His home was a castle, sitting atop a massive mountain, the weather making it seem frightening and otherworldly.

My new home.

The rain and wind whipped by me so fiercely it stung any bared part of my skin.

I wrapped my cloak around my body and tilted my head back to look up at the mansion that stood ominously before me.

A crack of lightning arched across the sky, momentarily flashing in the background and showcasing the gargoyles sitting devilishly on corbels at each corner of the castle.

I swallowed the lump of fear lodged in my throat as I tightened my hand around the strap of my lone satchel. The contents contained the few items of importance I owned.

A glance over my shoulder showed the carriage was gone, no longer even a mirage in the foggy, misty distance of the long, winding property.

I’d been picked up at our cottage as soon as the sun had set over the horizon. The coachman had taken my bag, gestured me into the carriage, and ever since then I’d been moving in a hazy-like state.

The long, stone-covered, tree-lined approach to the estate was frighteningly empty, with a gray hue settled over it and the rain pouring down with unrelenting anger.

With a steady inhale followed by an exhale, I made my way up the stone steps. One of the bolt-studded doors opened on its own before I got to it, and my heart doubled in rhythm.

I didn’t know what I expected to find, but it wasn’t the older woman who stood right inside the entryway, her black-and-white livery outfit pressed and formed around her curvy body.

Her gray and white hair was pulled up into a tight bun, and the smile she gave me was warm and friendly.

No, she certainly wasn’t what I expected to find.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome.” She clapped her hands and pressed them to her ample bosom as she looked me up and down. “Aren’t you quite the sight? The Master of the estate chose well.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant by that. We’d never seen each other, so how did he “choose well”?

“Thank you?” I hadn’t meant to phrase that like a question. I stepped inside, and a second later the heavy door closed behind me with a resounding echo.

I jumped, startled as I whirled around to see a candlestick-thin man in the same livery attire looking at me with a warm smile.

He was younger, his dark blond hair slicked back, and when he welcomed me, I could hear a thick accent, one from a distant land.

“I am Madame.” The older woman gestured to herself then pointed to the man behind me. “This is Pierre. He handles any and all housekeeping around the house.” She clapped her hands again and gestured me farther inside. “But we have lots of time to go into more of that. You must be weary and famished from your travel.”

Pierre took my bag before I knew what he was doing, startling me once again. And then I was being ushered through the grand foyer. I’d never seen so much wealth and opulence.

I followed her up the wide staircase, the carpeting beneath my feet plush, making my steps soundless.

She kept chatting away and explaining all the different artifacts hanging on the walls and the vases on podiums. But my mind was blank, my body just following the motions and orders.

I wasn’t absorbing anything, and I wondered if I was in shock, but the numbness was welcome.

Finally, when we got to one of the rooms at the end of the elaborately long hallway, she pushed the door open and I stepped inside, shock once again encompassing me.

The room was exquisite, with a large four-poster bed pressed against one wall, a grand fireplace across from it, a vanity with trinkets and knickknacks sitting on the marble top, and silk adorning the windows.

The color scheme was a light blue-and-gray ensemble that seemed to make the room appear gentler and not at all like my new prison. And after my shock slowly started to wane, I felt completely out of place.

“The wardrobe is over here,” Madame said and pointed to the elaborate, carved armoire. She pulled it open to show the interior contents, with gowns and dresses of gorgeous colors and expensive material.

I found myself reaching out and running my fingers along a particularly beautiful gown with flower embroidery in perfect detail.

“Master has picked out each piece. He has impeccable taste and knew just the things to get you so they would accentuate your natural beauty.”

I glanced at Madame and felt my throat tighten. I didn’t know what to think about the Beast hand-selecting anything, especially gowns as delicate and exquisite as the ones that were now mine.

“The lavatories are through that door.”

I was thankful she changed the subject as she pointed to a door in the corner.

“Dinner will be ready at half past six. Master has requested your attendance.” The way she said that last part had me bristling, as if I wasn’t to even think of disobeying. Not that I would. I’d willingly come here, knew my role, and wouldn’t change my mind.

My father may have put me in horrible positions over and over again throughout my life, but he was the only family I had left, and throwing him to the wolves to save my own skin wasn’t in my nature.

“Master has also selected your dinner attire.” She gestured to the bed, where a large white box tied with a red satin ribbon sat atop the lush mattress.

I’d been so stunned by everything that I hadn’t noticed it at first.

With one more smile she left me alone, closing the door behind her.

For a second I was frozen in place, my knees threatening to buckle, but I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly.

I was now legally bound to the man—the Beast—they called Master. Forms had been signed before I’d been picked up to be taken to my new home. My father had apologized repeatedly, but I’d been in too much of a fog to pay attention to him or what he said.

How could I pay attention to anything but being legally bound to my new husband—his will something I had to bend to, submit to?

I only allowed ten minutes of alone time to compose myself. I wanted to cry, scream, break something, and just get the frustration out, but I knew none of that would help me right now.

And refusing wasn’t an option, not when my father’s life was at stake.

This all seemed like a dream, with the expensive things, the lavish attendance, and the waitstaff serving me hand and foot. But I wasn’t a fool in knowing what this reality really was about.

I’d read the paperwork before I signed it.

This wasn’t just the Beast needing a wife. He wanted heirs.