Bella's Beast

By LeTeisha Newton

Isabella Thomas has a problem that she can't take care of. Her brother is a compulsive gambler that can't say no to the rush of another big win—despite Isabella's losses from bailing him out.

This time, Isabella has no house, car, or funds to give up for collateral and her only option is Elijio Vargas, the Beast of the Darkness, a man cursed to walk in the daylight as a wolf. The Beast chooses to save her brother—under one condition: Nate's debt is now Isabella's, and the new deal is for her body.

Isabella can't stop herself from giving in to Elijio, and he can't stop himself from remembering that he does have a heart, and she's quickly stealing it. Will Isabella be saved, or will Elijio have to show just how much of a beast he can be?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Jul 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781772334173

LeTeisha Newton

So I think this is the part where I’m supposed to say something super cool, win you over, and make you my life-long superfan…OR wait, is that how I am about my anime collection? Probably. Basically, I’m an author, blogger, geek, and villain lover (Joker IS MINE!). There shouldn’t be any surprise then that I tend to love my heroes a bit broken, all messed up, and in need of someone who understands them just the way they are. My heroines are right there with them. You see, love is nice, it’s sweet. It can be all rainbows and glowing stars. And then it can be dark, twisted, hurtful, and feel so damn good you have to scream about it. So I write like that. From one side of the spectrum to the other, because that’s real. That’s life. And that’s what we crave–delving into a fantasy world or not.

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Published by Evernight Publishing ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2015 LeTeisha Newton

ISBN: 978-1-77233-417-3

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Katelyn Uplinger

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

This one is for my readers. You asked me to blend my paranormal romance with a fairytale and I listened. Thank you for being behind me, always. I wouldn’t be here without you.

BELLA’S BEAST

LeTeisha Newton

Copyright © 2015

Chapter One

The music was too loud and her feet were aching, but she just couldn’t sit down. The rhythm pulsed through her like a living, breathing thing. Her heart pounded as she shook her hair out and writhed to the thumping base and the pluck of the guitar strings. Catch Hell Blues were the realest words she’d ever heard in her life on a song, and she kept them close.

Isabella Thomas, better known as Bella, was sick to death of bullshit and fuck ups in her life. Tired of asshole men who didn’t know how to treat her right, and whiny men who didn’t need to have a dick, because they were way too much of a pussy.

Unfair, maybe, but so damn true.

She twisted around, dropping to her knees on the dance floor, and bent backwards. She sang with the music, letting all her cares free as she shook her hair around her, the strobe lights her dancing partners. One, two. One, two. As the bass beat came back she stepped with it, laughing as others around her circled around her and watched.

Yes, that’s right. Watch me. Wish you were this damn free.

I’m gonna catch hell! she yelled to the other dancers and they whooped, flinging their hands up into the air. Funny to think, just an hour before, she was crying her eyes out, wracked with pain like she’d never known. Why? Because her stupid, immature, and nerve-wrecking brother had, once again, taken money he couldn’t repay. And, once again, she was going to have to pay it all back.

For now, though, she could forget about her brother’s gambling addiction, and the loss she’d felt every time. Forget that he’d sent their mother into an early grave. Their mother hadn’t been able to deal with Nathan’s gambling trouble. Nathan had always been the problem child. He’d struggled in school, not because he hadn’t been intelligent enough, but because he preferred the easier way out. Momma had pushed him through, and got him into college, and it had only served to flame Nathan’s rebellious nature. He’d leeched every dime he could from their mom until she hadn’t anymore to give. Their father had died a hero, taking a bullet for his partner while in the line of duty as a police officer. He’d left them the house, and his pension. When Nathan took the house from under her, betting against the deed he’d talked her into signing over to him, that had been the last straw. Anger at her brother hadn’t stopped Bella from fending for him when she could. He was all she had left, and she’d always felt, as his only living relative, she was responsible for him. Their mother had asked her to, at the end.

One to always to take the blame, Bella had paid the first loan shark off, and then others had circled around her. Like the cold-blooded animals they were, they smelled blood, and she was a damn leaking faucet. Her savings, checking account, and liquefiable assets were all but gone to save her brother’s life because—God help her—she couldn’t live with his blood on her hands.

And Lord knew she’d seen plenty of it to give her nightmares.

Tonight, though, she was going to breathe easy and dance her troubles away. Because tomorrow she was going to the one man that the loan sharks feared—one that was a one man army, and she’d have to sell her soul to. She knew it, but if she had her brother under his protection they wouldn’t dare to hurt him. Wouldn’t dare to come after her again. It was a last ditch effort, but, this time, she didn’t have the money to pay for Nate’s release. If she didn’t pay over two million dollars, a sum larger than it had ever been before, he’d die.

Irritated, though she may be, she loved her brother.

She smacked her gloss covered lips and flung her dark brown hair over her shoulder. Drenched in sweat, it pelted the small of