Beastly Desires

Chapter Twenty-Two

Colette was yanked from sleep. A wolf howled in the distance,. It's pain filled cry reverberated against her window. She slipped out of bed and padded to the window, pulling aside the heavy curtains to look down into the gardens. Snow still blanketed the ground and plants. It was slowly building a wall of its own on top of the outer walls. Winter's wind whipped at its glittering white surface, sending tendrils of it fluttering into the night's air. She followed their wake until she spotted a tall tower in the corner of the castle's wall. A muted light flickered behind a slotted window and she wondered if another person resided in the tower. It would be the perfect shelter to keep a ways distance from the castle, from the beast that lurked here.

She hadn't seen Sébastien- Lord Sébastien, since that morning. No one said anything to her about his whereabouts and Beatrice informed her once more to keep her door locked before bidding her goodnight. That had been hours ago now and it was late into the night and she felt hungry again.

Aarav did give her an extra crust of bread as he had promised her but the stew he made was light and did not fill her stomach. She wondered if he was still awake. If he slept in the kitchen with all the knives his paranoia probably kept him awake.

Colette was surprised by herself that she managed to fall asleep both nights now. She blamed the blankets that seemed to lull her to sleep as soon as she slipped beneath their soft embrace.

Perhaps she would go check on her father after seeking a bite to ease her growing hunger. She slid on her robe and took a deep steadying breath before turning the key. It clicked and the lock unlatched. Perhaps this wasn't a good idea?

Grrgrl.

She grabbed her stomach and decided to take the latter. If she came across Lord Sébastien, she had the knife Aarav gave her tucked into the pocket of her robe. She prayed of course she wouldn't need to use it. She honestly didn't know how to wield a knife but she knew getting stabbed by one anywhere was an unpleasant experience.

Her stomach growled in protest as she crept down the hall. It seemed pointless having sconces when the candle's lights seemed to be sucked into the dark shadows that lived everywhere. She could hardly see five feet ahead of her and dragged her hand along the wall to keep her straight.

She found her way down the stairs easily, holding onto the railing as she descended the stone steps. The castle was eerily quiet aside from the wind that whistled against the castle's bricks. Moonlight poured through the tall windows and pooled across the great hall's floor, covering it in murky, bluish light that swirled like mist across the polished stone.
Colette was eager to leave this place. It was cold and empty. It felt like death. It was a struggle to stay warm even with a fire in her hearth. The cold, damp air still found a way to stamp out the heat.
She found her way down the hall towards the kitchen in the back. She made it halfway to the entryway when she heard a muffled voice.

A deep chuckle. A male voice she recognized as Aarav murmured something incoherent as she neared the entryway, taking precise measure to be as quiet as possible.

Light flickered from the kitchen's threshold and Colette flattened her back against the wall and strained to hear.

"Mmm," Aarav moaned. "I was wondering when you would come visit me again in the night."

His voice was heavy and Colette wondered who he was talking to.

"It's a shame this body is hidden beneath these clothes. Let me remove them for you."

Colette's eyes widened. What had she walked in to? Whose clothes was he about to remove? Should she be here? She pressed her ear against the wall as close to the edge of the entryway that she could without being seen.

There was the sound of clothes being thrown onto the floor and muffled moans. "Gods," Aarav breathed.

The hay in his bedding rustled as their bodies shifted on top of it and the sound of flesh smacking into flesh started.

Colette clamped her hand over her mouth. A bright, hot blush no doubtledly marked her face. Where they... who was... she should leave? Yes. Leave. Right now.

"Yes," Aarav moaned. "Yes, yes, yes," he panted.

Colette was frozen to the spot as she listened to his moans of pleasure. What were they doing? Who was with him? So many questions racked her mind as she unashamedly stood there listening to it all.

The wet, slick sounds of flesh grew in intensity and Colette found that similar warmth Gregorie had made her feel pool deep into her abdomen. Her throat felt dry as she ran her hand down it and along her collarbone. She had never seen two people fornicating. Let alone hear them. She was innocent of how it even happened. What took place in the marriage bed. Or in this case a hay bed. Would Gregorie know? Maybe she would ask him when she saw him.

"Argh!" Aaravs voice splintered her thoughts as he found his release.

A shiver went down her spine and she unbeknownst licked her lips, feeling strange down below. Between her legs.

The hay rustled again beneath their bodies and Colette knew she needed to disappear.

"Beatrice," Aarav breathed.

Colette stopped immediately in her retreat at the mention of the maids name.

"Thank you."

Colette began again, eager to be as a far way from the kitchen as possible. Any hunger she had felt was gone and replaced with an even deeper need she was not familiar with.

Colette found her way back into her bed. She would not be able to find sleep tonight. The situation she had practically ran from had her feeling wide awake. So many questions. She had so many questions.

Aarav and Beatrice? Wasn't the maid twice his age? Ugh. Colette couldn't help the image that popped into her head and buried her face into her pillow, smiling like a mischievous child. She couldn't help herself. She felt giddy and ruffled at the same time.

Hearing Aarvas sounds of pleasure made her feel warm and prickly all over. She felt hot and bothered. She needed to wash her face. Yes. A splash of cold water would cool her nerves.

She went to the ceramic bowl at her vanity and scooped up the chilled water to her face. The icy embrace had her shivering as she dried herself off.

She stood for a moment, assessing herself. She felt a little more at ease. The hunger she felt earlier started to creep back but she shook her head. She would not be venturing to the kitchen again. She did not know if Beatrice had left yet and did not want to chance an uncomfortable encounter with the maid.

Beatrice was pretty for her age. She was much younger than her father. Her face was full and she had hazel brown eyes that looked green in certain lighting. Her hair was the color of golden wheat and was worn hidden beneath a bonnet. Her skin was porcelain ivory but it was her figure that was the most alluring thing about her. She was wide and full in all the right places. Her bosom was large and puffed up from the confines of her stay. She looked like a nice, soft thing to lay on or embrace.

Compared to her Colette was slender, if not a little full in the hips and thighs. She seemed to carry most of her weight in her backside whereas the top portion of her was small and petite. Her mother always noted she had good birthing hips. At the time Colette didn't understand what hips had anything to do with babies but as a young woman now she thanked God she inherited that from her mother.

"We'll then," she breathed, letting out a long sigh. Sunrise will be here in a few hours. She might as well stay up and read. It didn't seem like she would be able to find sleep tonight.