Beauty in Winter (Beauty #4)(3)

As she does, a breeze drifts over to me, and suddenly everything goes dark.





Chapter 3





Fiona





I gasp as the man, half shielded by the door, falls to the floor. I rush over to try to push the door open, but his body is in the way.

“Here, let me,” a familiar voice says from behind me, making me scream.

Jumping, I turn to see the lawyer, Mr. Blackden, standing there. I put my hand on my chest in a feeble attempt to calm my heart. The snowstorm that’s swirling around him makes him look ominous.

“I think he’s hurt.”

I push away all thoughts of how odd this situation is. I just arrived at a castle in the middle of nowhere. At one point the cab driver thought he was going to have to turn around because the snowstorm was growing fiercer by the second.

Mr. Blackden steps forward, and I move out of his way as he pushes the door open. I reach into my bag, trying to find my cell phone to call 911. I don’t even know if I have service out here.

I follow him into the house and notice the room is in darkness. I glance around, looking for a light switch, but when I flip it, the light doesn’t come on. I don’t know if the snowstorm knocked it out or the light just isn’t working. Suddenly Mr. Blackden grabs the phone from my hand smacking it against the wall and making me scream.

“Oh my God, what is wrong with you?” I yell at him. It was only one of those $50 pre-paid phones, but still. This guy is crazy. The man on the floor makes a sound that sounds like a growl, but Mr. Blackden doesn’t move toward him. Instead he walks over to the front door and shuts it, blocking out the cold storm. I hear the lock click. He leans up against it as if a man isn’t passed out on the floor in front of us.

Not knowing what to do, I drop to the floor next to the man and try to roll him over, but his body is too big. I’m not strong enough to move him even a little.

“Don’t just stand there. Help me, you lunatic!” I shout at Mr. Blackden.

“Oh, I think you’ve got it.” Something in his voice makes me turn to look back at him.

I scream when I see what looks like a gun in his hand. He doesn’t have it pointed at me though; he holds it lowered by his side.

A loud growl fills the room, and the man under my hands starts to jerk. Then he does it again, only deeper. But for some reason the noises are not scary. I watch as he pulls himself up to his hands and knees, his head hanging low. The growls grow louder and are anything but human.

I glance over at Mr. Blackden, but he just stands there, a smile pulling at his lips. “Yes, I think you’ve definitely got it.”

Then I hear the sounds of clothes being ripped and bones snapping, I scramble back as I watch the impossible happen in front of my eyes—a man turning into something else. Something more.

All too quickly, right before my eyes, a giant wolf stands, taking the breath from my lungs. I’m not even sure if wolf is the right word for him. He’s bigger than any wolf I’ve ever seen, even on TV. His golden eyes are locked on mine as he takes a step toward me. I should be screaming. Running. Anything. Instead I stand there, transfixed by those eyes, unable to move. The gold swirls in them are mesmerizing, as if they are pulling me into him.

“I knew it. The rose ring tale is true,” Mr. Blackden says, and I take my eyes off the giant wolf in the middle of the room. The wolf growls loudly, and when my eyes come back to him he stops. It’s as if he’s agitated that I’m not looking at him.

“I think I want to leave,” I finally say, my fear picking up as I grasp what is happening. I think I’m in shock. I’m simply unable to wrap my mind around the fact that a man just turned into a wolf right in front of me.

The wolf moves, blocking the door as if he understood what I said. His golden eyes are trained on me.

“I don’t think—” Mr. Blackden is cut off when the wolf turns and snaps at him. “I’m not going to let her leave,” he says, but the wolf still doesn’t seem happy. “I thought this might happen.” He shakes his head. “It’s for the best.” I scream as he raises the gun and fires.

My heart drops as I rush toward the wolf. Something inside me wants to protect him. But the gun makes no sound as the wolf falls to the ground. I scream again, dropping down next to the wolf. Mr. Blackden finally moves away from the door and comes closer to me. The wolf growls again but doesn’t open his eyes or move beside me. Mr. Blackden stops.

“Calm, my friend. I must make sure she stays,” he says in a calm voice, as if trying to soothe the wolf.

“Friend? You just shot him!”

“Yes, well, I didn’t know what he was going to do. He was feral and he needs time to calm down without you so close.” He says it so simply, like his friend didn’t just turn into a wolf.

“I want — ”

He interrupts me. “You belong to him now. Don’t you remember the contract you signed?” he reminds me, tsking at my inability to grasp the situation.

“Whatever, sue me,” I tell him, coming to my feet. Part of me wants to run, and part of me has a deep desire to make sure the wolf is okay. Something is pulling me to him. The feeling settles deep inside me, as if he’s mine to take care of.

Mr. Blackden moves fast. Faster than a human should be able to, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me through the giant castle. The wolf growls, and I look back as he attempts to come to his feet, clearly drugged and swaying. He must have shot him with some kind of tranquilizer.