The demons left with murmured goodbyes and bows, disappearing down the tunnel. Leviathan waited until they’d all disappeared before tipping his head back with a sigh, his eyes closing as he listened to the sound of Cullen's quiet heartbeat far above.
That night he dreamed about dancing with Leviathan. He could hear the music, as if it had embedded itself in his memory, and smell the sweet scent of the demon holding him. Holding him so tightly he felt as if their hearts had somehow merged into one, their frantic pounding matching perfectly.
People–demons–swirled around them in a bright array of colors that had him spinning dizzily down, down…
There was a brush of fabric, the press of lips to skin. He moaned…
Cullen jerked awake with a gasp, his eyes instantly popping wide with horror.
“What the fuck?” He hissed as he gazed at the dark ceiling above him. He shifted–and froze when he realized his hand was in his pants. He yanked it out with a fierce scowl, his cheeks darkening despite the fact that nobody was here in this dark room to see.
Sweat coated his skin and the blanket had been kicked to the foot of the bed. He rolled onto his stomach with an irritated sigh, squeezing his eyes closed again.
Just a dream.He told himself, curling his arms under the pillow to press it closer to his face.It doesn’t mean anything.And it didn’t, of course. It wasn’t like he could control them. He shifted again and gasped softly when his erection rubbed at the sheet under him. A slow heat spread down his neck.
How longhadit been now?
A week? Two? He’d never gone so much as a day before without touching himself. This had been bound to happen sooner than later.
Guilt pricked at his heart but…it wasn’t like he could live without it forever.
He chewed his lip for a moment, hesitating, and then pressed his hips down into the sheet again. A soft groan escaped at the pressure. He darted down to grab the blanket and pressed it under himself, balling it up until he could press his hips into it more comfortably. He gave a small thrust forward and moaned, letting his eyes fall closed as he pictured Walker under him, his soft moans filling the room while he fucked him…
He shivered and shot a hand down, pressing the blanket more firmly against his groin as he fucked it. A small shudder ran up his spine, dragging a groan from him. Heatburned in his stomach, spreading down his limbs and making him feel hot all over. The pressure built quickly, his hand latching on hard to the pillow as his orgasm started to hit–and then died away. He froze in surprise and then began moving again, letting himself imagine Walker and how he would feel, the taste of him on his tongue… He groaned again, his body tensing–and the orgasm died away once more.
“Fuck.” He hissed, furious. He was too in his head for this shit. The pillow under him smelled infuriatingly like Leviathan and that only made him remember exactly where he was and what he was doing in this stupid palace…
He froze and then jerked into a sitting position, whirling around in alarm as he realized there was some sort of presence in the room. His eyes scanned the darkness, seeing nothing but shadows, but he could feel it…eyes on him. The ghost of a touch against his skin…
He blushed, mortified, and sprang out of bed, hurrying for the bathroom. A cold shower. That’s what he needed. A cold shower to forget about this whole mess.
16
Leviathan watched him eat, trying to hold back his smile as he picked at the food in front of him. He still very much preferred eating raw, but this way pleased Cullen and he wanted to share meals with him. For now, eating this flesh-infused human food would have to do. And it wasn't terrible. A little boring, perhaps, but seeing Cullen sit beside him so calmly made it worth it.
He remembered their night together last night. Cullen had willingly danced with him, had smiled at him several times. He might have been surly about it afterwards, but it had still happened. And he looked less scared today, though he seemed flushed and uncomfortable.
Maybe he was finally starting to believe that Leviathan meant no harm. He hoped so. He had an issue that was rapidly becoming a bigger problem.
And because of last night, what he’d sensed happening just down the hall from his own bedroom, he knew Cullen would be starting to have the exact same problems. It wasthe reason for his flush now, he was sure. He’d known it wouldn’t take him that long to get over Walker, not with the stress and overwhelming emotions of the past two weeks. And last night…
He shivered at the memory, at the scent and sound of it. He’d seen Cullen wound up before, of course, had noticed it even more than Walker had caught on, but…in this body, with these enhanced senses…fuck, it had been enough to drive him insane with need himself. And now they were both struggling because of it, though Cullen certainly seemed a little worse for wear with his dark hair sticking up in wild tufts, as if he’d run his hands through it in aggravation. Leviathan smiled at the image.
Slowly, he inched his hand closer to the boy’s, letting his knuckle brush along the back of his hand–
Cullen sprang to his feet, his eyes wide with alarm and the flush on his face growing darker. “I plan on reading today. Alone. All day. Please…don’t bother me.”
His lips twitched. “As you wish.”
The moment he was in his bedroom, he froze at the sight of the books piled neatly on his bed. All the ones from the library that belonged to him. And a few others with dark, nameless covers laid off to the side.
He ignored them all, heading into his bathroom for yet another cold shower.
His erection had not come down. Hadn’t dwindled at all. He wasn’t sure what to do about it. Or why it was happening. But it needed to go away. Because if it didn’t… He shook the thought away quickly, his face going hot for the thousandth time that morning.
Ridiculous. Ridiculous, insane thoughts.
He let the icy water run down his spine, wincing as he shivered and pressed his hands flat to the shower wall.
