Free Beauty and the Beast (Faerie Tale Collection) by Jenni James Page A

trust and your life.”
    Cecelia took a deep breath. “You have ruined my trust and you are bordering on ruining my life. But, I cannot—I will not overlook the reasons why you chose to do what you did. And though I feel involving Prince Alexander and sharing my secrets with him has done much to make me want to strangle you, being here under the stars, next to my magical brook, I have to own that you are indeed the kindest and most gentle creature the good Lord has ever formed.”
    Humbled beyond measure the beast could only ask, “How did you ever draw such a conclusion? How can anyone look past their own hurt to see the good intentions behind the pain?”
    “I do not understand what you ask? Doesn’t everyone step back and see things from another’s perspective?”
    The prince shook his head and owned quite truthfully, “I did not until you taught me so. Until then I could only see my own haughtiness and prideful ugliness.”
    She wrapped her arm around his side, and settled her head higher upon his back. “Do you feel ugly?”
    “Hideous, unsightly, revolting, repulsi—“
    “But why?” She ran her hand across his side to soothe him. “You are honestly the most striking wolf I have ever met.”
    He closed his eyes. “Yes, for a wolf I will own that I am quite dashing. However, it is my soul I speak of, my inner peace with myself. I am not all I could be, not all I want to be, there is so much more to improve upon. So much more I must learn first.”
    “Mayhap, but we all have things we wish to improve upon.” She sat up and scratched his ears. “Come on, no more sadness. Which name do you choose? Apollo, Beau, or Calixto?”
    “None, Cecelia.” He looked out toward the forest. “No matter how I try to perceive myself differently I will only ever be a monster.”
    “Please do not be so hard upon yourself.”
    “How can I not? I must live this horror every day as a reminder of who and what I truly am. I have hurt you, I have placed you in a worse predicament than before and I have no idea how to fix what damage I have done. How you can even speak to me as such is beyond more than I deserve.”
    “Shh…”
    “No, Cecelia, you are kind and everything good in this world, while I am nothing but a dreadful beast.”
    “Listen to me. Listen closely to what I say to you, for it is the truth.” She moved herself to be to where he could see her best, held his sweet head between her hands and simply said the most amazing words Prince Alexander had ever heard.
    “You may be a beast, but you have more beauty in your heart than anyone I know.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    FREDERICK COULD HAVE HURLED, the scene before him was so disgusting. When his cousin had bounded down the stone palace steps outside with the large heart necklace swinging in his hand, right around dusk, Lord Bellemount knew without a doubt he was on his way to meet the girl. So, he did the only advisable thing to do at the moment, he followed him.
    He’d already pursued him earlier that day, but the prince had merely wandered a few miles away from the castle to a little stream and found a rose which he had picked up and then meandered his way back to the palace. Nothing exciting, nothing certainly to be concerned over, but this time, with the heart-shaped necklace, he was bound to be going to whatever girl he’d fallen in love with.
    Frederick pushed off from his hiding spot and began trailing his cousin, which ended up being much harder than he anticipated.
    Never had he expected his cousin to turn into a wolf before his eyes. But he did just that, about two hundred yards into the forest, just as darkness fell, the beast tore from within the prince’s body and transformed him.
    Frederick was scared out of his wits at first, especially of the ear-splitting howl that accompanied such an alteration. It was so loud and painful all Lord Bellemount could do was cover his ears and fall back against a tree.
    And then the wolf was gone, tearing through