Beauty And The Beast Episode 16 by Ebunoluwa Ademide

Beauty And The Beast Episode 16 by Ebunoluwa Ademide

Please Note: Episode 14 was omitted kindly click HERE to read

Theme: Heart of Gold ?

?Cassidy’s POV ?

In my subconscious state,I could feel someone stroking my face. Slowly I opened my eyes to meet Caden eyes Watching me. His face lit up with happiness when he realized that I was fully awake.

“Abeja!” He sat up quickly. “You’re awake!”

I was still laying on my belly,guarded with pillows. Caden leaned over and placed a kiss on my forehead. “I am so happy you are awake!” He removed strands of hair from my face.

“You’ve been out for three days. I became so afraid that something bad would happen to you..but I am happy right now that you’re fine.”

I cleared my cracky throat. I wondered if I could still talk after finding out that I have been out for days.

“Let me get you water…” Caden hoped out of bed,exited the room with a fast speed and returned before I could even blink my eye. But I can’t drink water in this position.

“Cora said your bones are back in place and you will be able to sit up once you wake up.” He said.

I felt slight pain in my spine region when I made an attempt to shift.

“Hold on..let me help you sit up so you can drink some water.”

My body felt stiff probably because I had lay in one position for too long. Caden removed the pillows and rearranged them at the headboard of the bed. Then he helped me to sit up gently. The band-aid on my arm and head was still in place.

“Here drink up..” he placed the glass in my mouth to drink from it and I did.

Caden weaved his fingers with mine and kissed them. “How are you feeling?”

I rested my head on the headboard and closed my eyes. “Say something to me Abeja.” He whispered. I have a lot of questions to ask him about Evelyn but at the same time I didn’t want to discuss it yet.

“Ask me anything you wanna know about Evelyn, I’ll answer all your questions.” No response came from me. “Abeja,what did Evelyn say to you?” He asked.

I swallowed hard. “Nothing, Evelyn was just getting to know me.” I lied.

Even I didn’t believe I could say Evelyn was getting to know me despite the injuries I incurred from the fight. I should have thought of something better!

“What? Getting to know you?” Caden gaped.

“Yeah…in a harsh way..I guess.” I avoided making an eye contact with him as I let go of Caden hand and fiddled with mine.

“No,she wasn’t getting to know you.” He said sharply. “Do you know the gravity of what she did to you? Abeja,you almost lost your chance of ever walking again if Cora wasn’t a skilled healer!” He said in a slightly raised tone.

“Really? Well that wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t having an affair with her! Evelyn wouldn’t have come for me if you haven’t given her the slighest hope that she was going to be your Empress!” I snapped at him.

“Did she say that to you?!” He asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” My response was immediate.

“No, we’re going to talk about it.” He said.

I removed the bedcovers and set to get out of bed.

“What are you doing?” Caden asked.

“What does it look like?” I set my first foot out of bed. I knew I was angry for some reasons I couldn’t explain at that moment. And all I wanted was to avoid the discussion about Evelyn.

“Abeja..” he grabbed my wrist.

“Don’t you dare touch me or call me a stupid name! I am Cassidy Moore! Get that into your coconut head!” I jerked free and set my second foot out of bed as I didn’t miss the shock in his expression. My legs were heavy,they shook a bit when I stood up from the bed.

“Let’s discuss this once and settle it for all.”

“I am not interested! There’s nothing to discuss! I know Evelyn is your woman..and she’s in love with you, plus she is the only woman who can satisfy you needs!” I shouted in frustration as I took the first few steps.

“What?!” He gapsed out.

“You heard me..” I started towards the bathroom.

“What are you talking about?” Caden appeared in front of me,a confused look on his face.

I hate the fact that vampire can teleport and be anywhere!

His face hardened. “What’s the meaning of what you just said?”

“Evelyn is your woman nad she’s the only one who can satisfy you!” I pushed his chest so he could move out of the pathway but it didn’t work.

“No! that’s not true!”

“Oh really? Okay..” I threw my hands up in surrender. “She’s not your woman but then she comes in here to attack me and say all sort of things you guys did together!”

Caden ran his hand through his hair. “What did she say to you?” He asked with a deep frown on his face.

