In the Arms of the Beast

by K. A. Merikan

  It took several minutes to console Hound, but when Beast made his way through the walkway that still smelled of Baal’s presence, he couldn’t reach the same peace as his pet.

  With the devastating vision still alive in his mind, Beast ran off the sky bridge, and Hound dashed ahead of him as if he knew where Beast needed to go. The stairs leading down to their gym were wonky and uneven, but Beast held on to the cold stone wall and kept moving even after he tripped, barely saving himself from a fall.

  Chapter 11 - Beast

  Hound barked as he ran alongside the weights machines and barbells. Beast fumbled with his keys as soon as he got to the door leading outside, but they dropped with a clatter and lost him precious seconds.

  He burst into the fresh May air, but his legs became sluggish when he saw Laurent calmly drive toward the garage. He was there—safe and sound. A part of Beast knew this, knew that all Baal could do was threaten them with horrific visions, but seeing Laurent eviscerated had felt all too real.

  He didn’t run anymore, but was glad to see Hound run off after a tiny rodent, because he didn’t need any distractions once he caught up with his husband. Even though he’d seen Laurent behind the steering wheel, he needed to hold him close and make sure he didn’t disappear in a cloud of sulphur dust. Laurent could be so strong at times despite his small frame, yet Beast still worried about him.

  It was Laurent’s confidence that made him so vulnerable. Like that time when he thought he knew everything about electric wiring because he’d watched Knight work once, or when he fell asleep with several candles burning around the sofa. If Laurent were more willing to admit he didn’t know everything just because he read widely on all topics and knew Latin, Beast’s life would have been much easier.

  He’d have locked Laurent in a shell much thicker than Marcel’s if he didn’t know that would have made Laurent the most unhappy man on the planet. Laurent’s strong opinions and independence were both endearing and infuriating, but the worst thing was that Beast wouldn’t actually want him more pliant. The way Laurent blushed and submitted in bed was all Beast needed in that department. After all, he wanted a partner, not a pet. He only wished it was easier to handle one.

  Beast walked into the garage to find Laurent leaving Elliot’s car. When Laurent smiled at the sight of him, Beast couldn’t find words to express his relief, so he walked up to his husband and enfolded him in a tight hug. He didn’t want to discuss Baal. He wanted a minute of peace with the beautiful man who’d chosen him despite all of his flaws.

  He ran his hands down Laurent’s back, longing for the consolation of his presence, when Laurent spoke.

  “Beast, do you know about ‘selfies’?” he asked with a pristine grin.

  The cogs in Beast’s mind jarred, like they always did when Laurent used modern slang words for the first time. “Yes?” he said, unsure if he wanted to know what this was about.

  “These photographs you take of yourself. Autophotographs, if you will. On the phone. Isn’t that clever? Nao showed me how to make them. Could I get a smarter phone so I could make some too?”

  Beast bit his lip to stop himself from laughing at Laurent’s understanding of the concept, but right after came the chilling realization that while Laurent did use the Internet under supervision of people more computer-savvy than him, he didn’t fully understand the implication of communicating with strangers online, or that a lot of content on smartphones went straight into the cloud.

  “Um... I could get you a phone with a better camera, but you know the rules we discussed about privacy?”

  “Yes, yes, of course. I would just put them on Instagram.” And from the way Laurent nodded, smiling, Beast guessed he had no idea what Instagram really was, and that it would allow anyone in the world to see his face.

  “What do you think Instagram is?”

  Laurent thought for a couple of seconds. “It’s an album, for your digital photographs, is it not?”

  Beast leaned down to kiss Laurent on his lovely, smooth forehead. “No, honey. It’s like a place where people show their photos to others. I don’t think it’s safe if strangers got too interested in you, given how special you are.” He hated to see light die in Laurent’s eyes, but it was for the better.

  “Oh. No, that’s true, I don’t want that. It’s a shame. I thought it would be just marvelous to send you some selfies when you’re away.”

  Beast licked his lips, for a moment fantasizing about a world where he could receive naked pictures of Laurent or even have facetime sex. But if any of that content ever leaked by accident, Laurent would have been devastated. “You could still take portraits of yourself and send them to me personally. You know, as a message.”

