Brute by Lauren Rose

Author:Lauren Rose [Lauren Rose]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Midnight Atelier Press
Published: 2023-05-11T00:00:00+00:00

It was a long night, and an even longer walk back home, with Bell at his side. After Louis left, Bell ordered beer after beer, drowning out the gossip of the missing townsfolk that circulated through the bar.

Narcisse had drunk just as much, wanting to blind himself to the tears and tales he heard for the remainder of his time at the tavern.

It was when the barmaid came to clear their empty tankards, and Bell had ordered more, that he decided enough was enough— both the drinking and the disappearances. He had to do something about it. So he drank water and watched his wife become merrier by the minute, until he was brave enough to drag her home.

She didn't resist.

They walked under the moonlight in silence, Bell swaying at his side.

“Bell,” Narcisse warned, right before she slipped on the damp ground. Her feet went out from under her, falling on her rear with a splat.

She sat in the mud, her arms crossed. She glared at the ground and then at Narcisse, as if unable to decide whose fault it was that her dress was now wet through.

“Beer does not become you.” Narcisse tried but failed to hold in his amusement as he helped Bell to her feet.

“I didn't drink that much,” she pouted, accepting Narcisse's arm.

He didn't disagree. She had only had two tankards in total, and by the end of the first one she began speaking louder and laughing at everything Louis had said, hanging on his every word. He's not that funny.

Even with Narcisse's arm linked in hers Bell was sliding and stumbling. He smirked, a smug sense of satisfaction overwhelming him as she squeezed his muscles to stay on her feet. If it weren't for his masculine build he was sure he would have ended up on the ground with her.

“Can I tell you a secret?” she rasped.

“You can tell me anything,” he replied, although he paused to look around them and ensure they were alone. God only knows what she would say in this condition.

Bell opened her mouth and a hiccup wracked her body. She paused before him, grabbing a hold of his upper arms and squeezing in appreciation. He said nothing, waiting for her to speak. After one last squeeze, she leaned in, her beer-laced breath washing over his face.

“I think I lo-o-ve you,” she slurred, licking at her lips. “There, I said it!” Bell proceeded to place her hands on her hips, looking around the trees that surrounded them, instantly distracted.

He was utterly speechless. He shook his head, trying to clear his brain enough to trudge after Bell who had begun wandering toward their cottage.

She loved him?

Do I love her? Narcisse knew his heart had expanded, making room for her very soon after they married, but he wasn't entirely certain he loved her. Not yet anyway. Narcisse didn't love anyone, save for his parents. And they were dead.

“Thank you?” he called after her, running to catch up.

Bell stopped so suddenly that Narcisse had to grab onto her shoulders to keep himself from tackling her to the ground.

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