I moved closer to him, placing my hands on his chest. “One question…just one question and I need the truth.” I muttered.

He looked down at me. “Okay. Go on.”

“Did you spend nights at Evelyn’s chambers those times you were trying to figure if you should accept me?”

Caden response would prove if everything Evelyn said was right.

“Yes.” He answered.

I felt something shatter within me. Damn it! I should have prepared my heart for his response. Wait! I would be a fool to expect a No from Caden when Evelyn had said it all.

My hands dropped from his chest.

“I slept at -“

I interrupted Caden’s intended statement. “I don’t give a damn.” My voice came out in a rasp.

“But you wanted the truth. At least give me a chance to explain.” He said.

Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks. No! I wasn’t going to shed a tear like a crybaby in the presence of Caden.

“I want to be alone.” I managed to say as I pushed back tears.

“Abeja -“

I walked away at a close run before Caden could complete his intended statement. Mixed emotions raced marathon within me as Evelyn’s words replayed in my head.

I was angry at myself for letting her words get to me even though she was dead. I felt betrayed at the truth Caden spilled to me! Why Evelyn’s chambers?! He could have slept in his other suites! Kira once told me that Caden owned three luxurious suites in the Imperial..so why Evelyn’s chambers?!

I was sad because the answer wasn’t far fetched,Caden and Evelyn shared something together..a bond I may never have with Caden even as his mate. Evelyn loved Caden and probably Caden loved her too but he had to let her go because of me.

I felt a pang of jealousy within me. Evelyn claimed to be the only woman who could satify Caden. The satisfaction the woman he had loved deeply couldn’t give him..then I really do not have a chance with Caden!

Tears flowed down my cheeks. Even if I have to get engaged to Caden soon,I have no sex experience! And that means Caden would go back to Evelyn! No..no..she was dead. Caden would probably have other women like Ava who are willing to get into bed with the Emperor without being asked. And that would make me an option..like a figurehead Empress if I failed to satisfy Caden.

I started to regret my decision of keeping my virginity for just one man. Well I had this hope of finding true love when I was in high school,which prompted my decision to remain a virgin for Mr Right.

I thought Caden was my Mr Right,seeing the way he cared for me and how he had been treating me. No man had ever been so nice to me in my life the way Caden had been to me.

At some point I started to think my presence in the world was a blessing. Yes! It was a blessing to my kind but not to me! Perhaps should I continue on my escape plan so I can be free and return back to my normal life?! I gave in to more internal banter.

“Why do you want to leave?” An inner voice said into my mind. I want to be free!

If I succeed with my escape plan, I will move on and live like nothing has ever happened.

“You want to continue living on your own and have no one to love? You want to continue being alone? Aren’t you tired of being alone?!” The voice snapped.

“I am fed up.” I whispered,more tears streaming down my face.

“Look,the people already welcomed and accepted you. And someone wants you here too.”

“Who?”

“Caden Wright! You think he’ll let you go?! Come on! You’re his mate!”

“He has Evelyn..Ava and probably other women too.”

“Why don’t you give him a chance to talk about Evelyn and then find out if there are truly other women.”

“What if there are other women?”

“Look,what you don’t know is that..this placee is a blessing in disguise.”

To be honest,deep down in my heart I want so many things. With Caden in my life I was ready to give love a chance and I don’t want to leave because I still have to help my kind,they need me!

I don’t want to be alone anymore and – A knock on the door jolted me out of thought.

“Abeja,you’ve been in there for the last thirty minutes,please open up the door. Stop being stubborn and let’s talk like matured People.” Caden said.

Maybe I should really listen to him. I turned on the tap and washed my swollen face.

Caden knocked again. “Give me a chance to explain everything.”

I opened the door but avoided looking into his eyes. Caden heaved a sigh of relief. I stepped out of the bathroom and stood in front of him without knowing what to say.
He scoot closer and pulled me in for an embrace. Being in his arms felt like Heaven.

I shut my eyes hard,buried my face in his chest as I relaxed in his embrace.

He said. “Thank you for opening the door…” Another tears dropped down my cheek.

