In the Arms of the Beast

by K. A. Merikan

Beast cleared his throat, squeezing Laurent’s arm to stop him. “Laurent sill doesn’t entirely understand certain things about the modern world. The club is at a low point, financially speaking.”

  Laurent glanced over his shoulder for half a second, but his breath became frantic. “Money comes and goes,” he said, as if he had it stacked in heaps, “but family is what really matters in life, and I believe Mr. Magpie can grant us that.” He entwined his fingers with Beast’s, looking at him with a pretty flush to his cheeks.

  “I can?”

  “He can?” Beast asked at the same time as Magpie.

  “Yes, I’ve been told by the ghosts—and, well, I’ve looked into this, and I believe it is a possibility, Mr. Magpie, for you to grant us a child. A child made of our blood.”

  Beast’s head was so empty if Laurent were to poke it, the echo would have deafened them both. Surely, he misunderstood whatever Laurent was saying. He couldn’t have just made a decision about something so important without talking to Beast first!

  Magpie’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward, the emerald necklace he wore glinting against his bronze chest. “Did Baal do something like this?”

  “Y-yes, this lady, Maureen, she was a patient here years ago, and Elliot let me talk to her ghost. It turns out that’s how she managed to have a child. She was barren, and—”

  Beast couldn’t take it anymore. “She was a woman, Laurent. Baal might have helped her get pregnant, but she was still the one to carry the child to term. How do you think babies appear? Out of thin air? Or do you expect one of us to grow a uterus?”

  Laurent gasped for air and only spoke faster. “It wasn’t her womanly organs that were affected. She told me all about it. Her lover provided a ruby, they each offered their blood, and Baal fashioned those components into an egg.”

  So that was why Laurent had been so eager to chat to the ghosts. Throughout the whole walk from the kitchen, hadn’t there been a moment when he could have mentioned his plans to Beast?

  Fire burned Beast’s head and chest. He couldn’t look away from his husband’s pretty, innocent face. “An egg?”

  Laurent seemed oblivious to Beast’s shellshock. He pulled the hand on which Beast wore his engagement ring up to his lips and kissed it. “Yes. And when the baby was ready to be born, the egg hatched.”

  Beast swallowed, trying to get rid of the tightness in his throat. He was sweating like a pig under his clothes. “We’ve only been married for two months, I’m pretty sure this can wait,” he tried, unable to bring himself to shame Laurent in front of Magpie by saying what he really thought. This was ridiculous. He had never considered having a child in the first place, and now it had been dumped on him like a tub of cold water.

  Laurent shook his head, making the saddest puppy dog eyes. “It cannot wait, Beast. Mr. Magpie had said it himself. When the time comes, he will use all his power to create the golem around the Pigeon Heart. Isn’t that right, Mr. Magpie? Granting us a child after that might be impossible for years to come.”

  Magpie put on a silk nightgown and stood with a serious expression. “That is true. I don’t know how long it will take me to recover…”

  “See? We can’t wait with this until we’re old and grey. Our son deserves fit fathers who can guide him through life.”

  Our son? Beast was surely going nuts.

  “But it’s so early,” he said, but Laurent’s brown gaze was as determined as when Laurent had told Beast goodbye before evaporating from his arms less than a year ago. It was a wall of tempered glass that Beast couldn’t break. “And how can either of us enter this kind of agreement if we already made one with Baal?”

  Laurent swallowed. “The sigil is gone from the back of my neck. I am no longer bound to him.”

  Magpie hummed in agreement, causing Beast’s blood to freeze. “Correct. All right then. I’m sure one of you has a knife on their person. If Baal could do it, so can I,” he concluded, approaching them with renewed vigor.

  Beast felt as if he’d entered the Twilight Zone when Laurent produced a small curved knife that was usually used for peeling fruit.

  Magpie’s presence was like a floating log that could still carry Beast to safety, so he glared at him, jaw clenched with worry. “What if it doesn’t work? You haven’t tried this before. For all we know, the result might be a shadow dragon, not a baby!”

  Magpie frowned. “This Maureen lady had said it herself. Blood of the parents, and a ruby. Can’t be much different than creating a golem. Of course there is also the issue of making a pact, since I cannot offer you my power otherwise, but since it’s a gift from me to you, let us make it something small. That pretty pin you carry on your vest.”

