“Calm down. We can talk about this,” Knight said, but the backs of his legs hit the well, and his entire body tilted backwards, dipping toward the black hole ready to swallow him down its dark throat. His long hair fell into his face, but he reached out to Theodore in a frantic motion.
“Elliot!”
Theodore bared his teeth, turning the familiar features into those of an old man as he raised the knife, ready to strike a final time.
Laurent was like a salt statue, but Beast dashed forward on time. He grabbed Theodore’s hand and squeezed it so hard the blade fell. A single shove was enough to send Elliot’s gangly body tumbling to the ground. Laurent’s heart beat so fast he could sense it in his throat, but Knight managed to break his fall with both arms and rolled off the open well in a whirlwind of jeans and leather.
Laurent ran up to him, wary of Theodore, who blindly reached for the knife. His hand was bent at an unnatural angle that had Laurent’s guts twisting with nausea. Beast darted at Theodore like a grizzly about to maul a gazelle, but Knight pushed him out of the way, once more, sending his possessed boyfriend into the grass.
“Don’t hurt him!” Knight yelled, standing between Theodore and Beast, as if he hadn’t been a step away from death moments ago.
Laurent watched it all with his arms protectively cradling Marcel. He wanted to run, hide the egg, get as far away as possible, but as the sole person who could understand Theodore, he needed to stay here and act.
“Please, calm down. Let’s be civilized ab—” He stopped when the newly freed ghost rolled over, using Elliot’s broken hand to help himself to his feet. The fallen knife was only inches away, and he grabbed it before charging at Laurent.
His movements were those of a cougar out for blood and so fast the edge of the rusty blade pressed to Laurent’s throat before he could have even considered running.
Knight and Beast both stilled, their eyes trained on the metal that could bite into Laurent’s flesh at any moment.
Laurent feared to even swallow, but his focus was on the baby he carried in the backpack. He should have never brought Marcel here. “We’re trying to fight Baal! We’re on your side,” he uttered, hit by an unfamiliar musky scent that clung to Elliot’s flesh like borrowed perfume.
Theodore shook his head, leaning closer until his breath tickled Laurent’s ear and made him shudder with disgust. “Tell them there is no other way. Someone needs to die for the ritual to stop. He is part of it,” he pointed to Knight. “Those trees are demons, and their very existence threatens this world!”
“So we cut down the trees,” Laurent said, meeting Beast’s focused gaze. His insides were in knots, but Marcel’s weight in his arms was way more important than fear.
“No! That will only gain us a bit more time. His hands need to go. I cannot take chances!” Theodore roared, and this time, the blade did cut Laurent’s skin, turning him into an animal frantically pulling away from the butcher’s knife.
Laurent took a deep breath. “Knight, he’s after your hands.”
Knight swallowed, his nostrils flaring, but he got down to one knee and rested his hand on the rim of the well. “Then he’ll have them. He needs to let you go. I’m waiting!”
“He’s making the offer,” Laurent whispered to the ghost, but his eyes still darted to Beast, who inched closer, awaiting the right moment to strike.
The twisted hand was still pressed to Laurent’s side, but the tremors running through Theodore’s body spoke of his dilemma. He let go so rapidly Laurent might have fallen to his knees if Beast hadn’t been there to catch him.
The ghost roared in an unnatural voice, rising the blade over Knight’s hunched form.
Laurent let out a scream.
Knight moved like a cobra, his hands exploding with light so bright it made Laurent shield his eyes. He reached into the well, and the glow of his sigils revealed a slender hand grabbing his. Theodore sank the rusty knife into Knight’s arm, but he didn’t flinch and pulled on the shimmering fingers.
Beast hauled Laurent away from the scene, hiding him in his arms, but Laurent looked on, unable to blink at the sight of another ghost emerging from the well in a long dress, from before Laurent’s own time. She was translucent like blue-tinted cellophane, with a bright ball of light hovering where her heart would have been. Only when Laurent took in the whole figure, he saw the ghost had just one hand.
