The Beauty and the Beast (1st book of Fantasy Series)

Chapter 14- Steven

"Good morning, Your Majesty," she said when I entered the kitchen the next morning. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"Yes," I grunted, biting back a scowl. "What are you cooking?" I asked, seeing that she had a mixing bowl in her hands and was making something.

"Pancakes," she replied. "Do you like fruit or chocolate chips in your pancakes?" she asked, looking up before she looked back at the mixture.

"Plain," I grunted. I took in a deep breath and was met with a wide aroma of different food options, and my mouth slightly watered. "I hope you have some meat cooking," I added.

"I do, Your Majesty. Bacon and sausage," she replied. "I am debating on whether or not to use that ham in the fridge as well, but it will take two to three hours for it to cook, so I might just save that for dinner."

"Why didn't you make it when you woke up?" I asked. "I am sure that people would have liked it for breakfast."

"Because I came here an hour ago. I had to make sure that my horse was taken care of. Louis woke me up."

I frowned and studied her. I could tell that she looked tired and was slightly worried. However, I was sure that was my Human's fault. "How did you sleep?"

"Ok," she replied. "A little tired. I am not used to this timezone yet."

"Why not?"

"Because I came only three days ago," she replied. "And, I am used to the United States time zone."

'Ask her what time it is over there.'

'Shut up, you stupid human.' I growled, and Belle stiffened before she relaxed and started to make the pancakes.

'Look at what you had done. You scared her.'

'Shut up.' "Sorry," I grunted out.

"Apology accepted, Your Majesty," she said. There was a pause, and she licked her lips. "May I ask what I had done wrong?"

"It wasn't directed at you," I said through gritted teeth. "Don't think of yourself as lucky."

"I won't," she promised, nodding her head. She grabbed from the fruit bowl beside her, placed some of it in the remaining batter, and started to stir it around. While she did that, she kept an eye on the pancakes that were cooking and flipped them over. "Breakfast will be ready shortly," she said. "I will send someone to you when it is done."

"Fine," I said, and with that, I left to go to my part of the castle. I had no idea why I was feeling so hurt, but I was.

'Maybe because you had acted like an asshole to her,' my Human said, feeling as hurt. 'Next time, try to act nicer.'

'Shut up,' I said, but this time, my heart wasn't into it because I agreed with him.

If we were to ever get out of this mess, then I had to be kinder to her, my mate.

I just hoped that she could learn to trust a beast.

***

I was scowling as I watched Peter and Belle in front of me. Jealousy filled my body, and I hated how close they were. I hated how much they were laughing as if they were a group of lovers.

"Oh, remember Tyler Wester, that Showjumper?" Belle asked. "The four-time Olympic gold medalist winner?"

"What the one that you thought was cute?" Peter asked. "Or, was it your mother who thought he was cute?"

"Hey, now, I thought his horse was cute," Belle replied. "But it was Mama. She had dated him once."

"You think all horses are cute," Peter shot back, nodding his head that he knew about her mother, thinking him as cute. "Maybe all animals."

Belle opened her mouth to say something but closed it. "Fair point," she said instantly. "But, I met him once."

"Really?" Peter asked, and she nodded. "Did you get your picture made with him?"

Belle groaned and shook her head, putting her hands on her cheeks. "No," she said finally. "I didn't."

"What? Why not?"

"Because I threw up on him." She pushed her plate away and placed her head on her arms.

"What?" Peter asked. He pushed her back slightly until she sat up. "How?"

"So, um... there was this carnival that happens every year after this big competitive horse show," she began. "And... Mama and Papa took me because Mama was feeling guilty that she didn't get to see me win the division championship."

"Out of a lot of people?" Peter asked, and I nodded. "How many events did you compete in?"

"Umm..." Her eyes went back as she pressed her tongue to her bottom lip as she thought. "Five events, I think. I won four and placed second on one that was a bad call from a judge." She rolled her eyes and scowled.

"She's a showjumper," Peter explained, catching some confused looks. "She rides horses and jumps them over fences, some of them as big as her head. She is one of the best that I know."

"That was... years ago," Belle said. She took a sip of her drink, her face turning a normal color. "I don't think I can do that again." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, back to the story. Mama and Papa took me to the fair after it was done, and they said that I could have whatever I wanted and do whatever I wanted to do."

"Oh, Boy," Peter mumbled, knowing where this was headed.

"So, I decided to eat a whole plate of Funnel Cake and a whole plate of Fried Oreos by myself."

"Why?" I asked, causing her to shrug.

"I love food," she replied. She cleared her throat. "So, after that, I went on that spinning cup where you can go really, really, really, fast and get super dizzy with my Papa."

"Did Aunt Faith not go on?" Peter asked, and she shook her head. "I am sure she wasn't feeling that well."

Belle hesitated but nodded. "Um... she had chemo that day." Her voice was soft, and her eyes had this far away look in them. "She was... kind of tired, but she didn't want to miss out on the adventure. She took a video of us in the cup with Papa groaning about getting him off of the ride."

"Please, tell me that you had gotten a video of you puking all over Tyler Wester."

"I think someone did. It was on Youtube. I don't know if it is on there anymore, but he wears a toupee."

"What?" Peter asked with a sharp bark of laughter. "You're kidding, right?"

Belle shook her head, smiling. "After I threw up on him, he had accidentally tripped into a trash can, and it fell with him in it. His hairpiece fell off, and I think a dog took it."

"Seriously?" Louis asked. His lip was curled into a smile, and I could tell that he was trying not to laugh.

She nodded. "I don't know if it was true or not. I was too busy crying and trying not to puke again."

"Was your mom embarrassed?" someone asked.

She shook her head. "I think she was relieved."

"Why?"

"She didn't get stuck with someone who thought a toupee would suffice as hair. It doesn't, especially when something had destroyed it."