I only smiled. “Abe, do you want to play?”
There was a laugh in my head as I purposefully invited Abe out of his cage, something I’d never done in the past. I’d always been fighting him. Laughter bubbled out of my mouth, and Mr. Enoch’s eyes bulged. I retreated into my mind because I’d had enough vengeance, and now it was Abe’s turn to have fun.
When I woke up, it was to my least favorite sight. An eye plopped into a small canning jar I’d saved from some jam I’d emptied onto my toast this morning. The eye sat there, a sad, wobbling little sphere, and I sighed, not truly surprised.
“Okay, I guess,” I said with a shrug. “I’m going to put some vodka on it and put it in the fridge. I don’t have anything else.”
Usually I fought with Abe, caging him, and I certainly didn’t actively engage him, but I got back a contemplative feeling and something like a mental nod from him, so I did as I’d said. I sighed when I noticed how bloody my hands were as I dragged the vodka out of a cupboard next to the stainless steel fridge. I emptied the clear liquid over the eye. After the eyeball was floating, I screwed on the lid, then put the mess all the way in the back of my fridge behind a jar of pickles, where hopefully no one would ever think to look.
I went to take a shower, which was always an exercise in irritation because nothing in my apartment was built for a man of my height and width. I bumped my elbows and shoulders on the cream fiberglass shower stall while the shower curtain sucked in with the steam and attacked me. Once I was done, I got out and wiped the fog off the bathroom mirror.
“Fuck.” I took the time to poke at a bruise on my left cheek. Maybe Mr. Enoch had put up a fight after all? I shrugged and didn’t really want to know. I rushed to get ready to meet Noble, and I was nearly late to Healing Hearts because I still had to stop and get his coffee.
But I let out a satisfied breath when I made it on time, shivering the whole while. My hair was wet, and for some reason I couldn’t find my winter gear, so I was back in my black leather coat. Uneasily I wondered where Abe might have left my cold-weather stuff, without getting any answers. Noble’s coffee was warm in my hand, though, and I shoved the questions out of my mind.
Not long after I leaned against the brick wall beside the door at Healing Hearts, Noble burst outside in a rush, with his friend at his back walking much slower. I had to hold the coffee out at my side because Noble threw himself at me and gave me a tight hug. I gripped him close and an unusual soft feeling pulsed in my chest—one I liked.
“You came back.”
“I did.”
He glanced up and frowned. “You’re always hurt when I see you again.” He touched his fingers softly to my cheek, and his bottom lip jutted in an endearing way that made me want to kiss him. So, I did.
“Yeah, cop life. Here.”
He hummed when I handed off the coffee, then bounced on his toes while giving me such an adoring look my heart nearly stopped. And then Abe perked up in my head. He always slithered around in there like a snake, waiting to strike, but at the moment there was a calm rolling from him—I’d let him kill today. He’d even had a reason for it. I stared into Noble’s pretty eyes, and Abe seemed to push at me. He wanted me to touch them, put his lips on them, gnaw one right out of Noble’s head. They’d pop like ripe cherry tomatoes. I shoved at Abe as that thought struck me and my gut turned.
“I got you a surprise you were in no way expecting,” I said, pointing at the coffee.
He laughed and saluted me with the cup. “Yes, I am so shocked!”
“Did you want to go on a walk in the park? As long as we avoid the one area that’s still taped off it’s okay.” I didn’t stop myself from brushing a few strands of his hair off his forehead because I wanted to touch him so much. Why had I been avoiding him?
He glanced down at his cup and sipped at his drink. Letting out a happy little hum, he stepped closer to me and nestled tight against my front. “I’d rather give you a tour of my bedroom.”
I laughed. “That’s my line.”
“We could get food, too?” He blinked up at me with wide, innocent eyes.
“Sold,” I said gruffly. “I’m going to fuck you so hard you can’t walk tomorrow.”
He laughed. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
I kissed him, and he whined, low in his throat. The coffee slipped out of his hand and spilled on the sidewalk. While I vaguely noticed the mess, my hard-on was much more important, and by the wood he rubbed against my thigh, I guessed he felt the same way. We certainly didn’t stop for a replacement on the way to his apartment. We didn’t stop for anything until we were in his bed and he was riding me. Only after he’d sprayed cum across my stomach did he collapse—still, silent, and perfect in my arms.
I was so greedy, I kept him up most of the night. I am a demon after all. I needed to start remembering I wasn’t just some random asshole hung up on a guy, or I’d get him killed—or wear him down with exhaustion. It was difficult to be responsible when he was snuggled up, warm and trusting, in my arms.
6
Noble
A week flewby in a flurry of work and other obligations I couldn’t wait to be done with, but for the seventh evening in a row, Tyler was at my front door, and I wanted to slow down time. Tonight he had a blue Nike duffel bag slung over his shoulder to go with the smug grin on his rugged face. This was new. Normally he snuck out sometime after I fell asleep. Was he planning to spend the night? My skin buzzed in anticipation of waking up with his arms around me.
I opened the door wider. “Come on in.”
Tyler swaggered inside past me, dumped his bag beside the coffee table, and plopped down on the couch as if he owned the place. With a happy groan, he shrugged out of his leather coat. He slung his badge onto the table as if he couldn’t get rid of it fast enough. Quick as another man might slide his belt out of the loops, he unhooked the black leather holster on his shoulder that secured his gun. He didn’t appear to see an issue with it as he tucked the weapon, still in the holster, directly underneath the couch where he was sitting.
“You can’t keep your gun there,” I said with a laugh as I closed and locked the door.
