Beast_A Filthy Sweet Fairy Tale Romance Read online

  Beast

  A Filthy Sweet Fairy Tale Romance

  Miranda Martin

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  Contents

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Red Hot Preview: Dragon’s Baby

  Blurb

  In fairy tales, heroes don’t demand people’s homes to repay debts.

  And happily ever after isn’t supposed to start with indentured servitude.

  There’s a Beast in all of us.

  Mines demands I claim this beauty or risk losing all control.

  Prince Adir

  I've given in to my dark side one time too many. The more I indulge, the more bestial I become, until now I'm struggling to remain in control.

  A sweetly innocent girl offers herself to me in repayment of her fathers debts. I think I’ve scored big time until I realize her untouched little body just might be the thing that tips me over the edge.

  Isa

  I love my father and our library home. One of the last places on Earth not taken over by high-rises and digital media.

  So when the Singarti known as the Beast comes to collect a debt, I do what I have to do.

  I offer myself to him. Three years of service, no big deal. Right?

  Wrong.

  He’s dominating and scary but hiding something secret behind a locked door. A secret I can’t stay away from.

  I came to repay a debt but now I want to tame the Beast.

  *** Beast is an over-the-top, spun sugar sweet and filthy STANDALONE modern fairy tale romance novella with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. ***

  Copyright © 2017 Miranda Martin

  All rights reserved.

  Chapter 1

  Isa

  I grab my bag as all the students stand at the same time, eager to leave class. Holding it and its precious contents close, I walk out and wait until Ruby and Elle join the stream of people, many already engaging their heads up display implants, images flickering across their eyes.

  I get a few strange looks at my bag. Most people don’t bother carrying one, having everything they need digitally streamed across their vision. I’m so used to people thinking I’m weird though, I don’t let it bother me anymore.

  "He was looking at you! I'm telling you!" Elle exclaims as she walks out with Ruby. "I know that look! Trust me." She puts her hand to her heart in a purposefully over the top gesture.

  "No, he wasn't," Ruby says in a hushed voice, looking over her shoulder. "And for God's sake, can you please keep it down?"

  I fall into step with them, smiling. "Who was looking at you?" I ask curiously.

  "Nobody!" Ruby exclaims, blushing. "Don't you start too!"

  "Come on!" Elle says, giggling. "You're eighteen now! We just celebrated it—live a little! We're all of age now!"

  "Of age? What century is this?" Ruby scoffs. "And like you guys have been living it up since you've turned eighteen?" she points out dryly, scoring a direct hit. "I don't see either of you jumping on the nearest boy."

  "She has a point," I admit.

  Turning eighteen didn't really make me feel any differently. I thought maybe it would, at least in terms of the guys around. I mean, eighteen is legally an adult, shouldn't I feel more like one?

  "Maybe," Elle sighs, deflating a little. "I wonder what it's like. To be with a man, I mean." She looks around at the other people walking past us, everyone heading toward the multiple elevators that connect the eighty-two-story school building. Rather than create separate ones for the nearby areas, they just converted the whole building into a school and assigned people to specific floors based on where they live. Which means some of the floors are pretty fancy and some are a little worn down, like ours. "Maybe the problem is we're surrounded by boys, not men," she says with an arched brow.

  I raise my voice in response. "Could you handle a man for your first time, whatever that means?" I point out. "Maybe a boy might be better. Less...intimidating."

  "It's probably not going to be all that great," Ruby chimes in in a low voice. "From what I hear, it's a whole lot of buildup for something mediocre at best. At least the first time."

  "But it has to get better, right?" Elle asks. "I mean, why would girls keep doing it if it didn't get better?"

  "People do a lot of things that don't make a whole lot of sense. Maybe we just won't know until we actually do it."

  "Well, these people look like they're having a blast," Elle points out.

  "What?" Ruby and I ask in unison, looking around, wondering what she's referring to, and then both of our HUDs chime with an incoming message.

  I accept it and immediately, a whole lot of skin pops up. A muscled man pumping away over a thin woman with large breasts, her comically ecstatic face facing the camera for maximum effect.

  "Elle!" Ruby exclaims, quickly closing the video. "There’re people around!"

  Elle scoffs as I watch a little more before closing the video.

  Interesting.

  "Please. I bet half of them are watching something like that right now. Especially the boys," Elle says, shrugging her shoulders.

  "She's probably right," I admit, looking over at Ruby.

  She sighs. "Yeah, I guess. I just..." She looks around quickly and lowers her voice. "I just can't believe those videos, you know? The woman always looks like she's faking it."

  "She probably is," Elle confirms. "And I also know that when I finally get around to it, I won’t be faking it. He'll just have to figure out how to do it better. Or what the hell is the point, right?"

  We all chuckle at that.

  "Are you planning on doing it any time soon?" I tease. "Is there someone we don't know about?"

  "If only," Elle sighs dramatically, mock swooning with the back of her wrist pressed against her forehead. "Alas, my prince has yet to arrive!"

