Page 34 of Beast of Blood and Roses (Dark Ever After Fairytales #1)
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rosalie
The door opened with a heavy creak. Marcel entered first, followed by my dad, then Colette. I wasn’t sure how to react, my heart banged against my ribs. He had never tried to get in contact with me once to see if I was okay, if I was even still alive.
But Dad looked better than last time I had seen him.
Gone was the rumpled, desperate man who’d gambled away his daughter.
He wore a dark blue suit that looked expensive—crisp, unwrinkled, definitely not faded from years of wear.
My stomach knotted with confusion. Where had this money come from?
Someone else had to be backing him—but who?
His graying hair was combed neatly, slicked back with what looked like expensive pomade. He filled out the suit as if he’d been eating regular meals instead of surviving on whatever scraps he could afford. His face had more color, less of the gaunt desperation I’d grown accustomed to seeing .
He was a completely different person than the broken man who’d left me here weeks ago.
What struck me most was that he didn’t even glance in my direction.
He ignored me completely as he straightened his red silk tie with steady hands—hands that weren’t shaking from nervousness or anxiety.
Instead, his attention was focused entirely on Beast, his posture confident in a way I’d never seen before.
“I hear you wanted to see me.” He was smooth, controlled, lacking the usual nervous edge.
Beast’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his massive frame radiating barely contained violence. “It’s come to my attention that you’re planning to sell Rosalie to Trystan Hunter.”
Anger pumped through me at being sold again like a used car. I waited for Dad to deny it, to look shocked and horrified at the accusation. For him to tell Beast he would never sell me to the wolves, that he’d made a mistake.
But the denial never came.
“I was, but Trystan and I have come to an understanding.” Dad straightened his expensive suit jacket, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “I work for him now.”
My face went blank. “You what?”
Beast’s entire body went rigid, a dangerous snarl rumbling from deep in his chest. “I don’t believe you. You cheated me, stole my money, and still couldn’t pay your debts. Why would Trystan want anything to do with a pathetic thief like you?”
Dad straightened his expensive tie with infuriating calm. “He would if I could get him what he wants.”
Dread churned in my stomach like oil. I sighed heavily, my hands beginning to shake. “Why does he want me?”
“He doesn’t want you.” Dad finally looked at me, and I saw something cold and detached in his eyes, the exact same look he’d given me when he gambled away our money, like I was just another chip to be traded away. “But if I don’t give him what he wants, he’ll kill both of us.”
Beast stepped forward protectively. “I’ll give him the money.”
“Money isn’t what he wants either.” Dad’s lips curved into what might have been a smile, but it held no warmth.
I held his gaze, trying to find some trace of the desperate father I thought I knew. “What is it that he wants?”
He turned and gestured toward Beast with casual indifference. “The Witch’s Heart.”
Beast let out a feral growl that made the windows rattle, his hand flying protectively to clutch the pendant at his throat. His emerald eyes blazed with fury and fear. “How does Trystan know about The Witch’s Heart?”
“His wolves saw it when they fought you, and they reported it back to him.” Dad’s casual confidence made my skin crawl.
Beast’s eyes blazed with fury. “So that’s why Trystan came back with his wolves? He had to see the pendant for himself.”
I tried to think back to the terrifying attack, sorting through the chaos of snarling teeth and claws. The largest one I had seen was a white one. “Trystan was there? He was the white one, wasn’t he?”
Beast nodded grimly. “He’s larger than his pack and the most ruthless. That’s why he’s their king and the alpha.”
Dad sank onto the leather couch, stretching his arms over the back cushions as if he owned the place. “He’s been obsessed with The Witch’s Heart for years, and that’s when he contacted me. He paid me handsomely to make a deal.”
“Meaning he didn’t want to lose any of his precious pack, so he sent you instead. You’re expendable.” He edged closer to the couch, baring his teeth in a snarl that made the air vibrate. “What’s makes you so sure I’ll part with The Witch’s Heart?”
Dad got up off the couch, stood behind me, and clutched my shoulders, squeezing them tightly. “Because if you don’t, Trystan wants Rosalie.”
I tried to break away, but his grip tightened.