  “Without Instagram?” Laurent entwined their fingers. “And then they’re private?”

  Beast shrugged. “Always assume there’s a small chance of a stranger getting the message. So you can send me selfies. Just not anything... too private,” he said and patted Laurent’s pert ass.

  “Hm…” Laurent’s face flushed, a sure sign that they thought of the same thing. “Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

  Beast slid his hand up Laurent’s back, and it hit him. Something was missing. “Where’s the e--Marcel?”

  Laurent’s smile became softer at the sound of the name. “In the car. I fastened him with a seatbelt.” He pointed to the back seat, where the backpack was secured in a child seat.

  With his heart that much lighter, Beast sat Laurent on the hood of the car and leaned down to kiss his neck. The weather was getting warmer every day, so Laurent, who craved to be ‘modern’ and leave the past behind, showed way more skin than would have been proper in his times. He wore a fitted white T-shirt under the leather vest that proclaimed to the world whose property he was. His hair also had a looser wave to it today, which in turn made him look more relaxed, more approachable. He was an angel in skinny jeans, with big brown eyes and sinfully full lips.

  Laurent laughed and pushed at Beast’s chest while wrapping his legs around Beast’s hips like the master of mixed signals that he was. “I can’t, my love. I have to go for my driver’s licence test.” His soft fingertips rubbed Beast’s nape, once again going against his words.

  Beast hugged Laurent more tightly, bearing with this punch to the gut. He wanted to be happy for Laurent, he really did, but all he could see was Laurent crashing into a tree, shards of glass sticking out of his head, and the egg cracked open and bleeding.

  He wanted to offer Laurent all the independence he wished for. He’d been the one to teach him how to drive in the first place, because he didn’t trust anyone else with it, but did Laurent need to leave him now? Did he have to give Beast another thing to worry about?

  Beast didn’t want to argue about this right now either. He was so, so tired, and all he wanted was to sink into Laurent and feel his love. When they were close, Laurent made him feel as if nothing could go wrong, as if they lived in a world where Beast could ensure his man’s safety, and where their very existence was not under threat.

  “I’ve had a visit from Baal. I need you close,” he whispered into Laurent’s ear, despising himself ever so slightly for manipulating him. It wasn’t a lie, but he wouldn’t be in denial about why he was saying this. He wanted to keep Laurent from leaving. To keep him where Beast could protect him.

  “Oh, Beast… oh no. What did he say?” Laurent tightened his hug, the concern in his voice making guilt burn that much hotter in Beast’s heart, but there was no backing out.

  “Can you stay? I know the driving is important to you, but can it wait? He threatened us all again, showed me you and Marcel dying. I just need to know you’re safe.”

  Laurent hesitated, but he ran his fingers over the back of Beast’s head. “I’ll stay. I understand.”

  Beast cupped Laurent’s face. The soft, wavy hair slid between his fingers and tickled the flesh of his palm, but it was the way it framed Laurent’s handsome features that had Beast breathless.


  “You’re my everything,” he whispered, placing a kiss on the plump, lovely mouth.

  Disappointment still glowed in Laurent’s eyes, but it was quickly dispersing and making way for interest in the here and now. None of Beast’s friends understood what a sexual being Laurent was under the shell of propriety he showed to the world. Beast was the only one to know what hid in Laurent’s heart, the man Laurent had proposed to and chosen as his life partner. Knowing this had Beast’s chest swelling with pride, lust, and love, all at the same time. He was also the only one capable of pulling Laurent away from his duties by seduction, which was gratifying, if a bit wrong.

  Under the touch of Beast’s hands, Laurent became pliant, so unlike the self-righteous uptight young man who sometimes drove their friends mad

  “That’s why I know we will succeed in our fight,” Laurent whispered, looking straight into Beast’s eyes. “You’ll keep me safe from harm.”

  It was exactly the thing Beast needed to hear after experiencing the horrific vision. He smiled at Laurent and rubbed his hips against that perfect ass when it sank toward him on the slope of the hood.

