“I could take you anywhere.” He whispered, shifting closer. Cullen gasped as his body rubbed against his, his body reacting despite the hours and hours of sex. “Anywhere in the world. Name a place and I will take you.”
He hesitated, swallowing hard. “I…uh…I don’t really have anywhere…”
“You can tell me.”
The words pierced something in him, something harsh and emotional that threatened to spring to the surface. But he fought it back and smiled playfully.
“Aren’t you supposed to be making me forget I was human? Do you think humans don’t travel?”
Not that he would have ever traveled to a place like this, of course, but still. It wasn’t too far out of the ordinary for humanity.
Leviathan was watching him thoughtfully. “I think we’ll take ourselves a nice long trip.” He lowered himself to kiss him again. Little fireworks exploded in Cullen at the gentle brush. He tried not to overthink it.
“A few human places…” Leviathan murmured. “A few demonic ones…” He smiled against his lips. “I will make you forget about those wasted years.”
Cullen said nothing, only slid his hands into his hair as he closed the distance between them.
41
“Where are we?” Cullen demanded nervously as he followed Leviathan into a scraggly rock formation that did not look as if it was meant for human touch, the surface black and jagged, standing out unnaturally among the white and gray sheets of rock around them.
He had no idea where they’d traveled to, but when he spun around, great rolling hills of green stretched out behind him. And the air was cool and sweet, a storm rolling in over the hills in the distance. Wind whipped his hair into a frenzy and something about that storm called to him, made him want to venture out into this great green landscape to follow it–
“Cullen.”
He blinked, feeling almost as if he’d been torn out of a dream. When he turned back to Leviathan, the man was smiling softly.
“I forget that you do not have a tolerance for these things.” He took Cullen’s hand into his own. “Come. And donot let go of my hand.”
“Why?” He mumbled as he let Leviathan lead him into that strange dark outcropping. A small, empty tunnel, barely enough to stand up in, led down into a sea of utter darkness that not even his demon eyes could see into.
“This is a magic place.” Leviathan murmured as they edged their way into the darkness. “A dangerous realm.” He turned and flashed him a quick smirk. “For normal people.” Cullen could barely even see the flash of his teeth in the dark. How Leviathan was leading them was a mystery. Maybe his senses were a bit stronger than Cullen had thought. Or his sense of direction impeccable.
“That storm outside is a living thing,” Leviathan continued softly. The ground beneath them grew steeper, more deadly. Cullen could sense a deep dropoff point off to their sides, a deadly fall waiting to happen. He tightened his grip on Leviathan’s fingers. “It calls you and tears you apart when you go to it. The whole landscape is cursed.”
A small shiver ran down his spine at the realization of how easily he’d fallen right into the trap. “You should probably teach me how to protect myself from these sorts of things, if I’m meant to stick around at all.”
Not that hewasgoing to stick around, he reminded himself. They’d made a vow and the moment the time was up, he was gone, whether he liked it here or not. Leviathan’s thumb brushed along his knuckles; he wondered idly if he’d heard the thought in his mind.
“Now why would I teach you to defend yourself,” Leviathan said quietly, “when I could use the information to keep you close?”
Cullen sighed quietly and Leviathan chuckled, pulling him around a corner in the dark. A dull blue glow popped upat the end of the new tunnel, sending relief spiraling through him. It was still far too dark to see clearly, but at least he could breathe a little easier now. The air grew crisper–and damp–and the light pulsed brighter and brighter as they walked.
“Close your eyes.” Leviathan murmured as they approached.
“Why?” Apprehension burst through him, making him pull against his grip. “Is it something weird–”
“Have a bit more trust in me than that, pet. I only want to surprise you.” He gave him an expectant smile. Slowly, Cullen closed his eyes, listening closely to where Leviathan stepped to follow his movements. Their echoing steps suddenly grew louder, as if they’d moved into a wider area. A cavern, maybe. A familiar crisp scent hit him–dead leaves, he thought absently–and a slow trickle of drops began to fall from the ceiling, landing on his shoulders and hair.
“Okay. Open.”
He listened, his eyes widening in shock when he took in the massive cavern they stood in. The walls were black rock, glittering with rainbow calcite, and stalactites hung high above them, shimmering with strange blue-black light as they dropped silver water down onto the cave floor below. And where the water hit, small buds sprung up from cracks in the floor, shimmering orange-red flowers in different stages of bloom littering the space until they took up every inch.
“Wow.” He breathed, inhaling the scent of them. The smell of dead leaves grew even more intense, making him smile. He missed scents that weren’t fire and smoke and blood. “I didn’t think demon realms could have something so…beautiful growing in them.”
“Yes,well,” Leviathan leaned down to pluck a flower. “What fun is a dead world without some life? If all is destroyed,” he turned and offered Cullen the flower, leaning in to peck him on the cheek. “There would be no point to our existence.” His lips lingered and Cullen’s face grew warm, his heart starting to beat too fast in response.
“Who knew demons could be so philosophical.” He muttered as he stepped away, taking the offered flower with him. Tiny thorns along the stem pricked his fingers, but he was grateful for the distraction.