  Beast sucked in air, half-expecting Laurent to deny the request. The brooch, a pretty enameled silver trinket was among Laurent’s most prized possessions. It featured a multitude of symbols—a cupid’s bow, two hearts, doves, and even a torch—but what really counted was that Laurent had gotten it from his mother as they parted before his journey to America.

  But Laurent didn’t even flinch and looked up at Beast with the knife in his hand. “We will never again have an opportunity like this. Our blood, our love, entwined forever in this new human being. Do you not want that?”

  Beast’s heart was beating too fast, until his body was convinced there was a threat lurking behind his back. He did want to be forever entwined with Laurent. He loved his body. He loved his soul. And while all this was too sudden, the promise of Laurent’s words was already wrapping itself around Beast’s heart. A new being. Made of them both. As a gay man, as someone who’d given up on love for so many years, he hadn’t ever considered having kids. Just last year, he hadn’t even thought he’d ever be loved as anything else but a brother. But now that the possibility of creating a family with the man he’d married was presented to him, he was at a crossroads between making even firmer ties with Laurent, and letting uncertainty guide his decisions.

  His gut feelings had betrayed him too many times to count, and the temptation of commitment already smelled as sweet as Laurent’s freshly washed hair. Surely, their child would take after Laurent. He would have the same brown eyes and thick dark hair. Perhaps it would have Beast’s nose? They would never find out if they didn’t try.

  And then another temptation reared its head. Beast’s body was marred with burn scars because of an accident, not because he was born ugly. Would it be possible he’d pass on to their child what he himself had lost?

  Laurent awaited an answer with worry marring his forehead, but Beast’s throat was too tight. Instead, he pulled the engagement ring off his finger, leaving behind a band of pale skin. Like in an out-of-body experience, he could see himself handing Magpie the ring and taking the small knife out of Laurent’s hand.

  The love gathered in Laurent’s eyes told him he’d never meant to trick Beast into doing this or to coerce him. Laurent had simply considered having a child with Beast the most obvious thing in the world.

  With a deep inhale, Laurent removed his precious keepsake from the vest and kneeled in front of Magpie, offering him the brooch. He looked like a peasant paying his taxes to a lord.

  Magpie let out a snort and took the pin in the same hand he held Beast’s ring in. “My, my, Laurent. There’s no need for such formalities. I already agreed to grant your wish.”

  Beast scowled, remembering that Baal had told him to kneel to accept the brand, but it seemed Magpie did everything his own way. Laurent’s eyes were wide, and before he could notice the long fingers gravitating his way, Magpie slid his index finger between the buttons of Laurent’s dress shirt. A blue flash erupted from under the fabric, compelling Beast to shut his eyes, but when he opened them again, Laurent was already facing him, collar open to reveal a small burn mark below the collar bones. The faint odor of sulphur was like a warning at the back of Beast’s brain, but this time it wasn’t Baal’s presence that caused it, and the sigil burned into Laurent’s flesh had a different shape than the one
on Beast’s nape.

  Magpie dropped the ring into a clean cognac glass, and Beast knew exactly what was expected of him. When he cut his finger with the tip of the fruit knife it still felt like watching someone else do so. He saw his husband, and his own doppelganger.

  “Pour in a few more drops. One can never be too safe,” Magpie said in his melodic voice when the first red drop fell to the bottom of the glass.

  Beast squeezed his digit for a few more droplets, but didn’t register any pain, numb, elated and pumped full of adrenaline all at once. Only when he handed the knife to Laurent did he worry about the cut to the beloved flesh, but Laurent approached the task just like Beast had and let the drops fall into the glass, drip over the ring, and mix with Beast’s own blood.

  Once it was done, he sucked on his fingertip, watching the bright red of their blood combining as Magpie swirled the container. The ring Laurent proposed to Bast with clinked against the glass as it spun around in the snifter, leaving behind red streaks. Before Beast could have said anything, Magpie threw his head back and swallowed the contents with a loud gulp. In the absolute silence that ensued, Beast watched the demon’s tongue fill the glass as if it were thrice as long as a normal person’s. It rolled inside like a boa, and when it retreated, there was no trace of red left.

