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Beautiful Monsters

Chapter 23

Corene lay in bed beside Jonathan, watching with soft eyes as the marquis slept. Sex with him had been nothing short of incredible. He was handsome. Passionate. Forceful. Yet gentle. Affectionate. Attentive. His careful kisses on her lips, her breasts . . . left her melting in his arms.

Jonathan fell asleep holding Corene, and she squirmed free of him once he had drifted off. It frightened and alarmed her. All of it did. She was supposed to be with Etienne. She was going to be his queen. That she had allowed what had happened between her and Jonathan . . . it flabbergasted her. Why? Why did she let him? She knew if she had told him to stop, he would have. And each time she was on the verge of protesting, he stopped and looked at her, patiently waiting. But she always told him to keep going. And he kept going. For hours.

One of the maids came to check on her, a small little thing, brown and white, with a long brown mane and a small, round face. She halted to see the two of them locked in a passionate embrace and her expression spread with horror. They were completely naked when the maid entered. Corene was in Jonathan's lap; her legs were wrapped around him; and he was holding her, bending her back as he licked her from cleavage to neck. Her head fell back, her large breasts jiggled as he jerked his hips to punch up and in. Her rhythmic screams filled the room as the maid staggered to a stop in the doorway. Jonathan breathlessly told her to leave and shut the door. Corene was astonished when the girl began to cry. He shouted at her when she didn't move, and with a contorted face, she turned and fled. She was sobbing.

When the young maid had gone, yet another one stood in her wake. But this one was older. Her long chocolate brown mane hung around her shoulders as she stood stiff with dignity, paws folded over her apron. Corene recognized her as one of the maids who'd cared for her the night before. Her name was Hadly. Jonathan guiltily avoided her eye. With a stern glare, Hadly turned and quietly left, closing the door behind her.

That Jonathan's servants hated him wasn't a surprise to Corene, who thought of his father with a scowl as she lay beside him. "You beautiful monster," she whispered, touching Jonathan's mussed red mane with slender fingers. He looked so innocent in his sleep, so peaceful. But she knew it was like watching a sleeping tiger. Once he woke, the fire would surely return. She kissed his cheek and smiled. "Oh, why did I let you? I belong to Etienne. I shall be queen. And you . . . you can never be worthy of that."

"Pft. No one can ever be worthy of you, your highness," said a voice.

Corene slowly turned her face and went rigid. Candy Cane was sitting in a chair bedside the bed. Only . . . it couldn't be her! She was wearing the same gown, torn and filthy. The hideous red gash where Corene had cut her burned dark across her throat and twitched when she spoke. Her black eyeliner was smudged and running down her face from the angry tears she had shed while beating Corene. She smiled calmly, and her big red mane was dazzled by the gentle sunlight that fell through the windows. She wasn't transparent. She sat beside Corene's bed, solid, bloody, and silver eyes glowing with a smile.

Corene's eyes fluttered wide in horror. She struggled to sit up, clutching the sheets to her naked breasts. "No," she whispered, swallowing hard as she scooted back. "N-No . . . it _can't_be."

Candy Cane's smile widened, revealing her fangs. "Course it is, princess. It's me. Lady Emilia."

"No . . ." Corene stared at the entity through a sudden rise of tears. She closed her eyes and frowned. "Go away."

"Why don't you listen to your heart?" the whore said sympathetically. "You're better off with that one there. The prince?" Candy Cane shook her head. "He don't want you, love." Her voice was soft, sad.

Corene looked at her unhappily. "You aren't . . . angry that . . .?"

"I don't know," Candy Cane said, as if she really didn't. She shrugged. "I guess dyin' gives you a whole new perspective on life. Some of us hold on to the anger because all we can think about is what we lost. Others . . . let the anger go. Maybe I ain't angry because I had nothin' to lose." She shrugged again.

Corene lowered her lashes. "I'm not sorry," she said to her lap. "You hurt me."

Candy Cane laughed. "I'm not sorry, either, sweet buns. And mmm . . . you have some sweet buns. Watchin' Handsome there fuck your brains out makes me miss gettin' a good stiffy."

