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)
“You’re enjoying this far too much,” hissed King, stepping into Laurent’s personal space like he always did when he tried to intimidate someone.
“That isn’t any of your business.” Laurent stood his ground, but he didn’t manage to for long, because King grabbed Laurent by the throat and slammed him against the cement wall of the garage.
Beast saw red, and he charged at King, grabbing him by the neck and pulling up so hard he could swear he could hear bones crack. There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation between the attack on Laurent and Beast’s reaction. He wished he really had the horns of a bull so he could spear them through King’s pathetic hungover body.
“Let him go,” he hissed through his teeth, barely stopping himself from lifting King off the ground.
King choked, staring at Beast as if he saw a ghost, but let go of Laurent, even if the gesture was full of reluctance. Laurent stepped away quickly, massaging his neck and breathing hard.
Only then did Beast let go of King, spinning him away so hard his bottle landed on the floor and spilled all over. Beast exhaled, looking down at his hands. He hadn’t meant to be so forceful, but maybe his anger got the best of him. “What the hell are you doing? He’s mine.”
“Is he?” growled King and Beast licked his lips, glancing at Laurent. There was no property vest on him, and that void suddenly made Beast itch.
Laurent stepped closer and cleared his throat. “There’s no need for this. All is well. Mr. King and I had a misunderstanding.”
King squinted at Laurent and even that made Beast itch to punch his own father. “Yeah, you can call it that.”
Beast bit on the inside of his cheek. “Don’t touch him. If you have any issues with Laurent’s behavior, you should bring them to me.”
Because Laurent was under Beast’s protection now. He wasn’t wearing a property vest yet, but he would soon, so that no one dared as much as brush against him without Beast’s permission. It gave Beast a pleasant tingle in his stomach to even think of a patch on Laurent’s back pronouncing to the whole world that the beautiful young man wearing it was Beast’s.
“I will next time, so fuckin’ watch it,” King said to Laurent, but at least he didn’t touch him. He bumped into Beast’s shoulder on the way out. Beast watched his hunched form until it disappeared inside the building and only then his body relaxed.
He glanced at Laurent, instantly worried again when he saw how pale his face was. “What was that about?”
Laurent gave a deep sigh. “It’s nothing. He just doesn’t like when things don’t go exactly his way. Is Hound ready?” He smiled at Beast.
Beast frowned, and a heavy sensation settled on his chest. “It’s about the... you know what, isn’t it?”
From the way Laurent shifted in place uncomfortably, Beast knew what the answer to that was. “We don’t always see eye to eye on the issue.”
“And you won’t tell me?”
“I can’t. Please, let’s just go.”
Beast exhaled, squeezing his hands into fists as his head filled with an unpleasant pulsing. He whistled loudly and walked away from Laurent, tossing his backpack into the bed of the pickup truck.
Laurent walked over to the other side and took the passenger seat. How long would this last? How long would Laurent be in some conflict with King about which Beast wasn’t even allowed to know of?
At least Hound would never lie to him, just as happy to see Beast as ever when he ran up to him with a bark.
*
With the dog safe in a cage at the back, they drove off to the forest where Beast frequently spent his days off, away from people to stare at him, with just a compass and his furry friend, who’d never judged him based on looks.
And yet, the voracious need to spend time alone in the wild with Laurent dissipated, leaving Beast with silence in the cab and an emptiness in his chest.
He hated that his lover kept some major secret from him, hidden in plain sight and yet inaccessible. If at least Beast didn’t know the secret was there, he wouldn’t feel that their relationship was somehow fractured on the inside.
Beast was now aware of much more than before. He’d been coming to terms with the fact that he was dating a time traveler who had a pact with the devil, but it was difficult to even consider it simply dating, since they lived together. Yet the details of one of the biggest parts of Laurent’s life were still off limits to him.
Then again, maybe this trip, away from the club and with only each other to talk to, would open up Laurent’s mouth about the things Beast so desperately craved to know. How was he to make plans, know how to act, if this vital piece of the puzzle was missing? Especially that it was one apparently worthy of violence.