Wanderlust Beastkin, Beauty and the Beastkin-Chapter 79: Consort Clash and Duarte

Beth’s Perspective

As she turned to speak to the servant beside her, I caught sight of a long, sharp stinger protruding from what appeared to be a black bikini bottom. It shimmered in the dim light of the room, resembling a gunmetal curved dagger, about the length of my forearm.

My gaze fixated on that menacing stinger, and while I was focused on it, I suddenly heard that all-too-familiar buzzing once more. That sound has always been associated with fear in my life. It’s a bee. I’m extremely allergic to bee stings.

"What makes her think that she can come in here and throw her weight around? Who is she even? Where did she come from? I have it on great authority that she was sold as a slave. A SLAVE! She doesn’t meet the qualifications to be chosen as one of His Majesty’s concubines. As a slave, this she beast, this sorry excuse for a temptress, is under royal suspicion of being a Fae, since there is absolutely no other way that His Royal Highness would be interested in this sorry excuse for a female unless she is performing Fae magic on him! Therefore, it is my right, no, my duty, to dispatch this vile temptr...Fae. To prevent her wicked schemes."

I instinctively scooted away from her while my heart started pounding in my ears.

A bee woman...a bee...a bee...A BEE!

She turned her face back towards me in an impossibly fast movement and then opened her mouth, making a high-pitched screech. Two large curved mandibles popped out of her mouth, and then a blood-red tongue as long as her head flicked out. The buzzing increased, and the room was filled with a high-pitched screech that I didn’t realize was coming from my mouth until I ran out of air and black spots floated in my vision.

I gasped for air, and my arms buckled. Again, I was engulfed in blood-splattered white foam. It floated up impossibly high until there was only the seafoam, the sound of my breathing, and the frantic pounding of my heart.

The buzzing grew louder until it finally drowned out the other sounds. Then, above the piles of shredded glistening white fabric, the giant bee rose. No longer was she the woman I had seen just the moment before, but a gigantic bee, the size of a mastiff, with a stinger as long as my arm!

Her large black eyes glistened with a maniacal frenzy. She paused in her movements for but a moment and then dove down towards me.

Perla’s Perspective

I watch him sleeping, staring at his impossibly long eyelashes for any flicker of movement, while I wonder what is wrong with me. Pain, uncertainty, guilt, and loss filled me while I stared at him. He deserves better from this world. Some of the things he’s done were horrible, truly some would make my toes curl, but given that his environment was bad and he was mostly emotionally neglected, could I really blame him? I can’t say that, given the circumstances and the way he was raised, I would have been much better. Then his sister, his only emotional anchor, died. But although I feel for him, I know I pity him, though I can feel the budding feelings of something else for him, something more profound, but I have no way of knowing if those feelings are due to my isolation and the intimacy of his shared experiences. The connection I feel with him, is it real? I couldn’t say. But isn’t it early enough to quash my feelings for him?

I’ve always been an emotional person. It was Beth’s job to be the logical one. Beth was the one who kept an eye on us, me and Nancy. I miss her, I miss the two of them so much. I would ask Beth’s opinion, and she would grab my shoulders and shake me, tell me that I can’t tell if my feelings are real while being isolated, and she’d be right. Isn’t that why toxic men isolate women? I honestly don’t really know. Beth was the one who enjoyed psychology books; she’s such a little nerd, our perfect little scale-balancing best friend. She probably deserved better friends than us, but she was happy to spend time with us regardless. She and Nancy are likely out of their minds with worry for me, and my parents are probably angry that I skipped my lessons, though I doubt that they’re worried. How much time has passed there since I’ve been here?

I continued to stare at his still form for a bit longer while I contemplated my life and choices, including the ones that I would make. I second-guessed myself because I tended to both overthink certain choices and impulsively make choices that I regretted afterward. Anxiety certainly didn’t help me keep a clear head. I needed Beth. Beth was always the best at keeping me grounded.

After I was sure that he was well settled in a deep sleep, I closed my eyes and got into a comfortable position while tapping into my necklace that Duarte gave me. I felt a strange pulling sensation. Then suddenly I was back in that same room, which Duarte had pulled me into the first time. I felt another flash of anxiety pass through me while I thought about my shell of a body lying beside a giant spider that I know has eaten beastkin before. An empty and defenseless shell that is being eaten or molested. I could be full of spider eggs by the time my consciousness got back into my body, and I wouldn’t know without Duarte telling me to go back. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

This isn’t the ideal time to leave my body, not even close, but I have to know if there’s any way that Duarte can help me. I appeared standing between the two chairs, near the empty fireplace, in the room that was now chilled and completely silent.