Corene's lip curled. "_Must_you use such language? And you were watching!" She felt herself blush and scowled when Candy Cane laughed at her.

"What else have I got to do, honey? I'm dead."

"No!" Corene looked away. "You're not real!"

"I am. I thought I'd do something decent with my afterlife and tell you to leave off the prince."

"No. Go away!"

"It will come to nothing --"

"No!" Corene almost screamed. She clenched her fist on the white coverlet, and the flexing flesh around her naked collarbone heaved with her sudden anger. "Etienne is everything to me - everything. He is my king, and I will be queen of Varimore! Do you understand?"

"Let him go," the whore insisted softly. "You go looking for him, and you're gonna mess things up. For everyone."

Corene blinked as it suddenly hit her: Jonathan had said Etienne was gone. She looked quickly at the entity. "Where is he? I have to find him!"

Candy Cane shook her head, red curls tumbling. "Like I'd tell you that. Haven't you been listening? You find him and it won't be pretty. Least ways not for him."

Corene scowled. "What does that mean!"

"Let him be, honey. If he was really everything to you, you wouldn't have let Handsome there lift your leg in the air all morning."

Corene blushed to her hairline. She was about to protest when the entity scattered like fog.

Jonathan moaned in his sleep. "Mmm . . ."

Corene clutched the sheets to her breasts, silently praying Jonathan hadn't heard her screaming at no one. She watched his eyes flutter open, watched his strong neck flex as he yawned. He looked over and smiled at her.

"What's the matter, my princess? Did you miss me?" Jonathan moaned, pulling himself up against the pillows. His eyes softened when he looked at her, and his gentle paw touched her cheek. The sheet tumbled down, revealing the strong muscles of his bare chest and shoulders. His red mane blazed softly in the sunlight.

Corene's lashes fluttered and she shied from his touch.

"What's the matter?" he said unhappily and pulled his paw away.

Corene averted her eyes, and her long lashes fanned down. "Nothing," she lied.

It was afternoon, for the sun floated high beyond the open windows. Corene's cold breakfast was on the nightstand, where Jonathan had haphazardly set it as he was stepping out of his breeches. Her ear flicked as she listened to him climb from the bed. The sudden lift of his weight rocked her. His clothes rustled as he took them from the chair and started to dress.

"I should go," he said, grunting as he stepped into his breeches. "Before my father realizes I've disappeared. They warned me off you but. . . ." He paused to smile at her. "I couldn't resist."

Corene's throat tightened and she stared at her lap. "Why did you come to me?"

"I wanted to see the princess of Varimore with my own eyes," he said and shrugged. Corene thought he sounded wistful. She looked up to find he was watching her with soft eyes as he pulled on his white shirt and buttoned it up. "You are as indescribably beautiful as the stories say." He shook his head slowly as his eyes traced over her. But he tore his gaze away and cleared his throat. "I envy Etienne."

Corene blinked, startled by the sad note in his voice. But she pushed her surprise away. "Where is Etienne? You said he was gone."

"Came for him, did you?" Jonathan turned away as he slipped on his coat.

Corene thought he sounded bitter. She smiled. "Should I have come for you?"

"Of course. I'm the better lover."

Corene laughed. "You didn't answer my question."

"Who knows where his _majesty_is," Jonathan said, suddenly angry. "Better yet, who cares?"

Corene stared at his back in amazement. It suddenly struck her that Jonathan was not simply jealous of Corene and Etienne - he was angry with Etienne. But why? Perhaps the two of them had quarreled. Perhaps Jonathan was the reason Etienne was gone.

"But do you know where he went?"

Jonathan flashed her a smile over his shoulder. "Don't worry, my princess. Etienne is a big boy. He can take care of himself." He looked away, pulling his long red mane back into its usual tail. "My father sent bloodhounds into the forest to find him. They think he fled there."

"But why would he flee? Because of you?" Corene teased. The smile dropped from her lips when Jonathan glanced at her unhappily.

