Steel Roses

The Beast

Beldon staggered back, falling to the ground, the rose tumbling from his grip, his eyes wide, mouth open, horror paling his skin as he stared at the shadowed figure on the sofa, the curtain falling back into place, the image of The Beast's face burned into his mind forever, to haunt him like a reoccurring nightmare.

Oh god that face! It wasn't of a human! How?! He spoke like a man, he walked like a man but he didn't have the face of a man.

It was that of a monster, a demon, a beast!

The Beast stirred.

Beldon scrambled back, his mind blank to everything other then getting away, every nerve in his body telling him this was not safe, everything about the situation screamed danger.

His back slammed into the table and he heard it topple.

He spun to catch it, straightening it.

"Why are you here?"

He froze at The Beast's voice, then slowly looked over his shoulder as The Beast sat up, his face – that face – half in, half out of shadow.

They looked at each other for a moment, and then realisation shattered the look of sleep in The Beast's eyes when he saw the terror in Beldon's.

His hands – oh god they were clawed! – shot to his face, horror flooding his eyes when he realised his hood wasn't in place.

Then came the fury.

A rage like Beldon had never seen before erupting in The Beast's eyes and he all but lunged at him.

Beldon's body moved before his mind caught up, on his feet, wrenching the table between them and stumbling back as The Beast reached for him, like he meant to tear Beldon's throat out – or his eyes.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" The Beast roared, his voice so loud and the echo so sharp it made Beldon's ears shake in agony, making him cover his ears, cowering away.

The table that was his one barricade was hurled aside, crashing through another set of curtains, tearing the weakened fabric down, sunset rays streaming into the room, illuminating the full horror of The Beast's face just as he grabbed Beldon's wrists, wrenching them up by his head and they collided back into the stone wall, winding Beldon, making him wheeze as he looked up and they both froze, staring at each other.

And all Beldon could think was monster.

What looked down on him was the face of an animal, like a bat and wolf mercilessly blended together. The silver hair was thick and coarse, some falling in rough locks around the face. The snout was crumpled, like it should have been longer but had been crushed. And the fangs – oh those fangs – huge, dagger sharp, all of them, bared, one bite would mortally wound him.

There were also chains. Both slender and heavy, there were multiple chains that hung from his wolf-like ears down to a collar that was locked around his throat.

It was the eyes that scared Beldon the most however.

They were human eyes.

Brilliant and green, lethal intelligence and lethal rage blazing through them.

"Why are you here!?" The Beast shouted again, his fang gleaming in the fading sunlight. "How did you get in here?! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"

"I'm sorry!" Beldon cried, cringing away, flattening his body against the stone, his head lowering automatically to try and hide his throat.

"Is this on purpose? To torment me for what I said?" The Beast shouted, "Now you appear before me and see me when I have no means to hide? Can I not escape your damned presence even in my own quarters?!"