Page 2 of Beauty and Her Beasts (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 1)

“Happens when your parents are killed,” King said and started to walk again.

“Look, I know it’s no consolation, but I’m sorry. I loved them too. Now that you are the head of the business, I have some important things to address with you.”

“Can it wait?” King asked.

“Normally yes, but—” Gunnar started.

“Then wait.” King continued down the long corridor and disappeared into a break in the wall.

Gunnar stared after the guy, frustrated. He couldn’t really blame King for his deteriorating mood. The maids who had worked here since King was a child told Gunnar stories about how charming and outgoing King was before the war. Guess the guy had demons he was fighting here at home too. Nightmares that wouldn’t let him go. And now with the tragic loss of his parents, it would be even more time before King brightened up again.

If that ever happened.

What King needed was a reason to live.

The thought sparked an idea in Gunnar’s mind. He turned his tail around and went to find Declan who was likely outside on the grounds, finishing up his duties for the day.

Declan was a loner in a sense. He and King had never gotten along. Or so Gunnar had been told. He hadn’t seen much interaction between the two of them, what with King being ever reclusive. Gunnar didn’t mind Declan. Especially for a half-breed. He kept to himself, got his job done, and didn’t start problems. To Gunnar, Declan was an all-right kind of guy.

Gunnar immediately found Declan at the tool shed near the ground’s border. Declan nodded in greeting as he heard Gunnar coming from miles away. Gunnar wasn’t trying to sneak up on the guy. He made his approach detectable on purpose.

“What can I do for you, Gunnar?” he asked. His dirty blond hair was pulled back low, tied at the nape of his neck. His beard dripped with sweat from his hard work.

“We need to talk,” Gunnar said. “About King.”

Declan sighed and faced Gunnar, eying him with his icy blues. “What has he done now?”

“It’s what he’s not doing that I’m concerned about,” Gunnar said.

Declan locked up the shed then turned and leaned against the outside wall. “You are aware that we have no love lost between us, right?”

“I’ve been told, but hear me out,” Gunnar said. “This business is going to tank within the next few months if we don’t get something working. Now, I know we don’t hang out often and I don’t know you incredibly well, but I know enough to make the assumption that losing this job isn’t something you want. I think King needs a thing to live for. Something to look forward to. And I have a way I think we could achieve that.”

Declan snorted as he folded his massive arms in front of him. “Good luck with that.”

“I’m serious. We have to hire a manager, for starters. The hotel has been in the red for the last few months, and the funeral was not cheap. But we need someone else to be the face of the hotel. Someone gorgeous and who will get King’s attention.”

“Playing matchmaker? You really think a woman will get King out of his hole?” Declan asked.

Gunnar shrugged. “Something has to happen or we’re both going to be out of a job soon.”

“I seriously doubt a girl will work,” Declan said. “No matter how beautiful. You’re better off hiring a woman of the night and be done with it. As far as the manager, I’ll make some flyers. You can hand them out the next time you head out to market.”

Gunnar sighed. It wasn’t what he was hoping for, but it wasn’t the worst-case scenario. Declan could have laughed him off. Still, he had hoped for a little more than what he got. “All right. Fine. But I have a gut feeling you’ll eat your words.”

Declan copped a crooked smile. “We’ll see, my friend.”

Gunnar said his farewell and headed to his room to plan. If he was going to find a woman worthy of King, he was going to have to go farther out than he normally would. A woman like that would be increasingly hard to find. Gunnar knew of the women in the towns he frequented for supplies and none of them came close to the one he was searching for. Going farther was the only option.

Once in his room, he pulled out a map of the country and circled several locations surrounding theChateau. One of them was the town ofFleuveville. His eyes stared at the town and wondered why he felt pulled to go there. It lay outside of theDusangforest. He had never been there before, but he was called to go, like a magnet. Now he just needed to find the time to go there and a good excuse.

1

ALLANA

Despite everything that stood against me, I graduated. And with my degree in my hand, I was ready to take on the world.

A few of the professors who I had gained favor with invited me out to celebrate as an equal. I agreed. We went to a nearby tavern for dinner and drinks. We were sitting at the bar just inside the door. Professor Milton sat to my left and Professor Lacroix sat to my right. Following a dinner of potbelly roast and seasoned potatoes, we topped everything off with a toast. Both professors held a drink in the air in my honor.

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