To Love A Beast | Gay MxM |

6. Storm Arises

-Chase-

After I stepped out of my home and closed the front door, I stopped. I stared at the street in front of me, blinking a few times to make sure I was actually awake. I wasn't new to ending up in weird situations in my life, but I had to admit, I had rarely been as confused as I was now. I was dying to know what had happened to Dante. I could smell the drama, so I couldn't just let him leave without knowing what happened.

And on top of that, he wished his wife was dead.

I started climbing down the stairs, trying to contain my urge to call Zane. For one, I promised Dante I wouldn't tell anyone about him, and two, my friends often gave me a hard time for being unable to say no to guys – especially ex-boyfriends – whenever they needed something, and I didn't need a new lecture. It wasn't even true! What happened with Brett last night was just a big, drunken mistake, and Dante was bleeding, so how could I say no to him?

Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any disgruntled customers waiting around when I stepped inside the store. I quickly told the shop to bring the tea selection back and hide the magical merchandise, before rushing to get ready to open the doors. I had a few missed calls on the work phone, so after finally unlocking the door and putting up the We're Open! sign outside, I dealt with them.

The day was torture. Business was slow as always, so I spent the majority of the day trying to figure out what happened to Dante while drying herbs and mixing powders in the backroom. Eru had climbed on top of our tallest bookcase and glared at me in disapproval every time I came into her view. She wasn't exactly a good company that day, but I understood her. There was a werewolf in her home, so obviously she was mad at me. I had the feeling she'd stay in the shop for as long as Dante was staying at my place. However long that would be.

There was one thing that bothered me the most. Why me? Why did he come to me of all people; a guy he was briefly dating several years ago? I mean, I guess it made sense if he knew the truth about my little shop, and that I was able to help with his wounds, but he also said he had nowhere else to go. Why couldn't he go to his family or friends for help?

Just before I was supposed to close the shop, I prepared the powder for a new potion for Dante, making sure it tasted better this time. It wasn't much of an improvement, but I tried my best. After I turned off the lights, I called for Eru, but she was still staring daggers at me, so I let her be – she had a small hatch at the back, leading outside in the garden, so she was able to come home anytime she wanted.

"I'm sorry – he needs our help," I told her, but she turned her head away. I rolled my eyes and left the shop.

The grocery store was only five minutes away, but it was raining again, so I had to run. I did feel guilty now for stealing money from Dante back when we were dating, so I bought a lot of good, pricy food for him. I was going nuts trying to remember what kind of food he liked before I realized that the guy probably didn't give a damn about what it tasted like at the moment.