Curse of the Wolf King: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling (Entangled with Fae) by Tessonja Odette

Author:Tessonja Odette [Odette, Tessonja]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crystal Moon Press
Published: 2021-04-06T16:00:00+00:00

23

I lay in bed reading The Governess and the Earl, but despite having done so for at least an hour, I don’t think I’ve made it past a single chapter. Every paragraph or so, my mind returns to the dining hall, to Imogen’s cruel smile and Elliot’s cold response to her teasing. And every time I read about the brooding earl in my book, I can’t help replacing his imagined description with the countenance of a certain fae king.

It’s been two hours since I fled the dining room. Now that I’ve regained my composure, all I can think about is whether I’ve doomed Elliot’s dinner by leaving him alone with his guests like that. Then again, I think it took such a poor turn because of me. Or Elliot’s defense of me. While I appreciate the king standing up for me, he shouldn’t have. He should have done everything in his power to please Imogen. Now I can only hope he managed the rest of the meal without getting trapped in any uncomfortable truths.

I try reading for another hour with very little progress and then push back my blankets with a groan. Rubbing my hands up and down my chilly arms, I go to my window and lean my shoulder into the frame. Below, the gardens are quiet with no movement but the swirl of falling snow, the dainty snowflakes blanketing the night in silence. All at once, my mind goes still and my pulse evens out. The peace of the mountains traps me in its spell. Yearning creeps into my soul, a desire to breathe that forest air.

I glance at the clock on my dressing table, its hands telling me it’s almost midnight. Surely, our guests have departed by now. I return my attention to the window and that yearning returns, calling to me.

Without a second thought, I pull on my hose and boots, then drape my warm cloak over my nightgown. A hat comes last, then I rush out the door before I can stop myself.

The halls of the manor are quiet, empty, as I creep across the floors. Downstairs, there’s no sign of guests, none of our hired servants, no residents. I release a sigh of relief and continue toward the back of the manor to the doors that lead out to the gardens. Once outside, the cool night air greets me. Never before has this sensation felt so welcome. It was always warmth and sunshine I’ve craved before, but the peace of a snowy night brings such a similar feeling that for once, I don’t mind the cold.

I walk down the garden path, emptying my mind as I focus on nothing but the pitter patter of falling flakes, the crunch of my boots in the snow. After a time, a new sound falls upon my ears, footsteps that are not my own.

I whirl around, finding Elliot on the path behind me. His breath comes out in puffs of white while snow falls over his hair. No

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.