  "He probably saw you and ran in the other direction," Ruby points out. "Saw you and realized he didn't want to do so much maintenance."

  I chuckle. There's no denying Elle can be a little high maintenance sometimes, though that also comes with a genuinely good heart. Her more quirky bits are there just to cover up how truly soft hearted she can be.

  Just like I know for all of Ruby's ribbing, she'd be the first one to jump, fists flying, if anyone even looked at Elle wrong.

  "How dare you?" Elle responds in mock outrage. "My true love will recognize me as his one and only as soon as he lays eyes on me!"

  "Or sinks something into you, more likely," I murmur. "Maybe around, oh, ten inches of something?" I wag my eyebrows.

  "Isa!" Ruby exclaims, blushing again.

  Elle just grins. "One can only hope," she says with a wink.

  I shake my head, grinning. There’s nothing I can say to her that will push her off balance. "Enough talk about boys," I say firmly, pulling out the small book I carefully placed in my bag this morning. "I want to show you something."

  "Is it like what Elle just sent us?" Ruby asks warily. "If it is, I don't want to see it. And you really shouldn't be carrying something so rare around in your bag. That's just asking for trouble."

  "Hey! I was just trying to broaden your horizo
ns! You don't want that kind of stuff to be a surprise, do you?" Elle argues. "Imagine getting naked and being confronted with that for the very first time! You're welcome!"

  "It wouldn't be the first time," Ruby argues. "I'm not a child. I've seen things."

  I chime in before they start bickering again. "No, it isn't," I say absently as I crack open the aged cover. "And I'm really careful when I take one of the books out of the Library." I sigh as I open it to the right page, being extra careful with the thin, delicate paper. "Isn't it gorgeous?"

  Both Elle and Ruby murmur their agreement as they crowd around me, their eyes landing on the somewhat faded page, but the illustration’s colors are still vibrant.

  "Look at it. The velvety red petals, the forest green stem with those sharp thorns. I bet real roses smell way better than the imitation perfume that was all the rage last year." I consider the detailed drawing, running a finger over the flat page. Something about roses always draws me in. Maybe it's the juxtaposition of the soft welcome of the flower and the sharp warning of the thorns. Such an odd combination. "Don't you want to just touch it?" I ask quietly.

  "That would probably be a bad idea, considering the thorns," Elle says practically. "But I get what you mean. It's a shame they're so rare now."

  "Even the ones left probably aren't going to last much longer," Ruby says in a somber voice.

  We’re quiet as we consider that. With Earth's population in the trillions now, space is a hard thing to find. Everything is built upwards, crowding out almost all of the naturally green areas, except for small patches of parks and zoos carefully tended to display rare specimens of plants and animals. It's probably only a matter of time before we end up killing everything. We're almost there as it is.

  "Ladies," a deep voice calls.

  We look up at the greeting and I immediately shut the book to put it away, wanting to ready myself for a quick escape. It’s Gideon. His family is stupid rich, I have no idea why he continues to come to our floor when he belongs on one of the much nicer ones above us. Where there are girls who can afford to simply buy perfect faces and bodies. Many of them have everything done on their sixteen birthdays, showing up after vacation with slender noses, slim waists, and perky breasts. Like perfectly manufactured dolls.

  Yet he insists on coming down here to harass me like I'm something special.

  "Gideon," I acknowledge coolly, not wanting to make a scene.

  He's looking as handsome as always, his dark hair perfectly styled, his clean shave showing off the symmetrical lines of his face. He's tall and muscled from hours spent at the gym. Or a careful muscle building and sculpting procedure at the doctor's office, though it's hard to tell with really good work. His clothes are just as meticulously chosen, the jeans cut close and the t-shirt just a tad too tight in order to show off the definition he’s so proud of.

  Gideon poses like he expects us all to stare at his beauty, jaws agape with awe. Inside, I want to laugh or scowl at his ridiculousness, but outwardly I show no reaction and after a few seconds, he finally moves.

  "What do have there? A book?" he asks, giving it a glance, but not like he's truly interested.

  "It's nothing," I mutter, hoping he’ll go away for what seems like the millionth time.

  "We were just leaving, so..." Elle hints not so subtly, her distaste for Gideon clear. Probably because she, too, has more than half a brain.

  "There's no reason to be rude," one of Gideon's cronies says with a frown, and the other three sycophants he floats around with agree.

  They even try to dress like him, stand like him, style their hair like him.

  Like a weird cult. Or like dogs at a table, happy to receive the crumbs of the attention Gideon receives from the opposite sex. And he does receive a lot, to be fair. His personality may leave much to be desired but there’s no doubt he's very pretty to look at. Too bad for him his looks do nothing for me. Not paired with that arrogant, selfish personality.

  Ruby's face shuts down as she glances at the group and then at me, asking what I want her to do. I hate that they have to continually deal with this because of me.

  I let out a defeated breath. "What do you want, Gideon?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.

