Free The Beast's Bride by Jill Myles

Raw…meat? Dear lord. Was the man determined to make it impossible to pull him and Belle together?
    The beast saw their expressions, and Pippa could have sworn that his lion-jaw clenched a little. He put his fork down, his paw resting on the table between himself and Belle. He looked over at his bride to be, but she just cringed and stared at the floor.
    This was not going well. Time for drastic measures. Pippa got up from her chair and straightened her skirts. "I need to use the uh, facilities. I'll be right back."
    Belle sat on the edge of her seat, alarm written into her lovely features. "But—"
    Pippa waved a hand at Belle. "I'll be right back. Don't wait for me. Just keep enjoying your dinner."
    Belle's gaze dropped back to the ground.
    The beast frowned in Pippa's direction.
    God, did she have to spell it out for him? She gave the beast a meaningful look and a head nod, indicating that he should converse with Belle while she was gone. When he still looked blank, she raised a hand and made a talking gesture, then swiftly exited the room, congratulating herself on her brilliance. After all, it would be much harder to ignore the beast if he was talking directly to Belle, right? Right. Pippa grabbed her skirts and headed down the hall. She paused in a nearby alcove and sat on a stone windowsill, waiting.
    There were no clocks in the enchanted castle, so she stared at her nails and out the dark window as she waited for time to pass. Mentally, she tried to tick the minutes. Surely it had been at least five minutes at this point. Maybe ten? She waited a bit longer, her foot tapping impatiently. She had to give them time to get to know each other, she told herself. This had to work.
    The sound of a door slamming caught Pippa's attention. Someone was coming out? She
    peeked out of her alcove, confused.
    At the far end of the hall, Belle dashed out of the dining hall and ran away. Even from the opposite end of the hallway, Pippa could hear the loud sobs of her sister.
    4Well, shit.
    Frustrated, Pippa headed back toward the dining hall. Before she could open the door, the beast stormed out. He took one look at Pippa's surprised face, snarled, and stormed down the hall in the opposite direction.
    Okay, so her great plan had ended up being not so great. With an unhappy sigh, Pippa headed off after Belle, suspecting that a long evening of soothing Belle's frazzled nerves and convincing her of what a great guy the beast was lay before her.
    ~~***~~
    The next morning, there was a soft knock at the door. Pippa climbed out of bed and answered it as Belle snored on, squinting at the early morning sunlight.
    The boar-headed butler was there at the door, another silver platter in his hands. He indicated that she should step out into the hallway.
    Pippa did so, curious. She shut the door carefully behind her and crossed her arms over her chest, pulling her nightgown close to her body. "Breakfast?" she asked with a yawn.
    He shook his head and lifted the lid off of the platter.
    A single white handkerchief lay upon a plate.
    Pippa leaned over it, and then touched it to see if it was covering anything. Nope, just the handkerchief. Confused, she looked at the butler. "I don't understand?"
    He picked it up and waved the handkerchief in the air. She stared at him, frowning.
    And then it dawned on her. "Surrender?"
    He nodded.
    A triumphant smile curved Pippa's mouth. "He wants my help, doesn't he?"
    Again, the butler nodded.
    Maybe last night's dinner fiasco had been a good thing after all. "Give me time to get dressed."
    ~~***~~
    Dressing in medieval clothing? Not so much fun. For one, the lacing of the bodice was not a solo task, and Pippa was trying to be stealthy. By the time she struggled into lacing herself up, 4she was sure that either Belle would have woken up or the butler would have disappeared. But that wasn't the case, and when she slipped back into the hallway, he nodded at her and then gestured for her to follow him.
    She did and,