Twisted Beauty (A Sleeping Beauty Tale)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Everything hurt.

With great effort, I forced my heavy eyes open and tried to grasp my surroundings. I was being carried by someone through the forest. Out of instinct, I struggled in their grip, my heart pounding at the thought of the horrible creature. But the comforting words leaving the man's mouth and the lack of the scent of decay sent a wave of relief through me.

My heavy eyes met the eyes with golden flecks for just a moment before I was dragged back to sleep.

***

When I next opened my eyes, most of the pain had disappeared and my eyes felt less heavy. Blinking a few times, I realised I lay on a bed in a room I did not recognise. Just a glance at the room told me I wasn't in the castle – the walls were made from painted wood rather than stone.

With arms that ached, I pushed myself up and leaned against the headboard, groaning at the ache that ran through my body. The door opened in that moment and Drake walked through, his eyes wide as he realised that I was awake.

"How do you feel?" he asked, rushing to my side. The question took my mind a moment to process.

"Everything hurts," I said with a wince. It even hurt to talk. "What happened? Where –"

Drake pressed a finger to my lips, silencing me. With a kiss to the forehead, he took poured me a glass of water from the pitcher on the bedside table. It was only when I took a drink that he replied. "We're in one of my family's homes," he said, holding the glass steady as I drank. "It's sort of a . . . holiday home, I suppose. I didn't really intend to take you here until after our wedding, but I had to." My cheeks went pink at his confession – it was tradition in both kingdoms for the couple to go away for a month – a honeymoon, it was called.

"As for your first question, I fear I don't know." His face was grim and he took one of my hands in his, stroking the back of it. "We were attacked last night, and by whom I can only guess."

"The creatures . . ." I whispered, fear seeping into my voice. "What were they?"

He was silent for a few moments, though the look in his eyes told me he knew. "They are . . . not something of this world," he finally replied, avoiding my eyes. I stared at him until he gave in and continued. "They are called the Daarikel. They are demons, in a way, and come from another world. Someone must have summoned them to attack the castle."

Demons were real. And any magic user could just summon them. Did the healer at home have such power? What about the man at the market? A wave of panic rushed over me, making me close my eyes. It had been foolish of me to accept magic at all – I had grown comfortable with it, of all things.

"Belle," Drake murmured. I opened my eyes and his expression told me that my panic was showing. "Very few magic users have such power. You have little to fear, my love." I forced myself to nod, even if his words didn't help.

"The Daarikel were looking for someone," I said quietly. Drake cocked his head to the side, silently asking me to explain. "They were moving through the crowd almost methodically. They tossed people aside and kept looking." I thought back to when I was running away from the creature, shuddering at the thought of it pinning me down. It looked as if it had found what it wanted. It looked almost . . . pleased. "Where was the Daarikel when you found me?"

He slowly shook his head. "You were alone when I found you, Belle. Unconscious and covered in blood, but . . . alone." Perhaps not, then. I reached an arm around my side and felt my back, jolting not from the torn fabric, but at the lack of any wounds.

"It chased me and cut my back," I said, my brow furrowing. "There's no wound." Drake remained silent, his lips thinning. Perhaps he was just as concerned as me. I shook my head, deciding to drop the topic. We had enough mysteries as it was. "Drake, in the attack, did anyone – the creatures – "