Beauty and the Beast (Demon Tales 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

is the runaway Princess from Tempath.”
    A small gasp from the human, and a dainty
red blush, confirmed what Torc had said. Brigg’s heart thumped and
the voice in his head said…
    Oh Fuck.
    He turned to Cally. “Are you?” He had
already seen the confirmation in her reaction, but he had to ask.
His words were barked, and the sound of fright that yipped from her
mouth let him know that he had scared her.
    Nodding her head weakly, she whispered
“Yes.”
    Brigg spat out a vile curse and turned to
face the fireplace. His hands gripped the stone, his nails cutting
into the rough surface as he tried to rein in his reaction to the
news that his little human , and possible mate, was the daughter of
the bitch who had cursed him and his brother all those years
ago.
    “I say we just give her back to Helki and
walk away.”
    “No!” The answer was out his mouth faster
than he could think it.
    “What the fuck, man?”
    “I said, no!” Brigg roared, stopping his
brother’s tirade before it began. Hurt passed over Torc’s face.
Brigg swallowed the sawdust-dry need to bellow at his brother and
yell at the gods. His inner turmoil at learning this was painful
and tight. Should he explain to his brother what he suspected?
    What would he say? I think she is my
mate.
    No, he couldn’t say that because he didn’t
even know for sure. All he did know was that the little human
needed help, and he was the one willing—like a fucking sacrifice—to
offer it. After all, it seemed to him that she didn’t have a whole
lot of friends beating down his door to help her. He couldn’t even
begin to describe the soul-deep need to help her, his brother just
wouldn’t believe him. They had long thought that the notion of
mates was a fairy-tale, a farce, told to them by their parents to
stop them from being careless and foolish with their lives. But
Brigg couldn’t deny what his body was telling him. The little human
inspired something inside that Brigg had thought was long
gone—dead, killed by the curse that had shattered all his dreams
and plans for the future.
    “I am not a savage. I won’t hand over a
woman to Helki, human or not.”
    Some of the tension dropped from Torc’s
shoulders. A small amount of resignation clouded his eyes, and Torc
nodded weakly. Torc turned and headed for the cabin door, then
stopped and spoke—not looking at Brigg.
    “I’m no savage, either.” He threw a cold
look over his shoulder to the female. “But I still won’t help a
human. Ever.” Torc stepped out of the cabin, his wide shoulders
almost filling the door frame. “One more thing, bro,” Torc said as
he dragged his jacket’s hood over his head. “Helki knows where you
live—so I would run, fast.” Torc dropped his head, shoved his hands
into his pockets and stormed off into the woods surrounding the
cabin.
    Brigg watched him disappear through the tall
trees, a growing sense of dread beginning to weigh heavy on his
chest. He closed the cabin door and wondered just what the fuck he
was supposed to do now. Brigg hated that he had betrayed his
brother, but there was no way that he could throw the little
human—mate or not—to Helki and his mob of degenerates. Whatever had
happened to him and Torc, Brigg could never live knowing that he
didn’t help the one woman who might be his destined mate—just
because she was human.
    The human sat in his bed, and that
all-consuming feeling of rightness filled his chest again. It
didn’t matter that he didn’t have a plan, it just mattered that he
had found her before Helki had squeezed the life out of her. His
heart gave an involuntary throb as his mind played back the fear in
her beautiful eyes. Brigg was glad that he had saved her. Maybe all
of his humanity was not lost.
    She stared back at him, wide eyes filled
with shock, her hand resting on her throat. She swallowed and
spoke.
    “Thank you.”

Chapter Five
     
     
    Cally stared out of the cabin window. Night
had fallen totally, coating the