Free Beast (The Submissively Ever After Series Book 1) by Kim Faulks Page A

change the agreement. Belle is mine, her family’s wealth is mine as well. It’s not like you need it." Mark snarled, his eyes skirting the wealth in the room.
    "Belle is mine. It’s written in blood." Lord Bête snapped.
    Mark yanked Belle’s head up, his fist wrapped in her hair, and drew the knife to the base of her throat. One move and this would all be over. Some small part of me almost wanted it to end.
    "Stop, okay." The man beside me raised his hand.
    "In exchange for this Belle, I’ll bring you another to your liking." Mark chuckled.
    "And if they’re never to my liking?"
    "Then I guess I’ll have to keep looking, won’t we?" Mark jerked Belle by her hair. She sobbed, slapping his hand with feeble swipes. But the game was all but played out now.
    "If I consent to this, she must never be harmed. That is the promise I gave to her father. Her needs above all else."
    A sickening smile spread across Mark’s face. He reached up, plucking a fresh drop of blood from her throat. "Belle, never to be harmed. Deal, and look at that, made with blood, too. Now, tell me. Where is the cellar in this place?"
    A sound wrenched me from the dining room. I opened my eyes, soft light filtered in, making my eyes water. I blinked, shedding the blur. My thoughts were slow, caught on the lord’s look of sorrow and helplessness that made my heart ache.
    The sound came again, this time from the land of the living. I forced my eyes open as a shadow moved. A sigh filled the air and it wasn’t my own. A thin shaft of sunlight streamed through the crack of the curtain, lighting up one side of Mark’s face. He stared down at me. His twisted smile dragged long lines from the corners of his eyes.
    I caught the shift, but too late. Seized by his words as he raised his fist and swung. "Tag. You’re it."
    His fist cleaved the air. The blow caught me on the cheek. Pain tore through my face, flaring to dull roar inside my head. I tried to breathe, but the air spread like poisoned fingers around my heart.
    Something cracked underneath me and I fell to the floor, amongst a pile of rubble. Shattered. My thoughts were gone. I reached for my cheek and with my other hand, cradled my head.
    The second blow was a dull thud. I felt nothing. Grey seeped into my world and snatched away the light. I clawed the tenuous thread of consciousness, holding on tight to the fraying strands, but they were slipping. I sagged, weightless, the thud of footsteps echoed from somewhere below.

CHAPTER SEVEN

    "I knew I’d find you come morning." Mark muttered. "This house can’t hide you forever. I told you not to listen to it. Did you, Belle? Did you listen to these damn walls?"
    I closed my eyes while those tendrils of pain grew talons and shredded everything inside my head. Each lurch and sway made the bile rise in the back of my throat. Step after agonizing step Mark carried me, and together, we left the light behind.
    "You’re the first one to take me by surprise like that. The first and the last. I’ve been awake all night, dreaming up things to do to you. I have the shackles ready and waiting. A few days with the beast and you’ll be screaming for me to take you, and take you I will. I’ll not give you another chance to run."
    His muscular arms tensed, lifting me higher. I could feel his breath against my ear, his lips cold and slick against my cheek. His tongue was hungry, searching for that last trace of my sanity. Fight . A tiny voice screamed inside as he straightened and his steps slowed.
    The snap of a lock made me flinch. I cracked one eye open, fighting the agony in my head as my captor heaved the heavy door ajar. Night lingered in here. The cold nipped the skin on my feet. What little warmth there was in my body fled as we descended into hell. His boots clacked, the sharp retort rebounding off the walls. His heaving breaths blew my hair against my face. Down, down, down he carried me. Even when he stopped moving, I still felt the motion.
    He pushed