Taming the Beast

She returned to where she’d been seated, ignoring the ache in her lower back from the hard wall, as she waited for Duncan and Nick to make an appearance. As the time passed, her thoughts grew more fanciful, and influenced by the need to sleep, which clouded her thinking, she found herself reaching a conclusion that should have terrified her—or had her questioning her mental state.

What if Nick and Duncan were the beasts she had seen in the forest? The idea sent a mild shock of fright through her, but it wasn’t terrifying—likely because she wasn’t seriously entertaining it as a true theory. Was she?

It made an odd sort of sense, and it would explain why she never saw them at night. As she thought about it, she realized she’d never seen them during darkness. They weren’t in their rooms, and they hadn’t seemed alarmed by what they had identified as wolves roaming their land. They claimed Mrs. Farley served dinner well before dark because they liked to rise early, but she’d never seen much of them before eleven a.m., or so, at the earliest.

She shook her head, both in an effort to clear away the need to sleep, and to try to dismiss the crazy thoughts. Telling herself there was no way it was possible, that it was completely contrary to logic and reality, she tried to dismiss the notion. It was far more likely that if Duncan and Nick knew anything about the beasts on their land, they were keeping illegal pets, either in an attempt to save a species at risk of extinction, or because they were drawn to danger. The first goal was admirable, while the second would be off-putting. Either way, she was going to wait until they turned up and gave her an explanation.

It was a long wait, and she was on the floor most of the night. It was only when she saw the first rays of dawn peeking through a nearby window that she realized she had sat there all night, sometimes dozing off, but never sleeping deeply. She was somehow unsurprised when she heard the sound of the front door opening a few minutes later, followed by quiet steps coming up the flights of stairs. She almost laughed when she saw their expression as they realized simultaneously that she was there and stumbled to a stop. They were both naked.

Getting to her feet, she was about to ask where they had been, but as they moved closer, there was something in their form and the air surrounding them that reminded her of the beasts she’d seen last night. Recalling her sleep-impaired theory that the men before her were the beasts, she couldn’t so easily dismiss it even in the light of day. As they reached her, she was certain that however farfetched and fantastical the idea, the beasts she had seen last night were now standing before her in human form.

Before she could think better of it, or censor her words, she blurted out, “I saw you two last night in those forms. You definitely aren’t wolves, so what are you?”

Duncan and Nick’s eyes widened, and they shared a look before turning back to her. “I’m not sure what you think you saw—” started Nick.

She put up a hand. “Don’t even try to convince me I didn’t see that. You were both huge, massive beasts, and you had red eyes. The second day I was here, I told you about seeing those eyes, and you told me there was a wolf pack on your land. You aren’t wolves.”

“Baylee, what makes you think that was us?”

She turned her attention to Duncan, giving him a scoffing look. “It sounds ridiculous, but all the facts add up. If I hadn’t seen the beasts with my own eyes, I never would have reached this conclusion, but it’s obvious. It’s in the way you both move, and the way they stood. Your eye color is different, but there’s something in your eyes that reminds me of the beasts, and vice versa. How did this happen?”

She was startled by her own persistence for answers, and even more surprised to discover she wasn’t afraid of Duncan and Nick, despite what she had figured out. She didn’t know how this could be possible, but she was confident that they meant her no harm.

“Let us get dressed, and we’ll have a discussion about everything,” said Nick.

She nodded, stepping back a bit so they had room to enter both of their bedrooms, but she didn’t go anywhere. She waited for them to emerge, and they joined her shortly. They had both opted to slip on robes and nothing more, though the last part was pure speculation. Imagining them wearing nothing but the fleece covering their body was somehow more erotic than seeing them fully naked a few moments before.

She cleared her throat and tried to push away the thought. Now wasn’t the time to focus on sex. “Okay, so start talking.”

“Let’s at least move somewhere more comfortable,” said Duncan. He held out a hand to her, and he seemed startled when she put hers in his with only a brief hesitation.

She was a little startled herself, but still convinced they wouldn’t hurt her. She followed along between them as they moved a few doors down the hallway before opening one. Duncan slipped inside first, and she followed him. Nick brought up the rear, closing the door behind himself. Duncan had dropped her hand, so she moved to a chair situated in an inviting arrangement in the small sitting room. After sitting down, she waved a hand toward the other furniture before saying, “Start talking.”

“It’s a long, strange story, and you probably won’t believe it—”

She laughed softly, interrupting Nick. “Actually, I think I will. Having seen it with my own eyes, it’s difficult to pretend like I didn’t. I know what you are, but I don’t know how you became this way. Were you born like this?”

Duncan shook his head. “No, we weren’t. I was born in 1792 in Edinburg, second son to a Laird.”

“And I was born in London in 1794. My father was a nobleman, and my mother was from a rich family of Spanish merchants,” added Nick.

Her head reeled, and she realized the explanation was going to be even stranger than she had anticipated. “You’re telling me you’re both more than two hundred years old?”

“Aye,” said Duncan. “It was part of the curse.”

She blinked again. “What curse?”

Nick shot his friend a quelling look before looking at her. “He’s jumping ahead. Duncan and I had never met, but we were both similar in that we wanted adventure, like young men often do. We persuaded our parents to allow us to come to America, and though we arrived here a year apart, our journeys were basically the same. We integrated into society, and I soon fell for a woman named Ellshonna Hapervic. My affections were returned, and I assumed we would be married.”

Duncan interjected then. “I also fell for Ellshonna, meeting her at a party. I courted her for months, but when I proposed marriage, she was evasive. She started pulling away, though I was convinced she still loved me, and I loved her. I was suspicious of her behavior though.”

“I was still oblivious at that point,” said Nick. “I often avoided parties and stayed here at my estate. I

found my excitement in gambling and duels, and in seducing women before Ellshonna.”

“I followed her from the city one weekend, finding her here.”

Nick said, “She was due to stay with me for the weekend, and though it was all very proper, including her own chaperone, I was hopeful that she might finally accept my proposal of marriage.”