The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

Author:Renée Ahdieh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2019-10-07T16:00:00+00:00

MEET YOUR MAKER

Celine regretted the decision to walk home the instant after she made it.

Less than a block from Jacques’, every shifting shadow and unfamiliar sound caught her attention, heightening her awareness, lending itself to a creeping kind of fear.

If only the Court could see the queen of darkness now.

It was Celine’s pride that wouldn’t allow her to admit she lacked the means to hire a hack. And it was her arrogance that forbade her from taking anything else from Odette. Or Bastien. Or any member of La Cour des Lions.

But now that the fervor over recent events had subsided, regret unfurled down Celine’s spine. She’d been too hasty. She should have taken advantage of the offered carriage instead of allowing her pride to get the better of her.

Celine sighed to herself.

No. It wasn’t just her pride. She was simply tired of being told what to do.

Steeling herself, Celine decided to let the beauty of a New Orleans evening distract her from her thoughts.

A balmy breeze riffled through a magnolia tree to her left, its downy white blossoms swaying in the sultry wind. The breeze coiled closer, carrying with it the sweet perfume of honeysuckle and lavender, the tiny flowers peeking from between the tines of a wrought-iron fence in front of a stately, four-storied mansion. Overhead, wraparound terraces and hanging baskets overflowed with waxy vines and brightly colored blossoms. A row of blue cypress trees dripped with Spanish moss, forming layers of scent and shadow. Somewhere in the distance, an unseen man with a beautiful voice began to sing, his words a mixture of French and something Celine could not quite discern.

In only a few short weeks, Celine had learned to appreciate how the city seemed to come alive the moment the sun dipped below the horizon. Not a normal kind of alive, like sunshine and laughter. But a sinister, sensual kind of alive. A warm caress and a cool whisper.

Despite everything, Celine found herself falling a little bit in love.

As she continued making her way toward the convent, footsteps shifted in line behind her, clear and crisp against the blue-grey pavestones. Heavy footsteps, like those of a man.

Celine listened as they drew near. Then straightened her spine. There was no reason to fear the person at her back. Pedestrians took to the streets of the Quarter at all hours of day and night. It was irrational to think this might be anyone—or anything—else.

Nevertheless, she could not help but be reminded of that awful night in the atelier, when her naïveté had betrayed her, changing the course of her life.

Celine turned onto the next street. The footsteps lingered in her shadow.

Fear prickled the nape of her neck. That feeling of being followed.

She refrained from turning to confront the man, lest she appear foolish for the second time in a single evening or, worse, provoke him into taking action. Instead she decided to conduct a test. She slowed her pace to a leisurely stroll, expecting the pedestrian to pass by.

He did not.

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.