A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 1)

Wood splintered, and heavy footsteps sounded on the path behind me. It must’ve crashed through our garden fence. Hannon could repair that, no problem. At least it was following me. That was the plan.

Putting on a burst of speed, I headed for the Forbidden Wood. I didn’t dare look back. I didn’t want to see the size of the thing. Besides, if it somehow snuck up on me, swooped down, and bit me in two, at least the end would be quick. It would be better than trying to fight a losing battle with a somewhat dull dagger.

Around the last house in the lane, I ran by the sycamore and randomly cursed myself for not telling Hannon to take those books back to the library. As though that were the most important thing in all of this.

Reaching the tree line of the Forbidden Wood, I wondered why I hadn’t been caught. It should’ve reached me by now.

Maybe it hadn’t followed…

I slowed to a stop and spun, expecting to see empty space. Instead, I very nearly wet myself.

Its progress had been utterly silent. Not one puff of breath or massive footstep had alerted me to its presence. But it had followed me all the same.

A massive creature stood just beyond the sycamore, looking down on me. Those eyes glowed in the semidarkness, seemingly soaking up the moonlight showering its dull, murky black scales. A great head reached half as high as the peak of a tall tree, two horns curling away from the top. Its scaled face had a protruding jaw, and long teeth jutted from its lipless mouth. I’d seen its massive shoulders before, taller than me, with a deep, muscular chest. Two stout legs supported it in front, and the upper body sloped down to the hindquarters and slightly shorter back legs.

If I had my leather sheath, I would slip my dagger into it. It wouldn’t help me against what I faced.

If I had more courage, I would stand my ground.

I spun and ran like hell.

I didn’t even know where I was going. Nor did I look back to see if it was following me. I had zero control over myself right then. Panic was driving this wagon, and it was doing it with drunk horses.

I zigzagged around trees and stumbled over rocks. My shoulder rammed a tree trunk I hadn’t noticed, and I careened into a tangle of briars. I gasped as a thorn ripped into my arm and tore my nightshirt. My breath came in fast pants, and the scene before me wiggled in my tear-soaked vision. Some hero. I’d slipped into full damsel, and honestly, I would not mind being saved. I would not mind it at all.

Beyond a set of reaching bushes, I suddenly realized where I was. The tall birch, seemingly out of place, stood before me a ways, marking the everlass field. Even in my blind panic, I’d had enough directional sense to get there. Given that I’d been caught thieving from this very field, it was probably the worst place for me to have led the beast. Then again, where the hell else was I going to go? I could hide in here all night and return home tomorrow…only to find the beast at my house again. I couldn’t escape the village, and now I couldn’t escape the beast.

Time to face the future. How will our hero turned coward escape this time?

Breathing heavily, I stopped in front of the birch and looked up. It took that as a cue to shake like a dancing girl, waving its branches and rattling it leaves.

“Would you shut up?” I yelled at it. “It can find me just fine on its own.”

The low growl behind me was proof of that. I sucked in a deep breath and turned once again.

It stood nestled in the trees, mostly obscured by the branches surrounding it but for those eyes, like two embers surrounded by blackness. Its head lowered, and I clutched my dagger tightly, raising it just a bit. Might as well give the illusion of bravery.

The enormous beast reduced down in a blink, turning into a nude man.

My mouth dropped open. No. It couldn’t be. This was impossible! The ability to shift had been suppressed by the curse. I hadn’t heard of anyone in this kingdom who could still manage it. And while it was possible our village was the only one that had been so afflicted, I certainly hadn’t heard that the beast turned into a man. That was something people would talk about. Warn others about.

He walked toward me, out of the trees. The moonlight fell over his messy brown hair and onto his wide shoulders and robust frame. Thick, well-defined muscle covered every inch of his tall body, not an ounce of fat to spare. He’d earned that muscle through hard-fought battles, I could tell. He looked like a man who knew exactly what he was capable of.