The last sentence was what sealed Devon’s fate. Quirion was all for well-placed barbs and needling insults under the guise of politeness. What he couldn’t stand, because it wasvulgar, were outright slurs when people ran out of ammunition.
His demon—Milo decided to go with the possessive pronoun, because no way was he being able to think anything else when Quirion was defending him—drew up to his full height. Even with the glamour, he was a good head taller than Devon, who actually drew back a little, the first sign of self-preservation he had displayed since entering Milo’s lab. “Milo is the very definition of capable and mongrels who yap too loudly get taken to the kill shelter.”
Devon became white as a sheet, turned on his heel and fled from the lab.
Chapter Six
“Uhm, I guess that could have gone better?” Milo sounded insecure, which forced Quirion to suppress his urge to go full demon on that insolent little mortal who had dared to insult his…his…his protégé, yes, that was a good word. Not boyfriend, as Quirion thought he would love to call the young man. He still didn’t know when that had happened. He could exactly pinpoint when his mild annoyance about having to deal with Milo to keep Dre off his back had morphed first into sympathy, then admiration, and finally fondness. It had happened within the first three weeks, his annoyance had been the most short-lived of the three emotions, only surviving the first hour of having Milo in his library. Admiration had seeped in during the course of the following two weeks, when he had had the privilege to witness the determination and diligence Milo showed in regard to his studies as well as his work for Quirion. He had taken to Quirion’s superior filing system like a demon to battle, instantly recognizing the many pros of strictly adhering to the alphabet. Fondness had been sneaky, ambushing him one late afternoon when he had found Milo asleep on his desk, his left cheek cradled in the crook of his elbow, his right hand still loosely holding the pen he had used to write down some complicated calculus.
But when he had started to see Milo as a potential romantic partner, Quirion had no clue. It had been more of a process than an instant thing, growing each day he got to know Milo better. And now Quirion didn’t know how to proceed. Afteranalyzing the situation from various angles, he had identified several problems. The first and probably most insignificant was the age difference. His father as well as his brothers didn’t seem to have any problems on that front, and even though still young in human years, Milo was far more mature in spirit than many paranormals Quirion had met who had centuries under their belt.
The next problem was linked to the first. Should Milo accept his wooing, and yes, Quirion was old school, he would definitely woo, and turn out not to be his mate, what then? Would he opt to cut ties with him immediately to spare them both the misery and heartbreak sure to come when Milo either died in his arms or realized he had wasted his life on Quirion? It might sound dramatic, but it wasn’t too far from the truth, as examples from the past showed.
The last problem was the most severe in his opinion. Did he evenwanthis mate? Quirion had never had an active sex drive like his brothers. He had slept with members of different species for scientific purposes—in one case, all he had wanted had been to confirm a rumor about the secondary sexual characteristics of selkies, which he could then cross from his description of the species because it had turned out to be utter nonsense. He did feel romantically attracted to Milo, though not necessarily in the way other people would see as normal. He could see himself getting intimate with Milo, but it wasn’t at the forefront of his thoughts. Lust was a distant third to spending time with the young man and cuddling with him on the sofa. Quirion could see himself and Milo doing that for all eternity, in a hazy way, more like a dream. Perhaps because he didn’t want himself to hope for it becoming his reality.
It was safe to say his interest in Milo was strong, he just wasn’t yet sure where it would lead them, if it should lead them anywhere, and if he was prepared to live with the consequencesof having been led. Quirion mentally shook his head. Now was not the time to ponder such nonsense! It was more important to remain firmly in the present, where his relationship with Milo was safely platonic and therefore not prone to any changes.
“You’re right. I could have ripped his head off.” Quirion stared at the door through which the mortal had fled. It was rare for him to feel his demonic urges rising to the surface, even rarer when it wasn’t linked to protecting books from amateurs and dilettantes.
“He’s not going to let that go.” Milo sighed. “He’s already suspicious about my funding and now he won’t stop digging until he’s found something. Sometimes I think he lives to get on my nerves.”
“You have nothing to fear from him. The SBW is above all reproach, even though I’m no longer working with them, and they are widely recognized.”
“I thought they were a secret society?” Milo looked puzzled.
Quirion smiled indulgently. Of course, his Milo had picked up on that. “Secret doesn’t mean invisible. They have an official side, one that allows them to interact with universities, schools, and think tanks all over the world. Think of an iceberg. What people can see above the water is just a small part of what is really there.”
“And when I get the funding, they let me dive under to see the base of the iceberg?”
“If you want to stay in the metaphor, then yes, you get to dive under.”
Milo nodded. “Then let’s see that I can get the scuba gear.”
“Now you’re making fun of me.” Quirion gently elbowed Milo, which caused him to stagger back dramatically.
“Watch your strength, Qui!”
They both laughed, and the familiar feeling of being home flooding Quirion whenever he spent time with Milo returnedwith full force.I guess the question is no longerifI want to have eternity with Milo butwhenI want it.
“I guess we better start working. What’s first on the list?”
Milo rummaged through the various paper mounds on his desk, extracting the print-out from SBW’s email with a triumphant huff. He held it out to Quirion, who scanned it with both his secret talent and practiced ease. At this point, his talent and his natural abilities were so intertwined he doubted he was still able to separate them. And why should he? It was all about the books and getting rid of faulty grammar and pesky spelling errors. In this email, there were only two minor punctuation issues, still two too many for something coming from SBW, but the way they presented themselves to the world was no longer his concern.
“First, we need your CV. Let me see how that looks and if we have to change anything. When did you last update it?” Quirion was all business now, diving into this new task with his usual enthusiasm.
Milo turned his PC so Quirion could get a better look and clicked around for a bit until his CV appeared on the screen. “I updated it a few months ago when I tried to keep my funding from MIT. It should be complete.”
There was a hint of anguish in Milo’s voice, about losing the funding from his alma mater, and Quirion could relate. Milo had been so proud to stand on his own feet, to get his own funding. Sammy’s not-so-sneaky attempt at getting Milo funding through Declan, Troy and Emilia had blown up because Milo wasn’t the type to just take money without doing his homework about the donator first. It hadn’t taken him long to find out who was behind the more than generous offer to support his research two years ago. Quirion had, of course, seen this coming and told Sammy it was futile, but had his brother’s mate listened? No, no, he hadn’t, because he thought he knew better than Quirion.Laughable. Quirion wondered if Milo would investigate SBW at all or if he trusted his word. So far it seemed the latter, which pleased Quirion more than he cared to admit. He read over the CV, not finding any mistakes—and not expecting to, because Milo had learned from him. “This looks good. Perhaps you want to highlight your work for Sammy a bit more. As much as he annoys me, his name has a good ring in certain circles I know Beverly and Rasputin are frequenting as well. This could give you a leg up.”
“And he’s still helping me.” Milo had murmured the words so quietly, Quirion wasn’t sure if they had been intended for him to hear.
“You know he loves you like a younger brother, don’t you?”
Milo sighed. “I know and I don’t know how I deserve it.”
“Milo, we talked about this. Sammy forgave you a long time ago. Probably the moment Dre went through the first rip in space and time with him. Your intent may have been questionable, but the outcome for everybody involved was more than desirable. And you have repented more than enough.”
Milo turned to meet Quirion’s gaze. The hurt Quirion saw in those gorgeous eyes hit him like a knife. “I have, but I don’t think it will ever be enough. I wanted to take his life, well, not really, I didn’t think Dre would follow the summons, but the idea was there and in exchange, he has given me a family and friends and helped me make my dreams come true. I don’t see where the punishment is.”
