Page 16 of Beast: Part Two

chapter four

Wake Up

Summer

The slow beeping sound is driving me crazy. I first noticed it in the dream I was having. It was low at the time, but the more the dream started to fade the louder the noise grew.

Slowly, I open my eyes hoping to find the noise and turn it off. The moment my eyes open, I immediately close them again. The lights are extremely bright. I groan as I try to lift my arm to shield my eyes.

“Whoa. Take it easy,” a deep male voice says.

However, the voice isn’t foreign to me. I’ve heard that voice a lot lately. It’s in those brief moments when I’m lucid, it’s even in my sleep talking to me.

Opening my eyes, I turn my head toward the sound. It takes a moment for my sight to adjust. My breath catches in my throat when I take in the man sitting beside me.

I recognized him from that day in my school parking lot. He’s the guy that appeared when that asshole refused to move for me. He’s attractive with his square jaw, broad nose, and dark hair. But it’s the eyes that have me gasping. I never saw his eyes the day in the parking lot.

“Your eyes?”

He smiles. “I’m Maksim. I’m Beast’s brother.”

“That explains the parking lot,” I croak out.

He chuckles. I attempt to sit up and immediately cry out when sharp pain goes through my shoulder.

“Hey, take it easy.” He shoots out of his seat. Wrapping his arms around my waist he helps me sit up. He then places three pillows behind my back.

“Doc said you should move slow for the next few days,” he says as he retakes his seat. “He left these pills.” He picks up a bottle of medicine and shakes it in front of me.

“No, no meds,” I quickly say. He looks confused by my outburst. Apparently, his brother did not tell him about my past.

“I used to be an addict. Opioids were my preferred drug of choice. I try to avoid them as best I can.”

He nods his head. Not an ounce of judgement on his face. “Alright, we can get rid of these, and I’ll get you something less addictive.”

I smile, liking his energy already.

“So, how did you end up on babysitting duty?”

He grins showing off his white teeth. “Actually, I volunteered for it.”

I must’ve looked shocked cause he again laughs before continuing. “Everyone else had their hands full, and I didn’t want you to be alone. Beastie was going through some things, so he couldn’t be here.”

The moment he mentioned Gabriel my heart started racing and so did that beeping sound.

“Is he okay?”

“Relax,” Maksim runs a hand through his hair. “Beast is fine.”

“And Gabe?”

A wide smile spreads over his face. “Gabe is doing well too. He asks about you every day and even comes to sit with you sometimes.”

That makes my heart smile. I can only imagine the fear my baby felt watching me lying here unresponsive. Not only that, but he wasn’t home in his normal domain, I know it was probably an adjustment for him.

“What happened to me?” I ask the most obvious question. The last thing I remember is standing at the stove flipping pancakes when all of a sudden, the patio door shattered and then I don’t remember much after that.

“You were shot,” he says point blank, pointing to my left shoulder. “The way the bullet traveled, you’re lucky to be alive.”

---