The boy let out a shrill scream and Leviathan laughed maliciously.
A small jolt shot through him as he woke, his eyes popping wide before falling on Cullen’s serene face, mere inches from his own. His eyes flickered under those lovely pale lids, his lips parted in that way that had always made Leviathan want to kiss him. Slowly, he brought his hand up, letting his thumb brush along the soft skin there.
A dream. A memory. One that he had forgotten about until now. One he had ignored because to admit what he’d done…to admit he’d felt angry on behalf of that human brat…
His thumb ran along Cullen’s cheek, his fingers tracing the shape of his jaw. Too human. This brat…he’d brought feelings to the surface of his soul that were far too human.
I like it here. I like you.
He smiled at the fuzzy memory, his fingertips running slowly down Cullen’s throat, pausing to feel the pulse there before moving lower, over the bare chest that was covered in light bite marks.
Too human, he repeated silently, his heart giving a gentle squeeze. Dumb. All of it. Every moment, every choice with this brat. But…
Worth it.He told himself as he drew the blanket a little lower, exposing Cullen’s well-muscled stomach. Worth it to have…whatever this was with him. Worth it to give up that part of himself that had always hated humans so viciously, to let thatthingin his chest soften until it felt warm and fuzzy and made his very soul light up. It was terrifying, this thing that had never happened to him before, this thing he had always said he never wanted. This weakness he had been determined to never have, lest he end up like the handful of his foolish brothers over the past millenniums, those monstrosities that had fallen for those short-livedmortals…
But he understood it now.
Understood it in a terrifying, amazing kind of way.
He opened his mouth to say Cullen’s name, to wake him and show him exactly how happy he was that he was here with him. But Cullen’s eyes were already open, and his cheeks were red, as if he’d been holding his breath.
The last thing he had expected to wake up to was the pupil-less black eyes of Leviathan. But the light touch against his cheek had woken him, and he’d been frozen the moment he’d seen the unexpectedly soft look on Leviathan’s face as he’d traced the shape of his jaw.
Cullen had watched him move, his hand brushing down his throat and chest, his eyes following the slow movements. He hadn’t moved a muscle, had been curious about what Leviathan was thinking, why he was touching him like this. And then he’d caught the inflection in his mind, as if Leviathan had willingly pressed his thoughts into him, and Cullen had been shocked by how…affectionate they were.
He’d remained frozen, listening closely to Leviathan’s strangely open thoughts as he traced the lines of his body… And then Leviathan had finally looked up at him again and Cullen had found himself choked and breathless, as if he’d forgotten how to breathe.
I like it here. I like you.
The memory had him jolting up, yanking himself away from Leviathan’s grasp with a soft gasp. A harsh throb shot through his head, making him hiss and flinch, his hand going to his forehead. The demon lord smiled at him as he sat up, an expression in his eyes that was far too warm andcomforting.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Cullen hissed, rubbing at his head. “Demons get hangovers?”
Leviathan snorted playfully. “Sometimes.”
He sighed in irritation, squeezing his eyes closed as memories from the night before began to flood him.
The party and the grotesque “food”. The way his head had spun after he’d drunk those sparkly drinks and the female demon that had cornered and touched him… Leviathan showing up the moment he’d called him, his dark eyes full of rage and an aura of death rolling off of him…
The wet sound of a scalp being torn away from bone and the overwhelming scent of blood that had settled throughout the room… Something stirred in his belly and a different memory surfaced: his tongue meeting Leviathan’s through his blood coated fingers, the sweet taste of the dark liquid settling deep inside him and leaving him feeling hot and tense…
Disgust rolled through him, making him lower his hand to his lap.
Blood.
He’d gotten off to the taste of fuckingblood.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
Why did the memory make him feel just as tense and needy as it had last night? And why wasn’t that terrible darkness taking over his mind? Why did it remain nothing more than a hovering shadow? Almost as if it had beenhimthat had liked all those terrible things?
“I can heal it for you.” Leviathan murmured, reaching for his hand. “Give me your–”
“No.” He pulled away and quickly stumbled out of bed, pausing when his legs trembled. The soreness in his bodywas nearly overwhelming, an unusual occurrence. Perhaps Leviathan had made it a habit to heal him after each of their…sessions. And simply forgotten to last night with the alcohol in this system. Or whatever that strange drink had been. He didn’t have the heart to ask right now.
“I’m okay.” He added quickly, seeing Leviathan’s surprise. “I just…need a shower.” He could feel the mess from last night still coating his skin. Sweat, cum and…blood. He flinched away from the knowledge and turned for the bathroom. “You should go to breakfast. I’ll only be a few minutes.”
There was a soft, unnatural breeze and then Leviathan’s arms were winding tightly around his waist, drawing him back against his body. “We’ll shower together.” He murmured in his ear.
