Beast just raised his beer, but his face remained unchanged, although with the thick layer of drawings and words covering his skin, it was hard to tell any of his expressions at a distance.
The speech continued on into a rant about the perils of having to replace someone irreplaceable, but then King went on to praise his own achievements by suggesting that with him being president, a VP wouldn’t have to do that much after all. If felt like the talk would never end, especially when King started drinking another beer midway through the speech. The man was definitely not Laurent’s favorite person in the room, especially when drunk.
Still, with the crowd of people also infused with alcohol and enjoying a free party, King got an ovation when he was done.
The spotlight lingered on Beast, who sat next to Jake and Martina by a small corner table and just listened. First, he gazed at his father above the heads of the crowd, but by the end of the spectacle that celebrated him by stating all the reasons why he was a lousy person for his new job, his eyes lowered to look at the glass in his hand. It was all done in jest, it seemed, but with all the jokes being at one person’s expense, Laurent considered them insensitive and tactless.
It was painful to listen to King for so long, and Laurent was glad when the music started again. King slid off the stage, waving at them as he made his way through the room with a pearly white smile in place. Nao caught up with him by pushing her slender body through the sweaty bodies. She tugged his head down by the collar and pressed her face against his ear. By the way King flinched, she was likely screaming.
King waved his hand dismissively and patted her ass, but then turned to Laurent, as if he only now noticed his presence. “Come on, boy, I gotta tell you something!” he yelled, loudly enough to be vaguely heard over the aggressive tunes, and Laurent reluctantly followed. King’s arm was heavy around his shoulders, and the scents of beer, strong cologne, and tobacco drilled into his nose, leaving behind an unpleasant residue he wasn’t sure he would get rid of by the end of the night.
King took a sip from his bottle and then pushed the glass neck into Laurent’s face so hard it collided with Laurent’s upper teeth through the flesh of his lip. Laurent grabbed it to stop beer from spilling all over him.
“You look fucking slutty tonight! I like it. Nao took you shopping, eh?” King pulled Laurent into a quieter corner, and the words left Laurent so confused he settled on drinking a bit to excuse his silence.
“That’s good, I guess,” he said, unsure what the word meant. It sounded positive in context of King’s words, even though in his time it would have been used to described someone untidy. “Nao is my best friend here. She really is a wonderful woman.”
King snorted. “Yeah, yeah, just a bit of a nag. I tell you, Laurent, women have no sense of humor. So easy to offend them, you know? You’re a smart guy though. How did you like my speech?”
Laurent downed the beer to give himself a few seconds. “It was… a marvel.”
“A marvel! Ha! That’s why I like you Laurent. You always find the right words.” King patted Laurent’s naked back, making Laurent regret the outfit he and Nao had chosen when King’s fingers lingered on his spine. “I’ll let you in on a secret though. You know why it was such a good speech?”
Laurent shook his head.
King leaned down so that only Laurent would hear him. “Because every time Beast gets a punch in the gut, I get a kick like I’m fuckin’ snorting coke. All thanks to our horned friend.”
Laurent blinked, not sure if he heard the words right through the noise, but his stomach was already dropping. “I don’t understand.”
King groaned drunkenly, as if annoyed that his revelation fell on deaf ears. “I get to take his life energy when he’s upset, because all the barriers are down then, and he’s fuckin’ perfect for it, ‘cause he sulks all the time. Whenever he hurts, whenever he bleeds, I get to eat it all up like it’s an open watermelon and I’m dripping with the juices.”
The way he laughed, stumbling to the wall as if he’d just told his best joke, left Laurent stunned with the revelation. It was utterly and absolutely horrific.
“I guess that’s nice, Mr. King,” he muttered despite the tightness in his throat.
King’s blue eyes glinted, and he laughed so rapidly some of the beer in his mouth dribbled down his chin. “He’s so young and strong, and I just gotta know… Did you two fuck? Because since you moved out of his, I’ve been feeling like a newborn. I’m not even going to be hungover after tonight.”