The Beast And The Blessed

Two: Joselin

Joselin's P.O.V. - Present Day

One had to be a special kind of stupid to let their ignorance feed their fear.

Yet, as I stepped into the pub, the room fell silent. Bodies shifted, and multiple people began collecting their belongings to make a quick escape. Only one person in the building should have been afraid of me, and he was sitting with his back to me at the bar, trying to enjoy his day off.

I was about to ruin that.

My chest warmed as my eyes ran across his broad back and shoulders. He didn't bother turning to look at me as I approached him. I rested my elbows on the counter next to him as the bartender placed a beer in front of me and then rushed to the other end of the bar.

The sound of feet scurrying away as the room rapidly emptied made me grit my teeth, knowing I would have to leave a large tip to make up for the loss of his business. A quick scan of the room showed only a few castle guards, who were used to me, had chosen to stay and were enjoying their meals.

But that was how it worked. I used to let their reactions get to me. The people would take one look at my long white hair and colorless eyes, and they would leave. When I was first brought here, a few people protested King Amery from taking me in. They lost, but it still bothered me.

But now, even though most of them had grown used to me, I embraced it.

I loved that I instilled a deep-seated fear in people. Humans, Lycans, Wolves, Fae... you name it.

Except him.

He had never been afraid of me, not since day one. At least, that was what

I told myself. In reality, our past was a bit more complicated than that... more painful.

Tobias pushed his plate of food in my direction, and I bit back a smile as I grabbed a fry before sliding the ceramic dish back toward him. I wasn't hungry, but I wouldn't turn his offer down. His glass of water sat untouched in front of him, and I watched as a drop of condensation ran down the glass onto the paper coaster beneath it.

nudging me to grab my attention. The warmth of his body managed to make it through his jeans and into my skin. It was

speed up when he briefly looked down at my body. When his eyes met mine again, I swallowed hard and

a favor. But seeing how he looked at me, his pupils dilated, and his lip pulled up ever so slightly on one side, always made my body feel warm and

was a god, always just out of reach.

The two didn't mix.

afraid of

ask

But there was no point to it. He had a soulmate somewhere out there, and when he

for a limited time, would have been worth the heartbreak of him

He wasn't like the others. Other men fell at my feet if I approached them. They loved to be able to say

more than that, but I had only ever felt that way for Tobias;

gave up the constant humiliation of his repeated rejections. It wasn't worth the pain if I never got the chance to be with him. But that didn't mean it didn't still hurt every time I saw him or

and did everything he could to avoid me over the past two weeks. Now I was here, humiliating myself again in public to tell him that I wasn't strong enough to do this on

to keep it a secret, not only because there were very

his glass, the movement catching my attention. His eyes were open, holding steady on me as he sipped his ice water. I watched as he swallowed, the tanned

mouth dried, and I took a large gulp of my beer, forcing

placing both hands around my beer mug as it hit the wooden top of the bar, staring at the wall of liquors in front of us. "I'll do this alone if I have to,

explain. But even thinking the words make a ball form in my throat. How did I tell him that the horror I had experienced as a child may have happened again to someone else? How do I tell him what I had seen in the mountains the night before the

hand over mine on the bar top. Sparks erupted across my skin, and I felt my breathing halt as I stared at our hands. It wasn't the first time he had initiated

out of his pocket and leave some money. My heart dropped when he let go of my hand, but I masked my emotions and did the same, leaving a couple hundred as

as if he were going to place it

known he wouldn't want to. He had made it very clear over the

was overshadowed by the humiliation when I

held my head up as I walked calmly out of the building. Still, I knew they could hear my heart beating erratically and my uneven breathing as I shoved my