Beauty's Beast- The Light Read online

  The figure's shape looked very much like a person under the light it was holding; most likely a male. But he was too far ahead for Bella to get a good look at him, and since his back was to her she was unable to make out his face. If one were smart enough to think about it, or was able to think at all in such a moment as this, they probably would have realized that he seemed to be taking his time while he was running, almost as if he was trying to keep her in sight.

  Bella rounded another corner, sucking in deep, stale breaths of air and stumbling a few times, which caused the person up ahead to turn around a few times to look at her. No matter how many times this happened, Bella never once saw his face.

  "Wait!" she said again. "Please, I don't mean to intrude! I just want my Papa."

  It occurred to her that this man could be the demon, and he was leading her deeper into his lair to trap her, but she knew that, since she had been spotted, it didn't really matter now. There was no possible way that she could outmatch a demon if she decided to turn back around and start running. Especially since it seemed like he wasn't in too much of a hurry to run away from her. She imagined, that if he were actually trying to get away from her, he would've disappeared already.

  Just when Bella was beginning to think that there was no end to the halls that they were running through, and she was turning another corner, she saw a lamp sitting on the ground. There was no other sign that she had been chasing after someone in the first place.

  In front of her stood a solid door. It was a black sort of wood, something Bella found quite strange since she had never seen such a color on wood unless it was burnt. This appeared to be its original color, all sunken in like that. And there were bits of metal that crisscrossed on it.

  Bella looked around, trying to spot anyone lurking, but there was no one. Had he gone through the door? Or, maybe, he was hiding in the shadows, beyond the outer edges of the light.

  Picking up the lamp, Bella waved it around the hall, peeking around empty crates, but there was no one. Reminding herself of the door, she grabbed the sleek handle and pulled. It slid open easily.

  This is not a good idea, Bella told herself as she peered up a spiraling staircase. Naturally, she ignored herself and strolled up them carefully, wondering what lay wait at the top.

  It seemed ages until the top finally appeared. There was no telling how high up she was since there weren't any windows, nor what time of day it was. She couldn't decide if hours had passed or minutes. So, it would be either night or nearly dawn.

  Ahead was a door with bars at the top and one without. Nothing else was in sight, which unsettled Bella. Where had the man gone? Could it be possible that he had actually disappeared, or that she had overlooked him in the endless hall?

  The door without the bars was pulled open to reveal another staircase. This made Bella think twice. Did she want to continue and search beyond this tower, or should she take her chances with the barred door? Something could be behind it, waiting for her to get close enough to...

  To, what, exactly? If it was a barred door, then it was more than likely going to be locked.

  Bella slowly approached the door with the bars, tilting her head as she neared it. When the light splashed against it, there was a scuffling noise beyond, something that made her still. What if there was something in there she wasn't meant to see? The man could have led her to a trap, after all. There was no possible way a creature of the castle would want to help her. Only the creatures of the moon, or whatever it was they called themselves, would help her. But even they had limits.

  So why would anyone take her to her father?

  One thing was for certain. Her father was worth every bit of trouble.

  "Papa?" Bella called uncertainly, hardly expecting an answer.

  There was a shuffling noise, and a face appeared behind the bars. "Bella?"

  "Papa!" Bella cried, rushing over to the door and peering into her father's eyes. She stuck the fingers of one of her hands through the bars, relief flooding her when her father grasped them. "I found you, Papa."

  He seemed pleased to see her, but then fear overrode his senses. "You have to get out of here, Bella. As fast as you can-"

  "No," Bella said, shocked. How can he just tell her to leave him? "I came all this way, and I'm not leaving without you!"

  "Bella," he said hurriedly, worry and impatience in his eyes as much as voice, "listen to-" He cut off, staring over her shoulder. "Bella, run."

  She looked over at where he was staring, but there was nothing. "But-"

  "Run!" he shouted, shoving her fingers back out of the bars. "Bella, run!"

  A low growl started up somewhere behind Bella, one that made her breath catch in her throat. It started quietly before becoming menacing, like some horror that was trying to defend its territory.

  Or like a monster before a kill.

  Tightening her grip on the lamp, and gently pulling out the bread knife from her belt, Bella slowly turned around, trying to hold her head up high to appear less afraid, though she was sure that just about anything would be able to see past her pride.

  Before she could fully turn around, however, the thing jumped at her, slamming itself against her, which knocked the lamp to the ground, and what light was left gave Bella a view of horns and fur before it flickered out completely. Somewhere nearby, she heard her knife clatter to the ground, and immediately dove to search for it, but the demon grabbed a hold of her and threw her against a wall.

  "Who are you?" it roared, much to her surprise. It had looked more animal than human. But then, she had only caught the smallest of glances.

  She blinked into the darkness, not sure what to say at first, and jumped when a clawed hand swiped for her before grabbing a hold of her hair and pulling her to her feet.

  "Who are you?!"

  Bella cried out when she was lifted off the ground, clawing desperately at the demon's claws.

  "Don't hurt her!" Johnathon shouted. "Please, I beg of you!"