She stepped into Knight, and his mouth let out an ungodly screech. “You will burn for what you did to me!”
It was Theodore’s wife. Laurent knew it from the ferocious nature of the scream she unleashed, reaching for the other ghost with Knight’s hands. But once Knight clenched his fingers on Elliot’s shoulders, the female face materialized over Knight’s, and she dashed forward, biting into Elliot’s cheek. No blood appeared, but Theodore screamed as if he were dying.
The female ghost yanked her head back pulling Theodore’s translucent form beyond the borders of Elliot’s body. Illuminated by the glow of Knight’s fists, Theodore appeared to Laurent for the first time. He was a middle-aged man in animal skins, but his features blurred when Knight grabbed the ghost’s neck and pulled, tearing Theodore in his entirety out of his lover.
Elliot collapsed with a cry of pain, but Beast wouldn’t let Laurent approach him, so they watched on at Knight’s vicious fight with the icy blue glow.
Against the brightness of the ghost’s soul, Knight’s hands were like a dusty bronze, but it was clear which substance was made of tougher stock, when cracks ran all over Theodore, revealing to Laurent just how large the man had been. The trapper’s nose fell off, leaving behind ragged bone, but in his final moment, Theodore locked his gaze with Laurent’s and spoke.
“This is a mistake. Your children will pay the price.”
Before Laurent could have answered, the ghost was burned glass, then dust, and then what was left of him dispersed into the air. Knight moved on hands and knees, his skin ashen against the red of the blood seeping from the fresh wound as he approached Elliot.
The other ghost must have left Knight’s body because a blue fog lifted off Knight’s shoulders like hot vapor out of a pot.
“It’s swelling. Oh, my God! I think it’s broken,” Elliot cried, shuddering around the hand he kept cradled to his chest.
Laurent didn’t fight Beast anymore, too shocked by the threat whispered by Theodore in his final moment. Had he really brought a child into a world that would soon turn into hell on Earth?
The warmth of Beast’s arms wasn’t quite enough to put Laurent at ease, but it made him feel safe despite the cut on his neck seeping blood to the collar of his T-shirt.
“Are you okay? Is the egg fine?” Beast whispered, withdrawing to look between their bodies, at the glistening shell peeking out of the backpack Laurent opened to check for cracks.
Laurent nodded, picking it up and assessing the red surface. How did pregnant women do anything? Their soft bodies couldn’t provide adequate cushioning for a growing child, and anything could happen to them at all times. He couldn’t stop shaking but managed to steady his hands enough to deposit Marcel back into the blanket nest.
“Everything is fine. I’m fine. We need to help Knight, he’s been stabbed.”
Knight pulled the knife out of his arm with a hiss and threw it into the well. “I’m fine. But Elliot… did you have to twist his hand? What the fuck, Beast?” he asked and pulled a ghostly pale Elliot into his arms, completely ignoring the blood rolling down his uncovered arm.
Beast snarled, hugging Laurent more tightly. “Sorry that I didn’t pay more attention to his delicate joints when he was about to murder you!”
“It’s not my fault!” Elliot whined, and Knight pulled him close.
“I know, babe, I know. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Laurent swallowed. “I’m… I’m so sorry it has come to this. I had no idea the ghost would get so volatile.”
“None of us did.” Knight helped Elliot up, completely focus
ed on him despite his own wound. On shaky legs, Elliot was doing his best to avoid looking at his twisted hand as the two of them made their way back to the ravine, leaving Laurent alone with Beast and Marcel.
The birds were back to their singing, but the clearing didn’t feel nearly as serene as it had before the encounter.
“You sure you’re okay?” Beast asked, petting Laurent’s shoulder. He pushed Laurent’s jaw up to have a look at his neck.
Laurent nodded, grabbing Beast’s hand and leading him to a patch of clean grass in the shadow of a mid-sized tree. “Just a bit shaken. Perhaps we could sit down?”
He glanced toward the roof of the clubhouse looming above the treeline and couldn’t help finding its presence, menacing despite the spring sunshine. He’d been so elated about the baby, so preoccupied with the fact that he would get to have a child of his own blood that he’d pushed away serious thoughts of the future.
