 In a 2007 interview , the author described the novel as her " Beauty and the Beast story " , stating that like the Beast , Dain is an outcast and misfit among the novel 's society . Chase describes Dain as " truly awful : rude , overbearing , and intimidating ... He consciously uses his monstrousness in the same way he uses his vast wealth and his social position : to control his world and protect himself . It 's sad , in a way , because he ’ s isolated , like the Beast of the fairy tale trapped in his castle . But Dain is not pitiful by any means : He ’ s smart , cynical , and sarcastic , with a sharp eye for the ridiculous . He has a sense of humor and is adept with clever comebacks and putdowns " . Jessica represents the Beauty of the story , someone who " enters the Beast ’ s lair of her own accord " as his equal " no matter how awful " he acts . 
