As I’m struggling to catch my breath, he rolls off me, pulling me against his chest.
Oh my god…
We lay panting in silence, both drenched in a slight sweat. He runs his fingers through my hair, kissing me in between breaths.
“Is something wrong, Belle?” he asks finally.
“Yes, Gabriel,” I say. “Something is very wrong.”
“I’m sorry.” He looks into my eyes. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.”
He raises his eyebrow. “Then what is it?”
“The problem is me…” I can feel my cheeks heating. “Something I want.”
“I’m listening.”
“I would very much like for you to do that to me again…”
“I see.” He smiles. “Later?”
“No, now.”
A Changing Tide
Belle
I stare at Gabriel as he stands on his balcony.
I’m tucked under the silk sheets of his bed, unable to shut my eyes for more than a few minutes at a time.
As amazing as he feels inside me, the moment he isn’t, my mind races with questions and uncertainties, and I can’t seem to shut them off.
Slipping out of the sheets, I rush across the room and outside, moving in front of him.
“What are you up thinking about right now?” He kisses my forehead. “Books?”
“I’m wondering if I’ll be able to handle watching you kiss my sister or watching her fall for you like I have.”
“I see.” He laughs. “Pretend like I asked you something else, then. I was hoping you’d mention a story.”
“I can’t dive into any fantasies when reality is this bleak,” I admit. “You’ll have to be with my sister or find another way to break the curse, right?”
“I have no interest in anyone except you.” He silences me with a kiss. “Just you, Belle.”
“I can’t help you break it,” I whisper. “You know that, right?”
“I don’t.” He kisses me harder. “And I don’t care…”
Before I can say another word, he pulls me onto a stone bench and pushes up my nightgown.
All my thoughts are quickly forgotten.
The Details
Gabriel
The following afternoon
* * *
“Invenire puellam pulcherrimam et sapientissimam in tota terra. Et si te amare contigerit, te et omne tuum genus e tenebris tuis noctes liberabo.”
I hardly ever say the curse as a whole, preferring to utter only the important parts, but after telling Belle everything, I feel the need to face it once and for all.
I hold up the mirror and recite the words as I first heard them.
Immediately, the woman appears in the mirror, but she’s not pretending to be the haggard woman like before. She’s the goddess who cursed me.
“You forgot to put on your face today,” I say. “I prefer you the other way.”
She just stares at me.
“Are you broken or something?” I tap the outer frame. “Do I need to repeat myself?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “Not at all.”
She dissolves from view, and Belle appears in front of me. Wearing another red dress while dancing in the kitchen with my staff, she’s smiling and laughing.
What the hell?
“Why are you fucking with me today?” I ask, feeling an ache in my chest. “I asked you to show me Isabelle Arwyn.”
“No, you asked me to show you the most beautiful and wisest girl in all the kingdoms.” Her voice is firm. “Belle is both. Izzie only had the first quality.”
My blood boils. “You’ve known this the entire time?”
“It’s not my fault you never paid attention to the details.”
“So, the spell is broken then?” I shrug. “I have feelings for Belle.”
“Your feelings don’t matter. She has to love you in return…” She warns. “And don’t you dare mention that part to her, or else it’ll never work.”
I consider shattering her glass to pieces, once and for all, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
“Show me the rose again,” I say. “The one my brother and I share since I need to be overly specific today.”
“I would love to.” The cheeriness in her voice tells me all I need to know before it ever appears.
Droopy and lifeless, its stem is brown instead of a usual bright green.
There are two petals left, one red and one black, and I’m officially out of time and options.
Screw the curse. One of us has to kill the other to survive…
“Lafayette!” I call out, and he immediately appears in my doorway.
“Yes, sir?”
“Assemble the troops,” I say. “We storm the Eighth Kingdom tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow afternoon or tomorrow evening?”
“Why does the time matter?”
“Well, it’s just so soon, you know?” He avoids my gaze as he taps his chin. “Everyone seems to be enjoying this relaxing stay, and you and the Belle girl are getting close, and—”
“What aren’t you telling me?” I interrupt him.
“Nothing.” His face gives that lie away. “I just want to know the time so I can see if everyone will be back…And by ‘everyone’ I mean Sola—who thought this was a very good idea, by the way—and…”
“Sola and who?”
“I forget the girl’s name.” He’s paling by the second. “Is it Ella?”
“Belle?”
“Yes, Belle.”