  “It’ll be all right. I promise,” he whispered. There were no certainties, and he shouldn’t be giving his word for something he couldn’t ensure, but in this moment of closeness, all danger seemed trivial in the face of their love.

  “Saying ‘no’ to you is impossible.” Laurent sighed and curled against Beast, already kissing the side of his face, close to the missing ear. Beast was still self-conscious about that part of him, but the damage to his nerve endings made Laurent’s touch more intense, creating a physical echo that trailed up and down the expanse of burnt flesh like cool flames.

  “Afraid not. You’re a slave to your lust,” he said, smirking at Laurent while he pulled up the fabric of Laurent’s T-shirt.

  Laurent groaned but quickly glanced inside the car, tossing his dark mane over the black steel of the hood. “But… what about Marcel?”

  Beast snorted. “The egg doesn’t have eyes. And besides, he is too young to understand anyway,” he whispered, uncovering Laurent’s chest without taking off the cut, by pushing the front hem of the T-shirt over his head.

  Laurent bit his lip, fighting a battle with lust, but they both knew he’d already lost. “Close the garage door?” he whispered, running his hand over Beast’s bicep.

  Someone was in awe of Beast’s physical strength. And Beast would indulge him. With a firm tug, he pulled Laurent up and grabbed his ass, walking toward the open doors as if his lover weighed nothing. He did feel the strain, of course, but he wasn’t willing to let it show, because it would make Laurent even hotter for him. The enamored gaze that saw past all of Beast’s physical imperfections was all the reward he needed.

  “Whatever you wish. But then you’re gonna pull down those jeans. You’ve been teasing me long enough,” he whispered, kneading Laurent’s ass as if he were making dough for most delicious biscuits on the planet.

  Laurent leaned out from the embrace and pulled on the lever to close the garage door, gasping when the shift in position made him rub his hardening cock rub against Beast’s hip. He kissed Beast just as the door hit the floor and plunged them into darkness dispersed by the pale glow coming in through a tiny window close to the ceiling.

  Two dull thuds marked Laurent’s sneakers falling off his graceful feet, but Beast couldn’t be bothered to look where they fell, locked by the raw emotion burning for him in Laurent’s gaze. To think he’d tried to find peace and relaxation in solitude on the sky bridge, when it had waited for him here all along. Nothing compared to the bliss of being the object of Laurent’s affection. Nothing, even riding his Harley along the coast.

  Beast’s eyes adjusted to the change in illumination, and he stumbled toward Elliot’s car, depositing Laurent back on the hood and flattening him against it with his own weight. “What are you waiting for?” he whispered, rubbing the front of Laurent’s pants with his palm. It radiated heat that needed to be extinguished soon, or they’d both lose their minds.

  “I’m working on it,” Laurent whined, letting go of Beast to unzip his jeans and push them lower. His eagerness had blood draining down Beast’s chest and into his cock. Laurent sounded almost apologetic for not being naked yet. The sight of his lovely body wiggling had Beast thinking about his ass rubbing against the hood, and it was so hot he was briefly jealous of the damn piece of metal.

  “Are you now? I think you’re being slow. Teasing me again?” Beast rasped, withdrawing to pull down the tight denim. He was more successful at it than Laurent, and within seconds the pants were on the cement floor, leaving Laurent’s bottom bare with the exception of underwear already straining over his erection.

  Laurent wanted to pull his briefs down too, but Beast stopped him and kissed the stiffening cock through the layer of cotton.

  “And it’s me who’s teasing?” Laurent asked breathlessly, opening his thighs for Beast. The smell of his arousal mixed with the dusty air in the garage, and Beast closed his eyes, forgetting the fear of his confrontation with Baal in the familiar aroma of his lover.

  “I need to get back at you, don’t I?” Beast asked, before pulling the fabric lower and offering the erect cock a soft kiss. Laurent always smelled so good. Like the sweetest, warmest, most beautiful of men. His skin was like porcelain yet masculine, with dark hair peppered over pale flesh.

  “You know I have no restraint around you.” Laurent slid his fingers to the shaved sides of Beast’s head, and his stomach sank, showing off lean muscle. “You make me shameless.”

