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.

never seen someone fight like that!" The man offered Joselin a piece ofbread as he boasted about her, and she accepted it. He had a child- like excitement about him, but he sounded old enough

I knew she had my back. Joselin turned to glare at the queen before looking back at

right, baby. Eyes

The 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

and skewer him to his chair. The fact that he knew how long Joselin had been in my life told me

cleared her throat, shifting in her chair as she forced her eyes away as one of the servants placed her

could. Her perfect legs pressed together, and I licked my lips when she

ease that ache for you real

her lips wrap around the utensil. Everything

brother, but I ignored them, focusing only on my woman.

Joselin said, tearing her eyes away from

take you dancing tomorrow." He repeated, and I felt my eyes burn as they turned black when my beast came forward. One more word from his mouth, and

me." She smirked, but I didn't miss how she lit up at

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 approached the door, silently calling her to follow me. I could feel her watching me with every step I took, and I knew without any doubt that she would

rooms down the hall, and only a second later, she emerged from the dining room. Her long hair looked windblown and wild, begging me to

her chin up and back straight, her heels

stopping a few feet away and facing me head-on. The sound of my name on her lips was

wrapped around her waist, and I spun her, forcing the conference room door open. She let

I growled, nipping her earlobe gently. The smell of her desire was prominent, and I wanted nothing more than to tear her clothes from her body

hands rested on my shoulders as I pushed her against the wall, cupping her jaw

mouth parted open as she released a sweet little sigh that made me grow hard. "I'll

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

skin where my mark would one day lay, and she

I hadn't lost her just yet. She was still mine. She

for me to mark her just yet. Not 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 time to enjoy yourself, and now I am claiming what