Several seconds clicked by before Caden pulled away from me. His hand reached my face to wipe the tears before he leaned in and rested his forheead on mine.

“Forgive me for making you cry.” He kissed my forheead. “Can we talk now?”

I shook my head. Caden weaved his hand with mine and led me to the bed. He rearranged the pillows and gestured to me to lean my back against it. I sat in a comfortable position and rested my head on the bed board while Caden sat at the edge of the bed very close to me.

“Ask me anything about Evelyn and I will give you answers. I will speak nothing but truth.” He said sincerely.

“Is she your woman?” I asked.

“No, she’s not my woman neither is she my girlfriend.” He answered.

“Do you love her?”

“No.” His reply was sharp.

I glanced up to look at him. “So..what exactly is your relationship with her?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

He sighed. “Evelyn was Marilyn’s bestfriend.”

My eyes widened in sheer shock. “Yes,we were all close friends before the war. Marilyn died but Evelyn and I survived the war. We became very..very close than I expected after our first sex.”

My heartbeat rapidly. Oh! Evelyn has been with Caden for hundreds of years. Is it possible that Caden doesn’t have a tinge of feelings for Evelyn?!

“Listen, whatever I shared with Evelyn in the past wasn’t something serious.”

“Why? Is it because of your ex-mate?” He nodded Yes.

“But that’s not the only reason..” he said.

“What other reasons do you have?” I asked.

“She’s not my destined mate and as an Emperor,I am not permitted to pick any female as my mate. The Empress has to be my destined mate and Evelyn knows about it too.” He explained.

“So why did she come to attack me when she knows the truth?”

“About a week ago,I told Evelyn that we should end our sexual relationship because of you. But she disagreed and said that it wasn’t necessary to end things with her. She suggested to be my mistress but I kicked against it. So I guess she attacked you, thinking I would come back to her if you are dead.”

I supposed it must have been really hard for Evelyn to end things just like that. She loved Caden,so seeing him with another woman must have been hard on her. My presence and doings must have triggered her anger and hatred towards me. I clearly understand how she must have felt knowing that another woman was getting engaged to the man she had grew to love over the years.

“I made it clear to her that what we shared wasn’t for a lifetime. We both knew that someday another woman would come along though we weren’t expecting my mate to be a human.”

“I don’t blame Evelyn. It must have been hard for her to let you go. I mean…since you’ve been together for hundreds of years.”

“That’s not enough reason to attack you and try to kill you. She should have come for me instead of you!”

I shook my head. “You know.. that’s impossible. She can’t come for you because you are her Emperor. And you are only saying all these things because you couldn’t love Evelyn simply because Marilyn is in your heart. But what about Evelyn’s feelings?”

The knowing look on Caden’s face proved that I was right. Marilyn was still in heart.

“And I think..I would have done the same if I was in her position.” Caden shook his head and took my hands.

“It’s just a thought. Abeja with the little time I have spent with you, I know you can’t harm anyone. You are incapable of doing something bad that would hurt another. You would rather hurt yourself than harm another. That’s why I feel so lucky to have you as my mate.”

I shook my head in disagreement. “No,it shouldn’t have been me.” I whispered and withdrew my hands from his.

“Don’t say such -” he moved closer to me.

I shut my eyes, trying to fight back tears that threatened to spill anytime soon. I didn’t why know I was feeling guilty. For an unknown reason it felt like everything Evelyn had said that night was true.

“I don’t deserve you.” I said,tears running down my cheeks. I couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Abeja…” I reopened my eyes when I felt his touch on my face.

“If this is about what Evelyn said to you,please don’t let her words get to you.” His finger tips wiped my tears.

I shook my head in disagreement. “She was right.” I mumbled.

Caden’s jaw hardened as he pulled away. “And what exactly did she say to you?” He asked.

I could read anger in his expression but Casen fought to control himself. I closed my eyes again as I thought about Evelyn’s words. I would never be able to satisfy Caden. Judging from Evelyn and Ava’s looks,I wasn’t Caden’s type of woman. Beautiful, Body fitted and Gorgeous! And what do I do if Caden realized that I was out of his league,that I was too fat and too awkward?