  "I wanted to ask you out," he responds, smiling as he steps closer, making sure to angle his face in the most flattering way possible. I force myself to stay still as he traces a finger up my arm. "Tonight." He closes the distance between us even more, his eyes going to half mast as they scan my body and he twirls a lock of my shining, chestnut hair in his fingers.

  Enough is enough. I take a deliberate step back.

  "I'm flattered," I say, trying to look sincere. "Really. But I'm not interested."

  "Isa, Isa," he says, spreading his arms out with a cocky smile. "You're the prettiest girl here."

  "Uh, thanks, but—"

  He interrupts me like he doesn't even notice I’m speaking.

  Typical.

  "And I'm the best-looking guy, as I'm sure you've noticed." He pauses, waiting for me to agree. I just look at him until he clears his throat and continues. Got to give him perseverance points, at the very least. "We belong together! Why can't you see that? You aren't going to find anyone better than me." He subtly poses again, making sure to flex. "Your hard to get routine has been cute and it's definitely worked. I notice you. But I think it's time to go ahead and agree to go out with me, like everyone knows you want to."

  I shake my head as I step around him, Elle and Ruby following my lead as I walk away. There's only so much you can do with stupid. I honestly don't know how much clearer I can be.

  When it first started, I tried to be nice about it. But as time has gone on and he's continued to refuse to get it, I'm starting to lose my cool.

  A frustrated curse sounds from behind us but I know better than to turn around and give him any more attention. The whole problem in the first place is that he's gotten way too much of it.

  "You will be mine, Isabelle! I'll do whatever it takes!" he calls out after me.

  Warm blood pools in my cheeks as the few students still in the hall snicker, looking at me. I don't know if Gideon means for it to be a romantic statement, but it doesn't really come off that way. Actually, it sounds vaguely threatening. I shake off unease as his words bounce around in my mind. Gideon is who he is. I can only control myself.

  "Maybe you should just have a one night stand with him," Elle comments. "You know, just for kicks. I'm sure he'd be happy to oblige. And maybe it'll get him off your back."

  "Elle!" Ruby exclaims.

  "That's a terrible idea," I agree with Ruby. "I may be a virgin, but even I know someone that selfish out of bed isn't going to be generous in it. Besides, I just threw up a little in my mouth thinking about it."

  Elle sighs dreamily. "Yeah," she agrees. "It's a shame he's so disgusting when he has a face and body like that." She shakes her head. "What a travesty."

  That we can agree on.

  Chapter 2

  Adir

  "I am having a cotillion."

  Zane and I look at each other and then at Herne.

  "Why?" Zane asks the same question I’m thinking.

  Herne gives us an exasperated look as he leans back in his chair, still behind the large desk in his office. "Boys, boys, boys. Sometimes I worry about you, I really do." He steeples his fingers together and gives us an exaggeratedly patient look. "Now, consider this—who exactly comes to a cotillion?"

  Ah. Now his angle is clear. "Human females," I growl, much more interested. "Human females come to cotillions."

  "Exactly," Herne agrees with a smirk, looking down at his manicured nails.

  As always, he looks perfectly put together. His white shirt is crisp, his slacks have a knife-edged crease, every one of his perfectly blond locks is styled into place. With his pretty face, he doesn't have any trouble with females of any kind. It doesn't hurt that he keeps his beast under strict control even as he indulges his desires, contrary to the
general wisdom of Singarti society and culture. If it wasn't for his subtly sharper features, the longer ears, and slightly more hair peaking out of his shirt, he might pass for a human male. Non-threatening. Or, at least, much less so than either Zane or I could ever be. The females are always receptive to his genteel looks.

  "A lot of human females," he adds. "Enough to satisfy even us."

  "Now you're talking," Zane says with a wolfish smile, his teeth sharper than Herne's, his beast a little less under control. He indulges his desires as well, though he's not quite as strict about it. One of the reasons why the other Singarti believe we're dangerous, murmuring to themselves when we pass by.

  Zane’s somewhat pointed ears, his exaggeratedly strong nose and jaw, and the thicker hair on his bared forearms also hints at his more hedonistic nature. The synthetic leather jacket thrown over the back of his chair and the vintage motorcycle helmet on the table next to him are other cues to his persona. He pushes his long, shaggy brown hair back from his stubbled face, giving Herne a sly look. "Just be sure you don't use all that smooth charm on the attractive brunette females at the party. We all know how the humans swoon for our pretty Prince Herne. So I'm calling them now," Zane continues.

  I catch the broad wink he sends Herne. I register it, process it. I even know somewhere in the back of my mind that he isn't serious, just baiting me. But all of that doesn't matter even a little to my inner beast. Human brunette females are my territory. Everyone knows that, especially Zane and Herne. Ever since we arrived on Earth, adding the new planet to the Singarti Empire’s long list of conquests, we’ve sought after human females.

  Many of them enjoy the attention, wanting the regard of the ruling class. Not a surprise. In my experience, females are always attracted to wealth and power, no matter what part of the galaxy they are from. For some reason, sentient beings all tend to have certain similarities at their core. Such as the thirst for power.