“I will miss my family, but I feel like I was brought here for a purpose.” She walked over to me. “When I saw the man behind the beast in Alexander, I realized that all of you are suffering the same fate. The witch cursed you and sent you to this place, but you became beasts because you had nothing to live for.”
“It’s true...” Alexander nodded and sighed. “Now that I finally have something worth living for, my days are at an end.”
“I don’t want you to be the only one.” She looked around the room. “I want to bring all of you back from this madness you’ve endured while living under the witch’s curse. It’s how I will repay what my father did.”
“You’re serious?” Alexander raised his eyebrows and she walked over to him.
“It is how I will honor your memory.” She lifted on her toes and pressed her lips to his for a quick kiss.
“You have been like family to me.” Alexander turned to the rest of us. “Anabelle is not mine to claim and we have shared everything since you arrived. If this is what she wants, then I believe we should consider it.”
“You don’t have to share me.” She smiled and shook her head. “We will live together as a family—just like you said. All of us will be joined as one.”
“As long as you are in this castle, no harm will come to you.” Boone nodded and walked into the room. “When Alexander is gone, we will continue to take care of you as our way of honoring his memory.”
“Come...” She extended one hand to me and another to Alexander. “Let me show you the man beneath the beast like I did for Alexander.”
“Okay...” I felt my mouth drying up for the first time in what felt like eternity.
Randall and Boone walked back into the kitchen as Anabelle led us to the east wing of the castle. I had seen the room she took us to, but I hadn’t put much thought into it.
Alexander told me a story of the woman he thought lived there at one time, but it was all just fantasy in his mind from years of living alone. Alexander and Boone were already beasts that barely resembled men when I came and although I tried to keep my humanity for a while, I soon lost focus of it and drifted into the same madness that consumed them. We took turns hunting for a while, keeping ourselves alive with what we could find.
Time lost all meaning and we thought we would be the only ones there until the twins came. They rejected us at first and secluded themselves in the west wing of the castle, but eventually they had to join us to forage for food. When Randall came and showed us new ways to grow and find food, they had come to love their lives as savages so much they returned to the west wing and never returned. I assumed they were still there since their conjoined rose was still on the vine, but it had been a long time since we had seen them.
“Now I remember why I quit doing this...” I chuckled as I brought another bucket of water down the hallway.
“It will be worth it, trust me.” Alexander patted me on the back and followed with a second bucket. It took a number of trips before the tub was finally full.
“It is ready.” Anabelle started to remove my cloak and I stared at the steam rising from the water.
A loving touch from a woman was one of the first things I missed when I arrived at the castle, but it wasn’t the witch’s embrace I wanted to return to. I would have taken the stone walls and the cold over ever seeing her again. The ironic thing was that by cursing me and sending me away she did the one thing I was trying to accomplish to begin with—I was no longer under her spell.
Anabelle’s hand were amazing on my body when I was fully undressed. Alexander sat on a chair while she took care of me and scrubbed away the years of disgust caked on my body. The scent of the soap brought back memories of the first bath I had at the castle when I found the room with the tub. Once my body was clean, she started working on my hair, trimming away the long blond mop that had fused with my beard. Just having it gone made me feel refreshed with the weight of it no longer on my head. I finished cleaning myself once she was done with my upper torso and when I stood up in the water, I was amazed at the sight of the man I had forgotten in the mirror.
“Well aren’t you a handsome sight.” I grinned and felt some of my old cockiness returning.
“Yes, you are.” Anabelle walked up behind me. “But is there more to the man than just a silly smile?”
“Baby, you have no idea.” I leveled my gaze at her. “If I had a deck of cards, I’d play you for your panties—and I’d win.”
“You wouldn’t have to. I’m not wearing any.” She slowly pulled her dress up her thigh until I could see the curve of her hip.
“Believe it or not, she was a virgin until I got my hands on her.” Alexander stood and walked over to us.
“You awakened something inside me.” She reached back and put her hand on Alexander. “I want more.”
“Both of us?” I raised my eyebrows.
“Yes.” She nodded and bit down on her lip.
Chapter 9: Anabelle
I didn’t understand the growing need inside my body. I was so shy before I came to the castle, yet I was in the middle of two men and begging for them both to take me to bed. It was like a faucet I couldn’t turn off. I didn’t want to be separated from Alexander, but I wanted Gill to enjoy the same pleasure I had seen raging on Alexander’s face. Gill didn’t seem to mind that Alexander was joining us and Alexander was already kissing my neck. Gill leaned down and let his lips lightly graze mine for a moment. I thought it was a sweet gesture, but it was just the beginning.
Once he had a taste, he was a little more forceful, and he flatted my lips against his. He drew me in for a kiss that sent fireworks exploding in my head. It was different from Alexander, but it was just as passion
ate. Alexander worked to remove my dress for the second time and when it was the floor, his hands were exploring my body while Gill’s did the same. They ravaged me with their kisses covering my skin before they started leading me back to the bed where the stains of my virginity were still present on the wolf pelt covering the straw.