“Evelyn must have said a lot of this to you.” He said.

I reopened my eyes again. “Yes…she told me a lot of things.” I admitted.

“What did she say to you?” He flickered my hair behind my ear. “You can tell me anything.” Caden interlocked our fingers and kissed them. “Let me clear up your doubts.”

Yeah! Probably telling Caden would clear up doubts and help me clear my head too.

I looked down. “She said I don’t deserve you…” I stopped.

“Go on…” He said.

“She also said that..I wouldn’t be able to satisfy you like her….so you would always return to her because she’s the only one who can give you what your ex-mate couldn’t give you – Rough sex.”

Caden tightened his hold on my hand. I glanced up to see Caden’s irises blazing crimson and I knew he was angry. But he soon realized that his hold could be hurting me. Caden relaxed and waited a minute to calm before he spoke up softly to me.

“Don’t pay attention to her words. I don’t have anything to do her anymore since I have you now.”

“And also because she’s dead.” I added.

“Dead?” He asked.

“Yes..you shouldn’t have killed her.” I whispered in a sad tone.

“I didn’t kill her.” He answered.

I stared at him in a confused state. “What? But..but..you threw her off the rails that night.”

“Yes..I threw her off the rails into the pool.” He replied.

“Are you saying Evelyn is alive?”

“Very..very much alive. I only threw her into the pool and then asked James to get her.”

Oh! There was a swimming pool downstairs. You can easily see it if you lean on the rails and look down. Somehow I felt relieved that Evelyn wasn’t dead.

“Where is she?”

“She is locked up in the darkest dungeon -“

I cut him off. “Serving the deadliest punishment.” I completed his intended sentence.

Caden nodded Yes. “She have to pay for hurting you.”

“Listen Caden, I know what she did was wrong but…..” I paused. “I beg of you,let her go.”

“No..no..I am not going to let her go just like that. Do you even know how scared I was when I saw you in that position? You were close to death that I thought I was going to lose you!” He gritted.

“But I am alive..” I held his hands too. “And it was a good thing you came in before she killed me.”

Caden looked away from me. “Please let her go.” My eyes pleaded with him.

“This is why I said you can’t hurt another if you were in Evelyn’s position.”

“You can’t be so sure.”

“Well I am sure..just look at what you are asking of me. I should let go of the one who tried to kill you.”

“We aren’t going anywhere if we don’t learn to forgive.” I said.

“I must admit it to you that you have a heart of gold.” Caden smiled, revealing the dimples on his cheeks.

“Is that what you really want?” He asked.

His smile almost blinding me. “Yes I want Evelyn out of the dungeon.” I responded.

“Okay..but I won’t spare her if she comes for you again.” He grazed my cheeks with his knuckles.

“I am sure she won’t come for me.”

“So we are good?” He asked.

I nodded Yes. “Can I get a smile now?”

A small smile formed on my face. “Can I ask a question?” I said.

Caden hummed a response. “Ava…” I paused and itched the back of my neck.

“Yeah..Ava..”

“Are you having an affair with her too?”

“No!” His response was sharp and immediate.

I felt pure relief at his response. Atleast I don’t have to deal with another whore. “Okay…that’s all.”

“Why did you ask?”

“Well…she kept throwing seductive looks at you at the ball.”

“Ava wants something with me but I made it clear to her that I don’t want her. So you don’t need to worry about her.” I shook my head feeling happy at his words.

“Kira dropped by early and made you breakfast. But I told her to take the day off that I would take care of you.”

“Don’t you have a meeting to attend?”

“I already put all my meetings on hold few days ago.”

“Why?”

“I have to take care of my mate.”

I looked down and fiddled with the bedsheet,a blush rising to my cheeks. “I am fine now..so you can reschedule your meetings.”

“Not anytime soon..I’m staying with you. We need to spend more time together.”

He leaned in and kissed my cheeks. “Do you want to take a shower or breakfast before you shower?” He asked.

“I’ll take a shower.” I answered.

“Okay do your thing while I get your breakfast.”

One more kiss on my forehead and then he was out of the room. I got out of bed and motioned towards the bathroom to take a shower.

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Beauty And The Beast Episode
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