The Beloved Beast

Part 10-Homecoming

 The car entered the wide gates of the estate, moving forth on the driveway, till it came to a stop in front of the pillars at the main entrance. Neil got out and held her door open, extending a hand toward her. Shyly, she took his hand, her eyes widening in wonder at the sheer size of the building before her. Before she could step inside the wooden doors, they were thrown open and a young girl came flying out, almost jumping at Neil. Throwing her arms around his neck, she placed a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "Welcome home, Neil. It's been too long," she said, her pink cheeks dimpled with the broad smile she was giving him. "Tara...it's a pleasure to be home again," Neil replied jovially, twirling her around in his arms. "Renee and I used to talk about you every day. She too is dying to see you," Tara remarked with a pout on her lips, still hanging by Neil's neck. "I am dying to see Renee too. I missed her every day I was in the city." "Didn't you miss me? I am seeing you after two years," Tara's pout became more pronounced. "Of course. That goes without saying," he said, prying her hands away from his neck and pushing Tanya forward. "Tara, meet my wife, Tanya. We got married today. Tanya, my cousin Tara," he completed the introductions. The gaze which turned in Tanya's direction, literally stopped her breath. It was full of hatred and dislike. "Neil, I thought Renee and you....how could you?" Tara's eyes filled with angry tears.

Standing beside Neil, Tanya felt awkward in the extreme. She had not expected such a welcome in her new home. It was clear that the girl was distressed by the news of Neil's marriage. What had she meant by her enigmatic words? Who was Renee? Tanya's head ached with the thoughts and compounded with the tiredness of the journey, they outright made her wilt. She felt blackness engulf her vision and for the second time that day, she fell into a faint. Neil caught his wife before she could hit the tiled floor of the porch. Carrying her in his arms, he strode inside, followed by a sulking Tara. "You could have dropped a hint, Neil, instead of springing it on us out of the blue...." she complained. "Can we talk about this later, Tara? I am beat after driving the whole day, and as you can see Tanya is faring worse." He walked into a spacious room, decorated in nautical colors. It was clearly a man's room and from the bed placed in the middle of the room, it was obviously the master bedroom. Placing her on the bed, he arranged the pillows beneath her head, then rang the bell kept on the bedside. Another young girl in a maid's uniform appeared, bowed, and asked, "You rang, sir?"

Opening her eyes, Tanya found herself in an unknown room, but casting a glance around it, she guessed it was Neil's bedroom. She remembered falling through a tunnel of darkness, but it seemed she did not fall on the floor. Neil must have caught her. It was a less-than-desirable way of entering her new home, but then, again, it showed her that Neil cared so much for her. At that moment, he walked out of a door, his hair damp, and wearing one of his bathrobes. "You are up. Good," he remarked when he saw her sitting on the bed. Sitting beside her, he held her hand, "How are you feeling?" he asked solicitously. "Better but hungry, I guess. I am sorry that I passed out like that. What must your family be thinking?" she said, her face burning. "Don't mind Tara. There wasn't anyone else. My father will meet us in the morning. I will ask the maid to bring some light supper." She nodded. The maid brought them some chicken soup and they ate in silence. Tanya felt a little shy being in his room as Neil's wife. Did he remember that it was their wedding night? Once they had eaten and she had showered and changed into a lacy nightgown, a gift from Monica, she walked over to where he was standing by the window, gazing at the darkness outside. Putting her arms around his waist, she leaned against him, inhaling his clean mint smell. It was enough to start a fire in the pit of her stomach. Neil's gaze took in her upturned face, acknowledging her invitation, as his eyes roamed her slender figure in the revealing nightdress. He brought his head down to place his lips on hers, in a deep kiss, which ended too soon for her liking. Picking her up in his arms, he gently laid her on the bed and joined her there. Pulling her close, he whispered softly in her ear, "Sleep now, Tanya. We are both tired tonight. It's been a long day." Still burning with an unfulfilled desire, Tanya buried her face in his chest before trying to court sleep.

With heavy steps, Marina walked up to the shelf by her bed and picked up the small, framed portrait. Rubbing the thin layer of dust off it, she gazed fondly at the face of the girl in the picture. She had doe eyes, a pixie face, and her hair shone like spun gold. To Marina, she was the most beautiful girl, ever. Her Myra. That little foundling she had taken under her wing and loved more than she could have loved any child of her own. It did not matter that Myra wasn't a witch. She had never even shown any interest in learning witchcraft. She had been a happy, lively, little girl who had grown up to be a passionate young woman with dreams in her eyes. Until she had met him. Then she had only wanted to be his wife, his Luna. Myra had been truly in love with Remus, the Alpha werewolf from the Northern Mountain pack. He too had been besotted with her. Marina's hands shook and her face became pensive when she remembered the subsequent events. What followed had destroyed Marina's world. The werewolves had paid for it too. They did not have it easy. She had seen to that. Now the new Alpha was back with a girl. A human too. She wished to know more about the girl. Why was she with him? Marina decided she would have to gather that information herself. The witches had their 'familiars' who could take any shape. She would have to call upon her familiar to bring the information from the pack.

Tanya was ready and waiting for Neil to accompany her to the dining room for breakfast. His father would be meeting them there. Her heart pounded with apprehension. What if, like Tara, he too disliked her on sight? She so wished to gain the approval of Neil's family. It would make her stay here that much easier. She was woken from her reverie by the sound of the door as Neil walked in. He was dressed in his track pants and a sweatshirt. Even in those casual clothes, he managed to look handsome and Tanya's stomach clenched in reaction. He had obviously gone for a jog early in the morning, without disturbing her slumber. He smiled to see her ready and waiting for him. "Give me a moment to shower, and I will be back," he threw over his shoulder as he walked into the bathroom.

Tanya sat beside Neil, eyeing the mound of eggs and sausages, with some reservations. She covertly watched Neil and Tara devour quantities of the stuff, her own stomach churning as she tried to spread an apricot preserve on her toast. Neil's father, a quiet, gray-haired, man, had surveyed her as if she was some unwanted baggage the cat had dragged in. Were they all disappointed in her because she was plain while Neil was so obviously the epitome of good looks? Tanya felt tears prick her eyes, as she was reminded of the way she was treated in her college. She had greeted Neil's father shyly with a smile, but he had only nodded in reply, his thin lips pursed in displeasure. Tanya wished instead of coming here, she and Neil had spent a few days at his house in the city. As the meal neared its end, Neil's father looked up to address him for the first time. "Meet me in the study after breakfast. We have a lot to discuss," he said in a tight voice.

Tanya was aimlessly wandering through the manor, admiring the paintings and antiques which lined the walls, or were displayed on the shelves when she felt her feet arrested as she heard her name being uttered. The speaker was clearly Neil's father, and it was plain that he was speaking to his son, his manner angry and disgusted. "Don't tell me that you married that poor girl without telling her the truth! How could you do this, Son?" The voices were coming from behind the closed doors of the room outside which she had been admiring a particularly remarkable painting of the moon. Tanya felt her heart miss a beat. What truth was he talking about? Should she listen further or should she move away? Wasn't it true that eavesdroppers never heard anything good about themselves? She was about to move away when Neil spoke up. "Dad, you know I want to throw the curse from my head. I need her to do it." Tanya felt her head buzz with the things she was hearing. It was all so confusing. What curse? It was the first she had heard about any curse. Before she could hear what it was all about, though, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Spinning on her heels, she found herself face to face with Tara. "What are you doing here? Listening in on a private conversation?"