Rose, Wilted: Book 1

Chapter 11 - Curiosity Kills

When Adam told me to spend more time with the Beast, I tried. I really did. I wandered around the castle the entire day with the use of the map looking for him. I went around the gardens and even up to the castle gate. It was locked, of course. Everything beyond it was frosty and dead. When I stretched my fingers beyond the bars I instantly felt a chill. Within the gates it was springtime still, just as Adam had said last night. I had pulled my fingers back. Being caught in between the two seasons was unnerving and there was an unnatural sort of tingle in my fingers.

I moved on quickly after that.

But no matter how I looked I couldn't find him. In a way I was relieved, but if talking to the Beast was what I had to do to break the curse then it would help if I had a Beast to talk to. It was almost as though he wasn't even in the castle. And maybe he wasn't. Maybe he'd left me to go terrorize the village.

When I went back up to my room at around four though, I found a note on the vanity.

Miss, the Master wishes you to join him for dinner in the dining room tonight at five o'clock. Please attend. Remember what I said about second chances. Best of luck. -Rowena

Dinner. Again. Oh boy.

Well, at least he would be there. And with any luck the Beast wouldn't eat me.

I slipped the dress I had chosen over my head and laced up the back. I smoothed down my skirts and looked myself up and down in the mirror.

My dress was a caramel color with a dark chocolate stripe encircling the hem and my waist. The short sleeves were the same color and gold swirls of embroidery rose like mist from where the skirt rested at my ankles. It matched my hair nicely and brought out my eyes but my neck and shoulders felt very...exposed. As in, easily torn apart by monster claws. So I went back to the closet, found a silk, maroon shawl and draped that around my shoulders. I glanced over at the bedside table where the map and my dagger lay. My mind hovered over them in a moment of indecision. I blew out a long breath.

Today we are taking chances.

I left them on the table.

Rowena was in around four thirty to tease my hair into loose ringlets, but neither of us said anything. There were too many snakes writhing in my stomach for that.

It was four fifty five when I slipped on a pair of gold flats, received reassuring smile from Rowena and left my bedroom. When I arrived at the doors to the dining hall it was two minutes to five. But I didn't go in. No need to be in there any longer than I had to be. Or maybe that was just my excuse for cowardice.

Somewhere in the castle a clock began to chime.

One, two, three-

I shoved open the doors.

The table was full to the brim again and the fire was roaring just the same as the first time, keeping the thick cloak of shadows away from the table. The two chairs were both empty. My flats echoed eerily against the hardwood floor and high ceiling as I wandered forward. I squinted into the shadows ahead of me, but couldn't see much. I took a few more steps forward until I was almost at the table when a resounding boom from behind me made me jump. I looked behind me to find that the doors had closed. On their own.

It's okay, I told myself, trying to calm my racing heartbeat. It's just creepy magical castle under a curse. This stuff happens all the time.

It didn't help much.

And then there he was, a shadow within a shadow, emerging so swiftly and silently that I gasped and stepped backward. He'd been behind me the entire time. A soft growl vibrated from his throat and my breath hitched. My heart started fluttering again and my hands found the table to keep me from falling backward as he stalked towards me. His green eyes were so fixed and haunting that I found myself staring at the floor instead.