Cursed

32. Daurien's Butterflies

32. Daurien's Butterflies

I really could not refuse her anything. I was so incredibly far gone at this point, I would jump off a cliff if she asked me to. That was the thing about Belle though. She would never. Even if she were not entirely ignorant of my affections, she would never abuse that knowledge. She was simply too good.

She looked at me with those large chestnut eyes and all of my certainties melted away like butter. When she showered herself in chocolate flakes I was almost overcome with myself. The chocolate was just a shade darker than those eyes and something about it pulled at my gut painfully.

How I had wanted to kiss her. Every movement she made brought me closer and closer to insanity but just a few moments ago I almost broke. Letting my thumb caress her ever so soft skin was like dangling catnip before a cat. Utter torture.

She knew who I was and cared for me anyways, she overlooked her imprisonment and allowed me to befriend her. She simply did not judge.

Today was a special day to her. Today she was eighteen, a mere three years younger than I. Before the curse that is. I had something special planned for tonight. Tonight I would make her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. She was the most beautiful girl in the world, but she didn't know it. I wanted her to not only know it, but be sure of it. She deserved to. Tonight there would be no doubt in her mind.

And so we went on that hike of hers. It was not nearly as bad as I expected. Certainly no wolves this time. Still, I could not shake the constant feeling of someone lurking behind each thicker bit of brush. I was most likely only anxious over nothing. It was perfectly reasonable for me to feel anxious. I hadn't left the safety of the manor for hundreds of years. Outside of the manor, Miranda's protection spells no longer applied. Belle was correct however, there were not many dangers that were much of a danger to me.

We walked around the wilderness for a good long while. I lifted branches for her to crouch beneath and pushed away ferns for her to pass through smoothly. She was ecstatic, screeching with joy at a rabbit she saw scamper past, studying large beetles. Our pace was not fast, she kept wanting to stop and stare at this wild flower and that spider.

When she gasped abruptly causing me to jump to attention, I was ready for action.

"What is it? What is wrong?"

"No, don't move!"

"Where is it? I won't let it harm you!" Belle only giggled.

"I don't think we have to worry about it harming me," she jutted her chin in my direction and I spun around. There was nothing behind me but the nagging feeling of being followed was really beginning to irritate.

"Daurien, it's on your shoulder." I turned my head slowly, somewhat fearfully, but what was there was certainly not something to fear. A large, white and yellow butterfly was keeping a comfortable perch on my shoulder. Belle gasped again.

"There's another one!" Sure enough a small bright blue one made itself right at home on my arm. And then it was joined by a spotted brown and orange one. I scowled and tried to shake them off. They wouldn't budge.

"Oh my gosh, they are everywhere!" she exclaimed rather happily. I stopped trying to shoo them away, my attempts were futile. The butterflies had found some sort of comfort in my fur covered body. And, well. It was making Belle smile. Actually, Belle was smiling at me like she had never felt happier in her life and truth be told, I didn't think I ever had.

Every inch of me was now covered in a large spectrum of different butterflies. I gave a rough dog shake and many of them lifted off me, caught off guard. However, quite undaunted they quickly found their lazy hold on me once more the moment I stilled.