Beauty And The Beast (bxb)

Chapter 9

Yawning corridors stretched in either directions. Beautiful pieces of furniture dotted the stretch, but my previous encounter with them had me passing by them as fast as I could.
Why had I done that?
The question swirled around my mind round and round. He had done nothing to harm me.
I felt guilty and I did not like feeling guilty. The wrenching at the pits of the stomach had robbed me of any appetite I had. So, as the opertunity had been presented, I decided to explore the palatial mansion of his. So far what I had understood of this place was that the ground floor had the dinning room, the ball room and the kitchens while the second had the bedrooms and the music hall. There was much more, but I had no idea.
The deeper I went, more the corridors spilt till I gave up trying to understand where I was.
Tired I opened the first door I came across failing to see the marks around it.
The door opened with a high pitched groan deafening me for a second or two.
Inside, it was a disaster.
The tables were overthrown, the chairs smashed to smithereens, the paintings ripped with claws or perhaps a dagger, but with what stayed here, claws was more likely.
Glass peices littered the ground looking like they had been hurled in great anger.
It was place where I absolutely didn't want to be. I should leave.
I turned to do just that and my eyes captured a glow. Subtle but irressistable light pink. It called to me. It reminded me the misfortune of the flower that had been gifted to me.
My feet dragged me forwards to a small unmarked door through which the light came through. It swung surprisingly soundlessly. What I saw first was two huge terrifying gargoyles that loomed above me, glaring, looking ready to cut me into pieces. And then I realized that they were made up of stone.
I breathed a sigh of relief wondering why anyone in their right minds would put them there.
This room on contrast to the outer was spotlessly clean.
But, that wasn't what held my attention.
It was what stood in middle on a marble stand that had me stare at awe.
A rose.
Floating slightly above the surface it was easily the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen. The surface of every single petal looked like it was studded with fragments of diamonds giving out a soft glow but powerful enough to light up the room. The room's understated decor enhanced the beauty of flower but there was something about.
Perhaps that it was tucked away in the small room or perhaps it was the window behind that showed the feirce blizzard outside, that had me feeling melancholic.
Even the glass jar that covered it was beautiful with frost design etched into it.
I had no idea how long I stood there entranced by the eerieness of the rose and at last the thing called curiosity compeled me to touch it.
And, so that's what I did.
Walking near to it I carefully lifted the glass jar and placed it by the side.
My hands went near the rose, just shy of touching it and the door that I had come through bursted open. Standing in the door, heaving with wild eyes was Adam. His heavy footsteps echoes through the room as he stalked forward.
"How dare you?" He roared his nose flaring in fury.
I swallowed, my legs shaking in fear.
"Who allowed you to come in here?"
His huge hands hit the wall behind me his claws digging into the stone.
My heart was ready to burst through my chest as the fact that he was after all a beast that was angry at me sunk into my mind. Survival instincts took over. Fight or flight. Fight was obviously ruled out that he could slice me into spaghetti stripes faster than I could even pinch his cheeks.
Flight took over and I ran.
Tired of me running? You would understand if you saw him.
He didn't chase me.
He wouldn't.
I knew that. However angry he was he wouldn't hurt me.
How did I know? It was because if he really wanted he would have killed me then and there.
Still, I ran.
Perhaps it was desperation. I found the stairs and ran to the door.
"Hey wait..." One of the furnitures shouted after me. I didn't stop.
Putting my entire force on the door I was surprised when the door gave away. It was almost like it understood my desperation.
Out into the thick snow that was left over by the blizzard, I ran till I couldn't breath anymore. And only when I was sure that I was far away I stopped.
Collapsing onto a fallen tree my eyes watered and sobs were wrenched out of me.
Ever since I had met him all I had done was cry. And it wasn't even his fault to a certain extent.
My sobbing session was interrupted by a soft whimper.
"Help..."
Wiping the tears in my eyes I looked around.
"Help me..." This time the voice was fainter and it came from the direction behind the fallen log.
With slight amount of trepidation for the horrors of the wild, I got up and went around the area wishing that the person would call out again.
"I am... Here.."
I whipped my head to see that at the base of one of the trees was a man!
A half buried man who looked almost dead.
"Oh gods!" A gasp escaped my mouth and I ran and started to dig the man out of the snow, the burn of the cold escaping my senses.
Slowly, painfully slowly, time passed and at last the stranger was free. Putting his shoulders over mine I half dragged him away from the spot of his almost death and brought him to the log that I had last sat on.
Grateful that I had worn three layer of clothing, I removed one and wrapped the man in it and hugged him to the best that I could. I dared bit to go back to the mansion with the man considering what I had angered earlier.
Slowly the man's colour returned and I realised that the stranger was handsome with and amazingly buff body.
"Wow, you are handsome." I blurted out and blushed crimson when I realised what I had said. Maybe I had left my mind back at the mansion.
The stranger gave a warm laugh at that.
"Thank you for the compliment and for saving me."
"I'm Beau." I introduced myself quickly to cover up myself.
"And, I am Ivan. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."

PS: the pic was got from Pinterest and I do not own it.