Page 9 of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me

Rosie estimated Charming’s age at eighteen or so. He had honey-colored hair, streaked with blonde, just like his mother. And yellow-green eyes. Also just like his mother. He was as tall as Free with a powerful, athletic build that suggested it would become even more impressive in a couple of years.

He gave Rosie a smile that was, well, charming and motioned for her to follow up the stairs. “This way.” He stopped at the second story landing and said, “Carnal’s room is there.” He pointed down the hall to the right. “My room is up there.” He pointed to a narrower staircase that led upward. “The attic room. It has a great view. I can see just about everything that happens in Newland,” he said proudly.

Rosie smiled and turned toward the room Charming had pointed out, noting that there was another room down the hall.

“Am I, um, displacing someone?”

“Displacing?” He opened the door to a decidedly masculine space. It was minimalist to the extreme. A wood platform bed with four thick square legs, but no headboard. A double shelf unit with a few books, rocks, and feathers on one side and folded clothes on the other. There was a paraffin lamp on a small square stand by the bed and another on the shelf unit. There wasn’t much there, but what was there was neat as a military barracks. Bed perfectly made. Nothing out of place. “No. Not at all. This is my oldest brother’s room, but he doesn’t come home often.”

“Oh.”

“Do you need help with your stuff?”

“No. I, ah, didn’t bring anything. I’ll get my, ah, stuff in the next couple of days.”

Charming nodded. “Well, then, let’s have supper.”

When Rosie told Kellareal she needed a retreat, the last thing she had in mind was becoming an exchange student. She didn’t want to get to know and be part of a family, but not eating would raise suspicion. After all her cover was human and humans must eat. So she said, “Okay,” and followed Charming back downstairs.

“Is Carnal away at school?”

Charming paused mid step to laugh. “Nothing like that. No. He’s on patrol right now.” He resumed descent, but stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Smell that? We’re having elk stew with parsnips and onions. You’ll love it.”

Rosie had to admit that it did smell good. The kitchen was square with a table and chairs in the middle of the room, but the first thing that attracted her eye was the wood stove and the precision cut stack of firewood next to it. The front panel had been left standing open to heat the room with coals left smoldering from cooking. She’d seen photos of antique stoves, but had never seen one in person.

Charming’s parents had already filled their bowls and were waiting patiently.

She sat down across from Charming and pulled in her chair just as he reached out and tore off a large chunk of brown bread from the dome-shaped loaf in the middle of the table. Next to it sat a pot of stew.

“Go on. Help yourself,” said Charming with his mouth full.

So she stood and ladled a medium-sized portion into her bowl, while Free carried on quiet conversation about livestock enclosures.

After a few minutes, Charming said, “Why aren’t you eating?”

Everyone stopped and looked at Rosie.

“Well, it looks so good and smells even better,” she said, looking from one to the other. Serene smiled in response. “But to be honest, I’m worried about the sauce.” It was tomato-based. “These are the only clothes I have at the moment.”

She blushed when they all looked at her thin white boyfriend shirt, but she blamed herself for calling attention to it.

Serene rose from the table and retrieved an apron. She flicked it in front of Rosie and tied the top close to her neck.

“There,” she said. “Tomorrow we’ll see about scrounging up some other clothes.” She looked at Free. “What was Kellareal thinking?”

Rosie was grateful enough to begin warming to the idea of getting to know the family.

Free shrugged. “Always got a lot on his mind I imagine.”

“Thank you,” Rosie told Serene as she took a small bite from her largish spoon. “Oh my gods. This is incredible!”

She hadn’t quite finished the first bite before that exclamation, which Serene took as an added compliment. She beamed, which in turn pleased Free. He turned to Rosie.

“The large building next door is the Commons. Tomorrow morning, Charming will take you there and introduce you to the woman in charge. She’ll lay it out for you and get you started right.”

“Okay. And thank you for having me.”

Serene interjected. “We’re being sincere when we say you’re welcome here for as long as you’d like to stay. Kellareal must think very highly of you. If you’re special to him, you’re special to us.”

---