Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 147673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
The wound was in fact shallow, but the way it bled all over made it hard for Laurent to breathe calmly. The doctor carried on with the work of closing the injury with thread, and it was Beast who ended up trying to distract Laurent than the other way around.
Knight was assisting with setting up the phone, since Laurent didn’t want to let go of Beast’s hand.
“There is a list of all the people you could call in case of emergency, or if you just want to bug them for any reason,” Beast said with a sneer when the doctor must have hurt him with the needle.
Laurent squeezed Beast’s hand harder, reading through the list, increasingly frantic. “Why is your name not on there?”
“There is. The one where I put 1 at the front, so that it’s on top.”
Laurent immediately searched for it, breathless at the importance of it.
1Kai.
“Kai…” he whispered, longing to say it out loud for the first time. Beast had given Laurent his name. “Thank you.” He squeezed Beast’s fingers once more.
Chapter 23 - Beast
Two weeks after the shootout that left Beast with a hole in his arm he was feeling much better. With Laurent rushing to his aid even at times when it wasn’t necessary, he managed to recuperate very quickly. If only his mind were in as good of a shape as his body.
The encounter with the... devil—demon, creature, or whatever else he could call it—had left scars on not only his walls and mirror. The sense of helpless anger coursed through Beast’s veins and sat on his chest at night, waking him up with its weight.
He was worthless to the devil.
Any normal man wouldn’t have thought much of it. If anything, they’d likely be happy about their nature being so uninteresting to a being that could twist their life, but Beast longed for nothing more than having his life twisted out of its current shape. To have a power beyond that of even the best doctors to take away all the pain reflected in his flesh, to make him a man Laurent wouldn’t ultimately start being embarrassed of. Spending most of his time in the clubhouse, where everyone was used to Beast, Laurent couldn’t see yet how much Beast stuck out like a sore thumb. The more television Laurent watched and the more he went out, the more he would realize that his relationship with Beast was a trap. That he could have a different life, with a different man, who could take him into any restaurant and wasn’t constantly at risk of being gaped at.
The walls of the old building of the clubhouse were becoming so oppressive that as soon as July came along, Beast was dying to get out and forget all the eyes watching him from mirrors, and all the shadows that now seemed longer than they actually should be. The little things like failing electricity and strange echoing in small rooms were unnerving even if he now knew the reason behind them.
Beast wished to get away from it all, even if just for a few days, and he was happy to find out Laurent was eager for that too when Beast proposed a camping trip. Their bags were ready, the weather was warm, and Hound followed Beast excitedly, knowing he would soon get his own backpack too.
“Don’t worry, we have enough food so that you don’t have to hunt, you lazy bum,” Beast told his dog, caressing the top of his head. Hound yelped, turning his muzzle up to look at his master before jumping and spinning around, as if he expected it to be playtime.
Beast exhaled, smiling at his pet. “You will be tired soon enough, I promise,” he said, walking along the wall and toward the garages. Hound left him when he noticed something between the trees, but Beast knew the dog would come when called, so he went on, approaching the garage where the pickup truck was already waiting for him with Laurent. He slowed down when bits of harsh-sounding conversation reached his ears.
“Whatever you’re doing, ease the fuck on it. I’m not even joking anymore. Do what you’ve got to do, but stop interfering with me!” King snarled, making Beast stop in his tracks. The anger-tinted voice was coming from inside the garage.
“I’m not interfering. We all have our part to play,” Laurent answered.
King’s growl sounded so menacing, Beast came closer and took a peek inside, at the two men facing one another next to the pickup truck.
King leaned against the wall, squinting as if daylight were hurting his eyes. Gray hair obscured some of his face, but he was as pale as he has been after every party in the recent weeks. The bottle of an electrolyte drink completed the picture of misery, and yet next to Laurent’s slender form, King was a menacing giant, no matter what state he was in at a given moment.