They got theirgelatofrom a store that had about forty different flavors. It took them almost twenty minutes to decide what they wanted. Dre settled for pistachio and walnut, while Sammy went for the classics, vanilla and chocolate. The ice cream was scooped onto their cones with a spade, which made them look like little mountains. It was delicious and a bit messy. Sammy was just glad that the night air had a certain chill to it, because otherwise, thegelatowould have melted before he could eat it.
“May I have a taste?” Dre looked at him with smoldering eyes. Sammy gulped and held his cone out, but Dre ignored the gesture and went for Sammy’s lips instead. His hot tongue swept over the corner of Sammy’s mouth. Sammy reacted instinctively by opening up. It was their first real kiss and Dre kept it simple, just sucked on Sammy’s tongue for a moment before he righted himself again, a satisfied smile on his face. Sammy was glad, because if Dre had kept on kissing him, he might have come in his pants.
“Delicious.” Dre licked his lips.
Sammy groaned. This was torture, albeit the good kind. And since this evening was already so perfect, he just went with the flow. He tried to scoop as muchgelatoas possible on his tongue, making sure Dre was watching, then tilted his head to him, offering his vanilla-smeared lips. “Want another taste?”
Now it was Dre’s turn to groan. The demon bent back down. Almost in slow motion, Sammy could see Dre’s eyes turning crimson. He knew he should be alarmed. He knew Dre was dangerous. And yet all he felt was lust and a yearning from so deep down in his soul that he didn’t want to think about it too much. Their lips met again, their tongues starting a slow, sensuous dance that had Sammy’s entire body flushed with heat. They only stopped when they needed to come up for air. Panting, they stared at each other. Sammy caught a flash of fang from Dre and shuddered in anticipation. He wondered how it would feel, kissing Dre with his fangs out. The demon trembled under his light touch.
“We better get to the Catacombspronto. The magic conceals only so much.”
Sammy loved the rasping quality of Dre’s voice, which assured him that the demon was as affected by their kiss as he was. They stumbled into the nearest alleyway, looking for a dark corner where nobody would see them vanishing. Dre pressed Sammy tightly against his body while he cut open time and space. They reappeared inside the Catacombs on the Appian Way, surrounded by darkness and a silence that was almost deafening. It was also colder underneath the surface. Sammy snuggled closer to Dre’s body, enjoying the heat coming from the demon. Dre held out his right hand and a small ball of fire appeared on it. It hovered half a foot above them, shedding light and warmth. Once they had eaten theirgelato, which took some time because of all the kisses they stole in between, they set out to explore. Sammy loved the way their shadows were dancing around the walls like creatures from another world. With Dre at his side, he didn’t fear anything. They passed a long line of rectangular shapes hewn into the rock where the bodies of Jews and early Christians had been buried. The farther they went, the more elaborate those graves became, some of them with beautiful mosaics to honor the deceased. They stopped at one small grave where a child had been buried. Sammy felt sadness wash over him.
“I wonder what it was like, coming down here with the body of somebody you loved in your arms, putting them to rest among all the other who had gone before them.”
Dre’s arm tightened around him. “It was sad, I guess. Though you have to keep in mind that the early Christians were fierce in their belief. Perhaps they even felt some joy for the person who would, according to their lore, go to paradise.”
Sammy leaned his head on Dre’s muscular chest. “What’s it like—being immortal, I mean?”
They started walking again, toward the exit of the Catacombs. “Boring, mostly. I’m only eight hundred years old, so I don’t know that much about eternity yet, but from what my father has told me, it’s hard not to get buried under the weight of the centuries.”
“How old is your father?”
“Almost four thousand years. Back when he was born, things were more interesting, though. There were less humans, vast spaces where a demon could have fun—although fun in the olden days usually meant bloody war. Father is not unhappy that those days are over. Plus, he likes all the modern gadgets humanity has come up with. He’s especially fond of his iPad and Netflix.”
Sammy frowned. “I thought demons had their own realm. Why are you even here on Earth?”
