Noah bit his lip, amused at himself.Did he have a thing for demonic men?Maybe? But as sexy as Barbatos was, Reign was definitely more Noah’s type. Personality and looks-wise.
Spinning around, Barbatos showcased his impressive physique, his sigil grabbing Noah’s attention. Unlike Reign’s that decorated the back of his neck, Barbatos’ was situated just above the scars signifying his clipped wings. The sigil looked like a musical instrument.
Barbatos cut Noah’s inspection short when he leaned in and said, “When you get bored of Reign, I’d be more than happy to take over, kitten.”
‘When he gets bored of Reign?’Noah glanced at Reign, finding him watching Noah with his chin resting in his palm. He didn’t seem too bothered by Barbatos’ offer, nor by the implication that Noah would eventually get bored of him. Which made Noah wonder: did Reign not care about it? Was getting bored all that it took for him to move on from Noah? Noah certainly didn’t think he would ever grow tired of Reign, not when the demon had been dominating his fantasies for the last ten years.
“I—I’m quite alright, thank you,” Noah tossed at the gray-skinned demon along with what he felt was surely an awkward smile.
Barbatos laughed loudly, patted Noah on the shoulder, and wolfed down the rest of the avocado toast. “Do let me know if you change your mind,” he said when he was done chewing, making his way over to the stairs. “My offer remains.”
With Barbatos gone, Noah refocused on his food, Reign’s intense gaze a little too much after Noah’s roundabout confession that he wasn’t exactly interested in sex with anyone but his red-skinned demon. Maybe it was normal. A side-effect of the contract. Either way, there were other things he wanted to ask about, except he wasn’t sure if it was okay to bring them up. Demon stuff wasn’t any of his business, and it was possible that his question might be offensive, too, but…
“Reign?” Noah bit down the worry and met Reign’s gaze.
“Yes, Noah?”
Noah’s stomach fluttered at the sound of his name. It didn’t matter how many times he heard Reign say it, not when it dripped with desire and invitation no matter the situation.
“Is there a reason why you aren’t in the demon tome and why your sigil isn’t on your back and…” Noah trailed off, letting the rush of words end there.
“And why I have no wing scars?”
Noah bobbed his head. This, in particular, he was the most curious about.
“Unlike the rest, I was never an angel. I was human when I was turned.”
“Humans can… become demons?” Noah didn’t know it was possible and he didn’t think the Church did either or there would have been a record of it, or a warning in its books and teachings.
“I do not know of any other such cases as mine.”
So Reign was the only one? A human-turned-demon. But how was that possible? The Church taught that human souls were nothing more than fuel for Hell, yet here Reign was, living proof that such claims weren’t entirely accurate. He had said there were no others like him, confirming there was some truth to those proclamations. However, the stories in the Empire’s books suggested corrupting angels was how Hell acquired its denizens. The only way.
Noah supposed that explained why there were no records of Reign in the demon tome or elsewhere—Heaven was simply not aware of his existence or refused to acknowledge it. Heaven, which also existed if Reign, Barbatos, and Hell were real.Noah hadn’t considered that development so far, but now that it had all sunk in, it felt a little overwhelming. He’d always thought he was open-minded,but it was a bit weird and surprising that what he’d believed to be made-up was actually not.
Noah abandoned his second toast and studied Reign’s human form, comparing it to the demon one he could see in his mind as easily as he could imagine any object from everyday life. He wondered as Reign let him stare, how the world truly worked, the rules he’d thought to govern it upturned in the past twelve hours by a being he had believed to be unreal, just like angels and God.
Wanting to know more, Noah tried to organize the dozen questions he had in order of importance. He would get to ask them all, but he had to start somewhere, deeming the more general stuff more appropriate at this point in their arrangement.
“Have you finished eating?” Reign said before Noah managed to inquire about the King of Hell.
Noah glanced at his toast and nodded. “Yeah.”
Reign slid his finger over his phone’s screen without unlocking the device, seemingly only interested in the time. “Shoul—”
Noah’s own phone rang then, cutting the demon’s words off. Noah glanced at the caller’s ID and frowned, a budding sense of irritation displacing the curiosity from just a moment ago. Of course, it would beTeresacalling him first thing in the morning.
With a sigh, Noah accepted the call, gesturing to Reign to remain seated when he made to stand up.
“Hi, Teresa,” Noah answered with fake cheer.
“Hi, dear. How are you? I hope you got some sleep?” her honeyed voice purred in Noah’s ear.
“Yes, I… fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.” Noah’s gaze flicked to Reign, who looked relaxed and complacent as he leaned back in his chair.
“Good, good. I was worried that being in a new place might make you restless,” she droned on.
On the contrary. Noah had slept soundly and not just because of the mind-blowing sex with Reign.
