Rose Beast Into the Woods by Evelyn Hill

Author:Evelyn Hill [Hill, Evelyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-04-26T04:00:00+00:00

4

“Oh my god.” I snatch up my top and stand.

His hand lingers on my thighs before letting me go. He stands too, without looking at me, and starts to collect tools and put them back in his belt.

I pick up his hammer and when I glance at him, his eyes are back on me. I offer the hammer and he takes it. “Two hammers, huh?”

“Never know when I’ll need a spare.” The look on his face is serious. Sexy. He continues to pick up tools and says, “I promised Mr. Wolfe I’d install the fixture up in my spare time. He’s had problems with kids coming out here at night. Graffiti and what not.”

“So, he contracted it out to you?”

“No. He couldn’t afford a contractor, so I offered to do it for free.”

I wander over to the giant brick chimney. It is nostalgic, beautiful against the blue sky. “You risked your life for nothing?”

He laughs and shrugs. “No, no…I get rabbit stew out of the deal.”

I look at him suspiciously. “So, you’re a hunter?”

“I’m not, but he is. An excellent one at that. Which is why I’m a fan of his stew.”

I say, “That’s very kind of you to help him out. How do you know Mr. Wolfe? Is he an elderly gentleman?”

He raises an eyebrow. “You know, I’ve never actually seen him.”

“No?”

“I came out here to camp by the stream one night and stumbled onto his camp. It was dark out, too dark to see. I saw a pot over the fire, and I heard his voice from the trees, inviting me to eat. We chatted for a while, and I decided I liked him.”

“Don’t you feel like it was weird you didn’t see him?”

“He was sitting in a tree, looking at the stars. That didn’t seem strange to me. There was something otherworldly about him, sad and lonely. I don’t know what to say, I liked the guy.”

“How does he contact you to do the work?”

Brom raised his eyebrow at me. “Phone, silly.”

“Oh,” I blush. “Of course.” But still, this Mr. Wolfe seemed suspicious to me. Brom had never actually seen him. Could he be the Rose Beast?

I said, “Have you heard the rumors about this place?”

“Rumors?” he asked.

I grinned at him. “The Rose Beast?”

Brom grinned and waved his hand. “Sure, I’ve heard. Hasn’t everybody?”

“Aren’t you curious if Mr. Wolfe is…”

“Seriously? The Rose Beast is just an old fairy tale… Mr. Wolfe told me this place was built a long, long time ago by an old man with an obsession with castles.”

I bite my lip and glance down. “My aunts told stories of the Rose Beast—that he had a dungeon.”

“Where he cherry-popped maidens.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that what he did?”

Brom grinned like a wolf. “That’s not all he did.”

I glance away quickly, but couldn’t help but grin back. I change the subject. “Why do you think he’s called the Rose Beast?”

“Are you kidding me?” Brom nods towards the clearing, and from the top of the tower, I can see them.

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