Cold fury flashed into Beast’s eyes and he growled, the sound rumbling through the room.
Dad’s smugness evaporated instantly. The color drained from his face, leaving him pale and suddenly very aware of the danger he was in. He immediately released me.
“No.” I stepped between them, my body forming a barrier between Beast and my father. I held out my palm toward Beast’s chest, my heart pounding. Dad still hadn’t answered my questions. If he was dead, I’d never find out the truth.
I gazed up at Beast. “Remember, you promised. I need answers.”
Beast slowly stepped back, but he looked like a pit bull ready to charge at the slightest provocation. “Fine.” He glared at Dad. “Don’t touch her.”
“I’m not the one who is threatening to kill her.” Dad straightened his sleeve with shaking fingers. “If you want to save Rosalie, you must give me The Witch’s Heart.”
My stomach plummeted to the floor. I thought of Tinker Bell, the curse eating away at Beast, that horrifying painting upstairs showing his transformation growing worse by the day.
The Witch’s Heart was his only protection, his only hope of survival.
How could I ask Beast to give up the one thing keeping him alive ?
Beast went utterly still, the kind of stillness that preceded an explosion. “Trystan told you this directly?”
“Why would I lie?” Dad’s fingers found his throat, as if anticipating Beast’s attack. “I have no intention of dying for anyone, not even her.”
The casual dismissal of my life made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and goosebumps broke out all over my arms. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling suddenly cold.
“I’ve never known him to threaten an innocent.” Beast wrinkled his nose as if in disgust. “Sniveling cowards like you he kills by the dozen without a second thought.”
Dad’s composure wavered, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool air. “How would you know? You don’t know Trystan like I do.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Beast’s lips pulled back in a snarl that revealed far too many teeth. “I know him very well.”
“Then you’ll know he’s deadly serious. He wants The Witch’s Heart and he’ll do anything to get it.” Dad’s gaze shifted between Beast and me, calculating and cold. “How much is my daughter worth to you? Is her life more valuable than that trinket around your neck?”
The words stung me like a hard slap, and a sickening feeling swirled in my stomach. Beast’s only salvation versus my life. The impossible choice stretched between us, tearing at my heart.
Beast’s hand moved to clasp The Witch’s Heart against his chest, and a faraway look filled his eyes, as if he was seeing all the possible futures this choice would create.
“ Monsieur , you must not hand it over,” Marcel pleaded desperately, stepping forward with his hands raised. “Without it, you’ll be vulnerable again. The curse will?— ”
But Beast’s gaze found mine, and everything else seemed to fade away. With deliberate, careful movements, he reached behind his neck and unclasped the leather cord. The Witch’s Heart seemed to pulse with one final beat of warmth before he placed it gently in my trembling hands.
“You’re more valuable than this,” he said quietly. “I would do anything to protect you.”
Something inside me cracked open at the quiet declaration.
The gentle certainty in his manner, the way his eyes never wavered from mine—it was everything I’d never known I needed to hear.
My father sat just feet away, but he might as well have been invisible.
All I could see was Beast, this fierce, dangerous man who somehow saw worth in me that I’d never seen in myself.
I stared into his emerald eyes, searching for any trace of the monster I’d been told he was.
He was ruthless—he’d even killed an innocent girl—but somehow I believed he’d changed.
He cared about me. Fighting the wolf shifters to protect me, buying me clothes, even trying to bake me macarons despite his complete lack of skill, these weren’t the actions of a heartless killer.
And now he was willing to give up the most valuable thing he owned.
Dad stuck out his hand impatiently, his fingers trembling slightly. “Give it to me now. My life depends on it, and so does yours.”
The impossible choice lay before me: leave Beast vulnerable to every magical threat, or save my father’s life.
The amulet felt impossibly heavy in my hands. Give it to Dad and leave Beast defenseless, or keep it and watch my father die. Neither choice felt right, but I couldn't let Trystan kill us both .
My heart raced as I made my decision. Beast had protected me from so many threats, now maybe I could shield him from Tinker Bell and the dangers ahead. My magic was growing stronger. I just hoped I wasn’t making a deadly mistake as I placed the warm amulet in my father’s outstretched palm.