, but she refused to pay them heed. She couldn’t let him go to face that lunatic alone. This wasn’t a question of choice, but a matter of what must be done.

  Unreasonable as she knew it was, she couldn’t shake the feeling her secret betrayal with Dr. Green left her at least partially responsible for whatever confrontation might take place between them. At this point, she hardly knew which man was more in need of her protection. Already, Sir had a long head start on her, if he had left last night. The thought urged her to haste. There was no time for anything, save one important errand…

  She hopped in a cab, which she rode to the local branch of NationBank. In the car, she wrote on the back of a paper receipt from her purse, scribbling a hasty note she then dropped off with the red-haired Kat at the bank. She hadn’t time for long explanations. Sir’s shrewd grandfather would put it together for himself. At least, she hoped he would.

  Settled back in the seat of the taxi again, Teagan closed her eyes a moment and wished she had gotten a little more sleep the night before. She had a long journey ahead of her and no idea what lay waiting at the other end of it. She was going to the bus station and then to Vermont.

  Chapter 31

  Teagan leaned her forehead against the cold windowpane and looked out at the gray scenery whizzing by. She had always imagined the countryside outside the city to be a fresh and colorful world full of wildlife and greenery. Instead, the passing landscape was drab and unwelcoming, gripped in winter’s fist just as tightly as the city had been. Sleet beat a steady drumming against the glass. The cars passing in the other lane drove with yellow headlights beaming in the middle of the day and moved at a dismal crawl.

  Still, watching the passing traffic and scenery was a pleasanter pastime than studying the interior of the dirty bus, or meeting the shifty eyed glances of her fellow passengers. She kept her purse clasped firmly in her lap and tried to make it clear by her expression she wanted no communication with the strangers around her. She didn’t care that many of them might be perfectly nice people, or that she was probably coming off as rude and unfriendly. She had more pressing matters on her mind and these consumed her thoughts.

  Six hours since she had left the city. How much of a head start on her did Sir have? Doubtless, he’d chosen a faster mode of transportation. But maybe he would make stops along the way. Maybe he would sleep in a hotel somewhere overnight? Surely if she traveled throughout the night, she would eventually catch up to or even pass him. She wanted, no, needed to arrive before him. Yet he seemed to have every advantage. An earlier start, faster conveyance… And he knew where he was going. She didn’t have anything more to go on in the way of directions than the name of the business she sought and the town and state in which it was located. She regretted not having had the foresight to stop by her apartment for the envelope containing the full address.

  She bit back an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. She hadn’t come this far to give up. Sir needed her, whether he knew it or not, and she wouldn’t fail him. Who knew what sort of dangers his enemy was capable of? Anyone unhinged enough to plant a needle tipped with experimental serum in the way of an innocent man was crazy enough to do anything. No, one way or another, she would be there to stop things from going too far. She would make her destination in time.

  Holding firm to that determination, she leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. It would be wise to catch up on her sleep now while she had the opportunity. She had a hunch she was going to need her strength.

  * * * *

  Late-afternoon of the next day found her seated on a lonely bench at a rundown bus stop. A rust covered sign nearby read Welcome to River Falls. It didn’t add a population number, but looking around her now, Teagan estimated it at about five hundred. Maybe that was a slight exaggeration on her part. Maybe it was coming so newly from the city that made this rural town seem like nothing more than a tiny dot on the map.

  Yet the place was big enough somebody had thought it merited its own bus stop, and she could see that just a little ways farther down the road, it also boasted a diner. The rumbling ache in her empty stomach s
uggested that would be a likely stop in the near future. She hadn’t seen a sandwich—or a clean restroom either for that matter—all day.

  Still, she hesitated. Glintwood Options had been the name of the place Dr. Green had spoken of in the letter to Sir. Would anyone here know how she could find this place or the man who ran it?

  Momentarily, the enormity of her task rose up to smother her in a sense of hopeless panic, but she quickly squelched the feelings. Right now, she needed a clear head and a fixed plan.

  * * * *

  An hour later, she sat huddled over a small table, enjoying the comforting warmth of Donna’s Diner, as she bit into a mouthwatering pastry. In truth, it was late in the day for doughnuts and this one might have been considered slightly stale at any other time. But it had been a day and a half since her last real meal and at this point, her stomach would have thought banana peels were the tastiest morsels it had ever encountered. Besides, she’d eaten out of enough garbage cans in her day to appreciate anything that was served up on a clean plate.

  She shoved the last bite into her mouth and dusted the crumbs from her hands. Hunger abated at last, she glanced around at her fellow diners: an ancient man with a small dog at his feet and a newspaper spread across his table, and a pair of middle-aged fishermen with their poles propped between their table and the wall.

  “Excuse me,” she hailed the passing waitress. “Could I get a little more coffee?”

  The gray-haired woman obligingly paused to fill Teagan’s cup from the coffeepot in her hand. Her name tag read Betta. Maybe there really was no Donna.

  “Um, I was wondering,” Teagan hurried, as the waitress was about to leave, “if you could give me some directions. I’m new around here, and I’m looking for a friend who came here looking for a different friend…” She was making a mess of it. She started over. “I need to find this place, Glintwood Options. I think it’s some sort of business or—”