  Laurent grabbed Beast’s hand and stood closer when Magpie’s eyes rolled back, showing black where the whites should have appeared. Magpie groaned, his skin covering in gray sweat, but then a massive bulge appeared at the base of his throat, forcing its way up until the bones of Magpie’s jaws gave a strange crack.

  Laurent yelped and pressed his face into Beast’s pec, hugging him. Beast wouldn’t dare look away from the freakish sight in case he needed to act, but for now he put his arm protectively around Laurent’s shoulder.

  Their guest shuddered, his graceful fingers more reminiscent of curved claws. Something pushed up his neck, creating a bulge in the flesh that had Beast nauseated. With a breathless sound, Magpie opened his mouth even wider, and then, in a moment of absolute terror, they saw sharp bone pushing through bronze skin. Dark blood dripped down Magpie’s chest and under the robe, but Beast kept watching in sick fascination as the bottom jaw dislocated, turning the beautiful mouth into a torn gash. One more choking sound, and then Beast saw it.

  Forced out by the bleeding muscles of Magpie’s throat, the egg popped out, still partially covered by thin tissue that receded back into the demon when he grabbed the egg with both hands and held it up. The size of a large soda can, it glinted in the lamplight as if it had been dusted by crushed rubies. Red like their blood.

  It was an image so disturbing doubts twisted inside Beast all over again.

  Magpie choked, moaned, dropped to his knees with a cry, but wouldn’t let go of the egg in his blood-stained hands. Somehow Beast imagined Magpie would have just patched himself together, regenerated like Vars, but when that didn’t happen, he let go of Laurent and got down to Magpie’s side. The demon’s face was turning purple fast, the bone still sticking out of skin, but he still passed the egg to Laurent when he too kneeled next to them.

  “W-what can we—” Laurent uttered.

  The voice that answered him didn’t come from Magpie’s mouth, but from somewhere deep down his throat. Lower, yet smooth like tar.

  “Call Malachite, and leave me!”

  Laurent gave Beast a hesitant look, hugging the egg to his chest.

  Beast remembered that Gray had been treated to a miraculously quick recovery at Magpie’s, so maybe this was for the better. He nodded, grabbed Laurent’s arm and led him to the door.

  What had they done?

  Chapter 4 - Laurent

  Blood still glistened on the egg when they walked away from the guest room in silence. Their baby was heavy in Laurent’s hands, even if small. Precious. A miracle worth giving up his mother’s brooch for.

  Laurent took careful steps alongside Beast, his thoughts still a whirlwind, yet he had no doubts about just how right what he held was. This was no demon, nor ‘shadow dragon’, as his husband had suggested. The egg contained their child, made of their blood to create a human that defied earthly rules.

  Whenever he thought about it, Laurent was filled such endless love for Beast he could barely breathe. Laurent had pondered what options the modern times offered to couples like them before tonight, and had been disappointed to find out there was no way to make a baby without a mother. But here they were, with the Pigeon Heart stored away for the right time, and their future encased in a ruby-dusted shell.

  Beast was silent, but his warm arm resting on Laurent’s shoulders was all the support he needed. They had both made this miracle happen. It was ultimately theirs, with no other DNAs in the mix. Beast petted Laurent’s nape with a clammy hand as he opened the door to their apartment. The lewd party downstairs didn’t even bother Laurent, and when the three of them stepped through the threshold, Laurent wished to sing and shout his joy. He and Beast. Entwined forever in this physical manifestation of their love.

  He yelped when Hound ran up to them, sniffing all too close to the egg and leaning forward in an attempt to lick it. Laurent held the egg up, but the dog only gave up once Beast told him to sit in his corner.

  Relieved that their baby was no longer at risk, Laurent placed a soft cushion on the dining table and gently put the egg in the middle.

  “Can you believe it?” he whispered, trying not to think about the moment of its birth itself and how the egg had rearranged bones and ligaments in Magpie’s face. It had been a gruesome sight, and it cost Laurent a substantial amount of willpower to focus on the shiny surface of the egg, not on the red imprint it had left on his shirt.

