Her Beast Part 2

Isabella hurried to get home before dusk. The law in the village stated that all villagers must be in their homes before dark on the nights of the full moon. She knew that tonight was a full moon, and though she did not fear the beast in the forest, she would not break the law. He was her beast, she thought, as a smile played on her lips.

She arrived home with still some daylight left. She was sure she was safe until she reached for the door handle as it was snatched out of her hand. The door flew open for an instant, long enough for her to be yanked inside by her arm. It slammed behind her and before she could gather her thoughts, she felt a stinging blow across the right side of her face. Her cheek ached from the blow as she sat on the floor where she landed.

“Where have you been? In the woods again, I take it,” her Samuel demanded. “Do you have to embarrass me in such a way? Do you not understand the laws of this village? You are to stay at this house from now on.”

“You know where I was,” she stated softly as she regained her feet. Straightening her dress, she looked at the giant that was her husband. “You know I always take a walk in the forest. I do that everyday as I always have. Why do you carry on about that so?”

“You know why. You, my dear Isabella, were consorting with that beast. I can smell him on you.”

“I went for a walk and fell.”

“ Liar. Do I need to prove it to you that I can smell him on you? I thought by having him cursed and being forced to live his life alone in those woods would make him less desirable to you. I see I shall have to kill him if I want to keep you away from him.” Grabbing her arm, he dragged her to the door of the cellar. Pulling the door open with one hand, he pushes her into the cellar and locks the door. Unable to grab anything, Isabella tumbles down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, she lays unconscious for an hour or more. When she wakes, she looks around, it’s dark outside now but the moonlight shines through the tiny opening in the wall. Isabella stands slowly, careful since she feels very dizzy. She knows there are candles down here somewhere, she just has to find them. She starts to move around, but her muscles scream from pain. She prays that nothing is broken from the fall. She checks each sore spot, finding nothing that causes her an undue amount of pain, she guesses nothing is broken. Finding the candles and matches to light them, she looks around. The nights grow cold, and she knows she needs a way to stay warm. She glances up at the cellar door. Deciding to check it, she climbs up the steps. Locked. Quite suddenly the door is slung open and Isabella is jerked out of the cellar.

Samuel thought she might try to get out and was waiting for her to try the door. He grabs her by the hair and pulls her out and tosses her to the floor like a rag doll.

“ I thought you might try to get out,” Samuel said in a slurred voice.

“Have you been drinking again,” Isabella asked as she tried to regain her composure. Her hair hanging loose and her dress dirty from having been in the cellar.

“Why should it matter to you? You are simply my whore. I bought you and paid for you. I even made sure that no other man would want you and drove away the only one that could steal you from me. Yet, you still won’t love me.”

“I don’t love you and have never loved you. You knew that the day you married me. You knew that I had not been with Erik, but you lied to my father about it! You made him believe I was ruined and not worth anything so you could have me right then. Tell me what did you hope to gain by humiliating me as you did in front of him?”

“ I wanted you as mine, and I always get what I want,” he stated. “Like right now, I want you to go upstairs and lay down on the bed and wait for me. If you argue, I’ll call one of the stable hands in to take you upstairs and tie you to the bed with the saddle reins.”

Isabella wasn’t surprised at his demands. She knew he meant every word of what he had just said to her. He had done it before and the last time was not a pleasant experience. Knowing when to pick her fights, and this was not one of them, she turned and walked slowly up the stairs to the bedroom. On the way up, she dropped her dress and her slip. ‘Maybe he’ll trip over them on his way up,’ she smiled to herself at the thought.