The marquis came to the bed, and Corene went very still when he sat on the edge near her. He looked into her eyes, and she felt something. It was as if something clicked between them, and he whispered to her, "I don't know why but . . . I feel as if I could tell you. And you wouldn't laugh." He shook his head. "Why do I feel that way?" She closed her eyes when he touched her face. She wanted to kiss him, kiss all his sorrow away, and chided herself. When she looked in his eyes again, she felt the same understanding he had only just described. Like she could tell him anything, and he wouldn't laugh either. She wanted to whisper her sorrows in his ear, wanted the sweet abandon of crying against his strong chest. She thought of the last few weeks - of Etienne's rejection, Donica cutting her, Candy Candy's rape - and just wanted to cry.

"Where are you going?" Corene whispered and caught his paw as it touched her face. She couldn't believe the words had come from her mouth, and neither could he.

He looked at her in surprise a moment, but he smiled. "I won't be far, my princess. I must make an appearance at court. My father is throwing a ball tonight. I must entertain suitors. Guests should already be arriving, actually." He laughed derisively. "They think the prince of Varimore will be in attendance. And once word spreads that you are here, I do believe the walls will be bursting with uninvited guests. Your presence should make the Kingsleys quite popular again." He laughed. "I'm sorry."

Corene smiled, relishing in the soft touch of his fingers on her cheek. "It's alright. If it would benefit you, I'd gladly make an appearance." She rolled her eyes up, peering at him playfully. "Would you like her highness to appear on your arm? To keep the ravenous suitors away?"

Jonathan laughed, pleasantly surprised by her teasing. "After this morning, it has come to my attention that there isn't a lady more ravenous than her highness the princess."

Corene blushed brightly. "I . . . I . . ." She stammered herself silent, feeling like a fool. She had given him oral pleasure that morning - for a long time, she licked him and sucked him and even rubbed her great breasts on him. Simply because she wanted to. He twitched and throbbed against the pleasure, and later when he was inside her, he almost erupted and had to pull out. They were supposed to be talking about Etienne, but here they were, talking about everything else. Talking about each other. What was happening?

"I believe Etienne ran away because of me," Jonathan said wearily. "Because I had sex with him and stole from him."

Corene stared at him, taken aback.

"I never knew I would come to want . . . For one moment I thought I would steal him from you and make him mine. Forever. But he rejected my affections. His heart belongs to the princess, it seems." He smiled sadly.

Corene shook her head. "Etienne doesn't love me, Jonathan."

Jonathan frowned sympathetically to see the tears that started to her eyes. One trickled down her cheek and he caught it with his thumb. He shook his head. "Then he is a bigger fool than I ever suspected."

Corene looked down. "No. I . . . I don't deserve his love. I haven't exactly been worthy of him. . . . In fact, he probably thinks me a monster." She frowned miserably as she reminded herself: she was there to lie. To cry and pretend and garner sympathy so that Etienne would come home with her. She was there to trick him. Was it any wonder that he didn't love her?

Jonathan snorted derisively. He lifted her chin and looked gently into her eyes. "_Everyone_deserves to be loved, Corene. Even monsters like us."

Corene smiled. They stared at each other a moment.

"You called me by name," the princess whispered.

Jonathan's lips lifted in a half-smile. "I guess I did. I apologize, your highness --"

"No!" Corene placed a finger on his lips. "I liked it. Do it again."

"Corene," he said softly, his eyes intense as they peered into hers.

"Jon_athan," she whispered happily. But then the thought came again: _she belonged to Etienne. She frowned and looked away miserably. "You should go. I must dress. And they will be missing you at court."

"Yes," Jonathan agreed and rose regretfully from the bed. He was at the door when Corene called to him. He stopped. "Yes, my princess?"

"Be kind to your servants," Corene said. She was thinking of Flavia and Liza. But she was also thinking of the maid who'd run crying from the room that morning.

Jonathan smiled, his paw on the door. "If my princess commands it," he said and went out.

Clutching the sheets to her breasts, Corene stared after him a moment . . . and smiled.