Another Fairytale - Sacrificed to the Beast ✓ (completed)

Chapter 11 - Here's The Plan

   Bella's eyes met mine after Larissa disappeared. "What language did she just speak?" She asked, her brow arched.

   "Um, Latin?" I answered. It sounded more like a question but it is a language similar to Latin, a form of Latin if you wish.

   "You don't sound so sure," she replied disinterestedly, turning back to Theo and gazing lovingly at his form. The wound already looked better and if I didn't already know, I would believe it had been healing for months, not weeks.

   "It was Latin," I confirmed.

   "Do you know Owen?"

   I stiffened a little, already guessing what was coming. "Yes."

   "I think he did this," she whispered.

   She really does think Owen is the Beast. Horrible for him but great for me!

   "Are you sure?"

   "It just makes sense. He said the Beast didn't mean to hurt Theo. How would he know unless he was the one to injure him?"

   "Uh... Didn't he tell you he was friends with the Beast?"

   "Yeah, but he knew things, Ben. It has to be him!"

   "Bella, Owen is innocent. Trust me."

   Her eyes lit with a stubborn fire and she pushed past me. "Whatever you say, now I must go home. Larissa seems to be in a foul mood and I don't want to make it worse." With one last loving look at Theo, she left the room.

   I glanced at Theo. His breathing had evened and his color had already returned. I walked closer and crouched by his head. Brushing back his hair, I kissed his forehead with a sad sigh. I pushed up from the hard floor and left the room.

   "He's going to be all right?" His mother asked when I made my way to her.

   "Of course ma'am. Theo will be just fine. He looks better all ready." Better than he should.

   "Thank you, how can I ever repay you?"

   "I didn't do anything ma'am. It's all thanks to Bella."

   I bowed to the woman and hurried out the door.

   I had to find a different way to get Bella, I can't accidentally harm someone again.

   A smile graced my lips halfway back to my home, I knew exactly what I had to do. Soon, I will have Bella and I will finally get back to the way I was.

   I will finally be human again.

****

   "This is ludicrous!" I shouted over the voices of the other men. "We can not just give up a young maiden to this thing just because he demands it of us!"

   "We have no choice," another growled back. "It has always been decided to give up one to save plenty. The Beast will not rest until he has this girl. Unless we want him to rampage this town, taking and killing whoever he pleases, we need to give her up! It's no great lose!" I inwardly flinched at the mans callused words and willingness to give up Bella. Sure, I won't hurt her, but he doesn't know that.

   "We can't give her up! Why are we even considering this? We aren't giving a girl to some creature to do whatever he pleases with her," I growled in his direction.

   "Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Hush! I'm trying to think!" The man bowed over the note I had hurriedly wrote when I got home. "I have already harmed someone on the first night I attacked," he mumbled aloud. "Don't make me do it again. The blood that will be shed is beyond anything you could ever imagine. I will have Bella, one way or another. Give her to me tonight where the other sacrifices have been given and no harm will come to the town."

   I watched as every man before me shuddered from the images in their head of what will become of this town if I don't get what I want.

   "We are giving this Bella girl up. Larissa can find a new apprentice to take over her trade. Our over all safety is more important than one girl's."

   I forced out an unhappy sigh, hiding my smile. "I'm not going to be the one to deliver the news."

   "That is not expected of you, Bennett."

   I pushed back my chair and started for the door.

   "Oh! Don't tell Lee. We can't have him interfering."

   I smiled, my back to the men. "No problem."

****

   "So you're just going to take her?" Owen asked. "What are you going to do with her once you have her?"

   I scrubbed my hands over my face and into my hair, pulling at the strands. "I don't really know."

   "You don't know?" He repeated, rolling the words around as if not sure he heard me correctly. "You aren't sure what you are going to do with the girl that is supposedly 'made for you'? You can't just kidnap her and expect her to fall head over heels for you!"

   "You think I don't know that," I growled, the curse bubbling up dangerously.

   "Well you better figure it out," Owen snapped back. "You only have an hour to make your decision and come up with a plan. I'm not going to be accountable for your idiotic mistakes." Owen turned his back and stomped out of my house, leaving me alone to ponder what to do.

   I glared at the sun, watching it slowly dip behind the trees surrounding my home. Seems even Mother Nature wants me to hurry up and make a plan. I should surely have one now, right? Right? Wrong! Sacrifices are given at nightfall and I gave the same orders for Bella.

   I sighed and left my house, trekking through the woods and into the town.

   I reached the center faster than what I thought I would, cutting off any thinking I might have done.

   Hopping behind a nearby building, I quickly shed my clothes and stashed them in the bushes – the same place I hid them when I attacked the first time.

   Time to do this. Slowly and nearly unwillingly, I relinquished some control to the cursed part of me. The loud cracking and popping of bones ricocheted off the building and echoed around me ominously.

   'Finally! Took you long enough. I've been cramped up to long!'

   I glowered inwardly. 'You do not get full control. Stay back.'

   A soft whimper from the curse echoed in my head painfully.

   I trotted off on my newly gained four legs, knowing I had won against the typically stronger part of me.

   When I reached the town center, Bella and two men were already there; one of which was Aaron.

   I watched Bella as I stepped forward, keeping my steps quiet so I could get closer without being noticed. Soft, silent tears ran down her face.

   I took another step forward, wanting to run to her and comfort her, stopping any more tears from escaping her eyes, as if they were somehow marring her skin. As my paw landed, the crack of a twig breaking filled the air.

   Her head snapped up, tear-filled green eyes connecting with mine.