Page 63 of Beast: Part Two

I’ve watched her all morning go to everyone and ask their food and flower likes and dislikes. She seems happy to be doing something.

I’m just glad to see her smile. I wasn’t there when she woke up in my bed this morning. Even though I laid there and watched her sleep for an hour. I knew that if she awoke in my arms it would lead to questions. Questions that would lead to answers she didn’t want to hear.

Feeling as if I was stalking, I leave Summer and Ms. Reese in the kitchen and head down to the gym. We have another hour before Alicia and the other ladies of the D.O.E show up to go over their satellite findings today.

The moment I step off the last step, Maksim walks around the corner. He stops in his tracks eyeing me.

“How’s your lip?” I ask.

He touches the cut gently. “It will heal. How’s your headspace?”

I nod. “Clear for the moment.”

We stare at each other in silence for a few seconds. After calming down and spending a few hours outside of the house, I was able to think more clearly. Everything Maksim has done with and around Summer has led me to believe he sees her as a friend. There has been nothing to suggest otherwise.

I scratch the back of my head. “Look,” I start, but he stops me from speaking.

“You didn’t do anything I wouldn’t have done if I’d thought someone was pressing up on my girl. But I want to make myself perfectly clear, Summer is my sister. I would never disrespect you or her in that way.”

As I said, after having time to think it over, I already knew this to be true. But I respect him for making it clear.

“I know,” I say.

“Good. But I will also tell you, little brother, that will be your last time pressing a gun to my head without me kicking your ass.”

A slow smile spreads over my face. “You could try.”

Maksim laughs. He walks over and pats me on the shoulder. We part ways. I spend my downtime in the gym, working out before showering and heading upstairs to join the others in the dining room.

Everyone is already there when I walk in. Hawk and Zel are sitting beside each other talking. Albany, Priest and Lucien are at the end of the table looking at something on Lucien’s screen. Many is talking to Maksim as they lean against the wall. Ari, Kyra, Deidra, and Alicia are going over something on the large computer monitor. As if she could feel my gaze on her, Alicia looks up from the screen. The moment our eyes connect she sends me one of her warm smiles.

She walks away from the others and over to me. I meet her halfway.

“How are you?” she asks.

“Good. Thanks again for letting me crash at your place those three days.”

Ten minutes after I stormed out the house that day, my phone rung. I was expecting it to be Priest. I was shocked when I answered, and it was Alicia. She was calling to get help with searching for the other two names on the excommunication order. She said that she could hear in my tone I was stressed and invited me to come to her place to get space. I initially wasn’t going to do it, but she promised me I wouldn’t be disturbed. She and I ended up talking for hours that first night and every day after. She’s easy to talk to.

“No problem,” she places a hand on my arm. “You are always welcome. I’m usually the last person my sisters come to for help in situations like that, so it felt good to be able to offer it to someone.”

I fully understood that. My brothers would call on me for certain things, but none of them really leaned on me for comfort. The only one that would go out of their way to spend time with me is Seth. I have no doubt all of them loved me, but they all had their favorites amongst each other. Hawk and Lucien were most alike. Zel would often seek out Many or Hawk for company. And of course, Lucien always had Seth.

“Well thank you for opening your door for me.”

She smiles up at me and I notice not for the first time how pretty and straight her teeth are.

“Let’s get focused,” Priest says drawing my attention from Alicia’s face.

“I guess that’s my cue,” Alicia says walking back over to the other ladies.

I watch her leave until she’s standing beside Kyra. A burning feeling on the side of my head has me turning in that direction. Maksim is watching me, his brow arched. He looks over to Alicia and then back to me. He narrows his gaze but doesn’t say anything as he places his attention on Priest.

“What do you have for us, Deidra?” he asks the caramel skinned girl with the curly hair.

“It looks like our next confrontation will be Franklin Smith.”

“What do you know about him, Maksim?” Albany asks.

---