Chapter 2: The Price

Bella

There in the arms of The Beast, I awaited a death that never came. As I let the shadowy darkness comfort me, I said goodbye to my mundane life of slaving away in a stuffy office, of the pain of loneliness, of the heartache of never being enough. 

Since that day, I have been his servant in a world full of supernatural beings. I have yet to see another human, so perhaps the legend of him devouring them is true. But if it were, why am I alive? Still weary from a sleep plagued with visions, I stumbled out of my room, my vision slightly blurry as I made my way to the kitchen. Every single day was the same. I woke up, made sure Edward, The Beast, had his meals, and scrubbed his private chambers from top to bottom. I went from being an assistant to a human to being a servant of some demonic god. 

He had claimed more offerings since me, making me question why I was still alive. The amount of human remains and odd little critters that I found clinging to the walls of his dining chamber shocked me. Lately, it has become a daily occurrence. Perhaps, he is cursed as I am and he thinks killing will end the torment? Once I got to the kitchen, I picked up Edward’s tray. “Bella!” I flinched when his angry bellow rang through the halls of this labyrinth that he referred to as a castle.

I sighed because I was late and for that, I would be punished. I cried out when I tripped over an uneven spot on the floor, causing me to fall forward. I watched in horror as Edward’s bowl of stew rolled a few feet, leaving a trail of bloody meat in its wake. A hand wrapped around my arm, pulling me to my feet. I quaked in fear as I watched Edward slowly stand up from his dark twisted-bone throne and stalk across the room to me like I was his prey. I swallowed hard. I hated feeling helpless, but I stood no match against anyone. I am his prey and it is only a matter of time before he grows tired of toying with me and kills me. 

Edward’s wings burst from his back as his face contorted to that of The Beast. I lowered my gaze as I prepared myself for whatever punishment I had coming, However, I was pushed behind the guard that pulled me to my feet. “Edward,” he said, his voice full of warning. “Have mercy! I aided you and I want my reward. I want her!”

Edward immediately froze, his eyes flickering between me and the guard before his lips curled up in an angry snarl. “No!”

“When I abdicated my throne to help you get your revenge, you promised me that I could have any servant I wanted, and I want her!” The guard repeated, making me hold my breath as Edward bared his teeth even more.

Edward reached around the guard to grab my wrist before dragging me around him to throw me on the ground. I bit back a whimper, knowing it would be better to lay as still and silent as I could. He kicked my thigh hard, earning a low, threatening growl from the guard. Edward stepped up to the guard. “I said, ‘No!’” Edward hissed. “She is my servant! She is mine!”

“You promised me a female! AND I WANT HER!” The guard yelled. The guard was large but Edward still towered over him. Even the guard’s silvery wings resembled twigs compared to Edward’s. If the guard chose to fight, I would likely be cleaning up his remains.

Edward’s hand shot out to wrap around the guard's throat as he looked down at me angrily. “Get to work,” he spat at me, sending me scrambling away from him as fast as I could.

I ran through the halls to the closet located a few doors down from his bedroom. I quickly gathered the supplies I needed to clean his room before dashing down the dank hall to get started. I stopped inside the bathroom to dip my bucket inside the large pool of water that Edward never seemed to use to bathe. Occasionally I wondered how the dark warm water would feel as it enveloped my pale frail body.

After pouring the cleaning chemicals into the bucket, I set about scrubbing all of the walls before turning my attention to his bed. I held my breath as I shifted the soft, warm sheets around and arranged the pillows how he liked. I was almost done with it when I was picked up and thrown down into it, getting a nose full of his putrid scent as a scream ripped from me. I was flipped over and a hand went around my throat, gripping it tightly. I immediately ceased my thrashing when I saw Edward above me, his eyes wild as they flickered in the dim light. His hand tightened around my throat.

“You left your room,” he growled. “You know better.”

I shook my head as much as I could. “N-no! I swear! I didn’t!” I never disobeyed. I had foolishly thought that my loyalty to the Beast was what had kept me alive. He bared his teeth at me, chuckling as his saliva dripped onto my face. “You smell like him!” He growled.

My eyes widened as I shook my head again. He had it all wrong. I hadn’t left. At first, I had thought that it was a vision, but instead, the guard had come to my room. I had woken up to find him sitting beside my bed, just watching me sleep. He had this sinisterness to him that felt familiar and made me want to hide. I had been so scared that after he left, I hadn’t been able to sleep again. I was too afraid that he would come back and do something to me while I slumbered. “I-I didn’t. I swear! Please, believe me,” I sobbed.

His eyes darkened even more, glaring at me. “I don’t believe you.” He lowered his mouth to my neck, immediately biting into it. I screamed out in pain as he began to drink directly from my throat. I started thrashing again, pushing weakly against his shoulders as I begged him to stop. The longer he fed from me, the weaker I got until my hands dropped away from his body and my vision began to swim. This is it. This is how I die. I wonder who will have to clean up my remains.