Dre thought about this question for a moment, as if he were afraid to say something wrong. When he finally spoke, it was in a low tone, almost a whisper.
“Because we get lonely, just like everybody else. Too many demons in one place means war, usually sooner than later. We do get along with our family and some chosen friends, but all in all, we don’t like each other too much. Father says this is a security mechanism to keep our kind from invading and conquering other realms. A demon army is pretty much unstoppable, and if we were united…” Dre shuddered. “Not a nice thought, believe me. Luckily, we can’t keep the peace among ourselves long enough to even think about invasions. And the more sophisticated the human race becomes, the more fascinated we are. Humans are a great source of entertainment for us, and Father encourages demons actually living on Earth. It makes us less restless and easier to rule.”
They reached the gate to the Catacombs. Dre took the lock that kept the chains around the bars together, shook it and, after it made a clacking sound, opened the gate. After they had passed, he closed it again. Hand in hand, they wandered along the Appian Way, enjoying the livelier silence of the night outside. In the Catacombs, even the air had been stifling, weighed down by the gravity of time, but out here, the sounds of nocturnal animals and the distant hum of Rome made for another, lighter mood. Sammy lifted Dre’s hand to graze the knuckles with his lips.
“Are you restless?”
Dre stopped, turned sideways to face Sammy and kissed him softly.
“I was. As I said, I had a rough break-up about a hundred years ago. But tonight, with you, I feel more content than I can ever remember. This may sound terribly cheesy, I know, yet being here in Rome with you is like magic. The good kind.”
Sammy tilted his head back to get another kiss. It was just a soft brushing of lips, nothing like the wild tango their tongues had danced before. Still, it was equally deep, not with passion, but with emotion.
“Yes, the very good kind. Do you have any other surprises for me?”
“Insatiable, are we?”
Sammy slapped Dre’s chest. “Somehow, you bring it out in me. The greedy, bad side.”
“And I like it just as much. It’s already getting late, so I’ll let you choose. We can go to the Fontana di Trevi, where Anita Eckberg took her bath, or to Ostia Antica. Your choice.”
Sammy bit his lips. “You’re not making this easy. Hm-m. Fontana di Trevi means going back into the city, where all the people are. I think I’m going to be extra greedy. I want you to myself.”
“Ostia Antica it is.” Dre smiled broadly. “I like the way you think. Besides, we can always come back for more of Rome.” He slung his arms around Sammy’s waist. “Let’s go and I’ll show you where the Ancient Romans took their shits.”
When they appeared in the ruins of Ostia Antica, Dre could feel Sammy’s body vibrating with excitement. Even though it was still early in the year and the typical Roman heat hadn’t had time to permeate the old stone walls like it did every summer, the air was already heavy with the scents of sage and lavender. Crickets and other insects played an even nicer concert than on the Appian Way and the stars seemed to be closer here, where the city lights were far off. When Dre had first come to Ostia Antica, he’d fallen in love with the place, even though it had been a real dump four hundred years ago. Something about the old, derelict buildings with herbs and weeds growing between the stones, salamanders scurrying across the former floors of great buildings and butterflies dancing between the columns of temples dedicated to gods long gone spoke to him, drew him in. Sammy was reaching for his hand, and taking it came so naturally to Dre that it almost frightened him. Deep down, he’d already started to hope Sammy might the one, his destined mate. They just fit so perfectly together. He liked Sammy’s nerdy nature, his social awkwardness that was gone the moment he felt in his element with a topic, his openness toward new people, the way he’d reacted to Dre, even though this was their first date. He looked down on the top of Sammy’s head and marveled at how perfectly they fit together before he pressed their joined hands to his chest.
“Let’s stroll around a bit. Can you see well enough, or should I get us a fireball?”
Sammy chuckled. “I’m tempted to say I need a fireball just to see it popping out of nowhere.” He leaned against Dre. “I’m good. You can always conjure one when we get to the mosaics of Neptune’s Bath.”