I walked around to the attached bathroom, and there was no one, not that I thought Duarte would be hiding in there, but one can still hope.

"Well, this is just crap! Duarte!!! Could you come here?!" I hoped that there was some way he could hear me if I yelled loud enough, but after yelling, I listened intently, and there was only silence that greeted me. I walked back into the main room, and that was when I saw a letter in a thick white envelope lying on the small table. Written in the most beautiful cursive I’d ever seen was my name. I walked over to the envelope with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I picked up the letter with a slightly shaking hand.

Dearest Perla,

If you are reading this letter, I understand that you are facing some challenging choices ahead, but I trust that your compassionate heart will guide you toward the right path. Have confidence in yourself; while mistakes are a part of living, they only become a true loss if you fail to learn from them. Initially, I was merely curious about you, but my feelings have deepened into genuine fondness. I wish I could stay close and offer my support, yet life does not always unfold as we desire, even for a being like me.

My influence in this realm is becoming tainted to the extent that I can no longer bestow blessings there, and the miasma has seeped through my territorial connection, affecting my essence. My phoenix nature is not one of a subdued creature; it burns fiercely and yearns for the shadow realm. My journey is defined by choice rather than instinct. The miasma beckons me, and the shadow realm lures me with a song of temptation, promising respite from battling my true self, but the essence of a Shadow Phoenix is a fearsome thing; we can incinerate entire continents in an instant. I have never wished to be a monster.

Destiny can be harsh; it disregards our desires and delivers what it chooses. Nevertheless, I will persist in my struggle, for the alternative is too daunting to consider. I have had to retract my influence, though it remains a fragile barrier to safeguard the people in my domains as best as I can; it flickers and fades. I can do no more, as I must conserve my strength to combat my true nature. While I may not be as present as I would like, I must ensure everyone is protected from me.

Before I depart, I have a small parting gift I wish to offer you, which I have enclosed within this envelope.

I tilted the envelope with my hand under it, and a small light blue gem and a small clear gem set in thin golden bands fell into my hand. I closed my fingers around them and felt a mild warmth coming off them.

Never disclose the capabilities of these two rings to anyone unless you have complete trust in them. I am concerned that you may face danger if the existence of these items becomes known. The blue ring holds a portion of my Phoenix fire, which I have not shared since my early days as a deity. This ring possesses a single blast that can obliterate everything in its path or resurrect someone who has recently been slain.

The clear gem will hinder an individual from locating their mate as long as the ring has been pressed against their mark, and its effect can last from one to three months unless the magic is released earlier. That ring has three applications. Once the magic is exhausted, the gems in the rings will shatter.

There is one additional request I must make of you, although I truly wish I did not have to ask for more. Please inform Miko Vera to evacuate the city before my grace’s protection falls. I can no longer reach her through her blessing.

I regret that I cannot offer you more assistance, but please remember that these two rooms will remain accessible to you, and do not forget that your physical body is still outside, so exercise caution to avoid leaving it unattended.

All the best until we meet again,

Duarte

I didn’t realize that I had been crying until my tears started dripping onto the letter. I gently set the letter down on the table and wiped the tears from my face. My heart ached from the feelings of loss, from knowing of his constant struggle, of him seeing himself as a monster and wanting to fight what he was born to be, from his evident pain, and from the fear that I had to face these challenges without him. That he could have cut everyone off from his protection to protect himself, but instead he chose to suffer, yet so many of those people expect so much from him without gratitude, and instead are causing him to be poisoned. From what I’ve seen of this world so far, it would be well deserved for some of it to burn, yet he offers kindness. These people don’t deserve him.

After wiping off my eyes, I walked into the bathroom and quickly took a shower while I had the chance. I could have stayed in there forever, but it was already risky enough that I took one, but I couldn’t let go of this opportunity while it was right in front of me. I hate feeling sweaty and dirty. Then I hurried over to the books while drying myself off and found a book entitled ’The Art of Wilderness Survival.’ It turned out that I couldn’t bring any of the books out of the space with me, and I didn’t have time to spend reading in here, but I would make time when I was in a safer position. I got dressed in a basic brown cotton dress and slipped the rings on my left pinky finger. As soon as I slipped them on, they shrank to fit my finger and couldn’t be pulled off again.

Then I allowed myself to be pulled back into my body, and I woke up to silver eyes staring directly into me, a curtain of silver hair surrounding me as he leaned in above me and his lips close to my own.