Of Beast and Beauty (Complete)

CHAPTER NINETEEN - The Curse

Alina couldn't sleep. How could she? After Christian had made himself a drunken fool and whispered his confessions into her ear in the middle of a crowded room. She could barely think, and yet every time she closed her eyes she saw him there. She saw him whispering how he loved her. How he wanted her.

Her eyes flew open once more. Frustrated, she ripped off the blankets that had twisted around her legs and got out of bed. Grabbing her night-coat, she wrapped it around herself to guard from the chill of the night. The fireplace had died down to embers. She paced back and forth, worrying her hands in front of her.

What was she supposed to do with this confession?

Her heart was erratic and she could scarcely think straight. She was at war with the idea that she shouldn't feel for this man. He had been terrible to her and torn her from her family. But, at the same time, he was her mate. They had an irrefutable bond. He made her feel safe just by being in the room with her. He was changing. He was good.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Alina slipped into her slippers. No good would come out of mulling it over again and again. She needed space from the idea, and the only way she knew how to do that was with a book. She exited her room and tiptoed quietly through the corridors.

The castle was dark and drafty, and she pulled her overcoat more tightly around her. With the darkness that creeped in and everyone else being asleep it almost felt like a mausoleum. When the wind howled through the windows she leapt with fright. Chest pounding, she finished out the familiar journey in a run and closed the library door firmly behind her. She leaned against the door, chest heaving and head upturned and laughed a bit at her own silliness.

Grabbing the nearest oil lamp, Alina ignited it and turned the flame up to ignite her way. The fireplace was also down to embers in this room. She replenished it and stoked it, standing beside the flames to warm a little.

The library was almost another world in the dark haze. There was little moonlight to light the way, but Alina knew the steps like she knew her own face. She walked to the table she had been using and ignited the lamp there as well. With the fireplace and the two lamps illuminating the room Alina could clearly see that she wasn't alone.

There, on one of the larger sofas, Christian had passed out. His mouth was slightly askew. One arm was draped over the back of the couch while the other haphazardly dangled to the floor. His legs were wide and his shirt half-way opened.

How had she not realized?

The aching pull to him was still there. But because she had been so close and the hallway had frightened her, she hadn't been aware of it. He had to have been freezing in here. Why had he come here instead of the East Wing?

She grabbed one of the fur blankets that were scattered throughout the library and walked over, draping it over him and tucking his hanging arm in. He shifted, curling into the blanket more and Alina held her breath, praying that he wouldn't wake up. He sighed a bit but remained in a dreamworld. Brazenly, Alina knelt on the floor beside him.

He was so handsome.

She reached out and touched his dark hair gently, pushing it away from his forehead. He breathed deeply and sighed. "Alina."

She pulled her hand back quickly, thinking he had woken. But his eyes remained closed and his breathing deepened again, a sure indication that he was still asleep. Not willing to wake him, she stood and made her way over to her table once more. She dimmed the light of the lamp as much as she was able, as not to disturb him, and opened the latest book she had been working on. An ancient alchemy test about the workings of the world. She had hoped to find clues in it, but it was coming up with nothing.