Loving an Ugly Beast Read Online Free PDF
Author: Danielle Monsch
Tags: Romance, Fairy Tales & Ever Afters
clear as he’d stared down at his new face in the calm surface of the lake. Benton was gone forever, and to mention him in any way to anyone would be the end of the spell.
Getting used to this new life was a challenge. He had known intellectually that he would be treated differently, but the visceral reactions to this face, this body, were beyond his imaginings. People sought him out, deferred to his opinions, and yet, there was always a sense that they were waiting for him to err in some way.
As he walked down the street, a sigh to his left startled him, an unpleasant sensation that was yet another change, as it never occurred during his life as Benton. First as a soldier and then as a hunter of all types of animals, two-legged or four, he had learned the lesson hard and learned fast – awareness or death.
But Benton’s skillset didn’t transfer to Byron, and the ability to be surprised again was the least of those changes. He was clumsy with no awareness and no strength. This body was soft and small and spoiled, without a single scar to mar the smooth skin he now possessed.
He turned to see Tara staring at him, her shoulders thrown back in such a way that her breasts were thrust out and about as bared as they could be without her being arrested for public indecency.
“What a coincidence! Byron, how good to see you.”
After a week of seeing her every day in various settings, “coincidence” was a word that no longer applied to any of their interactions. But while Byron didn’t have Benton’s quick reflexes, he had a silver tongue and a way of saying just the right platitude, no matter the situation. He brought Tara’s hand to his mouth and said, “I am truly blessed that providence continues to set us in each other’s path.”
A pretty blush spread over her cheeks and down to the tops of her breasts, but her eyes were clear and cunning. Maybe this was one of her skills, this ability to present a false front with so many genuine touches. “Perhaps you have settled in enough that we could dine together tonight?” she asked, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her breasts had finally broke free and the edge of nipple now showed over the bodice of her gown.
“I–”
“Tara,” called a male voice.
Tara hunched her shoulders and her gown was suddenly a great deal more modest. Councilor Adam Hale strode across the street, a smile on his face but his eyes hard and beady as they fixed on Byron. With as much forwardness as polite society allowed, Hale placed his body between Byron and Tara and positioned himself in such a way that Tara was forced to step closer to Hale.
Hale reached out to shake Byron’s hand. “Byron, you look well. How is your visit going?”
Benton would have towered over Hale until he near pissed himself and grabbed the first excuse to run away. But Byron was not as tall as this less-than-impressive male, and endured as Hale crushed his hand in a clammy grip. “Your village agrees with me, Councilor. You and the other board members are to be commended for your excellent leadership.”
“Your praise is overgenerous. How is your art coming? Have you decided how long you will stay?”
Along with the charm and looks came a heretofore unknown talent for sketching. Sara must have chosen that purposefully, because every woman asked him if he could draw and each of them went dreamy-eyed at the confirmation. “My little sketches are not worth talking about. As for length of stay, that is still undecided.” After Nissa agreed to marry him, he’d let her decide if she wanted to stay in the village or move away.
Nissa. That was another surprise. He assumed she would fall instantly in love with him now that he looked like this. Instead, she’d been polite and friendly, but there was a wall she had put up between the two of them that he wasn’t sure how to break through. She would leave him as soon as was acceptable and never made excuses to linger at his side like the other women did.
The
Getting used to this new life was a challenge. He had known intellectually that he would be treated differently, but the visceral reactions to this face, this body, were beyond his imaginings. People sought him out, deferred to his opinions, and yet, there was always a sense that they were waiting for him to err in some way.
As he walked down the street, a sigh to his left startled him, an unpleasant sensation that was yet another change, as it never occurred during his life as Benton. First as a soldier and then as a hunter of all types of animals, two-legged or four, he had learned the lesson hard and learned fast – awareness or death.
But Benton’s skillset didn’t transfer to Byron, and the ability to be surprised again was the least of those changes. He was clumsy with no awareness and no strength. This body was soft and small and spoiled, without a single scar to mar the smooth skin he now possessed.
He turned to see Tara staring at him, her shoulders thrown back in such a way that her breasts were thrust out and about as bared as they could be without her being arrested for public indecency.
“What a coincidence! Byron, how good to see you.”
After a week of seeing her every day in various settings, “coincidence” was a word that no longer applied to any of their interactions. But while Byron didn’t have Benton’s quick reflexes, he had a silver tongue and a way of saying just the right platitude, no matter the situation. He brought Tara’s hand to his mouth and said, “I am truly blessed that providence continues to set us in each other’s path.”
A pretty blush spread over her cheeks and down to the tops of her breasts, but her eyes were clear and cunning. Maybe this was one of her skills, this ability to present a false front with so many genuine touches. “Perhaps you have settled in enough that we could dine together tonight?” she asked, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her breasts had finally broke free and the edge of nipple now showed over the bodice of her gown.
“I–”
“Tara,” called a male voice.
Tara hunched her shoulders and her gown was suddenly a great deal more modest. Councilor Adam Hale strode across the street, a smile on his face but his eyes hard and beady as they fixed on Byron. With as much forwardness as polite society allowed, Hale placed his body between Byron and Tara and positioned himself in such a way that Tara was forced to step closer to Hale.
Hale reached out to shake Byron’s hand. “Byron, you look well. How is your visit going?”
Benton would have towered over Hale until he near pissed himself and grabbed the first excuse to run away. But Byron was not as tall as this less-than-impressive male, and endured as Hale crushed his hand in a clammy grip. “Your village agrees with me, Councilor. You and the other board members are to be commended for your excellent leadership.”
“Your praise is overgenerous. How is your art coming? Have you decided how long you will stay?”
Along with the charm and looks came a heretofore unknown talent for sketching. Sara must have chosen that purposefully, because every woman asked him if he could draw and each of them went dreamy-eyed at the confirmation. “My little sketches are not worth talking about. As for length of stay, that is still undecided.” After Nissa agreed to marry him, he’d let her decide if she wanted to stay in the village or move away.
Nissa. That was another surprise. He assumed she would fall instantly in love with him now that he looked like this. Instead, she’d been polite and friendly, but there was a wall she had put up between the two of them that he wasn’t sure how to break through. She would leave him as soon as was acceptable and never made excuses to linger at his side like the other women did.
The