Page 61 of Beauty and Her Beasts (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 1)

“You better believe it,” he said. “But first, a bath and then some rest.”

“Okay,” I said and lifted up on my toes to kiss him on the cheek. I stepped into the bathroom and settled my gaze on the glorious tub filled with hot water, bubbles, and the smell of lavender and rose that filled the air.

I sighed. “I’m so going to love this.”

As I settled into the bath, I relished in the warmth of the water and how sweet and thoughtful Gunnar was for drawing it for me. All three of the men were special to me in their own way. King was fiercely protective, but he had a sensitive side I knew he didn’t share with many others. He sort of softened a bit toward me. Declan was brilliant, creative, and extremely passionate. He was also gentle and kind.

I was reminded yet again that I had to tell them of my decision. And I couldn’t very well keep dragging that out forever. It wasn’t fair to them. But I wasn’t sure how they would take what I had to say.

I wanted all of them. My decision was all of them. And they have already proven they could share me just fine.

So why did my heart get all weird and fluttery when it came to deciding on when to tell them?

It was probably best to sleep on it.

Once I was done with my bath, I dried off and slipped into my nightgown before crawling into bed. I had no idea what time it was, and a large part of me didn’t care. I was tired, and the bath helped to relax me.

As I crawled into the covers, I thought of my men once more.

24

KING

As I often found myself after a fight, even one where no actual fighting took place, I couldn’t sleep. The only difference was that a week had passed since the night Collin showed up with a bunch of humans intent on taking the only woman I cared about away from me. I still struggled to let it go. Though I had been laying in my bed, exhausted and unable to see straight, my mind still wouldn’t settle. And I had reason to believe it had less to do with the confrontation with Collin than it did with needing to be around Allana.

Now that Collin was out of the way, there was nothing stopping me from having her to myself. But the problem was Declan and Gunnar had set their sights on her as well. If I was still the man I was before Allana came into our lives, I wouldn’t have let them stop me from taking her. But there was something different about Allana, and I respected her enough to allow her to choose. Even if that choice wasn’t me. Not to mention, Gunnar and Delcan didn’t deserve me treating them like that. Especially after everything that has happened.

After a couple of hours lying in bed with no hope of sleep, I decided to roam the halls. The peacefulness of them sometimes helped to clear my head when I first came home after the war. And that’s also what I would do when I wasn’t at my little lake, drinking myself stupid.

I usually found comfort in roaming the halls of my home. They were familiar. Safe. Memories of my childhood and happier times filled these halls. But there was something missing tonight. Something that walking the halls wouldn’t satisfy. Something alcohol couldn’t alleviate. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, even though it felt like the answer was right in front of my face.

My heart was also heavy. That mixed with my restless mind, I was a deeply hurting soul. Despite everything I tried, nothing seemed to be helping. I even went back to my wing for a glass of brandy.

I didn’t have the taste for the stuff anymore.

There was only one remedy for my mood left to try. And she was asleep.

My options were running out. I didn’t want to drink myself to slumber, so I decided some tea was in order. It was a close second, and I wanted to be better than my old habits. Better for Allana. On the way, my stomach growled, and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since sometime in the morning. Hours and hours ago.

Once I stepped into the kitchen, I discovered I wasn’t alone. Gunnar and Delcan looked at me with equal surprise. Gunnar leaned against the stove. Declan sat on the counter a few feet away from him. Both of them looked horrible for lack of a better term.

“Can’t sleep either?” I asked.

Both of them nodded.

“Care to join us?” Gunnar asked, gesturing to the counter across from him.

I nodded and took a seat on one of the nearby counters and studied the men. Each of them had similar expressions. Somber and listless. They mirrored everything I felt, and I couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

“You too, huh?” Declan said. His usual jovial if not sarcastic mood seemed so far off.

“Allana?” I asked.

Both men nodded. They said, “Mm-hmm.”

“She hasn’t made her decision yet,” I said. “There’s still hope, and time.”

Gunnar shook his head. “I don’t know about that.”

---