Page 84 of Once Upon an Enchanted Castle

Dickens stepped closer to her, taking her free hand in his, and tugging her away. Out of the room. She said nothing as she allowed him to do this, all the while knowing the answer to all their hopes and wishes resided within the pages of the book she held.

He took her to Leopold’s private sitting room, leading her to the desk where the enchanted hourglass sat. The sands inside were glowing and shifting at what appeared to be a much quicker pace than she remembered. The top was nearly empty.

“What…what does this mean?”

“It means he does not have much longer to live. The hourglassknows.”

Hot tears sprang to her eyes. “No.”

“He was mortally wounded last night,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Theveil-shadecame. They attacked. He was all that stood between you and them. He fought them off. They wounded him. He was already wounded when the other man returned. This Lord Vincent.”

She pressed cold, shaking fingers to her lips as she stared, wide-eyed, at the hourglass.

“He shot him.”

A gurgled gasp escaped her as her knees gave out. She sank to the floor, dropping the book on the rug. Her papers scattered like leaves in an autumn wind.

“The prince tried to claw his way inside to get to you, to get help. Lord Vincent wrongly assumed he was trying to hurt you. He shot him again. In the back.”

Bella shook her head. The tears slipped down her cheeks as she watched the iridescent glow of the shifting sands.

“He dragged himself to the rose garden where he hid under the bushes until the attacker left.”

“How…how do you know all this?” she asked, her voice quivering.

“That’s where I found him early this morning before dawn. As a man. I pulled him out and get him back here before sunrise.”

She lifted her gaze. “But how did youknowto find him there?”

Dickens sucked in a deep breath through his nose, expelled it. “We have been cursed together in this castle for hundreds of years. I am his caretaker when he shifts. From the first moment you arrived, he insisted on protecting you. As a man and a beast. He knew theveil-shadewould come. And so did I.”

He was there that first night, when she heard the howls from the library. And again, the next night when she cowered under her bedcovers listening. He was there. He was the one protecting her from the demons of the dark.

“You shouldn’t be here, my lady. It’s too late for him.”

She shook her head, coming back to her senses. She reached for the scattered pages, shuffling them back into order. For good measure, she snatched up the cursed book and cradled it all in her arms. She pushed to her feet and turned to Dickens.

“Ishouldbe here, Dickens. I can help him.”

“My lady, he’s far too gone. His wounds are fatal. Twilight is upon us now. You need to go.”

Twilight. That meant a night with no moon—the new moon.

She refused to believe Leopold was too far gone. There was hope yet. “Take me to him.”

“Bella—”

“Please.”

He clenched his jaw tight, his lips forming a thin line. The reluctance was written all over his face. Finally, he nodded and turned back to the open door. His footsteps were unhurried which drove her mad. It was nearly nightfall. And when night came, the new moon would come. The sands would drain from the hourglass and Leopold’s fate would forever be sealed.

She hoped she could get there before that happened. Before he was turned into a beast and lost to her forever.

At his bedroom door, Dicken pushed it open and stood aside. She entered, holding her breath and clutching the papers so tight in her hands, the parchment wrinkled. Apprehension swamped her as she approached the bed.

She did not like what she saw.

Leopold’s face was bathed in sweat. His skin was pale. His eyes were closed. His face turned to one side to reveal horrible scratches along the jaw and neck. His forehead was bandaged. Blood stained through the linen cloth. The bedsheets were tucked around his hips, his chest bare. One shoulder was wrapped tightly and another bandage around his upper torso.

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