  This seemed to surprise the demon, for reasons unknown, and he immediately released Bella, who dropped onto the floor and scrambled backwards as far as she could, hands splayed out as she searched for the knife.

  "You're a woman?" a more human voice asked, stopping Bella. From what she could tell, it was a young man, one who sounded completely normal, though his voice was unusually beautiful. When she didn't respond, she heard him take a few steps towards her. "Where are you?"

  "I would think that a demon could see in the dark," she replied, voice shaking, though she tried her best to sound more proud than scared. She chuckled nervously, crawling away when she heard him walking towards her. "Just what kind of demon are you?"

  "Not any you've heard of," he replied just as smoothly, though with less nervousness. "I may not be able to see in the dark, but I can hear you quite well, moving around like that."

  She froze mid-crawl, panicked. She was hardly even making a sound, so how was that even possible?

  "Daughter?" Johnathon called out uncertainly.

  "Why are you trespassing, intruder?" the demon asked, as if Johnathon hadn't even spoken. "I'm sure you've heard stories about me."

  Bella stood, listening to him walk around, and she heard him near her before he drew to a stop, as if he was giving her a chance to speak instead of attacking her, since he clearly knew where she was.

  "That man in the cell is my father." Bella told him, lifting her chin and clenching her hands into fists. "I've come to take him back."

  "No one leaves this castle," was the only reply.

  She drew in a shaky breath as she stared into the darkness, wishing she could see the demon as clearly as she felt he could see her, even though he had admitted his being unable to. Then, she said, "We will."

  Before the demon could reply, she threw herself at the spot she was sure he was standing. Sure enough, she connected with him, though he didn't feel as furry as he had looked only moments ago. But then, his voice was completely different as well.


  Clearly not expecting this—after all, what human would ever attack a demon—the demon fell over backwards, not seeming to know how to react as Bella stood up and kicked his form before searching for the knife again. She had just wrapped her fingers around the blade when she felt hands grab her ankle, and she kicked in that direction, hitting nothing but air. The demon pulled Bella towards him, and she screamed in frustration, slashing the knife in every direction, hitting nothing but air, and she shrieked again.

  "Oh, God!" Johnathon shouted from his cell, banging against the door as hard as he could, wearing his body out even more than it already was. "Don't hurt her! Please, don't kill her!"

  "Let me go!" Bella shrieked when the demon had her pinned to the ground, and she stabbed the knife deep into his side. She felt the edge of it snap, and it sliced at her own hand instead, betraying what trust she had given it, and she cried out in pain, chucking it at the demon's face and missing as his head ducked to the side. "Let me go!"

  "Please!" Johnathon hollered from the cell. "Kill me! Don't kill her—kill me! I'll take the punishment!" He fists pounded on the door.

  When the demon stilled, Bella turned her head towards the door. "No! Papa, stop it!" She looked up at the demon, whose form was peering from the door to her. "Please, don't. Just let him go. Please!" Unwillingly, tears welled up in her eyes, sliding down around her face. But, too stubborn to give up, she fought against the demon's iron like grip, refusing to come all this way just to have her father die. She didn't care if it got her killed in the process, so long as he was safe.

  That was all that mattered.

  "Who are you?" came a whispered reply.

  Bella looked up at him uncertainly, no longer fighting. Maybe she could reason with him. Maybe he would actually let her and her father go. They could come up with a deal. Who knew? Maybe he was actually civilized enough to do so.

  "Sir," a voice called from somewhere in the room, somewhere past the demon.

  The demon looked over his shoulder. "What is it now, Eriq?"

  "Why don't you let the man go? He doesn't actually know anything, after all."

  Bella felt something start in her heart, a pang that almost hurt. Someone was actually trying to reason the demon into letting her father go!

  "He knows about us. He has seen far too much. He's human."

  The pang quickly diminished, and Bella sucked in a harsh breath. Why would she think such things? He was a demon! There was no possible way he could be talked out of death and destruction. She loosened her muscles and lowered her head to the ground. There was nothing much else to do but accept what was going to happen.

  "Why don't we just let him go? We'll tell him that we won't hurt him or his daughter in exchange that he says nothing."

  Bella's mood immediately brightened, and she heard her father say, "Yes! Yes, by God. It is a deal. A done deal!"

  "Please," Bella whispered when the demon didn't say anything. When he looked at her and got to his feet, she sat up, looking up at his shadowed form. "I promise a word won't be said. We'll speak nothing of you and the others... Please."

  He seemed to think a moment, then went over to the door Bella had entered from, whispering to the other man, who Bella couldn't see. Then he turned towards her again. "On one condition."

  "Anything," she breathed, pushing herself off the ground. "Anything."

  "I'll let your father go...in return that you will stay in his place."

  "What?" Johnathon shouted from his place as Bella grew cold. "What—no! No! You can't do this! Bella, run! Get out of here as fast as you can!"

  "I'm afraid it is much too late for that," the demon said. He sounded more amused than sympathetic, something that angered Bella. But, she also knew that he was correct.

  "What do you look like?" Bella found herself asking.

  Maybe it was out of simple curiosity. Or, maybe she wanted to judge whether or not he would be easily defeated. When there was no answer, she raised her voice, determined.

