Belle’s Quest (Fairytale Bureau #3)

Chapter 20

20

Despite my exhaustion, I woke in the wee hours before dawn to a gun in my face. In the defense of the person holding it, I was still a monster. Not that the woman with steely hair and even steelier eyes cared, as she glared at me and snapped, “What have you done with my son?”

The queen looked as if she’d shoot me if I didn’t give the right answer. I didn’t need to glance to know Killian was no longer in bed, and we didn’t have the Knights watching us because, as Killian told them the night before, “I want alone time with my wife.”

When Hannah argued, “We’re supposed to guard you,” he countered with, “Against what? Methuselah has been imprisoned. I no longer have women tossing shoes at my head since I got married, and I’ve got the toughest beast around to handle anything that might happen.” To appease, though, he got them the room directly across the hall.

A single room with a single bed because Gerome had grunted at check-in, “ No need for two.”

And to my shock, Hannah blushed.

The queen glared at me, and I murmured, “I don’t know where he is.”

Wrong answer. The gun cocked, and I really thought she’d shoot me in the face before Killian snapped, “Get that gun out of my wife’s face, Mother.” Killian emerged from the hotel bathroom with lips downturned.

The woman glanced between him and me before uttering an incredulous, “You married a beast?”

“Bah, more like a cuddly kitten,” he stated, crawling onto the bed and sitting beside me.

“You can’t be serious,” his mother exclaimed. “You’re my heir. What will people think if they know you’re married to one of the monsters?”

“I don’t care what anyone says or thinks. I love her, and that’s all there is to it.”

He loved me?

I wasn’t the only one surprised by his admission. “If you love her so much, then prove it. Kiss the beast.” His mother waved the gun .

I protested. “No. Don’t make him do that. It’s gross.” I wouldn’t want to kiss myself, not in this shape.

But Killian wasn’t me, and he never backed down from a dare.

“If you insist.” He leaned in and pressed his mouth to mine. His human lips to my furry-ringed beast ones.

He kissed me as if I weren’t a monster.

Kissed me because he loved me.

And it hurt!

My body crackled and shrank. I gasped. Not because of the pain but the time. It wasn’t yet dawn, and yet the beast body was gone. “I’m cured!”

Kilian looked smug as he said, “Guess my kisses are magic.”

“It’s called true love’s kiss,” his mother declared, tucking away her gun. “It can cure just about anything.”

So it appeared and I had to wonder now about those beasts who kept claiming they needed sex with a willing virgin. Could it be the curse never needed the innocence of a hymen but rather love, freely given? A love that didn’t care about appearance. Love that valued a person for who they were and not the shell containing it. It made sense. After all, Blanche and Cinder had been cured of their curses when they found true love .

Killian gave me a quirky smile. “Wish we’d thought to do that last night.” He winked, and I blushed because I understood what he meant.

His mother, however, pretended to be oblivious. “I hear you were on an?—”

Slam . The door got kicked open, and Gerome, wearing only briefs, and Hannah, in his shirt, popped in, gun and spear out, ready to fight.

Killian shouted, “It’s just my mom. No threat.”

“You must be the Knights who helped my son,” the queen stated.

“Just doing our job,” Hannah replied with a shrug.

“You went above and beyond with your bravery.” The queen beamed. “You both have to come to Corsica that I might honor you for your actions.”

“Do we have to?” Gerome whispered to Hannah.

She nudged him and stated, “Perhaps if our schedule permits.” She then glanced at me. “No fur.”

“Killian fixed me.”

Hannah arched a brow, and I blushed as I stammered, “No, we did not do that. It only took a kiss of true love to break the curse.”

“Oh.” Hannah blushed again, and I wondered why until I remembered how she’d distracted Gerome who currently only wore underpants.

The queen clapped her hands. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. Shall we adjourn to the dining establishment and discuss events?”

“You go ahead, Mother. I’ll be along in a few minutes after I shower.”

Killian turning down food? I almost asked if he was okay. His mother frowned, but before she could open her mouth, Hannah had a hold of her arm and murmured, “If Your Majesty will give me a moment to dress, I’ll escort you downstairs.”

“Like I need any help. I can defend myself,” the indignant queen huffed.

She left with the Knights, the door not quite shutting behind them.

Killian shook his head. “Not how I’d planned for you to wake up,” he stated, wedging a chair under the knob since the splintered frame wouldn’t let the door latch.

“And how exactly did you plan to rouse me?”

He turned a devilish grin on me. “How about I show you?”

It started with a kiss and some groping. The clothes went next. The skin-to-skin contact proved electric to someone who’d never experienced that sensation.

He murmured, “I’d like to take my time exploring every inch of you?— ”

“But your mother is liable to come kicking down the door if we take too long,” I finished. I also laughed. “To be honest, I don’t think I can stand to wait another second.” Brazen words.

“Me either.” He chuckled. “It’s been hell keeping my hands off you since the wedding.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. You are amazing, Annabelle. I’m so glad you’re my wife. I love you, and I promise, while your first time might be a little uncomfortable, it’s normal and?—”

I hushed him. “I’m a virgin and not.” Then before he could ask, “I’ve been using toys for years. At first, I thought it might get rid of the beasts, but losing my hymen didn’t stop them. I kept using them after because I assumed those would be my only lovers in this lifetime. I hope you’re not disappointed.”

“More like relieved. I never want to cause you pain. Only pleasure.”

With that, he kissed me and touched me. But when he would have gone down on me, I murmured, “I want to come with you inside me.” Wanted to know how it felt.

And so he filled me. Filled me with his manhood, and it stretched me delightfully. It felt better than a toy. With him, I experienced nirvana .

Even better, as we showered off in a rush to make it to breakfast before his mom came storming back, he made me a promise.

I will cherish you forever, for you are the one I’ve been waiting for. The love of my life.