Beauty's Monster

BEAUTY’S MONSTER A Beauty and the Beast Retelling ZARI HUNT Text Copyright 2023 © Zari Hunt, J.E. Feldman ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under the international and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Editing & Formatting by Dragon Queen Services Cover Art by Mary Lasko CONTENTS Book Summary Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 About the Author Also by Zari Hunt Note from the Author BOOK SUMMARY A family broken apart by witchcraft. As a lord’s daughter, it is my duty to keep silent and obey the family’s wishes. The Fates had other plans. During a marketplace visit when I was fifteen, the magic of our ancestors chose the worst moment to awaken within me. We were accused of witchcraft and Mother was dragged off and hung before the rumor could be squashed. She is plagued with dreams. Similar recurring dreams of someone beckoning me to the castle in the nearby forest steadily begin to haunt me. As our finances dwindle, Father betroths me to our last hope; the womanizer son of a disgraced lord. But as my dreams grow urgent, my curiosity peaks and I visit the strange castle before marriage. A prisoner of the castle. I recognize the castle housekeeper as the summoner from my dreams. She insists I am the personal caretaker for her lord, but all inquiries about him are ignored. More dreams morph into lusty altercations with a mysterious man encased in shadows. Soon, I befriend the garden fairies and begin settling into a comfortable routine. Then I accidentally cross paths with the brooding, horned master and risk death to return home. But all escape attempts are futile. He needs me. Beauty’s Monster is a standalone monster romance with classic similarities to the tale as old as time. Happily Ever After is guaranteed with no cliffhangers. Content includes size differences. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A huge thank you to the readers starting this journey with me! More books are on the way. While you wait, check out titles by my cohort J.E. Feldman. Special thanks to Dr. Lindsay Miller for joining me in all of the Montana Writers sessions. Without you, this novel would not have been finished on time. Squish! Thank you to my family for their patience while I worked 24/7 on this project. CHAPTER 1 House parties. The bane of my existence, especially when my presence is required. I adjust my skirt for the dozenth time, trying to get more comfortable on the rockhard loveseat. It seems everything in Lord Ian Rochester’s mansion is made for displeasure. Him included. For a sickly, sniveling sort of man, the females of our town give him everything for a chance at his title. No thanks to my family’s misfortune, he’s been saddled with me instead. When a maid comes by to refill my tea, I ask, “Have you seen your young lord? He disappeared a while ago.” “No idea, ma’am,” she says, pouring a steaming cup. Keeping her head down, she whisks away, narrowly missing a woman entering the parlor. “Watch it,” the brunette snaps. “Sorry, ma’am.” The maid curtsies low and hurries out. The woman makes eye contact with me across the room and forces a smile. “Lissa.” I clasp my hands in my lap. “It’s Lady Groban,” I correct as she settles down beside me. She waves dismissively. “No formalities needed here. How is your family doing?” Such a loaded question. After my mother was hanged for witchcraft, my father lost his mind along with our fortune over the last three years. “We are well, Miss Hart,” I lie through gritted teeth. I jerk away when she reaches to pat my hands. Like most, I don’t like others touching me. “Please let me know if there’s anything we can do for you.” “Actually, I’d like to know where Lord Rochester is,” I say. Miss Hart’s brow furrows slightly as her lips pout. “I saw him upstairs a bit ago.” “Excellent,” I say, standing. “I’ll say goodbye and be on my way home.” Before she can continue, I sweep out of the room. I pause in the hallway to let a servant pass before heading upstairs. It’s not easy to get lost when every room is connected by one or two long corridors akin to a hotel. Despite the warmth, goosebumps prickle my skin and my thoughts drift back to the recent horror novel I devoured in one sitting. It was in a hallway similar to this that one of the characters was hunted and slaughtered mercilessly. I shake it off, walking along while peering at the floor for lines of light seeping out of rooms. There shouldn’t be many since the guests are on the first floor. I find one about halfway down on the left and reach for the handle, pausing when I hear a moan from within. It’s followed by more as I lean closer. I slowly press down on the handle and ease the door open, praying it doesn’t announce my presence with a loud creak. The two occupants inside are far too preoccupied. The blonde woman’s skirts are hiked up to her waist while the man thrusts with wild abandon, trousers around his ankles. I watch with morbid fascination before a mirror on the wall near them catches