Beast watched him in silence, sitting cross-legged and resting his elbows on his knees. His attentive eyes wouldn’t stray, as if he were expecting danger to strike again.
“You couldn’t have understood, but I offered the ghost that we could cut down the trees, and he said it would only delay the inevitable. But… that means we could gain more time this way. And that’s what we need if we are to succeed.” Laurent reached for Beast’s hand and squeezed it. It was strong enough to break Elliot’s wrist, but to Laurent its warmth and steadiness meant only safety.
Beast exhaled, and the twisted features on the side of his face trembled. “I think it’s time to call Magpie.”
“At least we’ve learned something from this. Magpie kept saying he doesn’t know where Baal’s plan is headed, but the ghost did. If the trees are to create the tear between the two worlds, no wonder Baal’s goal is to feed them through the illicit activity at the clubhouse. Beast? If we win, if all this leads to a conclusion where we aren’t just endlessly tormented souls, will our life be different?”
Beast swallowed loudly, his eyes meeting Laurent’s with wariness. “What do you mean?”
Laurent struggled to put his thoughts into words in a polite fashion. He sat closer to Beast with the backpack in his arms. “The club needs to be rowdy, the concerts loud, and the… orgies, filled with lustful people getting their fill of earthly pleasures, but once you are free of your obligation to Baal, would any of that change?”
Beast frowned. “What?”
“No need to be angry, I’m just asking a question.” Laurent slouched, hugging the egg. “You’ve often complained about the state of things yourself, so how is my question impolite?”
Beast took a deep breath and leaned forward, meeting Laurent’s gaze. “What I don’t like is the pressure to have a relentless, constant party going on. But we built this club around the promise of freedom to fuck, and party. I am not going to end this tradition.”
Laurent nodded, but something else gnawed at him. “Is holding the parties the only way the club earns money? I know you work for Magpie, but once the need for rubies ends, what will happen? Should I attempt to find other employment?”
Beast stretched his neck. “It’s not about the money. I loved those parties when I was younger, and I still appreciate them. You knew who you were getting married to.”
Laurent sighed and ever so gently put the backpack beside them. He shifted closer to Beast, and into his lap, stroking the burns on Beast’s jaw. “Yes, I knew, but I also feel like I’m still finding out new things about you, and that’s a good thing. It’s not a crime for you to enjoy a party with metallic music when I go take a long bath with a book.” He smiled and gave Beast a kiss.
This questioning must have agitated Beast, because Laurent’s reassurance made him relax. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure the club provides enough opportunities for all of us,” he said and hugged Laurent lazily.
Nothing could beat the sturdiness of Beast’s body. Laurent put his cheek on Beast’s shoulder. Even when he’d thought a gentleman would have been the most aspirational choice of life partner, he’d stolen many glances at brute sailors working in the docks. He wouldn’t tell this to Beast for fear of insulting his husband, but he believed that in Beast, he’d found the best of both worlds.
“Call Magpie, please. I am fine now.”
“All right,” Beast said and pulled out his cell phone with one hand, so that he wouldn’t have to let go of Laurent. Moments later, the steady beep of the open line cut into the serene sounds of the woodland surrounding the clearing. It was as if the earlier attack never happened.
When Magpie picked up, his voice was like caramel drizzled over a brownie. “Beast. How is my baby doing?”
Laurent was so insulted he choked on words and had to compose himself. “E-excuse me? It’s our child, if you wish to enquire.”
Magpie groaned. “Fine. Our child.”
Laurent couldn’t believe his ears. “No, no. Not our child. He’s mine and Beast’s.”
His eyes met Beast’s, who shook his head in a wordless expression of disbelief.
Magpie exhaled. “Such nonsense. I daresay I had more input into his creation than any of you. After all, I’d grown him in my body and suffered for it!”
“It sounds like you’re well now,” Laurent said coldly.
“It took days of healing.”
Beast cleared his throat and cut into the conversation. “There are more important things to talk about. I’m afraid things have changed in the past few days.”
