The Beast Within (Villains, #2)

by Serena Valentino

The only person who killed almost as many animals as the Prince was his good friend Gaston,

bet she’s never read even a single book or had a thought of her own!” The Prince thought that was a very good quality in a woman. He could do enough thinking for both himself and his future wife.

All he had to do now was make the sisters believe he loved her, too. Of course, there were indeed things about her that he loved. He loved her beauty, her coyness, and her keeping her opinions to herself. There was nothing he hated more than a girl with too many opinions of her own.

She stopped her daydreaming and followed the rose petals past several whimsical animals, some of which she didn’t know. She often felt cheated having been born a girl, not having had tutors like her brother had or the freedom to explore the world. Women learned of the world through their fathers, their brothers, and, if they were lucky, their husbands. It didn’t seem quite fair.

It was true: everyone in the village thought she was queer for reading so much, and she didn’t exactly behave like other girls. So what if she was more interested in reading about princesses than being one herself? She felt thankful her father always gave her the freedom to express herself how she wished and live her life the way she thought was right. He allowed her to be herself. Not many young women had that freedom, and she was starting to understand what a rare and beautiful life she had been living until recently.

Only one thing comforted him: he had finally learned what it was to love. And the feeling was deeper and more meaningful than anything he’d felt before. He felt like he was dying. To die, one must have first been alive. And the Beast could finally say that by finding love, he had lived.