Page 14 of The Beast Between Us (Once Upon A Forever #2)

Thorne

For the last four nights, Ella has slept in my bed while I’ve taken the chair.

My body aches from it, though I would never admit as much.

Her words that first night… I love you. Beast and all…

have settled deep in my chest, a dangerous comfort.

But no matter how I feel, I can never give her what she wants.

She doesn’t understand the constant war raging inside me. The threat I pose.

Still… the Beast has been quiet lately. Too quiet. Almost… content.

“Sire,” Oswin says gently from my study door. “Miss Ella is fast asleep in your chambers. Would you like me to prepare your evening tea before I retire?”

“No, thank you, Oswin,” I say. “I’m tired enough that even your strongest blend wouldn’t keep me awake. Sleep well, old friend.”

“And you, Sire.”

When he’s gone, I enter my room as quietly as I can.

Ella sleeps peacefully, curled beneath my covers.

I glance toward the small glass dome beside the window.

The single rose, half black, half red, sits inside still in full bloom, still as dark and alive as the evening she plucked it from my mother’s garden.

It hasn’t withered.

“Mate,” the Beast whispers, not with a snarl, but a hum.

I nod. “I know.”

She’s the reason. The balance. The calm.

She brings life to these grounds… where I bring only shadows and ruin.

Another reason why we can never be.

Needing a distraction, I retreat down the hall and into the bathing chamber. I fill the tub, the hot water swirling and steaming as it rises. Once full, I step in and lower myself with a sigh. The heat seeps into my aching bones and pulls the tension from my limbs.

And for the first time in weeks…

I fall into a true and deep sleep.

***Ella***

I wake with a start, the need to relieve myself tugging me from sleep. The room is still cloaked in darkness, but something feels… off.

Thorne’s chair is empty.

Pushing off the blankets, I slip from the bed. My body doesn’t give me time to worry about his absence as I dash quietly down the hall toward the nearest bathing chamber, only to pause at the soft flicker of candlelight beneath the door.

He must be inside.

Not wanting to disturb him, I turn and head for the second bathing chamber farther down the hall. Afterward, as I step back into the corridor, the urge to return to bed fades. I know I won’t fall back to sleep. Not with my mind this awake. And not without knowing Thorne is okay.

A walk. That’s what I need. Just a short one.

Lady Evermere’s rose garden.

I haven’t seen it at night yet.

I bet it’s beautiful.

Slipping through the quiet halls, I make my way toward the garden doors. The manor is still, the only sound my bare feet brushing softly against stone.

When I step outside, the night air greets me like an old friend.

Cool and calm, kissed by the scent of roses and rain.

Giving a smile to the dead ground so that it doesn’t feel left out, I turn right and head towards the rose garden.

Moonlight spills across the garden, painting the petals in silver and shadow.

It’s breathtaking.

Peaceful.

Magical.

I walk the stone path slowly, fingers grazing the edges of blooms as I pass. In this moment, it’s easy to forget the weight of the past or the warnings of the future.

Right now, there is only moonlight. And roses. And him.

Somewhere inside, Thorne is near. And somehow… that’s enough.

The night air is chilly, biting at my cheeks, but I linger a little longer.

“You raised a good man,” I whisper, voice soft in the stillness. “Thank you for him.”

A breeze stirs, brushing gently against my face. Not cold this time, but warm, soft… comforting. Almost like a mother’s touch.

I close my eyes, letting it settle over me like a blessing, then turn and walk out of the garden and back around the grounds to the door.

The moment I reach for the handle, an arm snakes around my waist. A rough hand clamps over my mouth.

Panic surges.

“Foolish Beast,” a voice hisses against my ear…familiar, and full of venom. “Now every last cent will belong to me.”

Father.

I thrash and kick, trying to scream, but his grip tightens. My muffled cries vanish into the dark as he drags me into the shadows, away from the manor, away from safety.

Away from Thorne.