  "What do you look like?" This time it was more of a demand, since she knew he had heard her the first time—if his hearing was really as good as he claimed it to be.

  "Eriq," she heard him mutter, and the lamp on the ground sputtered to life again.

  Beside the lamp stood a man who looked very much human, save his pointed ears and strange eyes. His eyes had no whites, but instead were green, with large pupils that nearly succumbed them. His fingers looked unusually long, all with extra joints, and he had a few sharp teeth behind his greenish lips. But he wasn't the one that Bella found herself staring at in horror.

  Standing mere feet away from her was another man, this one furthermore inhumane than the other. His hair was a deep and dark red-something that could easily be mistaken as brown under certain lights—and within that he had horns about a foot long that slanted back slightly, both as white as snow and delicately shaped. His ears, like Eriq's, were also slanted, though his were just a tad longer. The sides of his face were green, as if he had some sort of moss growing, though it looked more like it was his skin instead of just some simple substance covering it. His eyes were as white as his horns, and his sharp nails even more so. The same greenish foundation covered the ends of his fingers, around the nails.

  Terrified, if not fascinated, Bella turned herself away, throwing herself against the door her father stood behind, and she stared straight into his eyes. "Forgive me."

  His eyes, though pained, looked deeply relieved, and he nodded. "Run, child. Run."

  She turned to face the demon, though not to run, and walked up to him as calmly as she could until she was only a foot away, her heart fluttering, and she said, "We have an agreement."

  "What?" her father cried from behind the door, his voice muffled. "No! Oh, Bella, what have you done?"

  The demon watched her just as calmly, though something in his eyes gave away his true thoughts. He had thought she was weak enough to save herself rather than her father, and hadn't expected her to give herself willingly to him so easily. But there was also something different about her, something that told him she wasn't just any human girl, that she was simply much more.

  "Eriq," the demon said, turning to the faerie. But Eriq was already ahead of him, eagerly unlocking the door and pulling it open. The demon looked at Bella, whose eyes had grown big, already unable to comprehend what she had just agreed to, and he gestured for her to get into the cell before turning to Eriq and saying, "Give them a moment." Then he looked at Bella. "You can say your goodbyes."

  "You'll make sure he gets back to Ash?" Bella demanded. "You won't harm him in any way?"

  "You have my word," the demon assured her solemnly.

  She turned and ran into the cell, where her father had backed over to a window and sat in the corner, his face buried in his hands. When he felt his daughter wrap her arms around him, he clutched at her, pressing his mouth to her forehead and hugging her tightly. The window let in what little light the deepening morning had to offer, giving away what conditions the humans were in.

  "You're hurt!" Bella exclaimed when she saw the blood on her father's stomach.

  He waved an arm, dismissing her worry, and frowned over her torn dress and filthy cloak. "You're not injured, are you?" He grabbed her injured hand, which only held a shallow cut.

  "Papa," she said, pulling away from him and rubbing her hands over her face. "You're in more of a mess than I am." This wasn't all too true, seeming as to how she had just agreed to live with a demon, and Johnathon must have remembered this because he waved off thoughts of the minor scratches that covered her skin.

  "Leave me here," he begged her, grabbing her face and forcing her to meet his eyes. "Save yourself, Bella, before it's too late."

  "It's already too late," Bella told him, reminding herself very much of the demon, who had said something quite similar only minutes before, and she threw her arms around him again. "Papa, I'm so sorry, but if I don't get you home then I've done this all for nothing. And I couldn't stand
the idea of choosing myself over you."

  "Done all this..." Her father frowned. "My, Bella, what horrors have you encountered?"

  Bella wanted to tell him everything. She wanted all the time in the world. She wanted to tell him about how a fraction of the Fae had been kind enough to take her to him, and how they had also saved her life and protected her. She wanted so badly to stay with him longer.

  But their time was up.

  Something walked in. Something large with teeth the size of arms, and horns even larger. It stank of blood and sweat and something Bella couldn't quite figure out. It was a wonder it could even fit through the door, with how gigantic it was, but when it swept Johnathon into a cage it had a hold of and melted into the shadows, Bella realized that it hadn't even needed to use the door at all.

  Before she could remember the rest of the monster's details, Bella realized that her father had been taken, and she rushed to the window when she heard his familiar shouts, and within them she heard her name being repeated until his cries didn't make sense anymore.

  She sat there at the window, watching her father and the monster that had taken him away so quickly as they disappeared into the forest, tears slipping silently down her face.

  Far more quickly than she had found it, her whole world had been ripped away.

  6

  Bella sat at that same window for nearly half an hour, staring at the spot she had last seen her father, when the demon finally decided to enter the cell. She didn't even glance his way when he came into her line of vision, blankly watching the world outside as she repeatedly wished for it all to be just a night terror that she would soon wake up from. But, no matter how many times she wished it, it just wouldn't take shape.

  It remained the real world.

  "Your father is at the town, safe and sound," the demon said, voice gruff as much as gentle.

  The girl wondered how this was, since it had taken herself so long to even get to the castle, but then remembered that it had been quite a large monster that had taken her father away from her. She continued staring at the trees.