Chapter 10 - Beast
“If worst comes to worse, Shadow will have to bite the bullet and sacrifice himself,” Rev said, leaning back in the chair upholstered with cracked leather. His gaze remained on Beast, even though it was clear to everyone gathered that his words were just another way to spite his son.
The rift between the two was growing every day, and Gray refused to sit at his father’s side like he would often have done in the past. He took a deep breath, and the arms that he held crossed on his chest went visibly tense. He was breathing faster now, and the fact that Beast could see it from across the table was testament to Gray’s icy facade cracking. It often did when Shadow’s well-being was at stake.
What Gray had done was disastrous to them all. To the whole world. But if Beast was to be honest with himself, he also understood his friend’s motivation. And since Rev’s disgust with Shadow hadn’t started with Gray’s betrayal, Beast had a hard time supporting their senior member in this.
Gray exhaled through his nose, his gaze trained on the notebook opened in front of him. “It’s not gonna come to this. I have a good lead on a jewel dealer in North Carolina. We’re leaving as soon as this meeting is over. Whatever rubies this guy’s got in his stash, we’ll take, and I’m going to grill him about his clients as well.”
Vars cleared his throat and rested his elbows on the wooden tabletop. “There’s no point in discussing this. Shadow was made of Baal’s energy, so the moment he consumed the Pigeon Heart, the ruby was touched by that same power. It won’t work against him. Sorry to rain on your parade, Rev,” he added in a tone as close to venomous as one could ever hear from Vars.
Knight cleared his throat, looking unusually pale. His wounds were healing well, and two weeks after the unfortunate encounter with the ghost, there was no reason for him to be weakened.
“We do have to talk through all the options, and as much as I hate it, I’ve got to say what you’re all thinking. If there really is no other way, I will sacrifice my hands. There’s no point for us all to die just so that I can jerk off without anyone’s help.”
Groans and murmurs erupted around the table, with Jake voicing the loudest, “no way.”
Beast shuddered at the thought of that being their only option, but truth was Knight’s suggestion was of no use either. “Your sacrifice would have been for nothing. Baal could then go on to find someone else to fill your place, and that would have been so much worse, because we wouldn’t know who’s feeding the trees.”
; Fox clicked his tongue. “I’m not saying I’m for this option, but just to be on the same page… isn’t that what happened in the fifties? That nurse, lost his hands, and that stopped the ritual. We could delay things by a couple of decades. Gain time.”
Beast shook his head. “No. We know Baal was looking for a replacement, but because he was targeting the patients of the asylum, there was mass panic that ended up with the hospital closing down. Whoever was running the place for Baal the way I do now died not long after. Take from that what you will, but my conclusion is that the asylum emptied, and with no people to lure into pacts, Baal had to watch the trees wither.”
Knight nodded with a grim expression. “Just like that trapper stopped the ritual by killing his wife and committing suicide. Back then, this place was wilderness and people didn’t randomly pass through.”
Beast’s phone vibrated in his pocket for the fifth time since the meeting had started, but he chose to ignore it, since all the important people could have knocked on the door if they were desperate for contact. He had too much on his plate to answer what was probably a spam call. Or Magpie with his endless baby questions. Beast wasn’t in the mood for either.
“My guess is that our best option for now is to affect the trees without making Knight break his contract. He needs to keep feeding them every new moon, but if we cut them down, or stunt their growth, it would take more time for them to reach their full potential. Magpie agrees with me on this, and he is offering his help in terms of bribes and paying for necessary equipment.”
Joker tapped his toes against the table as he changed position in the chair. “Can’t we just get a couple of chainsaws and deal with it on our own?”
Gray, who sat next to him, glanced his way with a frown. “Have you seen those trees lately?” Joker’s silence was enough of an answer, so Gray went on, “They’re massive, and they have this strange, sweet odor coming from the flowers. For all we know, they might be poisonous. We’re not really sure what we’re dealing with, so it’s best to remain cautious.”
In the Arms of the Beast Page 10
