Free Desecrated Beauty (Twisted Fairy Tales #1) by Kyleigh Castronaro Page A

window and her back twisted the curtains open. Nero hissed and moved toward her at the same speed as before. His arm curled around her waist and wrenched her away from the window before he yanked the curtains tightly closed. Her body was flush against his, every inch of hard surface electric against hers.
    Lust attempted to cloud her mind but it was still reeling from his unnatural speed and the animalistic quality of his movements; there was something wrong with him.
    “What are you?” Her voice was tight and choked as she pressed her hands against his chest, forcing him away from her. At least she tried, but he held fast. He didn’t even budge no matter how much she pushed. His arms seemed to tighten and it only furthered the fight or flight instinct in her.
    “Do you want to know?” If he told her it could scare her more, push her away further. But then again, hiding his true nature was proving more difficult around her and he found little pleasure in the small thrills he got from terrifying her.
    “It’s a little late for ignorance.” Her fingers curled against his chest, her nails biting against the material of his shirt and managing to scratch his chest. The sensation was enjoyable, his chest pressed harder against the nails for more. When Quill felt the shift, she realised what he was doing and jerked back, trying to peel as much of her body off of him as she could despite the tight vice of his arm.
    “True, but I don’t think you can handle the truth.”
    She scowled, not liking his doubt, “I can handle it.” She straightened up, steeling her posture because she wasn’t going to let him have the control he so desperately craved.
    Part of the appeal of this woman in his arms was her stubbornness, her determination, her attitude toward the rest of the world. She was a fighter, he liked someone with hot blood.
    “What’s your name?” If she was going to live here with him, he was going to call her by her real name. She refused to answer at first, staring up at him with indignation. But he arched an eyebrow, met her gaze and she felt herself melting in his eyes.
    “Quill.”
    “Your real name,” he said with bemusement, although approving of her sharp nickname - the perfect match for her personality and tongue.
    “Izzy.”
    “Another nickname. What’s your real name?”
    “Isabelle.”
    “Isabelle.” He purred her name, dragging the back of two fingers down the side of her cheek. She didn’t jerk away this time, but her muscles coiled tightly, ready to spring. His fingers carried on travelling, pushing up into her soft wavy strands before curling around the back of her head and holding her as her leaned in close.
    His breath was cool each time it brushed against her skin, but she noticed this time he was forcing it like he was displaying to her he was breathing.
    “What are you?” she said again, determined this time to not let him change the topic and distract her. He had a way of completely throwing her off, making her forget what she wanted to know. He was doing it on purpose which only made her more suspicious about what he was hiding.
    “You’re sure you want to know the whole truth?” He released her and stepped back. The rush of warm air hit her and she realised his body temperature was unnaturally frigid. It seemed like a daunting question but Quill nodded anyways.
    “Sit down then Isabelle, it’s a long story.”
    “I’m fine here,” she said obstinately but Nero didn’t care as he moved back to her and at the speed of light she was sat on the couch with him looming over her, a toothy smile looking down at her.
    But the thing she noticed most was that his lateral incisors were pointed.

CHAPTER 6
    “No!” She gasped, falling backwards on the couch. Her mind reeled as it struggled to understand what he was showing her. “No, that’s not real,” she said firmly, shaking her head and childishly closing her eyes.
    “What isn’t real?”
    “You’re not a…”
    “A…”