Dav… worked at a sex club. Those nights Laz thought his friend was going home to clean or sleep or read alone, he was going to a sex club to earn money. All so he could turn around the next morning and hide it in Lovable Loaf’s ledger so the business wouldn’t fail.
So Laz’s dream wouldn’t fail.
“Say something,” Dav whispered, chest rising and falling quickly. His tail flicked in agitation, panic shimmering in his eyes.
Lazerath couldn’t find the words. His friend, best friend, had been lying all these yearsfor him. Spending his nights with other demons?—
With other demons.
Lazerath wasn’t unfamiliar with what happened the nights Dav had gone out with him and left with another. But suddenly, the idea of another demon touching Dav…
It felt wrong.
Were those demons respectful? Did they know who they were with behind the illusion required to get into the establishment? Did they go there specifically for him? Becausehe wasgray?
But then another sickening thought crossed his mind.
“You didn’t… You weren’t forced? Or because there weren’t other options?”
“No, gods no, Laz.” Davarox started to reach forward, like he wanted to come closer, then held himself back. “I… There are things I enjoy, that helped me feel more like myself. Things I couldn’t get in the rare chance someone wanted to take me home, and it’s safe. But I swear, I never touched another demon the moment we met Rosalind.”
Fuck, Rosalind.
She shifted, and when Laz turned with the intention of explaining everything, he read her body language.
“You know?”
It wasn’t an accusation. Something about Rose knowing didn’t spark jealousy or resentment. It was almost… reassuring. Because if she knew, Dav wasn’t alone, and if it had been something dangerous or harmful, Rose would have put a stop to it.
She gave a small nod, flicking her nervous gaze back to Dav. “A few days ago. It was an accident, but I followed him when I was out.”
“I’m sorry, Laz,” Dav said, this time stepping closer with devastation weighing his features. “Please, I made the choice on my own, but I never did it to hurt you. I just wanted… part of it was for me, but I wanted you to have your dream.”
Lazerath stumbled to the side and sank onto a stool, hands scrubbing through his hair and catching on his horns.
“Lazerath.” Dav’s voice caught, and then he was there, kneeling and squeezing his palms on Laz’s knees. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Laz swallowed past the burning in his throat. “No one—no one hurt you, right?”
Davarox choked out a rough sound. “No. Everything was consensual. Like I said, there were aspects I could explore?—”
“Show me,” Laz blurted and then watched Dav’s eyes go wide. Laz glanced at Rose and realized his slip, then corrected, “Us.”
Davarox scraped his fangs over his lower lip. “Laz?—”
“Please.” Laz tried to wipe the image of some other demon touching Dav, catering to him, giving him pleasure, from his mind. All things he’d never cared about before, but now? Now they had Rose. Now, they werethem, and it was meant to beonlythem. “If this is something you enjoy, if it fulfills something for you, it’s going to be us, okay? No one else.” He looked at Rose. “Would that be okay with you, beautiful?”
She gave him a soft smile and nodded. “You both know I’ve been curious to try.”
Laz turned back to his friend. A demon who had become one of the most important demons in his life. His best friend with whom he’d entwined his world.
“Will you let us try?”
Dav swallowed, and that was hope and relief and something unidentifiable in his gaze before he pressed his forehead to Laz’s knees. “Yeah. Wecan… we can try.”
Laz smiled, shaking Dav’s shoulders to try to ease some of the tension. “All these years and it turns out I don’t know everything about you.”
You’d made them for me.
