“Maybe it’s been too long since you’ve been with him to remember the specifics,” Drew suggested. “Trust me, it’s so sexy.”
Zach snorted and kissed Drew’s temple. “I know you’re probably not trying to be an ass, but you might be breaking him a little, sweetness,” he said gently. To Andras, he said, “You mess with Drew, you suffer the consequences. As for me helping you, I’ve given you your options. Choose one, choose none, I don’t care, but that’s the only help you’re getting from me.”
Defeated, Andras slumped forward. “Fine. I’ll take your help to strengthen my glamour and cover my tracks.”
Drew looked at him expectantly. “And?” he prompted.
“And what?” Andras asked.
“And what do we say when someone offers to help you?” Drew chided.
“Thank you,” Andras mumbled under his breath, not looking at either of them as he said it.
They were interrupted by a waitdemon coming over and dropping two bowls onto the bench. “Two gathra stews,” they intoned in a bored voice, before turning and shuffling back to the kitchen.
The smell of the food was rich and savoury, causing Drew’s stomach to rumble loudly. “This smells amazing,” he said, leaning down to sniff at his bowl. He scooped some onto his spoon but paused before bringing it to his mouth. He looked over at Andras. “Oh, um, would you like some?” he offered.
Andras gave him a quizzical look, but then shook his head. “It’s quite alright. I’ll go and order myself a bowl. Can we leave once we’ve eaten?”
“We leave in the morning,” Zach said. “I’m not taking Drew out onto the plains in the dead of night. We stay here and leave at first light.”
Andras went to protest but stopped at the glare Zach gave him. “Fine,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll go order some food.” He swung his lean legs over the table and then headed for the counter.
Finally shovelling a spoonful of stew into his mouth, Drew moaned at the taste. It wasn’t quite like anything he’d had before, but it was good. He didn’t know if it was the seasoning they used or if it was his hunger playing tricks on his mind, but he was too tired and hungry to care. He swallowed quickly, then scooped up another mouthful.
Once he’d finished that bite and taken a little of the edge off, he fished out what looked to be a cube of some sort of root vegetable and offered it to Leila. The hen regarded the morsel for a long moment, then leaned down and delicately pecked at the food. Her black beak got speckled with gravy,and she seemed to work the food around in her mouth for a few seconds as she considered if it was worthy of being eaten. Finally, she swallowed, ignored the rest of the vegetable on the spoon, and turned and plucked out a juicy piece of meat from Zach’s bowl.
“Hey!” Zach protested as Leila dropped it onto the table and then began to tear shreds off it. “Stick to your own bowl!”
“You didn’t get her a bowl,” Drew pointed out. “She has to share with us.”
“She’s notmyfamiliar,” Zach grumbled. “She can eat from your dish.”
Drew looked at Zach with big eyes. “You’d let her gohungry?”
Zach rolled his eyes. “She wouldn’t go hungry because you’d feed her. Stop being a little shit.”
Drew chuckled and spooned up some more stew, but didn’t comment when Zach dropped another hunk of meat next to Leila’s first piece. His boyfriend and his familiar weren’t on the best of terms yet, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before they would be.
Andras returned to the table, and not long afterward, his meal arrived. As they ate, Drew watched the occupants of the inn with curiosity. There was such a wide array of demons, all with different characteristics and attributes. Zach had explained they were all lower demons, meaning they weren’t as connected to their magic as higher demons, and so they’d evolved differently. Drew found that fascinating, but figured now wasn’t the time to ask the million and one questions swirling around in his brain. There would be time for that when they were safely back home.
Once their bowls were empty, Zach nodded towards the stairs. “Let’s hit the sack. I want to be on the road at first light.”
“I’ll need to arrange a room,” Andras said.
“Nope, you’re with us,” Zach disagreed. “I don’t want you doing anything stupid during the night.”
“Why would I do that when you’ve finally agreed to help me?” the demon demanded, sounding offended that Zach would even suggest such a thing.
“Because Iknowyou,” Zach drawled.
In the blink of an eye, Andras’s demeanour changed, and he leered at Drew. “Well, since we’ll all be sharing a bed, maybe I can get to know you a little more intimately, precious.”
“You’ll be on the floor,” Zach told him, not rising to the bait. He took Drew’s hand and pulled him up from the bench. “Drew is off limits.”
“When did you become such a stick in the mud?” Andras asked, narrowing his eyes.
Zach rubbed at his eyes in exasperation. “Would you just quit it for one moment?” he pleaded.