  Beast shook his head. He was somewhat pale, so perhaps the spectacle they had both witnessed had gotten to him more than it had to Laurent. To be fair, Laurent had hidden his face in Beast’s shoulder for the worst of it.

  He made sure the egg was secure on the soft cushion and jumped onto the sofa, grinning at Beast once they were face to face. He wrapped his arms around Beast’s thick neck and kissed him, savoring the warmth of the beloved lips. “I love you so much,” he whispered between one peck and another.

  Beast swallowed hard and rubbed his forehead before leaning into Laurent’s embrace. “I love you too,” he whispered.

  Laurent had grown to love Beast’s ragged voice. There was undoubtedly a bit of thrill to being with a man as dangerous, but it was also Beast’s sheer size that had Laurent giddy. When they’d first met, Laurent had thought Beast a brute, but now that he knew the truth about the man who had become his husband, nowhere felt as safe as in his arms.

  He was gentle, thoughtful, sweet, and always went out of his way to make Laurent happy. There was no one else Laurent would rather have shared the joys of fatherhood with.

  Beast sighed and rubbed his stubbly chin against Laurent’s cheek. His big hands were balled into fists, but nothing about the nuzzling felt violent. Laurent knew just the way to express his love to this big chunk of man, and he sank to his knees on the sofa, following one more kiss. He needed to be close now, to connect with his beloved and feel his strength.

  Beast’s hands rested on Laurent’s shoulders, and this time when Laurent looked up, his lover’s blue eyes met his with the kind of intensity that always made Laurent’s blood boil with excitement. “We’re really doing it,” he said softly, almost as if he couldn’t believe the miracle of the egg.

  “Yes, we are. You know what else we’re doing?” Laurent’s hands went straight for Beast’s belt buckle. “I need to feel you.”

  He’d never have enough of Beast and his sturdy body. Even the scars all over it were something to cherish, a testament to Beast’s bravery. He was the most perfect man, regardless of the prejudice some small-minded people treated him with.

  Beast’s raspy hum caressed Laurent’s flesh, peppering it with goosebumps when he stepped closer to present Laurent with his belt buckle and zipper. They weren’t doing much
yet, but Laurent could already feel the heat trapped under the denim.

  Beast nodded, sliding his warm hands up Laurent’s neck and into his hair. “Yes.”

  There was no shame to be had when making love to one’s husband, even if a marriage between two men would have been unheard of in Laurent’s time. He knew people called him a prude behind his back, but that was not the case. Since discovering the pleasures of the flesh, Laurent had been not only eager, but adventurous too. But that wasn’t knowledge to be shared with anyone.

  Only Beast needed to know how excited Laurent was to sample his body.

  Laurent pulled Beast’s zipper down, and it took just one more move to reveal the inked cock. It was already filling, but Laurent wasted no time and licked the tip, enticing the cock to grow against his tongue. It spasmed, releasing a droplet of pre-cum—a prelude to the main act, yet the sensation had Laurent’s skin tingling as if his body hair were fireworks.

  Beast let out a shaky groan, massaging Laurent’s scalp as the gray dragon on the thick cock stretched, slowly but surely expanding to its full size. It was such an obscene thing to have on one’s body, but Laurent loved to see the tattoo damp with his own saliva, the foreskin tight on the girth of Beast’s dick.

  “I love seeing you like this,” Beast whispered, pulling on Laurent’s hair to make him look up. With the cockhead resting on his tongue, Laurent felt so daring, so sexual, that being in this position in the first place made his flesh burn with desire.

  He gripped the base of Beast’s cock and tugged on it gently.

  “Even though I sometimes hate being so short, I love that you tower over me,” he rasped. The notion had been unbearable once, but now he knew they didn’t need to match in size to be equals. He trusted Beast and loved being picked up when in private. Everything had changed since they’d first met. There was no need for apprehension or shyness, because for all intents and purposes—they were one.

  Beast’s mouth quirked, and Laurent was glad to see a dark flush spilling over the beloved face. His man leaned forward, pushing Laurent until he hit the back of the sofa. With the cock obscenely exposed, he rolled his hips toward Laurent while resting his hands on the backrest on either side of Laurent’s arms. Laurent knew he wasn’t really trapped in this position, but the display of Beast’s size and dominant nature had his own cock straining against the front of his pants.