My Beast

8.

"Kieran?!"

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice, and for a moment, Elizabeth thought he might not recognize her. But then his eyes softened, revealing a sudden flicker of the warmth that was so often hidden beneath layers of pain and sorrow.

"Elizabeth," he breathed, his voice hoarse and raw. He struggled to sit up, wincing as he did so.

Elizabeth's heart raced as she rushed to Kieran's side, concern etched on her face. She couldn't bear to see him in such a state. The blood on his skin stood out starkly against his pale complexion, like dark paint on a pristine canvas, and the remnants of his transformation served as a haunting reminder of the inner turmoil he endured.

"I-" Kieran's voice faltered, his eyes filled with a mix of shame and distress. "I lose control... The curse pulls me under, and I can't fight it."

Elizabeth's mind raced with questions. "How did you know that I knew about the curse?"

A sign escaped Kieran's lips. "I overheard Luna talking to you about it."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in disbelief. She felt a pang of realization - if he heard that, who knows what else he might have overheard.

As she knelt beside Kieran, she carefully observed the many cuts and bruises on his body. The moonlight glistened on his sweat-covered torso, and his long raven hair clung to his forehead. Her gaze lingered on his glistening lashes, as she reached out to delicately brush away a bead of sweat with her fingers, her touch gentle and tentative.

Startled, Kieran flinched back, his eyebrows rising in a mock question. "What are you doing, Elizabeth?" His voice was low, barely more than a murmur.

Embarrassed, Elizabeth stumbled over her words. "Nothing, I just thought there was something on your face."

"Anyway," Kieran interjected, refocusing the conversation, "I don't think I should be around anyone. I'm a monster, and I've come to accept it."

Elizabeth's heart ached for him, her empathy palpable. "But you're not just a beast, Kieran. You're more than that, and it's not your fault." With a touch of hesitation, she extended her hand and delicately grazed her fingertips against his arm, tracing the remnants of black feathers that adorned his skin.

Initially startled by her touch, he recoiled slightly, unaccustomed to such affection. However, he eventually closed his eyes, allowing himself to treasure the comforting warmth of her hand. "I don't want you to see me like this. I don't want you to be afraid."

"I was afraid," she admitted, her voice trembling. "But not of you. I was afraid of what you might become, of what this curse has taken from you. I just... I want to help."

Kieran opened his eyes, meeting her gaze with a mix of surprise and longing. "Help? How? The pieces of my heart are lost, Elizabeth. Even if you wanted to, you can't fix what's been broken."

"They are not lost; you just gave up on finding them," she insisted, her determination igniting a spark of hope within her. "Luna and Penelope mentioned finding the pieces. Maybe we can do it together."

His expression softened, and for a moment, the shadows that haunted him seemed to lift just a little. "You would do that for me? You don't even know me. You don't know what I'm capable of, you don't even-"

She abruptly put her finger on his lips, making him stop talking, "Yes," she replied firmly. "I believe in you, Kieran. I believe that there's a way to break this curse. We just have to find the pieces." She takes her finger off his lips, receiving a judging look from the raven-haired boy, " Also.....I don't care about what you did in the past, I wasn't there. I probably wasn't alive" she chuckled

He hesitated, his vulnerability making him raw and exposed. "But what if the pieces can't be found? What if I'm destined to remain like this forever?"

"Then we'll face that together," Elizabeth said, her voice steady. "You don't have to go through this alone. Going through things alone will bring you more pain than what you did in your past." Elizabeth said with sadness in her eyes.

As he studied her, a glimmer of something flickered in his eyes-trust? Hope? It was hard to tell, but it was enough to make him reach out, his hand covering hers. "I need to learn more about you Elizabeth." He gave a small smile, " do you mean that? Do you?"

"I do," she said softly. "You deserve a chance, Kieran. But it's not gonna be easy. But I'm here, and so is Luna and Penelope."

At that moment, the weight of his curse felt a little lighter. The fear that had gripped him for so long began to ebb away, replaced by a tentative thread of connection-the kind of bond he thought he could never have again.

"Then we'll start tomorrow," he said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "I'll tell you everything I know about the curse. But first, you should probably get cleaned up. You shouldn't be here in the darkness with me."

"Maybe I want to be in the darkness with you" she smiled, getting up to leave the prayer room.

"Have faith Kieran"

Elizabeth nodded, a small smile breaking through her earlier anxiety. "I'll be back, I promise. And I brought you dinner, just in case you wanted something to eat."

His eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of amusement crossing his features. "You are something else, aren't you?"

"I'm out of this world" she smiled sweetly