  Beast hummed softly and dragged the briefs down Laurent’s legs before settling between his thighs. Their dicks met through the denim of his jeans, and the relief it brought him was like a soothing embrace. With him, Laurent was pliant. Gentle. But first and foremost safe. Whether he wanted it or not, Beast wouldn’t let him out of sight from now on, at least until the ugly business with Baal was finished. At the very least, he would have Laurent guarded by trusted men.

  All would be well.

  Their mouths met in a breath-stealing kiss, and he squeezed Laurent’s buttock. Laurent moaned into Beast’s lips, already rocking his hips against the touch. Laurent’s dick twitched when it pressed against Beast’s stomach, but he was just as eager to reach Beast’s skin, and pushed up his long-sleeve. “I want to see you too,” he whispered, eyes going down between their bodies. “I can never get enough of you, and I’m not ashamed of it, even if it means I’m as sinful as all your friends.”

  The air became hotter somehow, and Beast stretched over Laurent, pulling up his top to present the muscular torso, that not so long ago was the only thing that had kept him from hating his body. Laurent had changed everything. He saw the man behind the ugly scars and forever changed Beast’s life, but it never felt like he had to love Beast despite them either. Instead, he completely accepted the twisted skin as a part of him. With Laurent, Beast felt desired. He felt fulfilled as a man every time Laurent looked at him with admiration that he never expressed for anyone else.

  “Here. Take a look.”

  Laurent bit his lips with a smile, and the lustful devotion on his innocent face was like a physical pull on Beast’s dick. He was dying to be inside this man who brought so much joy into his life. It was also because of him that Beast was bound to the clubhouse by a demonic pact, but when he looked at Laurent and felt the fingers lovingly caressing his chest, he knew he’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

  “I’ve never even seen a man your size in my time,” Laurent whispered, kneading Beast’s pecs.

  Beast snorted and rubbed his hands up and down Laurent’s front. His husband had started using the gym with Nao, and Beast didn’t miss the subtle change to the definition of his muscles. He liked Laurent either way, but rather enjoyed knowing that someone so beautiful made an effort for him too. “You must be joking. Never? No hot, gruff sailors or strongmen?”

  Laurent took a choked breath, circling Beast’s i
nk with silky fingers. “I’ve once seen a poster advertising a strongman’s performance, but I couldn’t afford to go. Besides, I doubt he could be a match for you, in any aspect.” He grinned up at Beast and arched for a kiss.

  Beast smirked and slowly unbuckled his belt between Laurent’s thighs. The metallic clang made by the buckle was like a signal for his arousal. Once the automatic response had been triggered, his dick hardened even further, itching for the heat of Laurent’s body. “Which aspects do you mean?” Beast whispered, opening his pants and shoving them lower at a languid pace.

  Laurent hid his face with one hand, but then peeked through his fingers at Beast’s crotch. As if he hadn’t seen it a hundred times. “You know which aspects.”

  “I have no idea, Laurent,” Beast teased, pulling his husband’s hand to his tented boxer briefs. The anticipation of touch was making his balls heavy, but he wouldn’t look away, completely focused on the beauty of the man sprawled for him on the hood of a car. Laurent’s long hair was scattered around his rosy face, and the flush trailed lower, past Laurent’s only tattoo, the one he shared with Beast.

  The path to Paradise begins in Hell written across his collarbones.

  Just below it was Magpie’s sigil, yet more proof of Laurent’s dedication to their love.

  “Your cock,” Laurent whispered as if he were too shy to say it out loud, but his fingers uncovered his true nature, because he was already pulling at Beast’s waistband to reveal his prize. His eyes were glued to Beast’s in an expression of mad hunger. “It’s… well, there had to be a reason for me to marry you is such haste, right?”

  Beast laughed, shutting his eyes as pleasure welled up in his chest before trickling all the way to his toes when Laurent stroked his cock, yet again showing his mastery of Beast’s body language. “You didn’t put a ring on it though. You placed it on my finger,” he said, briefly showing Laurent his hand. He missed the delicate band, which had already felt like a permanent fixture on his finger, but he didn’t need it to know he and Laurent belonged together.