Free The Beast Prince (The Fairy Tale Series Book 1) by S.E. Smith

Chapter 1
     
    Lisa laughed as she ran through the meadow. It was almost midnight, but that didn’t stop the fun that had started over an hour before. If anything, it made the game of manhunt even more fun. She and almost a dozen members of her adopted family, ranging in age from four to forty, had decided that sitting around the fire listening to their parents, grandparents, and cousins reminisce about the ‘good ole days’ was about as exciting as attending a funeral.
    Lisa grimaced, that probably wasn’t the best analogy to use considering that was the reason everyone was there; for her great grandmother’s funeral. Breathless, she slid down behind a large bale of hay and tried to catch her breath. Laying her hand on her stomach, she leaned back against the coarse straw and listened. The funeral today had been drawn out with almost a hundred family and friends attending. What had surprised Lisa was that her grandparents had insisted on having a huge fire that evening at the old cottage that her great-grandmother had owned outside the city of Bath, England.
    She stared up at the glittering stars. From the few times that she had been to England, it was a rare occurrence to be able to see them. With a sigh, she grinned and made a wish on a falling star as it flashed across the sky. Closing her eyes, she thought of her wish – to find a place where she felt like she belonged. She opened her eyes and shook her head. At twenty, she knew she still had plenty of time to discover that, but still….
    “Oh, crap,” she whispered when she heard the sound of footsteps followed by a loud yell and a squeal.
    One of her cousins had found another member of her team. Afraid that she would get caught, Lisa held the tiny purse she always carried against her hip and scooted around the side of the haystack before she took off running. She ran down the path, veering to the left when she saw someone with a light up ahead. A short distance later, the path became more overgrown. Slowing to a walk, she glanced back over her shoulder before she shrugged. She was tired and could use the break.
    A slight frown creased her brow as she continued down the narrow trail. She didn’t remember this path from her explorations over the last week. She was about to fumble for the small flashlight that she had when the path opened up and the full moon overhead shone down on the remains of an old building of some type.
    Lisa stopped and stared in curiosity at the crumbling bricks. The only thing left was an arched doorway and the low brick walls. She could see a tree on the other side of it, but what was really strange was that it looked like it was the middle of the day on the other side. Shaking her head, she briefly looked behind her again and bit her lip before turning to stare at the doorway.
    She tilted her head and silently argued with herself for several long minutes before straightening her shoulders in determination. She wasn’t a wimp and she didn’t need anyone to hold her hand. Clutching the small flashlight in one hand and pulling her cell phone out of the pocket of her jeans, she slowly stepped through the crumbling entrance.

Chapter 2
     
    Sharden stood on the other side of the barren, crumbling doorway – waiting. The witch had told him that the one he sought would come through the entrance. He had his doubts, but he had paid the witch the gold that she demanded for the information she had promised would be his salvation.
    His eyes flashed upward to the darkening skies. He could feel the pull of the moon. It wouldn’t be full for another two nights, but already the magic of it threatened to engulf him. Two nights to seek the cure that had transformed him nearly a decade ago.
    Shaking his head, he muttered a soft curse under his breath. He would have been smarter to have kept the gold for all the good that had come from his meeting with the snarly old woman, he thought as he folded his arms across his chest and stared up at the growing