“Come for me,” Malphas commanded, his voice rough with his own approaching climax. “Show me who you belong to.”
His words pushed me over the edge, and I came with a cry of his name, my body clenching around him as pleasure crashed through me in waves. Malphas followed moments later, his release hot inside me, his body shuddering against mine.
For a long moment, we remained connected, both breathing heavily. Then, with gentle hands, Malphas turned me to face him, gathering me against his chest as he settled us more comfortably on the sofa.
“That was…” I began, but words failed me.
“Yes,” he agreed, pressing a kiss to my temple. “It was.”
We lay in comfortable silence, his fingers tracing patterns on my back. The possessive urgency had faded, replaced by a tender contentment that was equally powerful.
“I don’t want to go back to my apartment,” I said finally, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
Malphas’s arms tightened around me. “Then don’t.”
I lifted my head to look at him. “Just like that?”
“Just like that,” he confirmed, his expression serious. “Stay. Move your things here. Make this your home too.”
The simplicity of his offer took my breath away. “But… it’s only been a month. Isn’t that moving too fast?”
A smile tugged at his lips. “Sam, I’m several millennia old. From my perspective, we’re moving at a glacial pace.”
I laughed, the sound bubbling up unexpectedly. “Fair point.”
His expression softened. “I know it might seem fast by human standards. But when something feels right… why fight it?”
I considered his words, weighing my fears against the undeniable truth: I was happier here, with him, than I’d been anywhere else. Even with the demonic aspects, the occasional supernatural weirdness, and yes, the obsessive lawn care—this felt like home in a way no place ever had.
“Okay,” I said, making my decision. “I’ll stay. But I’m not letting you rearrange my comic books by publication date or whatever organizational system you’re itching to implement.”
He looked offended. “I would never. They should clearly be arranged by story arc and artistic significance.”
I groaned, burying my face in his chest. “You’re impossible.”
“And yet,” he said, tilting my face up to his, “you’re choosing to stay with me.”
“I am,” I agreed, something warm and wonderful expanding in my chest. “God help me, I am.”
“Let’s leave Him out of this,” Malphas murmured, echoing his words from our first time together. Then he kissed me, soft and sweet and full of promise.
As I melted into his embrace, I thought about how strange and unexpected my life had become. A month ago, I’d been a reluctant attendee at a supernatural support group, seeking donuts and normalcy.
Now I was moving in with a demon prince who threw neighborhood barbecues and got jealous when pretty college girls flirted with him.
Chapter 12
I was elbow-deep in a box of kitchen supplies when the living room air shimmered and tore open like someone had taken a knife to reality itself.
“Um, Malphas?” I called, backing away from the interdimensional rip forming in front of the TV. “We have a situation!”
It was moving day—officially moving the rest of my belongings into Malphas’s house after deciding to make our living arrangement permanent. We’d spent the morning loading boxes from my now-repaired apartment, and Malphas had just gone to the garage to get more packing tape.
He appeared in the doorway, tape roll in hand. “What’s—oh.” His expression shifted from concern to annoyance. “Damn it. I forgot it was the equinox.”
“The what now?” I asked, still backing away from the widening tear in reality, which was starting to smell faintly of sulfur and something metallic.
“Quarterly report,” Malphas explained with the air of someone discussing a routine office meeting rather than a portal to what I assumed was hell opening in his living room. “My subordinates check in on the equinoxes and solstices.”
