Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 113332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Laurent nodded, and to Beast’s surprise, he took the step closer and hugged him. When Beast looked down, beyond the cloud of waves, he was faced with the backpack containing the egg. Their child. He still couldn’t comprehend how such a thing was possible, and it broke his heart that just hours after Magpie had offered them this miracle, he was facing the possibility that whatever the creature inside the shell was, it might not get a chance to hatch. The world as they knew it could end sooner rather than later, and even though others also cared about their lives, he felt as if the weight of the forthcoming doom was on his shoulders only.
At least having Laurent in his arms soothed the ache in Beast’s chest.
He kissed the top of Laurent’s head. “What did he say? Baal, I mean.”
“That if we do not stop trying to interfere with his plan, he will take his revenge on us all. He knows of our child, and it frightens me in new ways I didn’t know existed.”
Our child.
It was something Beast had never thought he’d hear addressed to him. The words felt alien yet were true, and he wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about them. Maybe that made him selfish. Maybe he wasn’t mature enough for this yet, but he’d already said yes, and there was no taking it back. “I’ll protect you.”
Laurent took a deep breath and looked up, but stayed in Beast’s embrace. “Maybe we should wait instead of telling Mr. Magpie what happened last night right away? Just in case he does have unsavory intentions. And he’s poorly right now, anyway.”
Beast nodded. “Okay, we’ll see if we can find another solution to this mess first. I’ll inform the others.”
“Elliot told me there is a very old ghost who wishes to speak to us, and he believes the apparition speaks French. Maybe this man could shed a new light on our troubles. Would you go with me to see him?”
It was like a breath of fresh air. Not angry words or accusations. Laurent offered a potential solution.
Beast pulled Laurent into a tighter hug. “I would like that very much.”
Chapter 8 - Beast
It was difficult to stay hidden, even in a house as big as theirs. Even with so much terrain around it. As the club president, Beast needed to always stay alert, always be available for his men to contact, but at times the weight of responsibility became too much to bear.
Sitting on a fallen tree close to the clubhouse yet obscured by bushes blooming with pretty white flowers, he could breathe freely at last. There was no one here to seek his council, no one to present him with expectations he needed to meet. It was him, his thoughts, and new duties he was still coming to terms with.
He scrolled through a page of baby products on his phone. Laurent would surely insist on quality plastic that could be ‘passed on to next generations’, but Beast always thought kids didn’t need all that much to play with when they were little. All those expensive clothes and toys? To tickle the vanity of the parents.
He sighed.
Parents.
He was to be a parent. How did it come to this? He loved Laurent and wanted to offer him everything there was to give to a partner, but this? This decision had been reckless, and now there was no way to take it back. When getting together with a man barely twenty years old, he hadn’t imagined the topic of children to come up. Not so soon at least. Then again, he hadn’t imagined he’d get married after just months either, so maybe Laurent had the power of talking him into anything.
Even in his hideout, he wouldn’t be allowed the peace he so desperately needed. Knight waved at him, approaching through the grass with long steps. He smiled as if the world wasn’t in apocalyptic peril, and losing the Pigeon Heart had been just a tiny setback.
“Hey there, Daddy! I’ve been looking all over for you. Should’ve known you’d be in your old spot. Have you ever noticed that you move with the seasons? It’s here in spring, then by the lake in the summer, in autumn, it’s usually the back of the garage, and then in winter, you tend to roam around the forest, because I’m guessing sitting in the snow might end up with your balls freezing.”
Beast rubbed his eyes with his thumbs. Seemed that Knight knew him better than he knew himself, because he was, of course, right, while Beast hadn’t thought about his hermitage of choice all that much. “So you know I wanted to be alone, and you still came here,” he said, somewhat dryly.
Knight let out a soft exhale. “We were supposed to have a chat with the ghost, remember?”