“And?”
Laurent sighed and wrapped his arms around himself. “I’m sorry I went into your secret room.” This time he was getting grumpy, and the familiar pout was back in place—a token of how begrudging that last apology was.
Beast scowled. “What’s with that face? Didn’t I allow you to keep your secrets? Why did you think it was okay to help yourself to mine?” hissed Beast, instantly getting agitated all over again. “I didn’t want you to see any of that. And you burst in there as if you had any right to my thoughts or my past.”
Laurent’s shoulders sagged, and the pout was gone. “You’re right, I don’t. My curiosity and nerves are no excuse for my conduct.”
Beast licked his lips, squeezing the comforter in his fists. Should he stop being upset, just because Laurent was sorry? He wasn’t sure he could do that yet, but at least it sweetened the bitter pill he’d been forced to gulp down last night. “I’m glad you understand.”
“Did you find anything yesterday that you would like to share with me?”
That was a surprise. An actual question, and Beast instantly felt sorry for speaking in such a vicious tone. Reluctantly, he picked up a Poptart and had a bite. “Well, I found out magic is real, and I’m still shellshocked.”
Laurent smiled, but wouldn’t look up, moving his feet up and resting his heels on the edge of the mattress. “There’s a lot we don’t understand about it. But you’re right that maybe I shouldn’t have panicked the way I had. I’m clearly still alive, so I couldn’t have died in the past.”
“Maybe there’s two versions of history, and in one, you’re here,” Beast said, reaching out to touch Laurent’s hand. It was warm and smooth from the hand cream he kept using, and Beast rather liked its touch.
The fingers quickly squeezed Beast’s hand, and it soothed Beast’s heart to see Laurent so invested in him that he’d come to apologize instead of sulking and playing the prince.
“That must be it. What’s most important to me is that I’m not alone in this, and last night… I felt very lonely without you.”
Beast sensed an odd, hollow sensation spreading through his chest. Suddenly he remembered the way Laurent had looked at him in the shower last night when Beast told him to go to sleep, as if their findings didn’t concern him at all. “I’m sorry about yesterday, too. I wouldn’t have found the body without you. Even if I wanted to talk to Knight about all this, I shouldn’t have pushed you aside.”
When Laurent finally looked up at Beast, it was such a relief Beast had another bite of the Poptart. “We all make mistakes, right?”
Beast gave a sharp laugh, relieved to see that Laurent honestly wanted to make up. “Yes. Is there something you can tell me about my father’s pact?” he asked, wondering whether Laurent had noticed the old pictures of him in the office. Whether he even recognized the handsome guy in them as the same man Beast now was.
“There is much I don’t understand myself. King has been very vague, and I keep trying to stay in his good graces so that he tells me more.”
“What about yours? What did the devil want from you in return?” asked Beast, downing the coffee in a few gulps. It suddenly occurred to him that the request might have been something terrible, and he choked on the beverage, remembering all the stories that featured demons stealing people’s souls.
“I… It’s still to come, but I’m not allowed to tell anyone what the exact thing is. I will be free of it in due time. It’s a minor thing, really. I believe that the devil’s powers are limited in respect to what he can offer, and I am just a cog in his scheme. He even suggested he is not the devil of the Bible, so maybe he’s another type of monster entirely.”
Beast exhaled and put down the cup in favor of holding Laurent’s hand. “So your soul is still yours? And you will stay here?”
Laurent crawled over the bed until he was close enough to pull Beast’s arm over his shoulders. “I will, as long as I fulfil my duties to him.”
Beast licked his lips, his body immediately relaxing when Laurent’s heat slotted into place against him. “Is it something horrible?”
Laurent kissed the scarred skin of Beast’s forearm. “No. But King cannot die until it’s done, so no matter how much you hate him, please keep him safe.”
Beast laughed, but the request still made him uneasy. “Why would I want to hurt him? He’s my prez. I mean... he is a dick, but we’re family. I wouldn’t.”
“Good,” was all Laurent had for him.
Beast cleared his throat and ate some more of the Poptart while watching Laurent’s handsome profile with hope slowly settling in his chest. “Can you call him? The devil, I mean.”