Missing Chapters

"The lizard then stole your magical berries and so you had to climb a tree to escape the beast..? Can you repeat that part? I'm a bit lost." Adeline spoke as if she couldn't believe her friend. Those weren't even the correct order of events.

Lady Adeline's head must've been extremely frazzled after all the crying because Sophie had to repeat the story for a third time.

Her vocal chords felt more worn out than ever. One more attempt at explaining her strange encounter with the beast and she was sure her tongue would jump out of her mouth and willingly retire on its own.

Sophie couldn't blame the blonde, however. The story was nothing short of unusual. It left her rethinking about its credibility, wondering if she hallucinated the entire encounter.

And Lady Adeline was no idiot. The blonde was a master of gossip—she could correctly recount information worth an entire library if she truly wanted to.

If Sophie included the more intimate and human parts of last night's events, she was sure Adeline would be able to fully comprehend what she was trying to say.

The Duchess was too ashamed, however, being so close to a practical stranger. Her reputation would be ruined if anyone else were to find out.

Sophie turned to Maude who had been silent the entire time.

Maude knew a lot about the superstitious, more than Sophie and Adeline did, despite being the logical and level-headed one. It came with her love of books, both fictional and historical.

When it came to the mythical and to the happenings between important figures thousands of years ago, Maude was well-informed.

Sophie wondered what her friend was thinking.

Was Maude taking her time absorbing Sophie's words? Was she trying to read between the lines, suspecting that Sophie was hiding certain details? That was an embarrassing possibility but an unlikely one. Was she so astounded that she had no words? Did she suspect Sophie of lying?

Whatever it was that was going through her head, Sophie knew. If anyone could understand, she was sure Maude would.

Maude's eyes met Sophie's, the look of contemplation in both their faces equally as intense. For a moment, Sophie swore she saw Maude flinch.

Was her state really that worrisome? After the pain settled, it didn't feel that terrible, nothing to fret over. Perhaps she had gotten used to it. Numbness wasn't new to Sophie.

Maude stood from where she was sitting, closing the novel in her hands in a swift move. "Adeline, you are usually so adept at gossip. The beast transformed into a lizard and needed to eat the magical berries to transform back, so Lady Sophie climbed a tree to retrieve them from a cliff. That was when she was attacked by a hawk."

"Oh," Adeline's mouth formed an open circle. "But why would you do that, Lady Sophie?!"

"How many times does she need to repeat herself, Adeline? She was helping the beast because it promised to help her out in return." Maude sighed, tone exasperated.

"Well, the beast didn't exactly promise…" Sophie wanted to clarify, but her voice came out as quiet as a whisper. The more they talked about it, the crazier she felt.

White hair that shifted into a gradient of colors, blue eyes with hints of gold, large stature, mesmerizing voice coming from pink, soft lips. It couldn't have been real, but all the sensations were so vivid. The way she had run far on adrenaline, the way she was pinned on the ground, the way she had collected scratches on her hand trying to climb a tree for the first time, the way his tongue had run over the expanse of her neck, the beast's near feral need to mate.

She needed to get a grip!

"Still! It is a beast! Why would you make a deal with a beast? You were assisting a killer of men."

Sophie couldn't answer. Usually, she was more careful than she had been on that fateful night. The woods made her an entirely different person, one that would throw away all inhibitions to trust a stranger—a beast no less. She couldn't justify her actions if she tried.

"As far as we know, there have been a few deaths recently. Zero were inflicted by a beast." Maude said, face entirely serious.

Being reassured that the beast's lethal nature was just a rumor brought her a sense of comfort. Sophie wasn't ready to be the accomplice of a criminal.

She couldn't bear that kind of emotional burden. Knowing the prim and proper reputation she had to uphold, it would eat her alive!

"Reportedly zero deaths! What about off-record? A beast does what it wants, takes what it wants. Do not tell me you are siding with a beast, Lady Maude." Adeline accused, face full of disbelief. Her husband's efforts to hunt down the beast seemed to have rubbed off her.

"Well, according to Lady Sophie's recollection of last night's events, the beast sounds mostly harmless."

"But it is a threat to our safety! Why else would the lords be so desperate to take it down? Even the king is hiring mercenaries, according to rumors."

The crown's involvement made the entire affair a nationwide issue. Sophie found it silly at first, that a local beast hiding in their woods managed to spread fear in the hearts of everybody like wildfire. But hearing it from Lady Adeline's mouth sent chills down her spine.

"I don't know." Maude shrugged. "Mass hysteria?"

"I mean," Adeline hesitated, considering the possibility. "Maybe it was an abnormally large fae that you encountered, Lady Sophie? That explains why it didn't eat you."

Recalling how otherworldly the beast looked with eyes of striking blue, Sophie could only nod. "That is likely."

It did explain a lot of things; why the creature spared her, why she was compelled to lower her guard around it, why it had the ability to turn into a small animal, why the image of its scales shining under the moonlight would not leave Sophie's mind.

"Then you are lucky." Adeline said, a breath of relief leaving her chest. Sophie's friend really didn't like this beast.

"Indeed, I am." Sophie had many things she still wanted to say, she was sure the beast confirmed its identity as the beast the whole kingdom was hunting, but she kept her mouth shut for the fear of Adeline exploding into a violent rainbow of expressive opinions.

"Do you have no desire to find it again?" Maude asked seemingly out of nowhere.

Adeline's distressed gasp filled the room. "Now why would she!"

"It seems like she connected with it. I would not hold it against her. The days do get terribly dull and running into fae is rare." Maude reasoned lazily as she looked out the window, signs of the first spring already showing.

Usually, Sophie would immediately disagree. She had responsibilities as the duchess and she loved her life with her husband, Luke, but now…

Sophie considered the suggestion, no matter how outrageous it sounded. After all, she had never spoken as freely as she did with the beast. Maybe it was its inhuman nature, but she felt no pressure to maintain a facade.

It was a breath of fresh air. The beast embodied what the woods meant to Sophie, a chance to no longer be the Duchess of Rogethen, just another presence walking the earth.

Sophie shook her head. "It was nothing of that nature. I was looking for my husband. We were transacting with each other, there was no connection."

"You say that now," Maude started. "But you will be looking for that thrill later on. It will eat you up in your sleep."

"Maude…" She sighed. Sophie understood. Maude's life was nothing like the fairytale she wanted it to be, but that did not necessarily mean Sophie would spend her waking hours searching for a strange forest creature that she could've possibly hallucinated.

"Sophie." Her husband entered the room, looking entirely disheveled. Wherever he had been, he must've rushed to see Sophie because he was in no presentable state.

His clothes were untidy, ruffled, a few of his hairs were sticking in strange directions, and his face seemed to be drenched in sweat. Even in such a state, she had to admit, her husband was a looker, freckles popping out even more under the tired flush of his face.

Usually, Sophie would scold Luke for looking far from an esteemed gentleman. However, she had lost her desire to speak.

His presence caused her heart to skip a beat, her palms to sweat. Not in any good way.

She was not ready to speak to him.

"Ladies." He turned to acknowledge Sophie's friends.

Steadying his breath, he spoke again. "May I have a moment with my wife?"

The two ladies looked hesitant to leave Sophie alone with her beloved. For what reasons, she wasn't sure.

Perhaps they sensed her apprehension. Despite being expected to be elated at her husband's arrival, her throat just felt extremely tight.

Lady Adeline shot him a worried look. Lady Maude's expression was more unreadable as the two moved to step out the room, giving Sophie their best wishes for a fast recovery.

It was quiet.