The Beast And The Blessed

Fourteen: Tobias

Tobias's P.O.V.

I growled as I threw another collection of old, stained floorboards into the back of my truck. It wasn't often that I drove it. I despised the sound of the large machine, and being trapped inside the cage felt suffocating, but in times like this, I had no other choice.

Neighbors, who had done nothing for years when they heard the crying or screaming inside my childhood home, were outside watching as I gutted the house as quickly as possible. The new flooring order wouldn't arrive for a couple of weeks, but I felt my chest grow lighter with every floorboard I ripped up.

The longer I stayed in the house, the less I seemed to notice Ana'sscent. It hurt to know that the last piece of her I had was about to be thrown out. Still, as I dropped the last load of the blood-stained wood into the truck bed, a little bit of the guilt I had been carrying lessened.

It was a step closer to leaving my past behind and moving forward to the future, toward Joselin.

I worked until the sun started falling, returned home to shower, and then went to the dining hall.

The head table was empty, and I glared at the door impatiently to catch a glimpse of my witch. Her smell was so unmistakable that it was as if she were in the room with me, and my nerves drove me wild. I needed to tell her about Ana and that I was finally getting closure. I needed to ask her to consider giving me a little more time.

My spine straightened as the doors were pulled open, and Joselin walked in, her hand in the crook of another man's arm. I felt my stomach twist, and I saw red. Her gaze slid right over me as if I was just another face in the crowd, and I wanted to jump over the table, throw her over my shoulder, and take her back to my house.

Asickly, sweet smell rolled off her as she walked by, and I growled as I saw a bite mark on her perfect flesh. Siren.

Had she not learned her lesson the last time?

Joselin's head turned, looking over at me at the sound, but she kept her lips pressed together as she walked by.

I knew exactly who the man was. We had been warned of his arrival in the castle, but I hadn't expected my witch to be with him.

He smiled brightly at her, enamored by her beauty, and it made me want to kill him. But he was Natalie's brother, technically a member of the royal family. As much as I wanted to kill him, I had to restrain myself.

Still, he needed to leave before I took his departure into my own hands.

seen someone fight like that!" The man offered Joselin a piece ofbread as he boasted about her, and she

I smirked as I knew she

baby. Eyes on

man asked, his elbow bumping against my woman's, and I growled again, not bothering to look away from Joselin to the newcomer. I had gone all day without seeing her, without her scent and her touch. If anyone took her away from me now, I would tear them to

and skewer him to his chair. The fact that he knew how long Joselin had been in my life told me that she had told him about me. What she shared, I couldn't be

soft response coming across her lips like a defeated sigh. Joselin cleared her throat, shifting in her chair as she forced her eyes away as one of the servants placed her plate in front of her. The rest of the pack was buffet-style, but my plate remained empty as I watched

feel me. I knew she could. Her perfect legs pressed together, and I licked my lips when she looked

Don't you worry. I'll ease that ache

followed every bite to her mouth as I watched her lips wrap around the utensil. Everything about

on my woman. I would never let Joselin go, not

her eyes away from her plate to look

burn as they turned black when my beast came forward. One more word from his

me." She smirked, but I didn't miss

from ripping his throat out. Killian changed the topic, asking when Aurora and Henry, Natalie's father would return from their trip. The conversation flowed from there, not going back to the date my woman had just agreed to. I waited until Joselin was done eating, making sure she had her fill before I stood. Joselin looked back up immediately, seeing my clean, untouched plate before me, and held my gaze. No words needed to be said as 1

the hall, and only a second later, she emerged from the dining room. Her

up and

The sound of my name on her lips was torturous, and I wasted no

her waist, and I spun her, forcing the conference room door open.

prominent, and

Her words were hard and clipped, but her hands rested on my shoulders as I pushed her against the wall, cupping her

released a sweet little sigh that made me grow hard. "I'll make the rules

as I spoke, and she trembled in my hold as the hand around her waist slid lower until I slipped my hand

My tongue slid across her skin where

was still mine. She just needed a little reminder of what we were both working toward,

without talking to her or asking her if she wanted to be mine. "I have watched you play this game with others for too long. You've had your