Of Beast and Beauty (Complete)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: The Bite

The dust danced in the sunlight filtering through the room. Alina's eyelashes fluttered as the beams caressed her face as warm as the hand of a lover. Sighing contently, she stretched her body out like a cat, inhaling deeply. Pine, sandalwood and fire smoke surrounded her as she snuggled further into the soft, down covers.

"Good morning, Alina."

Startled, Alina sat up and turned, securing the blanket to herself in modesty. Christian had seen, well, everything last night - but somehow it was different during the light of the day. Once the blanket was firmly in place, she turned to him and smiled.

"Good morning, Christian."

She was surprised to still see him in bed. He was an early-riser and it was mid-morning already.

"How are you feeling?" He reached out and trailed a finger down from her shoulder to her elbow and back again.

Alina shivered, goosebumps following the path of this finger. She thought that after last night this yearning she had for Christian would have lessened. If anything, it had intensified.

They had taken their time the first time, had gotten to know each other. It was, like he said, just for them. The second was more frantic.

The third though, the third was perfection. The throbbing bite on her neck was tender, but not sore. Christian had a matching, human one on the other side - she could still see the outline of it on his neck.

It gave her a sense of pride, knowing that he was marked as hers forever now. Everyone would see that they belonged to each other.

"I am perfect." She laid back down and shifted closer to him.

He grinned and turned away, grabbing something from the table beside the bed.

"I meant to give this to you last night, it was the whole point of coming to my quarters." He turned around, holding out a small square box. "Not that I am complaining about the change of plans."

Alina took the proffered box gently. It was simple and black. She twisted the top off and looked inside. A beautiful ring. It was a large, white circular cut diamond framed by smaller ones on the outside with an elaborate design on both the top and bottom.

"Oh Christian," she said. He picked the ring out of the box and held it up.

"It's enchanted," he explained before passing it to her. "One of the few enchantments that the dark faerie gave me that could have passed for a mercy."

"What does it do?"

"Once it is on your finger, all you need to do is turn it three times and it will immediately return you to the estate."

She looked down at the exquisite band and how it caught the light. It looked like it would fit her finger perfectly. How peculiar.

"Why would you need something like that?" She asked. "When you and your people can't leave your lands?"

"For someone like you."

She looked up from the ring and into his face, full of genuine adoration if not love. She placed the ring on her finger. As predicted, it fit snugly and perfectly; as though it had been made for her. He smiled and picked up her hand, placing a kiss on her palm.

"The full moon is tonight." Alina said as Christian settled back down comfortably and pulled her to him. "Don't you have things you have to do?"

"Nothing that can't be put off," he said. "There is nothing that could make me leave this bed right now."

"I'll need clothing to return to my room. I can't walk back in broad daylight in the dress I wore to the ball last night."

"Well, lucky that you don't have to deal with that for at least another few hours then."